In message , Helen Deborah
Vecht writes
A cyclist friend recommended I try using Zingo taxis.

I had a blank when I rang them.
The website does not load.

Have they disappeared?

The Zingo system was originally started by Managese Bronze, the owners
of London Taxis International (LTI) the makers of the London taxi. The
system works by locating the position of the customer, then locating the
nearest available Zingo equipped taxi and putting the two together.

The problem is that, although the customer is charged extra (was £1.60
but may have gone up) this money goes to Zingo and nothing to the
driver. That's OK if the customer is very close but who wants to travel
through traffic to get to someone when there are plenty of other
customers on the street?

Zingo was sold to the Delgro, the parent organisation of ComCab (and
others) for £1 (but they had to pay the debts!). Since then customers
phoning Zingo are offered the chance to go into the ComCab system if
there are no Zingo cabs available.

Most other circuits in central London charge a booking fee and a
'run-in' (meter on before pick up) is allowed. Otherwise drivers simply
vote with their feet and pick up off the street. The answer seems to be
that if you want the service you have to pay for it.

Before anyone argues about the run-ins and booking fees, have you found
out the minimum charges that 'mini-cabs' make for busy West End pickups?


--
Mike Hughes
A Taxi driver licensed for London and Brighton
at home in Tarring, West Sussex, England