Taxi Driver Online

A letter from a man who knows all about the taxi trade, or does he? lol work it out for yourself.
___________________________

Bristol Evening Post

November 17, 2007 Saturday

Unscrupulous drivers could exploit new taxi rules

Isee that the subject of taxis is being discussed in Open Lines once again ("Bristol's cabbies threaten to strike", Open On-line, November 14) thanks to the council's decision to deregulate the number of taxis in Bristol.

I would like to draw Bob from Bristol, Dave from Downend, Laura from Bristol and Jim from Cardiff to a few facts that seem to have escaped their attention.

The tariff operated by all Hackney Carriages in Bristol is the same as that set by Bristol City Council. It is against the law to charge any more than what the meter says, as it is to charge any less. So, "opening" the plates will not bring down the price of a taxi ride.

There is no such thing as "£6, no matter what the journey". The meter should go on at the time you get in the car, and not before, and again, you should be asked to pay only that fare.

If you are unhappy with that price you are entitled to ask for the meter to be put on. At this stage, the driver is not able to decline your fare, as he has already accepted your hail by letting you into his cab.

There is no such thing as a "double" or "treble" meter. All meters are programmed to adjust the taxi's tariff according to the time of day.

By issuing more taxi permits, you are likely to find more unscrupulous drivers overcharging customers, as there will not be enough officers to regulate them all.

If at any time you feel you have been overcharged, please ask the driver for a receipt. This should contain the driver's name and number. Use this to contact Bristol City Council, which will look into you complaint. Bristol City Council takes these complaints seriously.

None of these rules apply for private hire cars, but you should not use them unless your fare is agreed and pre-booked - this is vitally important for young ladies.

If you do use private, unbooked taxis, both you and the driver are breaking the law, and you could end up with in legal trouble.

Also, no record is kept of an unregistered cab's movements, so if you have any problems, you do not have a leg to stand on.

So, how can you tell a Hackney from a private hire car? Simple: a Hackney cab has the word "taxi" emblazoned on the roof in large letters, and is the only safe way to get home at night.

Stuart Hemmings,via email.
________________________

Remind me what record is kept for taxi rank/street hirings.

_________________
IDFIMH

Our enforcement officer came round to inspect my records a few weeks ago. Only interested in PH records not Hackney.

_________________
Grandad,

I'm also desperately trying to locate a law that makes it an offence for a punter to get in a private hire vehicle when not pre booked? And a law that says a hackney driver cannot charge less than whats on the meter?

Regards


JD

_________________
Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.

Well you will have to put a few more hours in won't you.

_________________
Grandad,

lol easier said than done.

Regards

JD

_________________
Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.