In message ,
Movilla writes
At Kings Cross the platform
was totally full and we were going nowhere. After much faffing (driver was
telling people to get off, announcements were indicating otherwise), we then
overheard lines were stopped at Circle, Hammersmith and City, Metropolitan
and Victoria. Complete chaos. I then heard Kings Cross was to close. I got
above ground at 09:00 and paid £20 got get a black cab to Bank for the DLR

When all other forms of transport fail taxis keep people moving (well
nearly
always). Yet we get no subsidy and have to comply with some of the
tightest regulations on vehicles and drivers in the world.

I have no complaint about that *but* taxi fares are set by TfL (PCO)
which is mostly controlled by bus company staff with no representation
from the taxi trade - that's what gets to me.

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

On Tue, 26 Jun 2007 23:29:10 +0100, Mike Hughes
wrote:

I have no complaint about that *but* taxi fares are set by TfL (PCO)
which is mostly controlled by bus company staff with no representation
from the taxi trade - that's what gets to me.

Comparing taxi fares when I moved to London with how they are now -
sorry, but I have no sympathy.

In message , James Farrar
writes
On Tue, 26 Jun 2007 23:29:10 +0100, Mike Hughes
wrote:

I have no complaint about that *but* taxi fares are set by TfL (PCO)
which is mostly controlled by bus company staff with no representation
from the taxi trade - that's what gets to me.

Comparing taxi fares when I moved to London with how they are now -
sorry, but I have no sympathy.

Strangely enough, for short distances it is actually cheaper for 4 or 5
people to take a taxi than to take a bus or tube - and you get door to
door service! That's because we used to get a small amount extra for
extra passengers and that was taken away from us.

In fact for 3 or more people it's cheaper to go all the way to Heathrow
than use the Heathrow Express. You have to look at the overall costs.
One person a taxi is more expensive
two- marginal cost difference
three - cost saving
four or five - considerable cost savings

And yet we are not allowed to advertise this fact at Heathrow allegedly
because BAA have a financial stake in HEx.

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

On Tue, 26 Jun 2007, Mike Hughes wrote:

In message , Movilla
writes

At Kings Cross the platform was totally full and we were going nowhere.
After much faffing (driver was telling people to get off, announcements
were indicating otherwise), we then overheard lines were stopped at
Circle, Hammersmith and City, Metropolitan and Victoria. Complete
chaos. I then heard Kings Cross was to close. I got above ground at
09:00 and paid £20 got get a black cab to Bank for the DLR

When all other forms of transport fail taxis keep people moving (well nearly
always). Yet we get no subsidy

Oh really? We're having that argument in another thread!

tom

--
Science is bound, by the everlasting vow of honour, to face fearlessly
every problem which can be fairly presented to it. -- Lord Kelvin