Good offer if you get taxi's in London

dacouch

http://www.hotukdeals.com/freebies/10-free-towards-a-cab-with-gettaxi-co-uk-with-code-1382991

rev_henry

Proper taxis too, none of these PHV scabs!

Heycock

Excuse me, don't be such an offensive t... your last comment was totally uncalled for. I've just retired after 21 years in private hire. In what way can you generalise about PH. Where I worked and this applies to everywhere outside London, I was licensed, fully insured, CRB'd, passed a knowledge test and had my car tested annually on a compliance test making YOUR MOT look like a tea party.
Just because london is only just catching up with the rest of the UK don't tar us all with the same brush.
There's good and bad in every trade.

dacouch

Heycock wrote: »

Excuse me, don't be such an offensive t... your last comment was totally uncalled for. I've just retired after 21 years in private hire. In what way can you generalise about PH. Where I worked and this applies to everywhere outside London, I was licensed, fully insured, CRB'd, passed a knowledge test and had my car tested annually on a compliance test making YOUR MOT look like a tea party.
Just because london is only just catching up with the rest of the UK don't tar us all with the same brush.
There's good and bad in every trade.

In London the licensing system means other drivers can see the PH stickers in the rear windscreen and know the drivers driving skills are lacking so give a wide birth

Heycock

Despite what Londoners like to think, it isn't the centre of the universe and when it comes to taxi/PH licensing it's still in the dark ages. I've known bad Hacks and I've known bad PH. Neither has a monopoly on bad driving or bad behaviour. Hacks regularly break hackney laws and PH break their own PH laws no more and no less.
To call us scabs was unwarranted and ignorant.

Heycock

Personally from MY personal experience I'd rather use PH and that includes Mank Hacks. My son in law lives in Heaton and won't touch Mank hacks with a bargepole. Probably because he's been ripped off by the ones he's used. See how easy it is to generalise!

rev_henry

Ok, I'm sure most PHV drivers are perfectly law abiding, however I disagree that hacks break the law just as much.

Go down the West End on a weekend night. You will see rows and rows of PHVs illegally ranking. You will see men with clipboards illegally touting for business. You will see PHVs with roundels that are stolen or counterfeit.

Come to Rusholme (Manchester) on a weekend night. You will again see PHVs parked up all over the place - road, cycle lane, pavement, they do what the hell they like.
Do hacks do any of the above?

I don't see how hacks can rip anyone off? The rate is set by the council and metered. As long as the meter's on that's all there is to it? Ok if they won't put the meter on that's a different story but is extremely rare. PH meanwhile can make the fares up as they go along...

rev_henry

And by 'scab' I really meant the ones who rank illegally or are unlicenced, not the majority of law abiding PH drivers.

Heycock

Are you aware that if a hack is parked offrank and accepts a fare, this is as illegal as PH picking up off the street? It is the same offence in law. Hacks do this outside pubs and clubs as much as PH do. Refusing fares? Refusing to get out of their cab to help people with their shopping, working off meter, setting their own rate to go out of area. Come on, what planet are you on? Both sides do their damnest to make a living and if the rules have to be broken to put bread on the table, that's what drivers do...both sides of the trade. Your experience is as a punter? I did 21 years...most of it as PH but I did jockey a hack on a night collar for two years so I know all the tricks on both sides. Just don't make out one side is worse...as a PH I had plenty of phoned through work robbed by hacks who turned up first. Heard of scanners?

Heycock

The problem, Rev, in Manchester and other cities in the north is the number of UNLICENSED cars plying for trade and this mostly comes from one sector of the community. I'm saying no more on that score. My daughter lived just off the Curry mile when she moved to Manchester and kept having to change PH firm because of the unbadged drivers, some in plated cars, some notthat were turning up. Having a dad in the trade she was savvy but most kids aren't.

The law on illegal pickups from a police point of view is to get a charge of no insurance to stick...the criminal offence of touting is exceptionally difficult to prove. And giving the kids/public scare stories of drivers not being insured is a waste of time because if they have an accident noone, police or insurance company ever ask the question as to whether the pick up was legal. The police need the illegal pickups to clear the streets on a Saturday and sunday morning... its a public order issue. And as i say, a hack picking up while parked up offrank is guilty of the same offence.

In short the biggest problem is with unlicensed drivers. An unlicensed driver is NOT a PH driver. sadly the authorities in London muddied the waters for too long with their unilateral failure to implement the 1976 Local government act.

jemcart

Thanks for letting us know about the offer - that will come in handy!