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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2016 21:06:02 GMT
To all bus drivers, I'm a black cab driver and come in peace. Like our job your job requires qualification in licensing and a duty of care of our customers. The standard of driving when it comes to seeing these Toyota Prius's all over London is shocking and I'm hoping TFL do something sharpish. Could you imagine if uber ran a bus company and just handed keys out to people who thought they would have a go at driving a bus. Just would like your thoughts or observation on what you see on londons roads. Uber Buses on our streets?! (shudders) Novice drivers getting lost due to out-of-date satnavs, wildly exaggerated fares, making up their own routes which could disappear without prior notice.... Someone has to pay for that SB200 - though a private hire vehicle, it's allowed in the bus lane having more than 12 seats You might joke about Uber buses but they could become a reality in one way or another... See this months BUSES magazine.
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Post by vjaska on Feb 6, 2016 22:16:19 GMT
There really needs to be a cap on minicabs in Greater London, I don't think we need as many. there was a report a few weeks back in the Standard about a vast increase since 2009 which is all adding to the congestion problems. Their driving is appalling im sure their licences came out of the bottom of a cereal pack and they don't have the knowledge tests black cab drivers take. my rant over . Sorry but not all minicabs are brain dead drivers - I've used 100's of minicabs and I've had no issues with their driving at all. See, I knew this sort of post would happen with a thread like this!
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Post by snoggle on Feb 6, 2016 23:19:06 GMT
There really needs to be a cap on minicabs in Greater London, I don't think we need as many. there was a report a few weeks back in the Standard about a vast increase since 2009 which is all adding to the congestion problems. Their driving is appalling im sure their licences came out of the bottom of a cereal pack and they don't have the knowledge tests black cab drivers take. my rant over . Sorry but not all minicabs are brain dead drivers - I've used 100's of minicabs and I've had no issues with their driving at all. See, I knew this sort of post would happen with a thread like this! The whole issue of black cabs, mini cabs and private hire vehicles is immensely complicated. Black cabs are tightly regulated for a load of historical reasons. Some of those regulations have made the trade vulnerable to new technology. Mini cabs are often, as you say, perfectly legitimate businesses and long established with no blemishes on the quality of driving. They are under attack from the likes of Uber just like black cabs. We then move on to firms like Addison Lee, Uber and others. The problem for the Mayor and TfL is that there is no ability for them to not issue private hire licences providing the basic criteria are met. The Government have refused to change legislation to cap the number of licences. The fact that Uber seem to have ready access to George Osborne and the Mayor didn't deny "senior ministers" had spoken to him about Uber and proposed regulations suggests there is no prospect of government controls. TfL have tried to tighten things but no one is happy with anything. The next Mayor will face the same mess and be equally ill equipped to control an unfolding disaster on the roads. There's been loads of coverage on Twitter and on the telly about the sheer mass of Uber type vehicles on the road with them driving badly and crowding residential roads near to Heathrow awaiting a "call" for them to collect a passenger. Given how badly the black cab / mini cab vs Uber issue has been handled I have little confidence that when Uber start operating their form of "bus service" (shared vehicles) in London that TfL will be able to do very much. Uber clearly have recourse to excellent lawyers who can find all the holes in legislation and then Uber exploits them. I can certainly see that happening with respect to bus networks. TfL will be in a monumental mess if it starts to lose bus passengers to Uber on a large scale. There'll be no revenue support and the Mayor is unlikely to agree to raise fares so service cuts are likely to be the only option left to TfL to try to avoid the economics of the network going haywire.
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Post by selondon on Feb 11, 2016 16:55:21 GMT
As someone who drives on london roads everyday I personally have no time for taxi drivers. They are some of the worst drivers, ignorant drivers and arrogant drivers on the road.
We have one of the best and fair legal systems in the world. That system has ruled that uber are legal at what they do. But because taxi drivers don't like the outcome they choose to disrupt millions of Londoners lives by having a go slow and affecting everyone.
Black cabs are too expensive and uber is more convenient for a lot of people. that's why people use uber it's as simple as that.
Yes there are way too many mini cabs in London but that's tfl's fault. There's not many arguments a taxi driver can give on this situation that can't be countered and shot down. It's competion, deal with it
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Post by selondon on Feb 11, 2016 16:57:06 GMT
Just to add I don't use taxis or mini cabs so have no preference or favouritism
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Post by snoggle on Feb 11, 2016 18:26:51 GMT
As someone who drives on london roads everyday I personally have no time for taxi drivers. They are some of the worst drivers, ignorant drivers and arrogant drivers on the road. We have one of the best and fair legal systems in the world. That system has ruled that uber are legal at what they do. But because taxi drivers don't like the outcome they choose to disrupt millions of Londoners lives by having a go slow and affecting everyone. Black cabs are too expensive and uber is more convenient for a lot of people. that's why people use uber it's as simple as that. Yes there are way too many mini cabs in London but that's tfl's fault. There's not many arguments a taxi driver can give on this situation that can't be countered and shot down. It's competion, deal with it If you're going to post a vociferous reply then please get your facts right. TfL has NO legal ability to limit the number of PH licences issued. It does not control the governing legislation it just has to apply it. TfL and the Mayor has asked Government to change the law on PH licensing. The government have refused. The legislation governing the entire taxi and PH industry in London is flawed and needs reform because technology has been overtaken the old structure. Competition is all very well if it is fair and balanced and each party involved in the market has an equal ability to respond to the competition. That quite clearly does NOT exist. I've never heard the taxi trade say they are against competition - they are against UNFAIR competition. I've no idea how you do fix things but if we are not very careful we will only have Uber and nothing else and then watch happens to prices, traffic congestion, passenger safety etc. We'll be wishing we'd fixed things before black cabs and minicab firms were wiped out.
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Post by selondon on Feb 11, 2016 19:23:04 GMT
I'm struggling to see any UNFAIR completion when it comes to the whole of this. Unless i'm missing something obvious i can't see it.
I've read various articles, listened to the radio and i struggle to see a united agenda that the taxi drivers have. They moan about the meter, well thats been ruled in court to be legal. They moan about illegal touting, well thats been around long before uber was around and not an uber problem. They say they want mini cab's to have the same regulations as the taxi's, they aren't the same as taxi's so how can they. It all boils down to the fact they are loosing money which is hard for anyone but why should londoners be affected in their millions because of the competition they now have?
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Post by rambo on Feb 11, 2016 20:35:39 GMT
There really needs to be a cap on minicabs in Greater London, I don't think we need as many. there was a report a few weeks back in the Standard about a vast increase since 2009 which is all adding to the congestion problems. Their driving is appalling im sure their licences came out of the bottom of a cereal pack and they don't have the knowledge tests black cab drivers take. my rant over . Sorry but not all minicabs are brain dead drivers - I've used 100's of minicabs and I've had no issues with their driving at all. See, I knew this sort of post would happen with a thread like this! You have been very very lucky then! I was a minicab driver/controller for 15 yrs, and, TBH, 90% of the drivers were crap! Turkish drivers stank and some were nounces, most did not have a clue where they were going.
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Post by vjaska on Feb 11, 2016 22:45:36 GMT
Sorry but not all minicabs are brain dead drivers - I've used 100's of minicabs and I've had no issues with their driving at all. See, I knew this sort of post would happen with a thread like this! You have been very very lucky then! I was a minicab driver/controller for 15 yrs, and, TBH, 90% of the drivers were crap! Turkish drivers stank and some were nounces, most did not have a clue where they were going. It wasn't luck and you will always get a few companies in any field that are bad but that don't mean they are all bad.
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Post by sid on Feb 12, 2016 9:58:15 GMT
Just to add I don't use taxis or mini cabs so have no preference or favouritism I'm the same, very rarely use them and I think there are too many of them on the road causing a lot of unnecessary congestion and driving standards usually leave a lot to be desired. Bus driving standards for example are much better.
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Post by capitalomnibus on Feb 13, 2016 0:25:59 GMT
Sorry but not all minicabs are brain dead drivers - I've used 100's of minicabs and I've had no issues with their driving at all. See, I knew this sort of post would happen with a thread like this! You have been very very lucky then! I was a minicab driver/controller for 15 yrs, and, TBH, 90% of the drivers were crap! Turkish drivers stank and some were nounces, most did not have a clue where they were going. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL, omg that had me laughing my house down. I agree with SE London that some taxi drivers are arrogant, but it is nothing on the level of UBER, they have taken things to a different level. Reading and planning is plain and simple ATTROCIOUS. At times I actually wonder if some of these people pay people to go and do their driving test.
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Post by joefrombow on Feb 13, 2016 0:52:20 GMT
You have been very very lucky then! I was a minicab driver/controller for 15 yrs, and, TBH, 90% of the drivers were crap! Turkish drivers stank and some were nounces, most did not have a clue where they were going. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL, omg that had me laughing my house down. I agree with SE London that some taxi drivers are arrogant, but it is nothing on the level of UBER, they have taken things to a different level. Reading and planning is plain and simple ATTROCIOUS. At times I actually wonder if some of these people pay people to go and do their driving test. The general view of a lot of people it seems is if they are not white cockney and english that they are stupid which is ridiculous BS in my opinion the same way John worboys isn't the poster boy for black cab drivers ! You get arrogant drivers of all sorts in all walks of life this attitude of "because the majority are foreigners there all thick" needs to go the only reason in my opinion why UBER is unfair is because of the simple fact black cab drivers have to go through rigorous training for 3/4 years doing the knowledge to acquire the right to do what they do along comes an American company which pays little or no tax (Because all black cab drivers pay all there taxes ;-) )and just basically bypasses that rule setting up shop it is wrong really but that's business give it 10 years we will probably have self driving minicabs the technology is already out there its not long ! something does need to be done though its a shame tfl didn't go through with the recent proposals , I do agree though the standard of driving for a MAJORITY of these minicabs is appalling , I do deliveries through London at nights and its painful being stuck behind a river of prius' blocking the road or dawdling along on there PDA's not paying attention to what's going on cutting you up and just general rubbish driving something does need to be done however black cab drivers aren't that much better ! They need to put a stop on the number of minicabs though seems sometimes there are more minicabs than people its a joke .
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Post by M1104 on Feb 13, 2016 11:14:19 GMT
Out of interest do cab drivers get mystery travellers like bus drivers do? Bus drivers would also get DMI inspectors on board where they check more specifically on the driver's handling of the bus. Do cab drivers, mini cab and black cabs alike, get similar?
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Post by rambo on Feb 14, 2016 19:26:49 GMT
Out of interest do cab drivers get mystery travellers like bus drivers do? Bus drivers would also get DMI inspectors on board where they check more specifically on the driver's handling of the bus. Do cab drivers, mini cab and black cabs alike, get similar? Nope.
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Post by snoggle on Feb 18, 2016 13:18:01 GMT
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