In message , Barry Salter
writes
On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 18:10:10 +0100, Mike Hughes
wrote:

Do not be tempted to get in to a 'minicab' unless you have phoned them
first. Whilst there are more and more registered private hire vehicles,
any one that picks up from the street without a prior booking is NOT
INSURED, no matter if they have a a 'hire & reward' insurance, as this
precludes picking up from the street.

Just to expand on this a little, whilst the majority of London's private
hire vehicles are now licenced (and to a stricter regime than
traditional taxis, as they have to undergo an MOT every 6 months at one
of 4 PCO-approved test centres), only licenced hackney ("black") cabs
are allowed to ply for hire without a prior booking.

Rubbish !!

It just goes to show how little you know of the licensed taxi trade.
Every taxi, even a brand new one, MUST be examined annually at the
Public Carriage Office for a *full* inspection before being granted a
licence. If there is the slightest fault, however minor, the taxi will
not be passed until it has been corrected. The PCO standards are higher
than that of a 'normal' MOT.

In addition every taxi is visually inspected by a PCO examiner an
additional 3 times a year - that's twice as much as a private hire
vehicle.

The TfL website has a searchable database of Licenced Private Hire
Operators and Drivers at http://www.tfl.gov.uk/pco/ph_licensing.shtml

Whilst traditional taxis tend to be more reliable than their Private
Hire counterparts, they're also significantly more expensive (£35 in a
Black Cab compared with £13 in a Private Hire Vehicle [Minicab] for
Kings Cross to my house in Enfield, for example).

Then why is it that I've taken people to Enfield for £5 LESS on the
meter than the price they were quoted by a 'minicab' touting on the
street?

The only way someone could do a journey at the kind of prices you are
quoting is if they do not have a correct 'hire and reward' insurance and
are not maintaining the vehicle correctly. In any case, whatever
insurance they have, it is invalid if the fare is not pre-booked i.e.
you are not insured if they just pick you up off the street.

You may not value your life that much, but I'm sure your relatives would
and they would not like to be financially burdened in the event that you
are involved in an accident which could you leave you disabled in any
way. At least with a traditional London taxi you*know* they are insured.
If you are in any doubt the insurance certificate is in the front of the
taxi so that you can examine it.

Mike


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