Taxi Fares - Is it time for them to be restructured?

passatrider

spiro wrote: »

In the past most people did not work on a Sunday or Bank Holidays. Also some of those that did work on a Bank Holiday got a premium for doing so.

Taxi fares still seem to be structured in this way, as an example a fare on Good Friday was £10.20 when normally it would have been £7.20.

Given that lots of businesses now operate 7 days a week with staff getting no extra pay and shops only closing on Christmas Day and Easter Sunday is it time for the taxi fare structure to be fundementally reviewed?

What are you views?

Why should taxi drivers suffer just because other employers fail to treat their staff properly and pay them the going rate?

I was in the taxi business for nearly 15 years up untill last year and believe me it's no walk in the park financially. I know of drivers now that are taking less in a shift than they were 10 years ago yet still have to run their cars, pay extortunate insurance premiums aswell as fuel.

You can't have it both ways. If you want a service then you must be prepared to pay for the privilidge, otherwise you can always use the bus or walk!

spiro

vaio wrote: »

Private hire and Hackney carriages arranged by phone don’t have to comply with the LA fare structure.

But have you ever found one that charges less. Where I live we have 3 firms (used to be more but the big ones bought them out) and they only charge what the council tells them to charge. If they didn't have a figure set by the council I guess there would be more competition because currently they can hide behind the 'the council set the rate, not us'.

passatrider

spiro wrote: »

But have you ever found one that charges less. Where I live we have 3 firms (used to be more but the big ones bought them out) and they only charge what the council tells them to charge. If they didn't have a figure set by the council I guess there would be more competition because currently they can hide behind the 'the council set the rate, not us'.

I sense you have a real issue with taxi fares in general? If you disagree with the fares set by the authority then you have the right to oppose them through the proper channels.