In message , Tristán White
writes
On Wed, 2 Mar 2005 16:36:26 -0000, "Sir Benjamin Nunn"
wrote:


"Mike Hughes" wrote in message
.. .

First of all the metered fare to/from Gatwick and Surrey Quays is about
£80 which is what they would have to pay to get a fully licensed and
insured London (black) taxi.


Seriously? Is that how much it costs? Criminal.

I usually pay about £28 to book a (private hire) minicab from Zone 3 (South)
to Gatwick.

I can't imagine Gatwick to Surrey Quays would cost very much more than this,
if arranged with a Cab company based in SE London. By phoning around, you
could probably get the journey done for £35 or less.


Same here, I pay £40 to get a taxi (licensed minicab) from my house in
E13 to Gatwich which is a hell of a lot further than Surrey Quays.

But can you be *sure* that the driver is licensed, insured and that the
vehicle has been tested to a high standard?

However, the other way round they sting you, normally. The minicabs
do, anyway. I think they don't deserve to be licensed, some of them.
I've been quoted £60 from Stanstead to Plaistow on one of those
official minicabs.

Black cabs also charge a large surplus from airport pickups, and of
course they're more expensive than minicabs anyway

WRONG. That is an assumption that people make when they get quoted silly
prices by unlicensed, uninsured drivers who are 'minicabbing' in some
old banger that they have bought for a couple of hundred quid from some
back street cowboy, in addition to doing another job, or while on the
dole, or while illegally working when they are asylum seekers. Yes, that
really does happen - just ask any one of those who are stopped and
frequently arrested.

From what I've seen of the enquiry the passenger cares about his family
and wants to be taken by someone who is properly licensed and takes care
for their passengers. You just can't get that without doing the job
properly, and unfortunately London taxis are not cheap to buy, insure
and licence.

If you really want to get ripped off then try taking one of the
'minicabs' from the West End and then compare that with the price for
the same journey in a licensed taxi. If it's not double then you will be
lucky.

As an aside I was in a garage in Bayswater Road on Sunday night when a
minicab asked me where the Ritz Hotel. I didn't tell him, but pointed
out to his customers that I would take them. They went with me and then
related the story that this guy had taken them from West Dulwich and
been looking for the Ritz for over 2 hours - a journey that normally
takes 35 to 40 minutes. Guess how they went back!:-)

--
Mike Hughes
A Taxi driver licensed for London and Brighton
at home in Tarring, West Sussex, England