Taxis

[nipper]

It really pisses me off when some ignorant members of the public express a blanket opinion on taxi drivers being unskilled and make them out to be some sort of pond life at the bottom of the food chain.

People who beep beep their car horns in order to alert people that they have now arrived to pick them up are unskilled and pond life. They are also at the bottom of the food chain.

 

doing the job properly requires a lot of skill, patience and knowledge.

People who beep their car horns in order to alert people they have arrived to pick them up do not require a lot of skill, absolutely no fucking patience at all and about zero knowledge in the matter of consideration to others outside of their and their customers me, me, me world.

 

 

 

 

By way of a 'get out clause' and to prevent excessive flaming I wish to state that I am sure that the above two forum taxi drivers have never ever actually been so lard arsed as to beep their car horns in order to alert people of their arrival. But it's an odds on bet that I am wrong in my assumption.

[Lonan3]

It's important to distinguish between drivers who do it full time, those who go part-time at weekends and those who own the hackney plates.

 

The problem doesn't lie with the drivers.

 

It's because plates are so scarce that the plate owners can charge use of the plate out to the drivers at such high rates. And how many of those who had the last 9 hackney plates issued actually still drive and/or havent sold their plate for quite a tidy sum.

 

The various taxi owners associations have got the drivers in their pockets and the drivers in the main don't see it.

 

I don't want to get too involved in this discussion at the moment - as I've already said, a full and complete survey of the industry has almost been completed and the results of it are due some time in February.

 

Just to answer a couple of Ian Rush's points, however.

 

Scarcity of plates - the recommendations for an adequate service, throughout the UK, have always been based on a ratio of 1 cab per 1,000 people. On that basis, there ought to be around 80 to serve the Isle of Man.

In actual fact, there are about 118 in the Douglas area alone and, when the rest of the island is taken into account, the figure becomes something like 260, which means a ratio of approximately 1 cab per 300 people.

When he refers to the 'last 9' hackney plates issued, I assume that he means the ones that were issued by Douglas Corporation just before the Govt took over responsibility for regulating the trade. I can't be certain, but I believe that either 5 or 6 of those are under different ownership now (and only 2 or 3 are still 'wheelchair accessible, as was meant to be the case for all of them). They were, however, by no means the last to be issued - a further 15 or 16 have been granted since then in the Douglas area.

Finally, there are no 'various taxi associations.' Although there were others, they were bankrupted by mounting legal challenges in defence of their members, and there is now only the Manx Taxi Federation.

In the Tynwald debate on the introduction of the Road Transport Act 2001 - it was stated by the then MoT, Tony Brown, that Schedule 2 of the Act would ensure a transitional period of some 5 years or so, during which the status quo would be maintained. In other words, the need for more taxis on an all-island basis would be examined after that period. The legislation, however, was so sloppily constructed - and the Government were so reluctant to admit any fault (Unusual, that... isn't it?) that it was virtually impossible to check the number of new licences being issued until the MTF - supported by a very large proportion of both owners and drivers - managed to compel them to initiate the current survey.

Just to make one thing clear - many of the areas in the UK which adopted a free-for all approach and allowed unlimited numbers of taxis to operate have now had to retract - simply because the quality of vehicles deteriorated and the response times to customers actually became worse!

[Alex]

I was asked to fill in this survey too, and used it to complain about the (IMO) consistently poor service from taxis over here.

 

I think prices are far too expensive, and Government should step away from regulating the prices - all that's doing is creating an artificially high rate. They should also clamp down on the trading of taxi plates - which should be non-transferable.

 

There are far too few taxis imo - it's obvious when you can't get one for love nor money when you're based out of town, and have to wait over half an hour when you go to a firm's base.

 

£21 it cost me to get home Sunday night (after a half hour wait) - and the driver assured me it was normal fares and not extra for a bank holiday - that's ridiculous, I live 10 mins outside Douglas.

 

Last night we rang a cab to take some friends home - our local firm (Laxey cabs) were all booked up for the entire night. Rang some Douglas cabs and were told they had hardly any drivers in so there'd be a wait and we'd better book an hour in advance to guarantee. Not good enough. There needs to be a lot more competition in the trade, they should be fighting to be good enough to be used again.

 

I rarely use taxis at all because of the cost mainly, I'd rather walk or ring a sober mate and slip them £10.

 

When trips to Peel or Ramsey are costing upwards of £35, there's a big big problem.

[kite]

you dont seem at all able to put forward a viewpoint without insulting others so id say your a taxi driver alright

not bothered in the least about having to give directions to a taxi driver, i know where i live and can tell them. better that than pay 15 per 5 min journey

they ll soon get to know there way anyway

It really pisses me off when some ignorant members of the public express a blanket opinion on taxi drivers being unskilled and make them out to be some sort of pond life at the bottom of the food chain.

 

Some of us have qualifications and experience that would allow us to pursue a successful career in many of what you term ‘professional’ capacities.

 

I for one am sick and tired of being treated like shit by ungrateful piss heads who think we should only too pleased to put up with their drunken and abusive behaviour in exchange for drawing a modest wage.

 

So, come January I am going to get pissed and go to visit your place of work. Then I will call you a robbing bastard and throw up all over your shop or office. Maybe I will run off without expecting to pay or threaten to beat you up.

 

Merry Christmas.

wow we have a lot of unhappy taxi drivers on here! you may not like it but driving a taxi for a living IS a UNSKILLED job. you need no education to do it,it is on a par with a shop worker or road sweeper. no matter how much you say it is skilled haha, it isnt. its what drop outs do and excons

[manxchatterbox]

.... its what drop outs do and excons

 

so how do they afford the £40/£50 grand for the licence plate???

[ans]

Licence Plate Owner != Taxi Driver

[Lonan3]

 

wow we have a lot of unhappy taxi drivers on here! you may not like it but driving a taxi for a living IS a UNSKILLED job. you need no education to do it,it is on a par with a shop worker or road sweeper. no matter how much you say it is skilled haha, it isnt. its what drop outs do and excons

 

Personally, I'm not an unhappy taxi driver.

I enjoy my work. I enjoy meeting most of the people who get into my cab.

I work hard, but I do not make any fortune - in fact my annual profits are little more than the average - extremely unskilled - school leaver would get for playing on a computer and shifting bits of paper around in a bank, insurance company office etc.

As an 'old-school' driver, I do not need to use an A to Z.

I am always polite to my customers - even those (usually emboldened by alcohol) who offer abuse.

My cab is kept in good condition (Over £1,000 spent on general maintenance just before Xmas), and I even clean up the mess left by customers, some of which are little better than animals.

Whether being able to answer a call to pick someone up from a remote farm counts as a skill, I don't know.

Whether being able to drive safely enough for the customers to feel secure (I've never had an accident) counts as a skill, I don't know.

What I do know is, that having worked in office environments at various levels of responsibility, the number of jobs that are described as 'skilled' is often a gross exaggeration.

The only undisputed 'skills' I would suggest, are those of genuine artisans.

[manxchatterbox]

under auspices of "freedom of information" does anyone know if it is possible to obtain a list of who owns taxi licence plates?

[Lonan3]

Yes. The RTLC office at Ronaldsway can provide one that is usually up to date. I don't know if a fee is required or not.

[manxchatterbox]

well done Lonan3 - think it will be interesting to get hold of a list to see who has more than one plate....

and it would be interesting to find out which plate owners are individuals using the job as a principal source of income and which plate owners are using the plate as an additional/supplementary source of income...

[2005]

i have to say that i've never had a problem with a taxi driver, the companies i have used are all brilliant!

 

And the guys i know, are not doing the job because they can't get another, but because of the flexibility of working hours:)

[Charlotte]

Their standard of driving and road manners/courtesy often leaves a lot to be desired. They are after all professional drivers.

 

There is no reason why they should all have advanced driving certificates. Many, but not all of course, seem to be people who can't get or simply don't want a job anywhere else.

 

I have to admit though, when I'm in a taxi I like it when they just barge past everyone else as if I was the only person that counts on the road.

 

It is very annoying!! I was in a taxi with a friend one Friday night and he didn't have a clue where he was going!!! I was going to let my friend get out at her house and then let me him me to mine, but I couldn't be bothered with the fuss and walked the rest of the way in the rain. I mean, what IS the point of having a taxi driver who doesn't know where he's going? You're running up the cost and in the amount of time they take to find your road you could have walked home anyway. It really is frustrating!!

 

Whoops!! Think I just quoted the wrong post...oh well, you catch my drift!

[Paul H]

I agree that taxis are too expensive. Yes, I am a taxi driver and as such, you might wonder why I am of this opinion. Let me explain; there are a growing number of taxi drivers complaining of a drop in trade, yet we are also hearing an increasing number of the public complaining that they cannot get a taxi. The reason is that unlike other businesses we do not analyse the areas of decline in sales and seek to offer any financial incentives. For example, you do not see taxi drivers offering a discount on quiet days of the week in order to boost trade. Similarly, we do not seek to offer any improvement in the availability of the service we supply during the busy periods but instead increase our charges in a low supply/high demand situation.

 

The solution, I believe is to offer better availability during peak hours without fleecing the public and support this proposal by equally offering discounted prices at off-peak hours in order to increase sales. If the correct balance is maintained, a taxi company can offer reduced costs to the public, an increased turnover and a sustainable business plan that attracts a loyal customer base.

 

As it has been mentioned, we do have particular expenses that will always be higher on the Isle of Man than in the U.K. Fuel for example is priced higher and is a cost factor that must be passed on to the consumer. Somewhat unfairly, we also endure extremely high insurance premiums based on the U.K. marketplace. A large proportion of our premium is to provide public liability insurance so whether you are driving a ten-year-old Ford Mondeo or a new Mercedes E class the annual cost will be anything up to ten times the premium paid by a non-commercial motorist. The only area that motoring costs are less than that in the U.K. is that of road tax if you have a car of small engine capacity.

 

The natures of our islands geography, combined with an inefficient licence district system means that we taxi operators do not work as efficiently as they could. For example, in the North West district which extends from Peel through to Ramsey including all of the associated rural conurbations we have significantly less numbers of taxis serving an area many times bigger than the East region. Admittedly, there is less of a population in the North West region but none the less, the taxis available are required to serve not one but two central business districts that are sixteen miles apart. Not to mention that many journeys from the North West involve the lengthy journey south to the Airport or over to Douglas, thus removing each vehicle from its immediate catchment area for a considerable time. Better efficiency could be factored in an effort to reduce operating costs and thus pass these benefits on to the consumer without being determent to the income of the taxi driver.

 

As we all know the current system of licensing prohibits a taxi from say the North West from plying for trade in the Douglas area and vice versa even if the taxi is available for hire and there is a dire shortage of cover in that area. Our illustrious and often ill informed MHKs have recently voted to keep the present system in place at least until April 2008 to satisfy the concerns of the Douglas taxi owners who see any opportunity to provide better over during busy times as a threat to what they like to call ‘their business’. I find it amazing that the Government are prepared to defend their open skies policy when it has the potential to jeopardise jobs in the passenger aviation industry and yet they will bow to the whims of a few selfish taxi drivers who cry potential poverty at the mere mention of de-restriction. Bloody disgrace, but that’s life.

 

Finally, on the matter of sounding your horn. In the regulations handed down to us by our Road Transport Licensing Committee, you will find that it is now illegal for a driver to use his or her horn solely for the purpose of alerting passengers of his or her arrival. Not to mention that it is illegal under the provisions of the Road Traffic Act. As such, it is my company policy not to break the law and we do not use our horns in that way. That goes for Sydney too; who I am happy to say works for me. Oh, and Lonan 3 happens to be the secretary to the Manx Taxi Federation, as such he knows the regulations intimately and I am sure like me, he does not condone the use of horns in an inappropriate way.

[caringwife]

There is a particular Douglas taxi driver, who has no working seat belts in his cab, thinks its legal to drive through red lights and that its also legal to send a text message as he is driving.

 

As i was in this taxi last december, when i realised he was punching a message into his phone, i demanded he stopped, and got out. He never asked for a fare. The police tried to charge me for not paying his fare, he denied he ever sent a text as i could'nt prove the exact minute and second the taxi stopped and he also told the police i ran off without paying. MT did have records of him sending a text message but i cannot prove he did it whilst driving.

 

I also saw him recently going straight through red lights, must know hes beyond the law now, only has to deny it and gets away scot free.

 

I would rather walk than get a taxi ever again. Im sure there are some good drivers out there but theres always one who has to ruin it completely for everyone else.

[Paul H]

There is a particular Douglas taxi driver, who has no working seat belts in his cab, thinks its legal to drive through red lights and that its also legal to send a text message as he is driving.

 

As i was in this taxi last december, when i realised he was punching a message into his phone, i demanded he stopped, and got out. He never asked for a fare. The police tried to charge me for not paying his fare, he denied he ever sent a text as i could'nt prove the exact minute and second the taxi stopped and he also told the police i ran off without paying. MT did have records of him sending a text message but i cannot prove he did it whilst driving.

 

I also saw him recently going straight through red lights, must know hes beyond the law now, only has to deny it and gets away scot free.

 

I would rather walk than get a taxi ever again. Im sure there are some good drivers out there but theres always one who has to ruin it completely for everyone else.

It is probably fair to say that people remember the bad experiences with taxis far more than they remember the good ones. I suspect I know exactly whom you are talking about because thankfully, there are relatively few of us who are that stupid.

 

In relation to what you said; the taxi business is unlike many other businesses. For example if you go to a restaurant many times and are quite satisfied with the food and the service only to be let down on one occasion, you might say “Well, I’m never going back there again”. But it would not stop you going to other restaurants as an alternative. However, if you are subject to a bad experience with a taxi you are likely to stop using taxis all together.

 

Going back to my earlier post, it is a shame that the bad taxi drivers cause people to believe that we are all the same. Because we are not. If the Douglas taxi owners are so concerned about their livelihoods, perhaps they should address this problem and get rid of ignorant half-wits that do not treat this job seriously.