London Banter - View Single Post

Mike Hughes[_2_] · March 1st 10, 12:16 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In message ,
writes
In article ,
(Neil Williams) wrote:

On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:30:12 +0000, Steve Fitzgerald
] wrote:

I'm sure someone will be along shortly to point out that a Taxi driver
isn't a 'shifty minicab driver'.

Apples and Oranges innit?

It can be elsewhere as well. In Milton Keynes, I find that there are
far more "bad apples" among the hackney carriage drivers[1] than the
private hire ones.

[1] By no means all, by no means even the majority. But it does seem
that if you get in a hackney carriage late at night from the centre
that you have to insist on the use of the meter, and some even refuse
then. During the day they seem to be fine, though, and while the
private hire cars don't use meters, the fares are extremely consistent
(I think they're zonal, but I'm not sure).

Interesting. In Cambridge they all use the meter for journeys within the
City. But then most taxi firms also operate hire cars.

Refusing to use the meter within the Borough boundary is a criminal
offence and should be reported to the police. Take the cab and driver's
badge numbers.

Not strictly true. You can agree a fare *lower* than the maximum
permitted on the fare chart and they would not have to put the meter on.
Having said that how could you prove that the agreed fare is lower
unless you put the meter on?

In practice what happens in the (rare?) cases that such an agreement is
reached most drivers (at least in London) will run the meter up to the
agreed amount then stop it. They will then continue the journey with the
meter not set - all perfectly legal.

(I do this in the early hours of the morning if I get someone who wants
to go to Heathrow at around the same time I want to go home, offering
them a discount off the normal fare. I then stop the meter and take a
print out which records the start time, finish time, distance travelled
and the fare. That is my proof of what was on the meter?

Some drivers are not so honest. This does seem to be more prevalent
outside London as getting a badge doesn't take 3 years and isn't valued
by the drivers as much.

--
Mike Hughes
A Taxi driver licensed for London and Brighton
at home in Tarring, West Sussex, England
Interested in American trains real and model?
Look here http://mikehughes627.fotopic.net/