Taxi Licenses

[Woody1985]

What do people think about the proposal to scrap the number of taxi licenses?

Do you think it will be good for the public?
Do you think it will make life a lot more difficult for the taxi drivers?
Do you think that taxi drivers are minted and the prices are too high?
Will a change bring about lower prices for customers?

I don't know the answers to the above before anyone tries to shoot me down. I do know that the drivers in the trade just now will see this as a major threat to their livelyhood and will try to reject any changes (I'd prob do the same).

The only time I really have bother getting a taxi is 3/4am on a Sat/Sun morning. I sometimes phone 3 private companies to see how long they will take and can usually get one in about 15/20 mins. I think ComCabs is the best.

Trying to get a black cab starting from Soutside/Chambers St going towards Gilmerton usually means a walk until at least Blockbuster. I have had to walk to the Minto from there a few times before I got a black cab.

I really hope there are some black cab/private taxi drivers on here :teehee:

[Killiehibbie]

It is no problem getting a taxi except late on Saturday night/ early Sunday morning. Put more on the street and it ends up like Dublin where after deregulation nobody made a living wage and the government had to set up a hardship fund. Look round Edinburgh or anywhere else on a Friday night at the so called busy time and you will see taxis sitting idle at ranks. People think taxi drivers make a fortune but look at the outlay 30 grand for a cab, insurance, fuel, radio, permits, servicing and all the rest thats a lot of hires every week before there is any profit. Private hires kid on taxis with drivers that couldn't get pass the test.

[Pete]

It's a misleading story in general.

The headline in the paper implied that the cap was to be lifted...resulting in a free for all. The truth behind it was that they were thinking about releasing more plates resulting in more taxis on the road. maybe 30, 40 or 50.

In todays climate that will mean a lot.

I'll challenge this "report" that claimed "unmet demand" to the death. It's obviously flawed because we're all sitting about doing nothing more than ever. The people doing this survey have come up with data so skewed that it makes you wonder if they have vested interests.

[Bunter]

It's a misleading story in general.

The headline in the paper implied that the cap was to be lifted...resulting in a free for all. The truth behind it was that they were thinking about releasing more plates resulting in more taxis on the road. maybe 30, 40 or 50.

In todays climate that will mean a lot.

I'll challenge this "report" that claimed "unmet demand" to the death. It's obviously flawed because we're all sitting about doing nothing more than ever. The people doing this survey have come up with data so skewed that it makes you wonder if they have vested interests.
:top marks
Totally agree with you, Peter. Especially the bit in bold.

Also, name me one city where on a Fri/Sat night, you're guaranteed a taxi on the street when you want it? It just doesn't happen.

[Jack]

While I don’t think I could name a city where there isn’t a queue on a Friday / Saturday night I do think the length of queues at taxi stands on these nights is a joke.

I know a few taxi drivers, not that many, but they're often in the pub with me on these nights.

The perception of the public then is that if they can afford not to go out when the demand is the highest they must be OK financially while ‘I’m standing in the rain / wind / snow waiting for a cab.’ getting p!ssed off. :grr: While on the other hand taxi drivers winge about sitting around doing nothing when there's no demand at other times of the week / day. :agree:

So IMO taxi drivers have shot themselves in the foot and need to get more cabs out on the streets when the demand is highest otherwise the wannabe travelers will always think there are too few on the road and demand more licenses are issued. Is the taxi service there for the benefit of the customer? :bitchy:

Maybe there should be a clause in the license that says a cab must be out so many weekends nights in a year. :dunno:

[RyeSloan]

Its an interesting one this.

I think it's impossible to imagine any service that could meet the peak demands placed on it by the regulated closing hours of pubs n clubs at the weekend so not sure that's the best measure to take.

There is clearly plenty taxis to go around most of the time and the explosion of private hire numbers have certainly helped to fill the gap.

Instinctively I'm against the idea of restriced numbers and set fare rates as this can only force the cost up to the user, Edinburgh's taxi's are not cheap because of this. There is also no doubting that a lot of black cab drivers have made a pretty decent living for essentially just being drivers and that the cost of their labour is forced up due to restriction.

In saying that though I appreciate the fact that a deregulated taxi service can cause problems and lower standards so all in all I think Edinburgh might actually have quite a good compromise in place with it's mix of black and private hire.

[Killiehibbie]

Maybe there should be a clause in the license that says a cab must be out so many weekends nights in a year. :dunno:

Why should a man be forced to go out and work at times when the chance of getting attacked is much greater than the rest of the week? The number of bams who want to fight over a few quid fare is unreal and don't ask them not to smoke when they are 5 minutes from home. It's like a game of russian roulette at times when picking up people who have been drinking. No support from police if anything happens usual reply is 'goes with the job I wouldn't drive a taxi for double the money'

[Jack]

Why should a man be forced to go out and work at times when the chance of getting attacked is much greater than the rest of the week? The number of bams who want to fight over a few quid fare is unreal and don't ask them not to smoke when they are 5 minutes from home. It's like a game of russian roulette at times when picking up people who have been drinking. No support from police if anything happens usual reply is 'goes with the job I wouldn't drive a taxi for double the money'

While I’d obviously never condone folk being attacked, particularly while ‘just doing their job’ that’s a chance taxi drivers know is going to be there (no matter what the time of day but admittedly more likely at the weekend) when they chose to become taxi drivers.

Should folk who work in A&E on a Friday/Saturday just not turn up for work for the same reasons? Should everyone else dealing with the public just not bother at the weekend? They're licensed to provide a service, a service they don’t IMO, provide adequately on a Friday / Saturday night.

[Killiehibbie]

While I’d obviously never condone folk being attacked, particularly while ‘just doing their job’ that’s a chance taxi drivers know is going to be there (no matter what the time of day but admittedly more likely at the weekend) when they chose to become taxi drivers.

Should folk who work in A&E on a Friday/Saturday just not turn up for work for the same reasons? Should everyone else dealing with the public just not bother at the weekend? They're licensed to provide a service, a service they don’t IMO, provide adequately on a Friday / Saturday night.

A&E workers have security and police at hand during weekends Taxi Drivers are on there own all the time. Even after an attack authorities don't want to know no witnesses nothing we can do. cctv never anything on it to identify people at ranks but they can follow you round the town all night on it. These guys in Edinburgh are lucky if they can afford not to work weekend nights in this town I have to or i'd be better off filling shelves in a supermarket. Assault a gay person you will get a harsher sentence than for a non gay. Assault a taxi driver police wont even bother looking for you.

[Jack]

A&E workers have security and police at hand during weekends Taxi Drivers are on there own all the time. Even after an attack authorities don't want to know no witnesses nothing we can do. cctv never anything on it to identify people at ranks but they can follow you round the town all night on it. These guys in Edinburgh are lucky if they can afford not to work weekend nights in this town I have to or i'd be better off filling shelves in a supermarket. Assault a gay person you will get a harsher sentence than for a non gay. Assault a taxi driver police wont even bother looking for you.

While I appreciate what your saying about the police not taking action, I think that it is wrong too and the police should take action, its not one of the reasons I’ve heard mentioned by drivers.

I think we’ll have to just disagree about taxis not being out at the weekend when demand is at its highest.

If a driver feels unsafe in his cab fair enough but then perhaps he should think of another job, because, these attacks could happen any time. IIRC one of the most serious incidents over the past few years in Edinburgh was when a driver had a shot gun pulled on him. I seem to remember, because the driver was an acquaintance of mine, that was a midweek afternoon.

At the end of the day the answer is in the hands of current drivers. If they get out there and look as though they are closer to meeting the demand no one will be saying more licenses are need.

If the current drivers don’t get out there the answer might be is to issue more licenses and then maybe some of them will go out when hundreds of punters are in queues all over town and probably hundreds more are marching towards the outskirts.

[Killiehibbie]

While I appreciate what your saying about the police not taking action, I think that it is wrong too and the police should take action, its not one of the reasons I’ve heard mentioned by drivers.

I think we’ll have to just disagree about taxis not being out at the weekend when demand is at its highest.

If a driver feels unsafe in his cab fair enough but then perhaps he should think of another job, because, these attacks could happen any time. IIRC one of the most serious incidents over the past few years in Edinburgh was when a driver had a shot gun pulled on him. I seem to remember, because the driver was an acquaintance of mine, that was a midweek afternoon.

At the end of the day the answer is in the hands of current drivers. If they get out there and look as though they are closer to meeting the demand no one will be saying more licenses are need.

If the current drivers don’t get out there the answer might be is to issue more licenses and then maybe some of them will go out when hundreds of punters are in queues all over town and probably hundreds more are marching towards the outskirts.

You could treble the amount of taxis and there would still be people waiting on a Saturday night. If all the pubs didn't shut at roughly the same time not everybody would be looking for a taxi within a 2 hour period.
I've just finished my night was made up of 1030 a spewer no chance of getting £40 fouling charge 0015 a couple fighting in taxi 0115 4 people fighting at rank after 2 of them tried to jump the queue none of them got in I drove away the wait at that time was 5 minutes max. The rest of my fares were fine but I must've drove past 40 that I didn't want take the chance with.

[GlesgaeHibby]

I was speaking to a cabbie in Glasgow the other night who said times were really tough just now and that there is too much sitting about. It was about 1230 on thursday night and the streets were dead.

Credit Crunch has affected every night except saturday.

Would hate to be a taxi driver late at night on a saturday; people spewing, people fighting, people running off without paying.

[Phil D. Rolls]

I have never understood the argument that increasing the number of licensed taxis alone will put more cabs on the streets. It is the number of people who are licensed to drive that is the issue. What happens just now is that the licensed taxi drivers are at the mercy of the owners, who can terminate the hire of their vehicle at no notice whatsoever, and collect rents from drivers, regardless of how much money they are actually taking in.

In London, when you pass the knowledge, you get a plate. It should be the same here, instead we have owners controlling the destiny of two to three drivers - some of the owners haven't even passed the knowledge themselves.

From the public's point of view, they have to accept that they can usually get a taxi withing 10 minutes of booking one, and in the city centre don't have far to look to get a cab. The public's perception of taxis though is that they should always be instantly available. How do you do that at three o'clock in the morning? You'd have to have 20,000 licensed taxis on the road. HHow do they make a living the rest of the time.

The lesson is, if you want a cab, leave the club 10 minutes earlier, go out on a quieter night, or use a bit of ingenuity and don't join a 50 strong queue. On busy nights, cabs rarely make it to the ranks, as they pick up people as they return from their last job. Try London Road, Broughton Street - beyond Belvue, or Dalry Road (if you must live in the west of the city).