Black Taxis - not on, but stopping

OnTheUp_2-2

BFG wrote: »

Black cabbies pi55 me off when they drive around with their 'for hire' light out but still stopping to see where you want to go; if it's not on their way home they won't take you. [If a cab has it's for hire light on it HAS to take you to where you want to go within London, so they leave it fully off [as opposed to either available or 'on hire'] to get around this].

That's abuse of the system by them, and all because they are too miserable and tight to drive home without having some punter pay them.

No wonder the illegals are booming....the black cabs are too lazy to put in the hours and the effort.

Wow you obviously know nothing about "black cabbies" . Have you thought about them maybe being choosey when they are concerned about picking up drunk agressive louts, or someone who wants to be taken to known dangerous areas, where their likely to be jumped? As you said if their light is on they are obligied, The Town Police Clauses Act of 1847 said that a hackney carriage driver could urinate against the rear offside wheel . That is still in place today. Would you like them to stick to that rule as well?? Would you call that "abuse of the system" if they chose not to urinate in public..

Get real, times change. As for the "illegal" boom thats exactly what it is and for every woman or girl who has been raped, assaulted or abducted by an illegal taxi driver.. I am sure they would never want to use a mini cab again.

Black Taxi drivers are not lazy, they work longer hours and have to put up with rude people like you. Do your research and see that in fact you need to be very clever to do the knowledge, unlike the mini cabs who rely on the sat navs, dont insure their vehicles and drive like their at Le Mans. Yeah I can see it now, thats not lazy at all!!


Tut tut

OnTheUp_2-2

BFG wrote: »

The issue is that [in London] the licensed taxis HAVE to take you whereever you ask [within x miles of Charing Cross station, but pretty much all of metropolitan London], so it's not a matter of them picking and choosing who they want to give a lift to!!!!!!

They whinge about how difficult it is with all the illegals and how they took x yrs to get the Knowledge/badge and you're not safe with these illegals, then the self-same whingers want to pick and choose who and where they go to.

It's not even that they want to 'go home', they just want 'easy' fares ie short hops where they hit max income. [If they go out in the stix [coz you live there!], they 'have' to come back empty........hence they try to pick and choose.

They get a monopoly on taxis in London, and in return they are supposed to provide a service that the capital can be proud of; instead we have them pi55ing off a lot of people. The illegals wouldn't be there if the black taxis provided the cover that the public expects.


I usually threaten to report the to553rs if they don't put the light on and take me to where I want to go...............seems to focus their mind somewhat. Especially when I suggest several of my friends may also be complaining over the next few months, all direct to the PCO [Public Carriage Office], and explain how it can be done online very easily.

Thye want to have their cake and eat it ie a complete monopoly on taxi work, yet only doing taxi work when and where they want; they can't have it all.

I hope the same To33ers leave you stranded one night. I hate to hear people talk so derogatory when they actually have NO understanding of the matter.

I doubt its about having their cake and eating it.. most cabbioes I know would be grateful of taking someone through a Mac D drive through if it would put a few coins in their pocket. I would love to see you do their job for a day, oh and at night because thats how many hours they have to put in to make enough to put food on the table.

I wonder what your thoughts would be if you were running a restaurant and some stranger came round the tables offering you cheaper food out of a box before the waiter got to you, would that be fair on the restaurant? No it wouldnt but thats what licensed black taxis have to put up with.

You are completely wrong that they want the short fares. completely.

And as for them being To33ers, well I wouldnt class my father a To33er. He has regularly taken home young girls who cant control themselves and are throwing up everywhere all over his £45k taxi, that yes he has to pay for every month. Does he chuck them out and make them pay up for damage, no he worries about them and takes them home to safety.

He dropped an old lady home one day and saw a guy climbing u p her drain pipe, assuming it wasnt the window cleaner he chased him and he was arrested for attempted break in. He did not ask for a tip. Or what about all the times people leave phones, laptops and handbags in the back of the taxi and he drives half way across London to drop it off, does that make him a To33er??
Or maybe one day when he picked up a group of youths, that quite frankly he didnt want to pick up... but hey because of that old rule... had to. they asked him to drive to KFC which only being round the corner he did not want to do but again HAD to. Doingf as they asked these youths comitted armed robbery. Not suprisingly they did not pay his fare. What did he do?? He chased them and called police and drove them down to a garage block where they were trapped by police in a helicopter and a car. they were all charge..

I could go on and on and on and you could say that that is just my father and you were generalising when you said they were To33ers. Well I can tell you having listened to 1000's of stories of 20 years, that I am generalising because that is what a lot of cabbies go through, not to mention the amount of late night abuse they suffer.

Now who is the To33er.

BFG_2

Ok ontheup.

Your dear old marvellous dad is a saint; would love to hear more stories about what a nice human being he is.

He's a black cab/hackney driver [and yes isn't it great that he's smart enough to get the knowledge, and it must be comforting for you to know that the doesn't go around raping, assualting or abducting people [afawk]].

However he gets a legal monopoly on picking people up on the streets, and for that monopoly he has certain obligations - which he seems to be abiding by; as such if you re-read my psoting you'll see that I wasn't calling your father a to55er, I was in fact referring to those hackney drivers who wnat to select their passengers, when they have no right to do so.

I accept violent passengers, etc is an issue - but the to55ers i was referring to were the ones that say no based TOTALLY on yout destination ie they don't want to take you to Clapham coz they won't have a return fare and so will 'lose' 20 mins income as they drive back to central London. Are you actually saying that this is acceptable???

These to55ers are actually screwing your dad over as well, beacuse if he's the one that is abiding by his obligations, then he'll be getting a much higher % of these 'less than maximium earning' jobs because the others are turning them down, and leaving him to do their share of the dirty jobs.

BFG_2

BTW ontheup -

I DON'T approve of the illegals and I am aware of how dodgy they are....hence I'm a big fan of the regulated market, end even the monopoly that hackney carriages enjoy.

I'm sorry that you find me particularly rude...

Sarcastic? Most definitely.

Annoyed by to55ers and say so? Ditto.

Stand up for myself [and my dad].? Yes, just like you.

Is these three things make me 'rude' in your eyes, then that's a burden I'll have to learn to live with.

HANWE

OnTheUp_2-2

What I think is rude is to brand people To33ers I find rather quite. Maybe its a gender thing, as a woman I think its a bit strong. Maybe if you could take a minute out to be objective and see it from their point of you, maybe you would feel definately. Do you think that by refusing a fare they are doing it for a chuckle or more because their worried about how much they are going to earn that night and whether it would be enough to cover their overheads.


The points I find rude are the use of the word to33ers, taht they "whinge" about illegals, I wouldnt class a real threat to another persons industry whinging. The assumptions and they are just assumptions, you make at why they would refuse your fare. AND worse of all to suggest that the "illegals" wouldnt be there if the black cabbies did not behave in the way you suggested.

I'll tell you why there are so many "illegals"- its cheap for them, buy a banger dont bother taxing and insuring it, then go and sit in all the places black cabbies are NOT legally allowed to wait ie outside pubs, clubs, theatres and supermarkets. Then charge half the price of a black cab. Result, their cheaper, faster,because they nearly always break the speed limit, and always on hand. That BFG is why "illegals" are every where.

And yes I happen to think my dad is a saint, is that a crime? I am pretty sure all the people he has helped over the years would agree and I would also be happy to indulge you in more stories about how wonderful he is. I have watched my father work hard day and night 6 days a week for the last twenty years.

All I am saying is, yes I would be rather annoyed at getting my fair refused, yes sometimes my father and his buddies do harp on about the illegals.. but I also try to see it from the otherside, perhaps one day you should do the same.

BFG_2

Today is that day.....

What word would you suggest then???

So you think it's not nice to call them a bad name [must really cut them to the quick], but perfectly acceptable for them to ignore their obligations and refuse to take people as fares??

Overheads etc ...again it's not a valid reason to mess the public about.

Whinge - yes thats the correct word. Whinging is to moan and do nothing about else other than moan...if the black cabs had enough coverage on the streets there would be a lot less illegals on the go. Most/a lot of cabbies won't work 'late' [even one or two nights a week]...so there is an unfilled demand...hence the illegals thrive. If there's a threat the cabbies need to take action [direct and indirect], but alienating Jo Public certainly isn't helping their cause.

wrt cheaper..I'm not sure thats always the case...illegals rip punters off. IRC the cabbies have a representative body...it's their job [not mine] to lobby the police etc to take action against the illegals [these initiatives are enormously successful wrt taking the dodgy cars off the road and catching criminals and illegal immigrants]

The point I was making wrt your dad being a saint etc was that it's immaterial to the topic under discussion [I think my dad's pretty fabulous too, but it wouldn't make my argument any stronger just for me to say so and explain how he'd been stranded in london coz the cabbies didn't want to take him to Brixton?]

BTW - I do see it from the other side....read my last post wrt "I DON'T approve of the illegals and I am aware of how dodgy they are....hence I'm a big fan of the regulated market, end even the monopoly that hackney carriages enjoy."
Summary......

I'm annoyed....... at a subset of the london cabbie population, who are

.....abusing their position of trust and ignoring their licence obligations......

and I called them a naughty word [I apologise for any hurt I have caused them, no on second thoughts I don't.]

I also said such behaviours fuel the illegal trade [if cabbies won't take you, you'll use an illegal??].


You seem to have interpreted all that that to ....

I'm having a pop at ALL cabbies and your dad is a cabbie so I'm insulting him.............

and I am endorsing the illegal taxis...............


and I am rude [guilty as charged on this single count]..........

and i don't understand how difficult black cabbies have it [I do, not that it's relevant].


See, I can see things from both sides.


As a peace offering...........

Dads...aren't they great!!!

OnTheUp_2-2

lol I am going to agree with you on your last point :-)

I am not a hater BFG, if thats your opinion thats fine, i just feel its a little bit narrow minded. The only reason I highlighted my own father is because I find the majority of cabbies very kind and helpful (and I just wanted to boast cos I love hime lol)


lets just agree to disagree..or we could have a good moan about mini cabs??