tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141759542968821728.post7872539431476708054..comments2024-01-01T16:01:35.711+00:00Comments on Dick Puddlecote: Why Not Demand Less Taxi Regulation, Not More?Dick Puddlecotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481866882188932892noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141759542968821728.post-90141545302630355852014-06-11T13:13:00.895+01:002014-06-11T13:13:00.895+01:00The cabbies don't appear to have a leg to stan...The cabbies don't appear to have a leg to stand on. Uber is a computer mini cab firm which takes a far smaller proportion of the fare as commission than do traditional mini cab firms and there is nothing to stop a mini cab driver agreeing to a fare calculated on a customer's mobile phone, which is not a mini cab taximeter. In my experience you can negotiate with them in any way you choose.JonathanBagleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141759542968821728.post-86093744345268287832014-06-11T12:53:45.936+01:002014-06-11T12:53:45.936+01:00Who the hell gives a anus rodentum about London an...Who the hell gives a anus rodentum about London and it's cabs,a more critical issue being ,how can a real normal Englishman live in the slop pot<br />of the Western World. London is now a gigantic albatross around the withering neck of England,The blood of a more noble England is being sucked by this <br />oversized Metropolitan Leech crawling with grasping vermin and choking with<br />freaks ,two bit spivs ,freeloaders,parasites,perverts and rotting politicians.<br />Maybe the time is ripe for the Regions to join Scotland and desert this hub of<br />depravity and decadence before our Island becomes another landfill.True Britnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141759542968821728.post-12219953764769845602014-06-11T08:36:06.522+01:002014-06-11T08:36:06.522+01:00Black cabs do seem inordinately expensive nowadays...Black cabs do seem inordinately expensive nowadays. When I was living in London in the 80s, I thought nothing of hailing a cab. Ok, it cost more than the tube, but cabs were not the preserve of the wealthy.<br /><br />I was in Ubon Ratchathani (Thailand) earlier this year, and while fuel is cheaper than UK, the cost of a cab (metered) for a distance equivalent, say, from Shepherd's Bush to Picadilly was about a pound. Yes, wages are lower and fuel is cheaper, but that is a <i>massive</i> difference. What would a black cab cost for that trip?nisakimannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141759542968821728.post-25973005804141150492014-06-10T23:03:54.329+01:002014-06-10T23:03:54.329+01:00An interesting aspect of this debate is that (as i...An interesting aspect of this debate is that (as in many other fields) the media assume London is like the rest of the country, when in fact it is very different. Everywhere else, private hire vehicles are allowed to use meters and there don't seem to be any significant restrictions on advertising.PeterA5145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141759542968821728.post-75932502287800286842014-06-10T21:55:33.375+01:002014-06-10T21:55:33.375+01:00The regs on London taxis go back hundreds of years...The regs on London taxis go back hundreds of years and have evolved to protect their exclusivity. That's all well and good as they have gotten away with it, but being beholden to state regs carries a burden in itself as I think they are noticing now they are hopelessly uncompetitive and left with little to defend themselves.<br /><br /><br />This is perhaps why tomorrow's protest does have a whiff of the 1970s about it, you're right.Dick_Puddlecotenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141759542968821728.post-65183840903332522572014-06-10T21:01:21.856+01:002014-06-10T21:01:21.856+01:00To quote the Hitchhikers' Guide, “I'll tel...To quote the Hitchhikers' Guide, “I'll tell you what the problem is, mate. <em>Demarcation</em>, that's the problem”. It's our old chum from when we were the Sick Man of Europe, back to haunt us. <em>Why</em> should licenced black cab drivers have a monopoly on using devices that meter charges based on distance travelled? Who died and made them the Gods of the Taximeter? (And so much for this unfettered neo-liberal free market we keep hearing about.)<br /><br /><br />“You can't do that! That's a cabman's job! Everybody out!”<br /><br /><br />Bah. The hell with 'em.Sam Duncannoreply@blogger.com