In message , at 11:29:02 on
Fri, 5 Aug 2016, Paul Corfield remarked:
There are "bad apples" in every trade but the inability to control the
private hire industry expansion is causing considerable problems and
not just for black cabs.

Yes, the 95% of bad apples in the minicab business give the other 5% a
bad name
--
Roland Perry

Witty but unfair!

"Robin9" wrote in message
...

tim...;157390 Wrote:
"bob" wrote in message
...-
Robin9 wrote:-

Someone Somewhere;157370 Wrote:-
-

Were no black cab drivers picked up on any infringments (however
small)

or is Operation Neon solely targeted at the private hire trade?
-

I'm not sure how public safety is increased by giving private hire
drivers parking tickets, and I suspect most people using minicabs
don't care if the driver is not displaying his badge. It will be
interesting to see if the new mayor will have any really
constructive ideas in his "wider programme."
-

Indeed - and in particular with Uber you know who the driver is from
the

app and can recognise them from their photo. Uber also track their
drivers activity and it's very easy to complain about them if they do
the wrong thing - something that's nowhere near as easy with
conventional private hire companies and/or black cab drivers (if a
black

cab driver takes a circuitous route, what's your come back when the
only

person to complain to is the driver themselves and there's an absence
of

proof of the route followed)-

According to the "statement" only private hire drivers were
involved. The mayor is, of course, a professional politician.
For some reason I've never understood, it seems politicians
feel it's both respectable and legitimate to regard minicab
drivers with open suspicion and dislike. This is particularly true
of pseudo-liberal politicians who make a great song and dance
about opposing prejudice.-

I think the true motivation becomes clear if you read it as minicab =
Uber.

I've said it before, and I'm saying it again

if TPTB want to clamp down on Uber they should be doing so by enforcing
the
disabled regulation on them properly.

There are dozens of stories of their drivers not complying.

tim

Which disabled regulation are you referring to?[/i][/color]

The one that requires them to provide an "equal" service to disabled
passengers.

It is generic legislation, not specific to taxi drivers

Private hire drivers are not taxi drivers.

They still have to comply

Therefore the
various obligations imposed on taxi drivers do not apply
to private hire (minicab) drivers. Obviously private hire
drivers, like everyone else, must obey the law, including
the several laws against discrimination, but unlike taxi
drivers, they have no greater duties and obligations than
anyone else.

They have the duties and obligations of a "business", these are
significantly greater than the duties of a private individual (who can, of
course, freely decide not to let a guide dog in their car when offering a
blind person a lift)

tim

The notion, put about eagerly by Boris Johnson, that the
Mayor and TfL do not have the powers to limit the number of
new minicab drivers is completely fraudulent.

The Bill passed by Tony Blair's government which imposed
licencing upon London's private hire trade made TfL the
regulatory body and gave them the authority to set standards
and to create competence tests, including a "knowledge" test.

The larger private hire firms took fright at this because they
recognised that even a very moderate knowledge test would
cut off their constant supply of new drivers. They lobbied TfL
that they, out of the goodness of their public-minded hearts,
should do the testing themselves and would set a realistically
high standard, relevant to the day-to-day work of minicab drivers.

To the eternal discredit of both the Mayor and TfL, this absurd
proposal was accepted and TfL washed their hands of the matter.
As any fool could have predicted, the private hire firms passed
everyone who wanted to be a minicab driver and the number of
private hire drivers in London increased enormously. To distract
attention away from his and TfL's gross negligence in allowing
this situation to arise, Boris Johnson put out impropaganda (1)
to the effect his hands were tied and he needed special extra
powers to restrict the number of new entrants to the trade.

All that needs to be done is for TfL to take back the testing,
to set the most undemanding of tests and the number of new
entrants will collapse.

It should be remembered that most new applicants to be
minicab drivers in London are either Asians or immigrants
who don't know Kings Cross from Charing Cross or London
Bridge from Waterloo Bridge and who are totally convinced
that all they need is a sat-nav. Demand that they learn how
to get to Victoria Coach Station and the Royal Albert Hall and
their enthusiasm will soon evaporate.

(1) I regret to admit I did not invent this splendid word. There
was, and perhaps still is, a company in Kentish Town, trading
under that name.