Taxi drivers ask Council for an 'emergency' price increase

[tab1 10]

quick question when you say every cab is fitted with a calibrated meter on view is this private hire as well as the black cabs.

We are of course discussing cabs asking the council for a fare increase and that can only be Hackney cabs and nothing to do with private hire. The private hire are changing their fares as of next week without any consultation to the council. All the hackney carriages are traditionally refered to as cabs and all fitted with taxi meters and as you rightly question the private hire are not fitted with the taxi meters as their fares are not controlled by the council.

[jgharston 11]

The current maximum fares for Hackney Cabs (ie, black cabs) in Sheffield are:

 

Daytime: up to a maximum of £2.50 for first 160 yards

Nightime: up to a maximum of £3.00 for first 160 yerds

 

Then up to a maximum of 20p for every additional 244 yards travelled up to 17600 yards (10 miles)

Then up to a maximum of 20p for every additional 184 yards travelled.

 

There is no such thing as a minimum fare, the law allows councils to set a maximum fare. The billable fare is whatever the passenger and the driver negotiate up to this maximum.

 

Fares for Private Hire vehicles (ie, those that can't ply for hire and must be prebooked) are not regulated or regulatable. The billed fare is entirely a contract negotiated between the passenger and the driver at the point of booking.

[Carborundum 10]

I find I get less taxis now and walk more anyway since sometimes I am ripped off by them or worse ...

[jgharston 11]

Why all these odd fractions of distance and time ? Wouldn't it be much easier to use 220 yards and multiples thereof, or even 176 yards (tenths of a mile)?

And 55 seconds rather than a round minute ? If you're stopped at the lights for 1' 15" are you charged just 20p or 20p plus 20/55 of 20p ?

 

The initial 160 yards is a distance fixed in law, and the council sets a maximum fare for this fixed distance.

 

The subsequent 20pences are prices fixed in law, and the council sets a minimum distance for this fixed price and a minimum waiting time for this fixed price.

 

It would be so much easier if either both distances were fixed and we set a price, or both prices were fixed and we set a distance.

[ricky36 11]

WOULD it not be easier if the council butted out and let market forces set the price they dont tell tescos how much to sell soap powder for or top shop how much to sell a suit for you never know primark may branch out into the taxi business and then we would all get cheap taxi fares. the farce of the council fixing the prices as run its course I personally cannot see the point of the council fixing the prices market forces should prevail

[ricky36 11]

why should the council fix fares it is a outdated system and IMO THE COUNCIL HAVE NO IDEA OF THE costs involved they should butt out and let the cabbies charge what market forc es allow. the idea that council fix the charges is outdated and wrong at the end of the day the price will even out and the cabs that charge too much will just go out of business. the council really have no need to interfere with private enterprise let the cabbies fix the prices if they are too high nobody will pay taxis go out of busniess if they charge to much problem solved simple

[Longcol 607]

why should the council fix fares it is a outdated system and IMO THE COUNCIL HAVE NO IDEA OF THE costs involved they should butt out and let the cabbies charge what market forc es allow. the idea that council fix the charges is outdated and wrong at the end of the day the price will even out and the cabs that charge too much will just go out of business. the council really have no need to interfere with private enterprise let the cabbies fix the prices if they are too high nobody will pay taxis go out of busniess if they charge to much problem solved simple

 

That could seem like a plea for "let me tell the person in the cab the fare when I get them to their destination".

 

Nowt against cabbies deciding what the fare should be as long as the punter knows the price before the journey starts.

[ricky36 11]

I will put it like this I go to SPAIN at the airport I ask the the driver at front of the queue how much to BENIDORM for example he says 90 EUROS i ask another the same question he replies 80 euros I travel with the one that says 80 euros at the end of the day market forces will apply the cheapest will get the business thats why primark as took over the high street clothes for the massess

[*_ash_* 88]

I will put it like this I go to SPAIN at the airport I ask the the driver at front of the queue how much to BENIDORM for example he says 90 EUROS i ask another the same question he replies 80 euros I travel with the one that says 80 euros at the end of the day market forces will apply the cheapest will get the business thats why primark as took over the high street clothes for the massess

 

That's a bit different to going out in town at the weekend.

[ricky36 11]

That's a bit different to going out in town at the weekend.

 

SAME PRINCIPLE APPLIES people would just have to change there attitude the person who gave the best price would get the work. substitute airport for sheffield city centre and benidorm for woodhouse the cheapest price would get the job market forces would apply over time a consenus would be applield to all journeys and everybody would be happy without the stupid SCC MAKING LIFE DIFFICULT for all taxi drivers. I know you are taxi driver I was one for twenty years only the best would surrvive and probably make more money without the stupid SCC interfering all the time with all the petty byelaws they impose on taxi drivers all the time. which costs taxi drivers money they have to recover from fares, you know it makes sense.

the sooner the SCC HAVE NO INVOLVEMENT AT ALL THE BETTER IT WILL BE FOR ALL. YOU CANNOT ARGUE WITH SIMPLE LOGIC

[medusa 16]

Threads merged.

[*_ash_* 88]

SAME PRINCIPLE APPLIES people would just have to change there attitude the person who gave the best price would get the work. substitute airport for sheffield city centre and benidorm for woodhouse the cheapest price would get the job market forces would apply over time a consenus would be applield to all journeys and everybody would be happy without the stupid SCC MAKING LIFE DIFFICULT for all taxi drivers. I know you are taxi driver I was one for twenty years only the best would surrvive and probably make more money without the stupid SCC interfering all the time with all the petty byelaws they impose on taxi drivers all the time. which costs taxi drivers money they have to recover from fares, you know it makes sense.

the sooner the SCC HAVE NO INVOLVEMENT AT ALL THE BETTER IT WILL BE FOR ALL. YOU CANNOT ARGUE WITH SIMPLE LOGIC

That sounds more like other countries where there are no set laws, and you basically just jump into any old (not 'age old') persons car, with no regards for own safety.

 

The simple logic would be, right..

 

*Person* speaks to a cab driver on West St.. "We want to go to Crookes". *Driver* says "5 quid".

*Person* "done"

 

The driver when gets to Crookes, realises that only one is getting out, as the other 3 live on another roads at Crookes.. all 3 all different roads.. and at every drop off, the remaining passengers spend 5 minutes saying goodbye, and drunkenly kissing and cuddling each other, as if they really aren't going to see them again in 8 hours time at work .

 

The driver has burned off 5 quids worth of Diesel in the mean time.