Taxi Driver Online

I don’t know what it’s like in other parts of the country but if Edinburgh is anything to go by the vast majority of Cabbies are so thick it’s an embarrassment.

Is this the reason why the trade is represented by monkeys and dictated to by politicians?

And who the feck would pay 50K+ to buy a taxi to service a dwindling customer base?

Thick or what?


BTW, Edinburgh hasn’t seen an increase in Taxi numbers for over 5 years, the city is busting at the seams yet customer numbers are falling, and the average owner can’t work-out why.

Could it be that the increase in customer demand is being met by other transport groups expanding to swallow-up the taxi markets share of customers? Try and explain any of this to your average Edinburgh cabby and he nearly has a seizure.

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

I think this thread of fasties answers my question:

The edinburgher on fasties writes:
As stated recently on the forum Central taxi's are now at 390. City are about 320 . But in real terms who has grown faster over the last five years?

The Predator on fasties writes in reply :From what i have heard none, they are supposed to be much of a muchness your better on the street answers the question:




You couldn't make it up

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Skull could it not also have something to do with the high fares as well,
When we had our fare rise last year, it meant we where more expensive than Edinburgh for a while, and trade has dropped by a third, and has not come back up to what it used to be. we even turned down an increase this year

Yes, I think there are a lot of contributing factors but name me one thing that is now less expensive than it was 5 Years ago?

Edinburgh’s local bus service is an arms length company of the C.E.C... The first year it operated under C.E.C. control, the taxi trade got a 15% hike in fares. I wonder why? In that time the Ph have increase by over 300% on the same tariff, and now the bus company has increased its services, especially at night-time doubling the buses operating till 3 in the morning.

The trade has been fooled into believing that all is rosy in the garden, and as long as there is a plentiful supply of drivers to push-up rentals and plate premiums, it couldn’t get better. It is only recently that some are admitting to a steady fall in custom, and some still deny there is a problem.

The Edinburgh Taxi fleet should be beating the customers of with sticks but only the opposite is true. There are fewer customers every month, but one thing is for sure, the competition is tightening its grip.

Try pointing this out to someone who has just paid 50K+ for a plate.

If brains were dynamite?

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Where i am a £20 hack fare would cost about £13-14 with a private hire.A taxi is classed as a luxury to a lot of people and when they need to draw the purse strings in they will go for the cheaper option.A lot of people are mortgaged up to the hilt these days which leaves them less to spend on luxuries.

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=z07K29Fc15U

You dont have to be bright but it helps

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Legal and proud

Loads a love from BERTIE !!

Yes but for the most part the Ph in Edinburgh charge the same as a hack, nearly all the work is on the meter. The Ph does, however, promote the belief that they are cheaper and the publics’ perception is that this is true.

What people are prepared to pay is a matter of perception. The value for money aspect only comes into play when you believe you are getting a better deal, and this might not be the case.

This is why the public are prepared the jump away from a hack and into a Ph. The Ph in Edinburgh is a professionally run setup, they not only look the part, but in a lot of cases have better vehicles, and now they have computers and Sat Nav as well.

The hacks are getting there asse* kicked but the only thing they can see are plate values and driver rentals, nothing else matters.

They think that not to expand and compete is a good thing.

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

So going back to your origonal question, perhaps there's a bout of thickness going around the general population at the moment?

Only if the hacks are completely incompetent in marketing their own services? The Ph companies have no problem propagating this belief and the public have no problem believing it. I would say it’s not the public or the Ph that’s at fault only the dumb hack owner looking to the driver to prop-up his “business” through hiked rentals. As I said before; nothing else matters. The buying and selling of plates renders the plate holder an idiot. He thinks that buying a plate makes him a “businessman” –end of. All he then need do is drive and vote at a meeting once a year and some don’t even do that.


Your average owner is as thick sh** in the neck of a bottle.

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

What perpetuates all this nonsense is the owner who brags about his earnings to his mates over a pint, persuading them to join the scam.

All this does is massage the owners' ego.

The ill informed driver then thinks there really is a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow then spends 50K of the family silver, or increased debt, to buy into the illusion.

All supported by a council scared to allow the market to decide the level of taxis because it would have the only draconian instrument of control over the trade removed - the fear of extra taxis.

Vive la Thatcher!!!

Whats the position of the new administration on this issue,the same as the last one or has it changed.

No one knows Stu. We can’t get any feed back from anyone…

Everything is way up in the air at the moment, I don’t think we will know what’s happening until the dust settles.

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Skull would i be right in saying that Labour won the council seats, and that the battle could be continued

I don't think so; it's an entirely new committee. I believe its a coalition between the Lib Dems and the SNP. I would be very surprised if the want to continue down this route but who knows. I don’t even think they do at this moment. I am sure however that all shall be revealed very shortly.

I think the future court cases will galvanise their view of what is not acceptable.

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Skull the lib dems where in power down here for a good few years and there no restrictions on the number of cabs, so you now have a good chance