We were about to embark at Dover, when
(Richard J.) came up to me and whispered:

True, but don't assume that it's always the taxi driver that
has the knowledge.

To be fair, it's the Bike couriers that have the best knowledge.

I proved this in 2005/6 when I had to regularly be in offices just off
Old Street by 10am on a Saturday, and was regularly parking my car
outside the door at 9.55, having left Basingstoke at 9am and stopped at
Old Street McDonalds on the way.

And I hadn't done Courier Work in London for over 8 years at that point.

--
Paul Cummins - Always a NetHead
Wasting Bandwidth since 1981
IF you think this http://bit.ly/u5EP3p is cruel
please sign this http://bit.ly/sKkzEx

---- If it's below this line, I didn't write it ----

In message , Paul
Cummins writes
We were about to embark at Dover, when (Mike
Hughes) came up to me and whispered:

Wrong. Taxi drivers are required to take an additional driving
test before they get their licence. This includes the correct
procedure to accommodate wheelchair users.

Wrong. This is not a "Driving test" as the DSA do not implement it.

Get your facts straight. It is a DSA test - failure means that you don't
get your licence.

It is a Conduct test.

AS for the rest of your drivel, why don't you try going into somewhere
like, say, London Executive in Great Suffolk Street, tell them you are a
Licenced hackney driver wanting a job, and see how quickly they show you
the door. I doubt you'd be going slow enough to notice there's a floor...


--
Mike Hughes
A Taxi driver licensed for London and Brighton
at home in Tarring, West Sussex, England
Interested in American trains real and model?
Look here http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikehughes2011/

Wrong. This is not a "Driving test" as the DSA do not implement it.

It is a Conduct test.


It's sometimes hard to tell on Usenet who is right and who is wrong so,
having had a few minutes spare to waste, I did a little digging.

As regards the term "driving test", it is used both in the underlying
legislation (the London Cab Order 1934
(1934 No. 1346)) and colloquially by TfL and the DSA for what taxi
drivers in some areas are required to undertake.

Turning to who carries out the test/assessment/whatever, TfL think they
have a contract with DSA to design and carry out the tests; and DSA
think they run them and invite people to book them on their website.
See eg
http://www.dft.gov.uk/fyn/practical.php
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/businessandpar...ire/17726.aspx)
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...ase-in-VAT.pdf

Of course I may well have missed something but at that point I moved on
to waste my time on other things
--
Robin
reply to address is (meant to be) valid

We were about to embark at Dover, when (Robin) came up
to me and whispered:

As regards the term "driving test", it is used both in the
underlying legislation (the London Cab Order 1934
(1934 No. 1346)) and colloquially by TfL and the DSA for what
taxi drivers in some areas are required to undertake.

and it's broadly the same application process for Taxi and PHV licensing.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...river-operator
-and-vehicle-licensing-guidelines.pdf

Including the requirement to hold an EEA licence, have a CRB check and,
if previously living abroad, to supply a "Certificate of Good Conduct".

And any licenced hackney driver would know this, as he has to jump
through exactly the same hoops as a PHV driver, ad has done for more than
10 years. So any Hackney Carriage driver claiming otherwise is either 10
years out of date or deliberately stirring **** to cause Fear,
Uncertainty and Doubt.

"Look at us - we're proerly checked and licensed" - Just like John
Worbouys was:
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct...cd=2&ved=0CFgQ
FjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Fnews%2 Fuknews%2Flaw-and-order%
2F5194618%2FBlack-cab-rapist-serial-sex-attacker-John-Worboys-jailed-indef
initely.html&ei=sUDRT42GKeO-0QXcnZAy&usg=AFQjCNHC14Uwpy5Hkv06xui4Y24ilT4h1
g&sig2=8byObS7w5qG6cZkVt3EB3w

--
Paul Cummins - Always a NetHead
Wasting Bandwidth since 1981
IF you think this http://bit.ly/u5EP3p is cruel
please sign this http://bit.ly/sKkzEx

---- If it's below this line, I didn't write it ----

And any licenced hackney driver would know this, as he has to jump
through exactly the same hoops as a PHV driver, ad has done for more
than 10 years.

"Exactly" apart from (in London) "the knowledge" and from the test by
the DSA (if you do now accept that it is a test and by the DSA)?

--
Robin
reply to address is (meant to be) valid

Your experience is quite typical of many who hail a taxi in Central London
and want to go to the suburbs. Although most green badge taxi drivers
know Central London extremely well, many are out of their depth in the suburbs,
particularly the outer suburbs. It's one of the reasons taxi drivers sometimes
refuse to take passengers to the leafy suburbs. (The other main reason,
of course, is that they are unlikely to get a fare back into the middle)

Your other point is also valid. Many minicab drivers know their patch
very well indeed and have no difficulty finding alternative routes when
the main routes are congested.

I suspect this consideration is theoretical only. If a minicab is involved
in an accident, is his insurer going to investigate if the journey had been
pre-booked?

I suppose you're referring to Addison Lee. Their prices are far higher
than those of a typical minicab firm. Most minicab firms' minimum
charges are between £3.50 and £5.00. By the way, anyone can
drive down Oxford Street after 19.00 hours, even minicab drivers.

On 2012\06\08 16:22, Robin9 wrote:
'Richard J.[_3_ Wrote:
;131057']

True, but don't assume that it's always the taxi driver that has the
knowledge. In my last two cab journeys, both involving heavily
congested roads, the minicab driver (Monarch Radio Cars, W4) was superb,

both in driving skills and knowledge of the street network. By
contrast, the taxi driver with an all-London badge, hailed on the street

at Edgware Road H&C station, needed advice from me on 4 separate
occasions because he evidently had very poor knowledge of West London.


Your experience is quite typical of many who hail a taxi in Central
London
and want to go to the suburbs. Although most green badge taxi drivers
know Central London extremely well, many are out of their depth in the
suburbs,
particularly the outer suburbs. It's one of the reasons taxi drivers
sometimes
refuse to take passengers to the leafy suburbs. (The other main reason,

of course, is that they are unlikely to get a fare back into the
middle)

Your other point is also valid. Many minicab drivers know their patch
very well indeed and have no difficulty finding alternative routes when

the main routes are congested.

...although the suburban taxi drivers found at suburban ranks have done
the knowledge for their suburban area and know the suburbs better than
anyone.

In message , at 16:27:31 on Fri, 8
Jun 2012, Robin9 remarked:
If a minicab is
involved in an accident, is his insurer going to
investigate if the journey had
been pre-booked?

If doing so avoids paying out to that passenger, of course they will!
--
Roland Perry