Idiotic taxi drivers all fighting for that 2 quid

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Accy cyclist

Legendary Member
They've started a "taxi war" in my town, meaning that the 3 or 4 taxi firms are all trying to undercut each other. A journey that once cost 4 pounds now costs 2 pounds, so to make a profit the drivers have to fly around like idiots to get to the destination asap! This is where us cyclists come in.For the last few months i've had these idiots up my backside, coming at me sideways on, pulling out in front of me,jumping red roadwork lights like yesterday when one of them went for a gap in the bollards, nearly hitting oncoming traffic. I'd had enough of this one day so i confronted the firms owner in a friendly manner of course. "Sorry boss but most of 'em don't speak good English" was the reply. What a feeble excuse, if they can't speak "good English" how can they read the road signs and communicate with their customers? Anyway that's the customers problem but i'm on about them from a cycling safety point of view. By the way when i cycle at night i have loads of reflectors and lights so they must see me but don't give a toss as they're all chasing that 2 quid!:thumbsdown:
 
Report them to the licensing authourity - your local council.
 
My local council makes drivers pass another driving test, higher than a DSA test, to qualify for driving a taxi. OK, it doesn't ensure that they always drive to that standard, but it excludes those who are unable to drive well.

I'd complain to your council.
 

taximan

senex crepitu iuvenis cordi esse
As a retired taxi driver I can understand your concern. I was unfortunate to have been caught up in a price cutting war on a number of occasions. It is good for the punters who benefit from reduced fares but one thing they overlook is the fact that the drivers are having to do twice the work for the same money, resulting in many of them working up to 15 or 16 hours per day. I have even known drivers work in excess of 24 hours on occasions. to me this is totaly out of order because at the end of the day it is the public at large who are at risk, not only from tired drivers, but also from badly maintained cars. The reason the cars are badly maintained is because the drivers can't earn enough money because the do not get the rate for the job. Hackney carriage fares are normally set by the council and in my opinion should be adhered to. Having said that many drivers are more responsible and always put the punters safety first.Unfortunately, because they charge the full rate they attract more than their fair share of abuse (and worse) from drunken louts who infest our towns in the early hours.

RANT OVER :B)
 

taximan

senex crepitu iuvenis cordi esse
My mate works for taxi licensing for TFL and she has pretty much begged us all to never take a minicab anywhere, ever.


Can I point out that many minicab companies are run by responsible companies. My advice is find a responsible firm and stick with them. If you find yourself stranded and unable to book a car, go to the taxi rank and use a licensed taxi.
One safety tip for the young ladies, ask the driver if you can take his/her photo on your mobile and send it to a friend.
 

classic33

Leg End Member
They've started a "taxi war" in my town, meaning that the 3 or 4 taxi firms are all trying to undercut each other. A journey that once cost 4 pounds now costs 2 pounds, so to make a profit the drivers have to fly around like idiots to get to the destination asap! This is where us cyclists come in.For the last few months i've had these idiots up my backside, coming at me sideways on, pulling out in front of me,jumping red roadwork lights like yesterday when one of them went for a gap in the bollards, nearly hitting oncoming traffic. I'd had enough of this one day so i confronted the firms owner in a friendly manner of course. "Sorry boss but most of 'em don't speak good English" was the reply. What a feeble excuse, if they can't speak "good English" how can they read the road signs and communicate with their customers? Anyway that's the customers problem but i'm on about them from a cycling safety point of view. By the way when i cycle at night i have loads of reflectors and lights so they must see me but don't give a toss as they're all chasing that 2 quid!:thumbsdown:

Get that every day & thats withouta price war going on. They just want to get one run over & get the next one starte as quick as possible.
As for reporting it to the local council. Mine gives warns the drivers when & where they will be carrying out inspections. This means that they get avoided at any cost by the drivers & they have a clean report to file. An easy life for both sides.

Even reporting a fake taxi got no response.


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v4Yv3ob5QQ
 

Tiberius Baltar

Active Member
Location
Liverpool
I can only sympathise with your plight. As a cabbie in my local area I hear on a daily basis about driver who can't speak english and some seem to think its acceptable to just hand the sat nav to the passenger for them to type the address into!
The problem with taxi drivers is a lot of them don't see it as a "job" and just "pop out" for a couple of hours here and there. By the time they get to the end of the week they suddenly realise that they have only actually worked for 25 hours and have a shed load of money to try to earn in as quick a time as possible.
Its pointless complaining to the company who operate the cars as they only want their weekly settle off the drivers so they would never kick one off the road. As for the local authority you may as well shout down the toilet. They brought out an NVQ course for drivers which supposedly was to ensure correct customer service and a high level of professional driving standards but this has been rife with back handers to unions and help to foreign drivers with the knowledge test.
The council won't do anything because central government sees it as an easy and quick way to get people off the dole.
Unfortunately the hackney drivers hate the mini cab drivers, the mini cab drivers hate the hackney's the bus drivers hate us all and we all hate cyclists! There aint much to be done about it as even trying to speak to the same person twice in a council is nigh on impossible!
Just grit your teeth and try to look after yourself because its getting dangerous out there and peoples growing lack of respect for each other is only going to get worse. :sad:
 
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