London Banter - View Single Post

[email protected] · April 27th 12, 08:29 AM posted to uk.transport.london

In article , (Roland Perry)
wrote:

In message
.
net, at 18:51:47 on Thu, 26 Apr 2012, Neil Williams
remarked:
My view is that taxis of any kind, private hire or Hackney carriage, are
private transport and should not be permitted in bus lanes at all.

They are both "public transport" which helps dissuade people from
driving their own cars into cities, have to find somewhere to park
etc.

Taxis provide an important public transport service for all sorts of needs
not met by buses and the tube, especially for the elderly.

The distinction between taxis and hire cars is a tricky judgement for local
authorities. We had the same debate in Cambridge over 30 years ago. But here
the hire cars have taximeters and generally charge the same fares as taxis,
so they are genuine alternatives. This grew up from a limit on the numbers
of hackneys until 2001. The unmet demand was provided by hire cars.

--
Colin Rosenstiel