Good offer if you get taxi's in London

dacouch

jemcart wrote: »

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

It's from this website http://www.hotukdeals.com/ have a good look round as it rounds up the latest best deals, freebies and glitches etc

rev_henry

Heycock wrote: »

Are you aware that if a hack is parked offrank and accepts a fare, Yes I did know that this is as illegal as PH picking up off the street? It is the same offence in law. Didn't know that though, very interesting Hacks do this outside pubs and clubs as much as PH do. Yes but it IS different PH doing it - with a hack if the vehicle was moving and hailed it wouldn't be illegal, with PH its illegal full stop. Also insurance isn't invalidated by hacks forming an illegal rank (surely not?) Refusing fares? Refusing to get out of their cab to help people with their shopping, working off meter yeah of course that's bad. I actually had a hack a while ago refusing to put the meter on. Had been out clubbing till VERY late, such that when going home it had gone 6am and onto day rate, driver basically was trying to charge night rate still. I took his plate number and reported him, the licencing dept came down on him like a ton of bricks!, setting their own rate to go out of area.but that's perfectly legal 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? Well, yes, and being a general self confessed taxi nerd 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? Ohh now that's dodgy. Never heard of it happening round here though, i.e. never had a hack mysteriously happen to be in the same place as the PHV I ordered.

Heycock wrote: »

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. Well, I've only ever had one white PH driver so that just reflects the general demographics of PH drivers! Never had seen an unplated car but should I be checking a driver's badge now as a matter of course?! Their new racket round here is to get badged and plated as an out of area hackney (namely Rossendale), then come and work on a PH circuit here in Manchester. I refuse to use any such circuit.

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. That's ridiculous! 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.

Mm, indeed.