London Banter - View Single Post

Roland Perry · April 18th 17, 08:39 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In message , at 11:11:17
on Tue, 18 Apr 2017, remarked:

The licencing authority doesn't want tourists arriving at the
station to be greeted by a load of scruffs in beaten up taxis.

The train company, more likely. They control access to the station
forecourt. It's not part of the public highway.

No, it's the council.

On what basis do you make that mendacious claim?

Reading between the lines of the article in the Ely Standard.

I'm not certain about the position in Ely but I am in Cambridge. It's
railway land and I think the Ely station forecourt is too. What did the
article say exactly?

"promotes public safety and a professional taxi service in the
district."

In Cambridge, I gather a few hire cars are signed up to Uber but the
established firms seem to have the market pretty well sewn up. Within
the city they

The Uber ones?

No. Hire cars licensed by the city council AIUI. I am assuming that Uber
is relying on existing operators' cars.

Perhaps so, because they have to be licenced by someone.

But would a car licenced to a council far away be allowed to be an
Uber in Cambridge, and to use their app rather than charging on the
meter?

After all, the latter would almost completely destroy their
proposition.

I must admit I don't entirely understand how the Uber proposition fits with
UK Hire Car licensing law. local hire car operators seem to manage though.

They rely upon the ability to negotiate a fixed fee for the journey at
the start. And famously to adapt the fee to the instantaneous demand.
--
Roland Perry