Critical Mass Taxi Ride

[GarfieldLeChat]

oh behave yourself, this is an attempt to reduce the propensity of drunken people to use dodgy cabs by making minicabs as easily available as black cabs (and definitely cheaper). That's all these guys care about, the £££'s they think they're losing (when they're not working down the fire station to supplement the old income, nahwotimean).

sure but then why not have a new taxi rank built?

why continue to allow the private hire rank near lestiers square which for some reason fucntions as a taxi rank except if you happen to be a taxi and needs no prior appointment. I'm all for more cabs christ knows at 4 in the morning we need em across london but why purposfully alienate the ones we do have in favour of ones which become uninsured as soon as they pick up in this manner...

thats no good for anyone...

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

if you can't dig me then you can't dig nothing

 

[teuchter]

ones which become uninsured as soon as they pick up in this manner

Are you absolutely sure this is the case? If so why do the police and the council seem unconcerned about it?

 

[GarfieldLeChat]

Are you absolutely sure this is the case? If so why do the police and the council seem unconcerned about it?

private hire cars are only licenced to pick up from a designated registered office or a pre arranged address. their insurance will only cover this as commerical insurance. if they aren't complying with the conditions of their licence then they have vioded the licence and are in effect working unlicenced if they are working as an unlicenced cab then their insurance ceases to be vaild.

as i said it's a paper offence however if you were hit by one of these circumvented unlicenced cabs it's anyones guess as to whether the insurance would cough up or not. which if you don't like cars and it's a car to car impact is ok in a way because you keep your own no claims and still get repairs etc... but pedestrains aren't running insurance neither do cyclist or passengers for that matter it means by doing it in the manner in which Westminster are doing they are in effect promoting uninsured mini cabs which is what the protest was about.

It's not just as paulie rightly says about the money which of course is going to be a concern that a london council is actively trying to reduce the amount they can earn in a ressession but it's also about safety and not just if some ones raped in the back seat...

shit if this were the tube drivers it'd be an entirely different level of support but because it's got's four wheels it's default bad... which is maddness. and certainly is a more important issue than having a few proportedly anti car types seemingly sneering at their protest because of their chosen method of employment or having and entire group of people also providing a public service being derided simply because of the 4 wheels...

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

stupid bint.

 

[teuchter]

I'm still mightily surprised that the police and the council, who are both actively promoting the scheme, seem not to share your concern about all these insurance related perils you describe, garfield. In these litigious times and all.

 

[laptop]

TBF, any prejudice against cab drivers is because they tend to sound like garf, and tube drivers tend not to.

 

[laptop]

Anyway, was anyone else hoping that this was a sort of expensive Critical Mass for non-cyclists? Maybe a protest against the dominance of the white van?


"Here's £100, driver. No-one's in charge. Just follow the other cabs while it lasts..."

 

[George & Bill]

I prefer the NYC licensed scheme with cheap set fees and a willingness for drivers to go places outside of a 4mile perimeter.

With GPS satnav, do drivers really need to know every street on the way from Barnet to Beckenham any more?

So you support replacing decently-paid long-term jobs with low-skilled temporary work?

I'm no fan of most cabbies, I'm too poor to get cabs more than once or twice a year, and as a cyclist I've had plenty of run-ins. But much as they need to change their attitudes and many of their instituional practices, the principle of having decent secure jobs that people feel some pride in doing oughtn't to be just chucked away IMO.

 

[ymu]

With GPS satnav, do drivers really need to know every street on the way from Barnet to Beckenham any more?

In London, yes. SatNavs still give hopelessly bad advice about the best routes in London.

Being in Birmingham, mine takes me via a motorway for the most local of journeys ...

 

[editor]

In London, yes. SatNavs still give hopelessly bad advice about the best routes in London.

Being in Birmingham, mine takes me via a motorway for the most local of journeys ...

On decent satnav software you can specify your route to avoid motorways.

 

[Pie 1]

that's hypocrisy on a grand scale.

What? Black cab drivers being hypocritical? Surely some mistake?

 

[ymu]

On decent satnav software you can specify your route to avoid motorways.

Yes, and I do when I remember to check the route for basic common sense. That's Brum though. There's no option to stop them taking you down the most congested streets in London.

SatNav vs Black Cab

 

[Wolveryeti]

the principle of having decent secure jobs that people feel some pride in doing oughtn't to be just chucked away IMO.

Nobody's 'chucking it away' - it's just a case of putting up with the fact that their right to have things their way doesn't trump punters' right to make it home safely in an affordable way, no matter how much clueless nonsense is spouted about unlicensed rapist, uninsured minicab drivers.

 

[paolo]

In London, yes. SatNavs still give hopelessly bad advice about the best routes in London.

Yep.

You really realise it if there's difficult journey you do alot. You work out all the nifty little tricks. All the time savers are on the non obvious ways.

No objection to mini cabs and sat navs, but they're no substitute for a driver that really knows their stuff.

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

apparently black cab drivers takings are down by ~40% at the mo, just back from the pub and 2 people there knew cabbies who said its the worst they've ever seen it..


but they would, wouldn't they...

 

[sir.clip]

How does the Public Carridge office allow this ???

Buggers.

 

[ymu]

apparently black cab drivers takings are down by ~40% at the mo, just back from the pub and 2 people there knew cabbies who said its the worst they've ever seen it..


but they would, wouldn't they...

There's been a few newspaper reports saying much the same. Perhaps they'll have to hang out somewhere other than the square mile from now on?

(((cabbies)))

 

[sir.clip]

Any one watched the report??

Whilst sitting there blocking up the road ways, Ya man cabbie say's
'London would come to a stand still without us'


Ha hahahahahaha...
Hahahahahahahah
hahahahahahaha..

Pure comedy...

 

[ymu]

private hire cars are only licenced to pick up from a designated registered office or a pre arranged address. their insurance will only cover this as commerical insurance. if they aren't complying with the conditions of their licence then they have vioded the licence and are in effect working unlicenced if they are working as an unlicenced cab then their insurance ceases to be vaild.

This is true, but since the advent of the mobile phone all you have to do to get a mini-cab off the street is phone their office and give them the cab number, informing them that you are about to use it. This covers them with their insurance. Whether or not it is condoned by the licensing authority is another matter, but I think if the licensing authority is organising them into ranks with marshalls taking care of the legal niceties, they're probably happy with the arrangement...

 

[GarfieldLeChat]

This is true, but since the advent of the mobile phone all you have to do to get a mini-cab off the street is phone their office and give them the cab number, informing them that you are about to use it. This covers them with their insurance. Whether or not it is condoned by the licensing authority is another matter, but I think if the licensing authority is organising them into ranks with marshalls taking care of the legal niceties, they're probably happy with the arrangement...

until something ends up in court of course... or the insurance company decides it won't cover it as it's against the spirit of the legislation...