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[email protected] · October 23rd 16, 10:48 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In article ,
(Neil Williams) wrote:

On 2016-10-23 07:44:00 +0000, Roland Perry said:

Is that a Milton Keynes thing? I've never paid any sort of
taxi/minicab fare up front.

If you negotiate a fare, that usually happens up front. Perhaps that
kind of misbehaviour is confined to the disreputable MK Hackney
carriages.

Only had one dispute, too (a classic failure of 'the knowledge')
where a driver added the cost of short-term parking at Birmingham
Airport to the fare, despite me having been given a fixed quote by
the minicab firm. As it was about the same as the tip I'd have
given him anyway, we parted company with him getting the parking
fee and no tip.

Could well be a failure of the company who should have added it onto
the quote. But if it was an issue, for future reference, just get
him to drop/collect you at the railway station instead, where there
are no such nonsensical fees.

I live within the city centre in Cambridge so have always used the meter in
taxis and hire cars but from cases that came before me as a councillor I can
see that the usual arrangement with out boundary fares, which have to be
agreed before travel and aren't metered, is payment at the end of the hire.
However, from the problems brought before us, I can see why drivers might
want up-front payment.

--
Colin Rosenstiel