In message , at 20:14:34 on Sat, 22 Oct
2016, Basil Jet remarked:
Hackney carriage drivers have meters to keep them honest of course. One
reason why licensed hire cars in Cambridge have meters.

The habit of refusing to use them seems particularly popular late at
night in MK. And they *all* refuse, so you can't just get in the one
behind. And the Council has no interest in removing their licences for
doing so.

If they refuse to use the meter is the passenger able to refuse to pay
the fare?

Fixed fares are generally paid up front.

Is that a Milton Keynes thing? I've never paid any sort of taxi/minicab
fare up front.

Only had one dispute, too (a classic failure of 'the knowledge') where a
driver added the cost of short-term parking at Birmingham Airport to the
fare, despite me having been given a fixed quote by the minicab firm. As
it was about the same as the tip I'd have given him anyway, we parted
company with him getting the parking fee and no tip.
--
Roland Perry