If a taxi is late making you miss your train, should they take you onto destination?

MarkBargain

I often book minicabs to take me to the train station, and they often turn up late making me miss my train. When I phone to book they ask what time train I am taking, yet still often arrive late. One day I had a meeting in another town so urgent that when my taxi had not arrived half an hour after the booking time I asked if the taxi company would take me onto the destination 20 miles away. They said they could not as that would have to be pre-booked the day in advance. What service.

Today I took a minicab in another city and the driver told me that if the taxi firm knows your train time from when you phone to book and they make you late to the station, they have to take you onto your onward destination. Other than a vague reference, I cannot see this confirmed or denied on the internet. Does anyone know if it is true?

happyandcontented

I can't see that being true at all. You could be travellling 250 miles!!

victor2

And if they make you late for your flight to Australia, they have to drive you there too?
I think you might find some might do it out of goodwill and it's not too far, if you're a regular customer. Otherwise, you're late.

MarkBargain

happyandcontented wrote: »

I can't see that being true at all. You could be travellling 250 miles!!

I was surprised to hear it, but this driver said he had driven a taxi for years. He said the company do not advertise it, but if a customer is late and asks this is what they have to do.

This is the other reference I found where someone who wrote they worked for a taxi company said the same thing: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=58340063&postcount=8

MarkBargain

victor2 wrote: »

And if they make you late for your flight to Australia, they have to drive you there too?

Just as well Tim Peake doesn't use the same minicab firm as me!

mum2one

I know it use to be that they had to take u if you had pre-booked informed them off ur train time and they didn't arrive in time.

When I was a restaurant mgr I wAs covering a store 50 miles - pre booked taxi for station- late - they ended up having to drive me home.

X

MarkBargain

mum2one wrote: »

I know it use to be that they had to take u if you had pre-booked informed them off ur train time and they didn't arrive in time.

When I was a restaurant mgr I wAs covering a store 50 miles - pre booked taxi for station- late - they ended up having to drive me home.

X

Do you know if that is/was a legal requirement? Did it only apply if you had booked train tickets? When I book they always ask me the time of the train and, although I often don't have prebooked tickets, missing that train can mean an hour's wait and missing an important appointment somewhere.

AdrianC

MarkBargain wrote: »

Do you know if that is/was a legal requirement?

No, never.

As has been said, what about if the taxi is taking you to the airport? Or you're catching a train to Inverness? Or a Eurostar?

What about if you don't get a job because you missed the interview? Should there be some form of compensation for that, too?

How about if you were heading to a sales meeting for a £50m deal?

It's ridiculous to even think this might be somehow a legal requirement.

Let's say that the taxi DID take you to your meeting 20 miles away. But that meant that he couldn't then collect his next booked job - so they missed their train, etc etc.

duchy

If you prebook a cab to catch a specific train and TELL them the purpose is to catch that train in particular then in some cases the answer is yes.

If on the other hand you book a cab to the station with no further info-then it's no

Which did you do ?

In the first scenario the cab company might reduce or waive the fare if there wasn't another train for a while ..........as goodwill/penalty to driver they MIGHT take you all the way but don't have to and a lot would depend on distance too.


What another cab company in an entirely different city claims they would do (knowing they'd not see you again so wouldn't have to deliver) is hardly a reliable data point.

There's also customs in certain cities -If you happen to get a black cab in London on their first every job - it is the custom that journey is free (This actually happened to me - I'd always thought it was an urban legend) that doesn't mean a cab driver in Newcastle follows the same custom. One city might not charge you for the fare to the station as all the cab drivers follow that custom....in another city they may do nothing.....otr take you to your destination. Different cities- different ways of doing things.

Peter333

It could never be upheld. As people have said on here, what if you were going 800 miles?! Makes no sense.

By this token, should the train that is late that was taking you to London for your flight to America, make sure it subsidises your trip there too?

MarkBargain

duchy wrote: »

If you prebook a cab to catch a specific train and TELL them the purpose is to catch that train in particular then in some cases the answer is yes.

If on the other hand you book a cab to the station with no further info-then it's no

Which did you do ?

I always phone to say a car from my house to the station at X time (usually 30 to 40 minutes before the train, which is bags of time as I can walk it in 40 minutes). They always then ask "what time if your train?" and I tell them so I presume they log it on their system. They never say "allow more time".

duchy wrote: »

In the first scenario the cab company might reduce or waive the fare if there wasn't another train for a while ..........as goodwill/penalty to driver they MIGHT take you all the way but don't have to and a lot would depend on distance too.

On the one that was 40 minutes late they told me they might reduce the fare a bit, but would not take me to my destination 20 miles away even if I paid for full fare. I know...I should use another company!