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Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
Lots of noise and blocked traffic when I walked past yesterday in Southwark.
Anyone know what they're protesting about this week? Is it Uber, fares, or they just don't like TfL in general? -- Spud |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
In message , at 08:34:29 on Tue, 18 Oct
2016, d remarked: Lots of noise and blocked traffic when I walked past yesterday in Southwark. Anyone know what they're protesting about this week? Is it Uber, fares, or they just don't like TfL in general? It was entitled "No more deregulation". -- Roland Perry |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
On Tue, 18 Oct 2016 08:34:29 +0000 (UTC), d wrote:
Lots of noise and blocked traffic when I walked past yesterday in Southwark. Anyone know what they're protesting about this week? Is it Uber, fares, or they just don't like TfL in general? There was a leaflet picture tweeted at https://twitter.com/blacktaxicab/sta...30762549383168 TFL NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE Endangering Londoners with watered-down DBS on minicab drivers. Refusal to inform Londoners of unacceptable rate of minicab rape and sexual abuse. Refusal to release statistics defining the astonishing amount of minicab RTA. Licensing drivers without passing basic DVLA test. Endangering Taxi drivers with irresponsible rear mounted card readers. Cutting Taxi earnings by up to five percent, on card transactions. Condoning uninsured minicabs and inventing fictitious on-off insurance. Fabricating evidence of Uber landline. in a failed bid to hoodwink the GLA. Guilty of tutoring Uber on how to evade regulations. Unmonitored, 'out of office' liaisons and unminuted meetings with Uber. Harassing Taxi drivers, whilst condoning Private Hire illegalities. |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
On Tue, 18 Oct 2016 10:49:55 +0100
David Walters wrote: On Tue, 18 Oct 2016 08:34:29 +0000 (UTC), d wrote: Lots of noise and blocked traffic when I walked past yesterday in Southwark. Anyone know what they're protesting about this week? Is it Uber, fares, or they just don't like TfL in general? There was a leaflet picture tweeted at https://twitter.com/blacktaxicab/sta...30762549383168 Some of it sounds reasonable - if true, which is a big if - but others... Endangering Taxi drivers with irresponsible rear mounted card readers. Huh? Wtf is dangerous about a card reader? Cutting Taxi earnings by up to five percent, on card transactions. I bet thats the card companies skimming their commission and nothing to do with TfL. Harassing Taxi drivers, whilst condoning Private Hire illegalities. Hmm, does have the vague sound of a whinge. -- Spud |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
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Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
On Tue, 18 Oct 2016 11:52:39 +0100
Roland Perry wrote: In message , at 10:37:37 on Tue, 18 Oct 2016, d remarked: Endangering Taxi drivers with irresponsible rear mounted card readers. Huh? Wtf is dangerous about a card reader? Perhaps it puts the driver into contact with the passenger - not always a good idea. You can see them in lots of black cabs now. They're mounted in the passenger compartment and look like the standard type you get in shops. I would expect - if the system has been implemented properly - that the driver has some button or whatever on his meter to initiate the card reader. I can't see he'd need to touch it himself (and if he did it he'd need to be a contortionist to do it!) Or get out and go around the back. Which seems unlikely to me. -- Spud |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
On Tuesday, 18 October 2016 09:47:24 UTC+1, Roland Perry wrote:
It was entitled "No more deregulation". Removing the double negative it would be "More regulation." |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
In message , at
04:29:13 on Tue, 18 Oct 2016, Offramp remarked: It was entitled "No more deregulation". Removing the double negative it would be "More regulation." I think they just want the existing regulations applied fairly (as they would see it) to both minicabs and hackneys. -- Roland Perry |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
"Roland Perry" wrote in message ... In message , at 10:37:37 on Tue, 18 Oct 2016, d remarked: Endangering Taxi drivers with irresponsible rear mounted card readers. Huh? Wtf is dangerous about a card reader? Perhaps it puts the driver into contact with the passenger - not always a good idea. so how does the driver avoid "contact with the passenger" when accept a cash payment now? tim |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
"David Walters" wrote in message ... On Tue, 18 Oct 2016 10:37:37 +0000 (UTC), d wrote: On Tue, 18 Oct 2016 10:49:55 +0100 David Walters wrote: On Tue, 18 Oct 2016 08:34:29 +0000 (UTC), d wrote: Lots of noise and blocked traffic when I walked past yesterday in Southwark. Anyone know what they're protesting about this week? Is it Uber, fares, or they just don't like TfL in general? There was a leaflet picture tweeted at https://twitter.com/blacktaxicab/sta...30762549383168 Some of it sounds reasonable - if true, which is a big if - but others... Cutting Taxi earnings by up to five percent, on card transactions. I bet thats the card companies skimming their commission and nothing to do with TfL. I'm not sure if it has happened already or not but TfL want the fare paid to be the same regardless of cash or card with no surcharge. https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/pr...y-london-taxis That's not unreasonable, but CC charges are not 5% so what's the beef here? tim |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
On Tue, 18 Oct 2016 14:02:33 +0100
"tim..." wrote: "David Walters" wrote in message I'm not sure if it has happened already or not but TfL want the fare paid to be the same regardless of cash or card with no surcharge. https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/pr...yor-and-tfl-co firm-card-and-contactless-payments-will-be-accepted-by-london-taxis That's not unreasonable, but CC charges are not 5% They're 0% in most shops. You don't expect to pay more for your shopping at Tesco if you use a CC rather than debit or cash. The supermarket swallows the cost since its more than made up for by the greater custom because of it. Perhaps something the cabbies should bear in mind. -- Spud |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
In message , at 14:01:25 on Tue, 18 Oct
2016, tim... remarked: Endangering Taxi drivers with irresponsible rear mounted card readers. Huh? Wtf is dangerous about a card reader? Perhaps it puts the driver into contact with the passenger - not always a good idea. so how does the driver avoid "contact with the passenger" when accept a cash payment now? The passenger slips it through a letter-box sized aperture. -- Roland Perry |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
In message , at 14:02:33 on Tue, 18 Oct
2016, tim... remarked: I'm not sure if it has happened already or not but TfL want the fare paid to be the same regardless of cash or card with no surcharge. https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/pr...e-accepted-by- london-taxis That's not unreasonable, but CC charges are not 5% so what's the beef here? "To ensure customers and cabbies don't pay over the odds, TfL has negotiated with the credit card industry to bring down the cost for drivers of accepting card payments. This will reduce transaction fees paid by cabbies from up to 10% to three per cent or less of the transaction." I don't know who cabbies are paying 10% to, but 3% would be typical for a small self-employed business. Plus you having to spend a few hundred on the terminal. -- Roland Perry |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
On 2016-10-18 13:02:33 +0000, tim... said:
so what's the beef here? Some taxi and minicab drivers like to fail to declare their whole income for tax purposes. That's why taxi drivers (and minicab drivers) don't like card payments. And why I do - it's a highly dodgy industry which is receiving some welcome regulation from a passenger's point of view. I'm more than happy to pay, by card from my pre-configured account, a fare that has been determined by a non-tamperable smartphone app - that's how Uber works. That way, drivers willing to fiddle things gain no advantage. Take it one further and price zonally, and the incentive to cheat by taking an unnecessarily long route goes, too. As does arguing about tips. Neil -- Neil Williams Put my first name before the @ to reply. |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
On 2016-10-18 13:37:39 +0000, Roland Perry said:
I don't know who cabbies are paying 10% to, but 3% would be typical for a small self-employed business. Plus you having to spend a few hundred on the terminal. Pennies compared with the cost of the taxi. Neil -- Neil Williams Put my first name before the @ to reply. |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
On Tue, 18 Oct 2016 14:58:07 +0100
Neil Williams wrote: That's why taxi drivers (and minicab drivers) don't like card payments. And why I do - it's a highly dodgy industry which is receiving some welcome regulation from a passenger's point of view. I'm more than happy to pay, by card from my pre-configured account, a fare that has been determined by a non-tamperable smartphone app - that's how Uber works. That way, drivers willing to fiddle things gain no advantage. A program is only non tamperable until someone finds a way to tamper with it. And of course you have to be happy for a company like Uber to have all your details. Personally I'd rather not give mine to such a slimey operator. -- Spud |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
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Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
wrote:
On Tue, 18 Oct 2016 14:02:33 +0100 "tim..." wrote: "David Walters" wrote in message I'm not sure if it has happened already or not but TfL want the fare paid to be the same regardless of cash or card with no surcharge. https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/pr...ber/mayor-and- tfl-co firm-card-and-contactless-payments-will-be-accepted-by-london-taxis That's not unreasonable, but CC charges are not 5% They're 0% in most shops. You don't expect to pay more for your shopping at Tesco if you use a CC rather than debit or cash. The supermarket swallows the cost since its more than made up for by the greater custom because of it. Perhaps something the cabbies should bear in mind. Ansd as amore direct comparison Trains charge the same for cash and credit cards -- Mark |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
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Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
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Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
On 18.10.16 17:15, Neil Williams wrote:
On 2016-10-18 14:30:43 +0000, d said: A program is only non tamperable until someone finds a way to tamper with it. And of course you have to be happy for a company like Uber to have all your details. Personally I'd rather not give mine to such a slimey operator. My experience is that Uber is orders of magnitude less "slimey" than a great many taxi drivers, both of private hire and of Hackney carriages outside London. The Hackney carriage drivers in Milton Keynes are particularly disreputable. Anyone with any sense ignores them and uses one of the private hire operators who behave much better. Neil That, unfortunately, is my experience of Hackney carriage drivers in London. I had a particularly bad experience with one a few years back. He was rude and swearing about how all of London is being ruined, spoke poorly about immigrants and people of colour. He was also rude when I paid him. When I get out, I told him that it was very poor service, after which he started to get extremely angry and yelled at me not to speak to him that way, and that he was going to get me, etc. etc. |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
In article ,
(Neil Williams) wrote: On 2016-10-18 14:38:42 +0000, said: Hackney carriage drivers have meters to keep them honest of course. One reason why licensed hire cars in Cambridge have meters. The habit of refusing to use them seems particularly popular late at night in MK. And they *all* refuse, so you can't just get in the one behind. And the Council has no interest in removing their licences for doing so. When I was a Cambridge city councillor we had a good enforcement team and good relations with the taxi and hire car trade on most things. We certainly wouldn't have stood for that within the city. -- Colin Rosenstiel |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
On 2016\10\18 12:19, David Walters wrote:
On Tue, 18 Oct 2016 10:37:37 +0000 (UTC), d wrote: On Tue, 18 Oct 2016 10:49:55 +0100 David Walters wrote: On Tue, 18 Oct 2016 08:34:29 +0000 (UTC), d wrote: Lots of noise and blocked traffic when I walked past yesterday in Southwark. Anyone know what they're protesting about this week? Is it Uber, fares, or they just don't like TfL in general? There was a leaflet picture tweeted at https://twitter.com/blacktaxicab/sta...30762549383168 Some of it sounds reasonable - if true, which is a big if - but others... Cutting Taxi earnings by up to five percent, on card transactions. I bet thats the card companies skimming their commission and nothing to do with TfL. I'm not sure if it has happened already or not but TfL want the fare paid to be the same regardless of cash or card with no surcharge. https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/pr...y-london-taxis That has been the case since, I think, April 2016. |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
wrote in message ... On Tue, 18 Oct 2016 14:02:33 +0100 "tim..." wrote: "David Walters" wrote in message I'm not sure if it has happened already or not but TfL want the fare paid to be the same regardless of cash or card with no surcharge. https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/pr...yor-and-tfl-co firm-card-and-contactless-payments-will-be-accepted-by-london-taxis That's not unreasonable, but CC charges are not 5% They're 0% in most shops. The point of discussion is the charges to the seller, not the buyer. The cabbies argument is that *they* will lose 5% because that is what the CC companies charge them and TfL are asking them to agree to a "contract" forbidding CC surcharges to customers. My point was that the CC companies *don't charge them 5%. tim |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
"Paul Corfield" wrote in message ... On Tue, 18 Oct 2016 08:34:29 +0000 (UTC), d wrote: Lots of noise and blocked traffic when I walked past yesterday in Southwark. Anyone know what they're protesting about this week? Is it Uber, fares, or they just don't like TfL in general? They want the world to stand still, for regulation to remain as it has done since they gained their monopoly, for technological process to be banned and for TfL to be their "bestest ever friend in the whole wide world" so taxi drivers can not suffer the consequences that anyone whose job or trade has been forcibly changed by progress has had to do. In short TfL and the Mayor should do what the taxi drivers f*ckin' tell them to do. Ironic really when you consider the general political slant of many taxi drivers. You'd imagine they'd be against protectionism, would love innovation and would be swashbuckling supporters of competition. I have a bit of sympathy for them but not engaging with the world as it is rther than how they wish it was is a rather stupid approach to take. I agree Arguing that they shouldn't have to compete with a competitor who structures his business in a way that facilitates tax evasion (yes, I said evasion) is one thing (not suggesting that Uber evades tax, but ISTM that the casual relationship that they have with drivers enables them to do so, if they are so minded) Arguing that they shouldn't have to compete with a "technology" based routeing system instead on having to do "the knowledge", is just plain Ludditeism. It's for the customer to decide what system they prefer (and are prepared to pay for), not the regulators. tim |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
On 2016\10\22 10:04, tim... wrote:
"Paul Corfield" wrote in message ... On Tue, 18 Oct 2016 08:34:29 +0000 (UTC), d wrote: Lots of noise and blocked traffic when I walked past yesterday in Southwark. Anyone know what they're protesting about this week? Is it Uber, fares, or they just don't like TfL in general? They want the world to stand still, for regulation to remain as it has done since they gained their monopoly, for technological process to be banned and for TfL to be their "bestest ever friend in the whole wide world" so taxi drivers can not suffer the consequences that anyone whose job or trade has been forcibly changed by progress has had to do. In short TfL and the Mayor should do what the taxi drivers f*ckin' tell them to do. Ironic really when you consider the general political slant of many taxi drivers. You'd imagine they'd be against protectionism, would love innovation and would be swashbuckling supporters of competition. I have a bit of sympathy for them but not engaging with the world as it is rther than how they wish it was is a rather stupid approach to take. I agree Arguing that they shouldn't have to compete with a competitor who structures his business in a way that facilitates tax evasion (yes, I said evasion) is one thing (not suggesting that Uber evades tax, but ISTM that the casual relationship that they have with drivers enables them to do so, if they are so minded) Arguing that they shouldn't have to compete with a "technology" based routeing system instead on having to do "the knowledge", is just plain Ludditeism. It's for the customer to decide what system they prefer (and are prepared to pay for), not the regulators. ... except that cars stopped in, say, Mercer Street while the driver says "K L A R K U N W E L ... I am not finding it in my sattienav" will bring the entire city to a halt. In fact, if you try moving a vehicle anywhere near Trafalgar Square at midnight on a Friday, you will see the area is already at a halt because of so many minicabs waiting for a ping. |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
"Neil Williams" wrote in message
... On 2016-10-18 14:38:42 +0000, said: Hackney carriage drivers have meters to keep them honest of course. One reason why licensed hire cars in Cambridge have meters. The habit of refusing to use them seems particularly popular late at night in MK. And they *all* refuse, so you can't just get in the one behind. And the Council has no interest in removing their licences for doing so. If they refuse to use the meter is the passenger able to refuse to pay the fare? The de-regulated (or, more properly, re-regulated) taxis in Dublin have to provide a printed receipt from the the meter. If the driver tells you they can't print a receipt (and I have had a few that did this) you're perfectly entitled to tell them you can't pay the fare. BTW, a standard Uber taxi has to operate in Dublin under exactly the same rules as a licensed taxi, which is why Uber hasn't really caught on there. Personally, I think it's about time the London taxi/cab rules were re-written to provide a level-playing field where - all drivers operate under a common license - no distinction between vehicles hailed on the street, picked up at a rank or pre-booked - all vehicles metered with printed receipts - no special vehicles required, other than an incentive to provide a minimum number of wheelchair adapted vehicles. - common (and sensible, given the use of sat-nav) level of 'knowledge' and language skill requirements for drivers. The above (which AIUI is how the industry works in Dublin) would mean the Hackney Carriage as we know it would die. -- DAS |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
On 2016\10\22 20:08, D A Stocks wrote:
"Neil Williams" wrote in message ... On 2016-10-18 14:38:42 +0000, said: Hackney carriage drivers have meters to keep them honest of course. One reason why licensed hire cars in Cambridge have meters. The habit of refusing to use them seems particularly popular late at night in MK. And they *all* refuse, so you can't just get in the one behind. And the Council has no interest in removing their licences for doing so. If they refuse to use the meter is the passenger able to refuse to pay the fare? Fixed fares are generally paid up front. |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
In message , at 14:53:50 on Sat, 22 Oct
2016, Basil Jet remarked: Arguing that they shouldn't have to compete with a "technology" based routeing system instead on having to do "the knowledge", is just plain Ludditeism. It's for the customer to decide what system they prefer (and are prepared to pay for), not the regulators. .. except that cars stopped in, say, Mercer Street while the driver says "K L A R K U N W E L ... I am not finding it in my sattienav" will bring the entire city to a halt. In fact, if you try moving a vehicle anywhere near Trafalgar Square at midnight on a Friday, you will see the area is already at a halt because of so many minicabs waiting for a ping. The Knowledge is much more than a human satnav, too. Someone said recently "if you want to find the Womens' Refuge in a town, go to he railway station and ask one of the taxi drivers". Like may other destinations people might ask for, that isn't even in the satnav. -- Roland Perry |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
In message , at 20:14:34 on Sat, 22 Oct
2016, Basil Jet remarked: Hackney carriage drivers have meters to keep them honest of course. One reason why licensed hire cars in Cambridge have meters. The habit of refusing to use them seems particularly popular late at night in MK. And they *all* refuse, so you can't just get in the one behind. And the Council has no interest in removing their licences for doing so. If they refuse to use the meter is the passenger able to refuse to pay the fare? Fixed fares are generally paid up front. Is that a Milton Keynes thing? I've never paid any sort of taxi/minicab fare up front. 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. -- Roland Perry |
[quote='D A Stocks[_2_];158826']"Neil Williams" wrote in message
... On 2016-10-18 14:38:42 +0000, said: Hackney carriage drivers have meters to keep them honest of course. One reason why licensed hire cars in Cambridge have meters. The habit of refusing to use them seems particularly popular late at night in MK. And they *all* refuse, so you can't just get in the one behind. And the Council has no interest in removing their licences for doing so. If they refuse to use the meter is the passenger able to refuse to pay the fare? The de-regulated (or, more properly, re-regulated) taxis in Dublin have to provide a printed receipt from the the meter. If the driver tells you they can't print a receipt (and I have had a few that did this) you're perfectly entitled to tell them you can't pay the fare. BTW, a standard Uber taxi has to operate in Dublin under exactly the same rules as a licensed taxi, which is why Uber hasn't really caught on there. Personally, I think it's about time the London taxi/cab rules were re-written to provide a level-playing field where - all drivers operate under a common license - no distinction between vehicles hailed on the street, picked up at a rank or pre-booked - all vehicles metered with printed receipts - no special vehicles required, other than an incentive to provide a minimum number of wheelchair adapted vehicles. - common (and sensible, given the use of sat-nav) level of 'knowledge' and language skill requirements for drivers. The above (which AIUI is how the industry works in Dublin) would mean the Hackney Carriage as we know it would die. -- DAS Many Londoners would like that system but it would be opposed fanatically by the Hackney Cab trade, by owners of minicab firms and by politicians. |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
On Sat, 22 Oct 2016 10:04:08 +0100, "tim..."
wrote: "Paul Corfield" wrote in message .. . On Tue, 18 Oct 2016 08:34:29 +0000 (UTC), d wrote: Lots of noise and blocked traffic when I walked past yesterday in Southwark. Anyone know what they're protesting about this week? Is it Uber, fares, or they just don't like TfL in general? They want the world to stand still, for regulation to remain as it has done since they gained their monopoly, for technological process to be banned and for TfL to be their "bestest ever friend in the whole wide world" so taxi drivers can not suffer the consequences that anyone whose job or trade has been forcibly changed by progress has had to do. In short TfL and the Mayor should do what the taxi drivers f*ckin' tell them to do. Ironic really when you consider the general political slant of many taxi drivers. You'd imagine they'd be against protectionism, would love innovation and would be swashbuckling supporters of competition. I have a bit of sympathy for them but not engaging with the world as it is rther than how they wish it was is a rather stupid approach to take. I agree Arguing that they shouldn't have to compete with a competitor who structures his business in a way that facilitates tax evasion (yes, I said evasion) is one thing (not suggesting that Uber evades tax, but ISTM that the casual relationship that they have with drivers enables them to do so, if they are so minded) Surely an Uber driver has far *less* opportunity to evade tax than other mini cab or black cab drivers? All fares are collected via Uber, so there are no undocumented cash payments. As for Uber itself, it has no opportunity to evade tax, but it certainly has a typical tax-efficient multinational financial structure that will allow it to minimise taxes when it gets into profit. You may not like that, but it isn't tax evasion. |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
On 23.10.16 8:44, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 20:14:34 on Sat, 22 Oct 2016, Basil Jet remarked: Hackney carriage drivers have meters to keep them honest of course. One reason why licensed hire cars in Cambridge have meters. The habit of refusing to use them seems particularly popular late at night in MK. And they *all* refuse, so you can't just get in the one behind. And the Council has no interest in removing their licences for doing so. If they refuse to use the meter is the passenger able to refuse to pay the fare? Fixed fares are generally paid up front. Is that a Milton Keynes thing? I've never paid any sort of taxi/minicab fare up front. Speaking of Milton Keynes, what is the deal with the PRT project there these days? |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
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. Neil -- Neil Williams Put my first name before the @ to reply. |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
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Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
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Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
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Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
In message , at 19:32:48 on Sun, 23
Oct 2016, Neil Williams remarked: 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. Yes, the failure of the cab company's "knowledge" that the pickup at Birmingham airport has a fee. -- Roland Perry |
Taxi drivers protest outside TfL
In article ,
(Neil Williams) wrote: On 2016-10-23 22:48:00 +0000, said: 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. I do see that, but it's no excuse not to use the meter. The drivers will have a good idea of what the metered fare is for most common destinations, so have no practical need to overcharge. To be honest, I'd rather see the system move to a zonal one in large cities, then payment could validly be up front. The, as far as I can see, main reason for not using the meter is to make costs of long journeys outside the city cheaper than they would be on the meter and predictable at the outset. Imagine the meter rate for a trip from Cambridge to Heathrow for example! -- Colin Rosenstiel |
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