Hacks are slated for most of the year for being a rip-off but come this time of year and things are different. I should say things are different most of the time but it becomes more noticeable at this time of year.
Christmas Eve, sitting in first place on the Taxi Rank and I hear people walk past saying “Don’t get them they’re a rip off!” or “they’re the expensive ones, go across to the office!” My Hackney rates say I can’t go on to Tariff 2 until 10pm, Christmas eve or not but the office these people refer to goes onto Hackney Tariff 2 at 6pm. Hacks work from this office too and we are in the weird position of Hacks not being allowed to charge more unless they work from an office! I don’t know how legal that is as I was under the impression that a Hack had to stick to the Fare table, unless he was charging less and even then the meter has to be on and a discount should be given. Not my words but the words of Wacky enforcement officers who, I think make the rules as they go along, even working when drunk (see post ‘Modern Taxi Enforcement’) It’s hard enough getting them to work when they’re sober! Anyway, I digress, point being passengers happily go like lambs to the slaughter believing they could not possibly get a cheaper fare with a Hack.
John Dodds gives a Classic in his comment….”Incidentally, for the benefit of a Derwentside plated Peugeot 406, dark blue in colour, the ‘hack’ fare to Horsley Hill in South Shields, tonight Saturday the 28 Dec…from Pilgrim st, was 24.60 on my meter, NOT £40 up front that you tried to extort from 2 young girls outside the old fire station” we get this all the time on the Coast. A certain company boasts £5 cheaper than a Hack to Blyth yet when one of these cars tries to flimp a fare to Ashington he quotes £40 when the true fare is around £26!
What this tells me is that these cheap fares are not really working; obviously a driver who has to come onto the street and take the eyes out of my customers is not making enough from his own Tariff structure. Where’s the rip-off? It’s in being charged 2008 Rent whilst being given 1998 Tariffs which is bound to push unscrupulous drivers out onto the streets and charge what they like; knowing full well that whatever they charge the Hacks will get the blame!
Some credit to Ian Shanks for his own enforcement efforts but you would think that with all the fees the LA’s take in that they could afford some good enforcement. How many people are carried weekly with no Insurance? How many are taken for £40 instead of the correct Fare? How many are put at risk from Drivers who are not Taxi Drivers at all, because if all the aforementioned can slip past the LA’s what’s to stop a Rapist or worst from driving around and taking his pick. Enforcement is supposed to be there for the protection of all, Private Hire Drivers, Hack Drivers, the Local Authority who will one day have to answer when something goes wrong and ultimately the Taxi user.
{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
@taxi rip offs… i dont know why certain hacks have an issue with private hire offices as i would estimate that 25% of hacks have either worked an office in past or do so now.has anyone noticed the sudden increase in north tyneside hacks with the digitax m1 mirror meter in their vehicle?in quite a few cases the meter and bluetooth attachment is worth more than the vehicle!!i am told you can recoup the initial outlay of m1 meter quickly by putting extras on when some drunk in the car is nodding off,now thats a taxi ripoff the public need to know about
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@robber in the mirror,
“as i would estimate that 25% of hacks have either worked an office in past or do so now”
maybe this should be the warning message we send out to these thick flimpers. cause, if 2009 is as bad it says it’s ging to be on the tin, then there might be a LOT more hacks flood the offices looking to TAKE there work for a change!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Andy Warhol, and all others who contribute to the site, WHY O WHY are you STILL squabbling amongst yourselves? agree to disagree but get on with the matter in hand as Ian Shanks said many times earlier- stand united agasinst the council and push for better enforcement, it can only benifit us all who do the job by the letter of the law in the long run.
Happy New Year to you all,
BLT driver and STILL proud of it
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@BLT driver and proud of it,
because while mr. shanks says, or may think, he has the ‘same’ interests at heart, nothing could be further from the truth.
would mr. shanks be happy if newcastle hacks were exempt from the parking restrictions, and all ph firms were told to get out the city when they didnt have a job?
would mr. shanks be happy if ncle and nt anounced anyone caught flimping would be stripped of their badge? how many drivers would he be in danger of losing if these councils did a 12 month blitz?
would mr. shanks like the out of town scenario to continue?
would mr. shanks like to eventually have a one tier system, whereby we ALL end up at an office getting the occassional flag down.
I am willing to bet, my view is totally opposite to mr. shanks on EACH of these matters, and so would any Ncle NT driver with THERE business interests at heart!
Mr. shanks has openly and honestly said in a past post (although just a subtle one line) that HE has BLT – his business – at heart first and foremost! and rightly so.
but BLT driver and proud of it, to trust ANY ph operator to fight for hackney interests would be like towing a wooden trojan horse up the drive!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Andy Warhol, you prove my point 100% still arguing with each other not the council.
Just get on with it,
i’ve been in the job 16years, as a Hack and a P/H driver and STILL some of you amaze me!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade@Andy Warhol,
You stated that their will be a lot of Hacks flooding the Offices in 2009, down in North Tyneside they already have, in which I think is a disgrace when they have called Taxi Offices all year on this site!
Loads of Hacks have decended down to the Offices THEY don’t like for the Christmas!
I think their is only a few GENUINE HACKS in North Tyneside…ADMIN is one of them, I have’nt seen him running around with a chopped down Central OR Eastcoast stickers on the side!
So their is “Taxi Drivers” and there is “Hypocrites”.
Regards
Stephen
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Stephen (FKA Central Enth.),
what a shame stephen, those poor old Private Hire, when they have a good couple of weeks over christmas with there extortinate fares, the hacks come along and steal it from under there noses. tut tut.
what about plate day when N/cle city centre was flooded with PH, Black Friday, Every saturday or payday weekend???
You see stephen, i am of the opinion that their is only a few GENUINE PRIVATE HIRE VEHICLES. The rest are theiving bastards.
perhaps stephen, if we get no action as promised by ncle council, and 2009/10 becomes the new great depression, then we, ncle hackney carriadges, will invade offices in our hundreds during the gloomy period.
be warned private hire, what goes around comes around.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Andy Warhol, what about last year when Hifi north was on at Matfen hall Estate, the place was flooded with Newcastle hacks ranking up despite it being in Castle Morpeth area? *waits for “thats cos everybody steal our work”*
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade@robber in the mirror, What issue are you talking about? and I have a Mirror Meter,do you have a photo of anyone using one of these meters for unlawful gain? if you do I will post it here. There are 205 Hacks in North Tyneside and 6 of them have Mirror Meters.That’s some sudden increase! Again though this is a matter for enforcement! When Alan Newton was asked “why does any Taxi need to have more than £3 available on his or her extras button?” the answer given was “It would be a hard one to enforce” No it wouldn’t! a simple instruction to Digitax would suffice. I agree with Andy Warhol a lot of Hacks have either moved to an office or are considering doing so,this will put an extra strain on Private Hire. This year will be tough on everyone.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@admin.. heres an issue that is illegal and it backfired big style on the private hire office that is adjacent to nile street rank.the office in question had a system problem during boxing day and the office on west percy street that he rents out to a competitor whos phone system piggy backs his own inadvertently diverted the main number to a mobile at the west percy street office so when you rang graemes company a different office answered and dispatched a car!so how many people were carried illegally on boxing day?mr newton wont be interested in this matter or even aware of it.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@robber in the mirror, I don’t get your point mate! that just sounds like a cock up with comms,nothing illegal there.Punters rang for a Private Hire and got one! or am I missing something. Andy JD&C is short for Jack Daniels & Coke ! a wind up if ever I heard one!
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@Admin,
hey admin, loads of people call there kid Coke, its the year 2008 afterall!
and I’m sure 1000′s of members of the public just happen to come across this site, and I’m sure they all want to meet up with Mrs. Shanks when she’s next in there neighbourhood.
but with regards to the call divert, i also think this is illegally, does it not have something to do with the job must be taken through the operators address otherwise its classed as a flimp? i’m not sure, but I know offices were stopped from diverting to drivers cause the booking must be taking and recorded through the office otherwise it’s a flimp. so offices then gave booking sheets to the driver it was diverted to. this was a good few years ago though.
i feel auld now!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@admin.. you are missing something,if you rang say 0191258…. and asked for a taxi and a different company turned up would you not ask why?a private hire booking must be taken on a landline number not a mobile.if you rang say bluline and an eastcoast car pulled up outside your house would you go out and get in it?ask about on rank and youll get full story and realise the illegality of it intentional or not(still illegal)
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@robber in the mirror, I’ve since heard more about this and begin to understand your point,but these two companies are all but one and the same are they not? and who say’s you can’t take a private hire booking via a mobile phone…….Just read Andy Warhol’s comment. He seems to think it’s illegal too.I honestly don’t know but being as the story seems to be that somebody cut the wires to this particular office I can’t blame them for taking whatever measures necessary to keep their business going at a busy time of year.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@robber in the mirror,
This divert malarky you are going on about……Blue Star’s Office is Graeme’s anyway, so you don’t have a point!, Central and Blue Star sometimes pass on work to each other, as I am lead to BELIEVE Graeme has a small interest in the Business.
Nothing illegal there mate!
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Blue Star Closed now…Isn’t it?
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Stephen (FKA Central Enth.), so are you and the rest of central drivers happy to pay graeme top dollar for him to give the work to blue star while yous are sitting around doing nowt?cos thats what happened on boxing day,blue star did more jobs in a day than they normally do in a week(according to their drivers)this isnt the first time blue star have STOLE your work due to graemes greed of not getting a seperate phone system in!!you are only kidding yourself that it isnt detrimental to your earnings.a driver at central did £8 in 2hrs boxing day,a great return!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@robber in the mirror, I did £18 from Central in Half an hour Boxing day night, an I don’t even work there!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@robber in the mirror,
I don’t know which Driver only did £8 in two Hours on Boxing night @ Central, I am not favoured there by any means, but I did about £22 in two hours, are you sure it was Boxing day?
I did OK over the Christmas considering some spineless, cowardly Moron cut some Wires at the Office, the System was a bit Knackered, but I still managed to get work.
As for Blue Star, it’s nothing to do with Central Drivers, I don’t think any Driver has complained about them sometimes getting our work, why?, I don’t know!
Blue Star has some canny Drivers, so that could be the reason no one complains!
Regards
Stephen
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
Hello All,
I do hope this post from me helps clarify the Private Hire Operator Licence Holders Conditions of Licence for North Tyneside, as this offence apparently happened at a North Tyneside Licensed Operation I understand from the postings on this site.
Those conditions read like this in Question 12 on the North Tyneside Private Hire Operator Licence Application Form.
Address from which you intend to carry on business as an operator (also address of Booking Office if seperate)
Now if the Booking Office Address for (Central) is not listed as the address where the mobile was answered, then it was wrong to have the calls diverted to the mobile, however if the landline number had just been diverted to another landline number that was registered to another North Tyneside Private Hire Operator Licence Holders Booking Office then this would just be classed as a sub-contracting of the hiring that is totally legal, as both Operators are holders of a North Tyneside Private Hire Operators Licence.
Putting it in simple terms it is lawful if one Private Hire landline phone number is diverted to another Private Hire landline number in an approved North Tyneside Booking Office Address.
However it is not lawful to divert a Private Hire landline phone number to a mobile as the person who answers the call does not hold a Private Hire Operator Licence to roam freely answering calls on a mobile phone that could be answered anywhere outside the Booking Office stated on the Operator Licence.
It should also be remembered that a number of years ago the Private Hire Industry tried to avoid having a nightshift desk clerks wages by diverting all calls to the driver who had the mobile in the car after a certain time of night and North Tyneside Council warned all Operators this was not allowed in any circumstances.
Hope this clarifies North Tyneside Councils position as I read it on there Application Form and it is further confirmed in Condition 6 thats reads:
Operators shall operate wholley from premises SPECIFIED BY THE OPERATOR and situated within the boundaries of the Borough of North Tyneside.
These conditions have to be signed to say you the Applicant agree with all conditions at all times.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@thelighthousekeeper, yawn yawn yawn. call diverting goes on at most of the smaller offices in NT and the council do diddly squat about it even though they’ve caught offices out in the past the SAME offices are still doing it and i know this for a fact!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@BLT driver and proud of it, your comments are usually good but can you take a few less Sarky Pills?
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Admin, not sarky admin but the call diversion is an old chestnut that NTC have had brought to thier attention time and time again but won’t enforce the rule so its just another case of the council can’t be bothered to get out of bed during the night and do some real enforcement.
I stand by my words, they caught offices out a couple of years ago and the SAME offices STILL divert every night!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@BLT driver and proud of it, Fair comment but ‘Yawn Yawn Yawn’ everybody is boring to somebody!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade@BLT driver and proud of it, You find this comment boring but should we just sit back and say nothing? most of the comments on here are calling for better enforcement,including yourself,yet when somebody starts the ball rolling all you can do is ‘Yawn’ These things need to be brought up if the trade is ever to get the level of service we deserve. I don’t see anyone yawning when you have something to say and sometimes you are a bit borderline…Know what i’m saying??
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage TradeI am a Blue Star driver who was working over the Christmas period. The communal phone lines with Central were slashed during the evening of Christmas Eve. Central managed to get their numbers diverted to Mobile numbers in their premises & inadvertentley Blue Stars office. At all times the Blue Star receptionist answered the call identiying herself as Blue Star. When the telephone company mistake was realised Mr. Kennedy & his staff monitored the situation to make sure the correct jobs went to Central. Blue Star finished the Christmas period doing nothing but bookings & walk in Trade. Phone lines to Blue Star were finally reconnected yesterday December 30th. I don’t think that this was an act of mindless vandalism. If it was aimed at the Taxi Operators it failed. They didn’t lose any money, only the drivers lost money & the Public was put out a little bit. I find it strange that the majority of the previous comments seem to be more interested in the legality of the call transfers than in denouncing the people who caused the Criminal damage. Fingers will inevidently be pointed but I just hope that whoever committed this act will realise that we’re all just trying to make a living. Happy New Year.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Allan Lopez,
Good point Allan!
I was finding it hard to clear, I don’t think our Ringback system was working either, it certainly slowed me down.
It would be great if all the Operators affected by this cowardly, spineless act, used some of our Rent money to find out who these/this Moron is, and take whatever necessary steps to re-pay this Person/s, I am sure if they slipped a few bob to the Dodgy folk of Shields they would get answers?????
You would think by now all these Muppets that cut Telephone Wires to Taxi Offices, would realise it only hurts the Drivers and their Pockets!!!.
I think it was a Driver, someone who has not got his Brain available on his Donor Card!!!
Regards
Stephen
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
hear hear alan, its the drivers who all ways suffer,because regardless the rent has to be paid so any office proprieter never lose`s out , as 2008 ends & 2009 arrives i wonder if the 3 persons along with mr wilson have there final plan to rid at least N/tyneside of any hackney trade because the way the Berwick syndrom has effected us all has been bloody mindless all in the name of an extra pound, the worst thing for me it hs set drivers against drivers especialy drivers who have worked alongside each other for years be it hack or P/H ,lets hope these persons can see fit to try & think of the drivers livelyhoods in 2009, & we all can go about are business trying to make a living, all the best to you`s all even the 3 wise men…
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@BLT driver and proud of it,
no mate I prove MY point.
I will think you find that WE (hackney carriadge trade) ARE getting on with it. There was a meeting about OUR trade several weeks ago, with another in the new year followed by more action.
i take it you didnt hear about the protest WE carried out in the summer? Or the action by the council following the HACKNEY CARRIADGE TRADE demonstrations.
what do you want me to do when someone on here boasts about a job they flimped? would you expect me to put an arm around someone who has to report to licencing cause they got caught flimping and are worried about it?
so WE ARE ‘just get(ting) on with it’
so until ph drivers, and operators relise that TAXIS and PRIVATE HIRE VEHICLES have as much in common as with busses, trains, planes and tuck tucks, then THEY will continue to drum on about one for all and all for one!
I am under no illusion as to what direction that motto would take us …
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@Andy Warhol
im just getting on with it too, i know where the grass is greener and it wasnt with a hackney ‘CARRIADGE’ (as you put it) plate on the rear of my motor
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Andy Warhol, and with regard to the flimper on here who boasts about it – tough cookie but you pay they price for breaking the law, you deserve nothing less than having your license revoked
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@BLT driver and proud of it,
i’ve never pretended to be an oxford dictionary.
but i am able to see the simple differences between our trades. and no amount of mind games or calls of ‘all aboard’ will convince me otherwise.
I dont really care if you find the grass greener on the otherside, or some hash house in india to be honest. this isn’t about where is the grass greener? i am not coming on here proclaiming to be the prophet of the taxi trade, and vowing to storm into operators offices and try and overturn their oak tables! And if i could heal the sick, my car wouldnt be parked outside my garage with a f**ked alternator on a home match day! would it?
no, this is about lack of enforcement, and private hire running amok in newcastle city centre.
dont bother saying stop whinging and act, we are, as i have said umpteen times, but action takes time.
what i have been merely pointing is that if i walked into a hack trade meeting, and mr. x of xxx taxis was chairman, director, supreme lord or whatever, i would stop attending. simply becasue that mr. x COULD NOT represent BOTH trades with the best interests at heart!
now correct the spelling, grammer whatever on that if you like!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@SC,
well what answer would you expect me to give?
as said …
… what goes around comes around. perhaps now some people know how we feel EVERY WEEKEND.
or, maybe i’ll join the auld ‘they were all booked’ brigade
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Andy Warhol, so that makes it ok then? very rarely see a castle Morpeth hack in town, but as soon as some thing big is on in there area you think its fine to take their work because other drivers from other LA flimp town? that makes you no better then any other flimper! with that attitude flimping will never stop
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@nth, i DO know exactly what youre saying but its the same thing over and over again, that being the councils lack of interest and failure to act for whatever reason Be it reason A,B or C!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@BLT driver and proud of it, Don’t you think that’s all the more reason to keep bringing these things up, for years I’ve listened to drivers on the ranks & in offices moaning about the council,but now they are starting to do it on here and i know for a fact that everytime new posts & comments are put on this site Admin e-mails them to licensing,so they cannot help but see & feel the mood of the trade. Maybe the same things, over & over have to be said to hammer the message home. Taxi drivers are not apathetic,whinging,moaning creatures but an important part of the workforce within the public transport system and as such are deserving of some decent support from those that licence them! What say you?
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@nth, i agree with what you say but be honest, do you really think that NTC give two hoots about us? i for one dont. we pay our £236 or £274 every year to keep them in a job and we get jack s**t in return.
Some of the ‘staff’ in the licensing dept aint worth £274 a year, if the cetrain member tries to serve me my heart sinks coz its gonna take twice as long as when seen by one of the ‘other’ licensing staff. the enforcement officers know this but dont seem to want to remove said staff member from the duties this person carries out. DEAD WOOD!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade