Black Cabs Never Having the Meter On

Hi

Is it me or is there a problem with the black cabs in Sheffield.

Whenever I get one they hardly ever switch on the fare meter.

Thus when you get to your destination they play 'think of a number' for the fare.

It doesnt happen elsewhere and its jolly annoying.

It really doesnt, this does seem to be a Sheffield only issue.

What usually happens is a polite difference of opinion along with a request the cabbie looks at the fares chart in the passenger cab resulting in 50% off his imaginary figure.

Cheers

d

i can only think of once where he has not put meter on when i have got a black cab, and ve been in them hundreds of times

and when he did forget too, the charge was less than normal

If anything I would say I've had more experience of the meter already running.

I took a black cab last week, just practically up the road to the doctors, only a 5-10 minute drive if that, he saw that I took a fiver out and... you guessed it he charged me a fiver. They charge what they want nowadays, I didnt even see a meter running either. He went an unusual way too, not the way I would have gone, went where there were traffic lights where we had to stop for a few minutes which probably bumped the price up to what it was. In future I will get the bus and walk the rest of the way!

I'm suprised they dont have the meter on as it cost a fortune. Much prefer private hire.

dont pay!

take their taxi number, on the windscreen front right i believe and report them!

the meter is there to be used, i always check when i get in and if they refuse tell them you have their taxi number and you will report them.

also dont get out so they cant get any other business, makes em made but is fun (safety warning here)

never happened to me, apart from when i've said "look mate, i've got £2.80 left, will you take me to walkley". In that case, when they agree (which they normally do) they don't run the meter.

Shouldn't agree to a journey without the meter going on, that's why they're called taxis cause the fares are calculated with a taximeter

Presumably if the meter isn't running there's no record of their takings.

I've never seen this before and I catch a lot of black cabs, also black cabs tend not to go a longer route as they make more money doing more jobs due to the minimum fare.

I prefer not to use black cabs.

I cant ever recall being in a black cab without the meter on.

Maybe things have changed and become better regulated in the 12 years since the this thread was started?