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[email protected] · April 18th 17, 03:53 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In article , (Roland Perry)
wrote:

In message , at 10:18:38 on Tue, 18
Apr 2017, Neil Williams remarked:

... get older...
I think we probably do.

You get older quicker than everywhere else in the country? Seems
unlikely. People are people, and I see no reason for any local
standard on such things.

The Cambridge City medical requirement differs too, it goes annual at
the age of 60, with others required at 25, 30, 35 and 40, as well as
every five years from 45 onwards.

Obviously there must be a lot of suspected decrepit 25-40yr old
drivers there! Let alone 60-65 requiring an annual test nit currently
required in East Cambs.

Indeed, as I said, I see no reason for local standards on private hire
cars *at all*. National licencing would work perfectly well and would
adapt much better to new services like Uber.

Very few people would agree with you. Especially the local councils
who insist on local variations (and the cabbies who would resist
anything additional to the currently in force local requirement).

In Cambridge there are other issues, like admission to restricted
city centre areas. So probably not an issue in East Cambs.
Enforcement is typically by camera and registration plate anyway.
Bollards, mate.

Assuming that referred to raising bollards rather than being a
euphemism, those are done by registration number too, not car colour.

Nope. In Cambridge it's by transponder.

More "was" than "is" now. The only transponder-operated gates left only work
for buses.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

[email protected] · April 18th 17, 03:53 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In article , (Roland Perry)
wrote:

In message , at
05:49:31 on Tue, 18 Apr 2017, remarked:
In Cambridge there are other issues, like admission to restricted city
centre areas. So probably not an issue in East Cambs.

The City cab trade never fails to point out there are more
out-of-area vehicles than City ones on the streets. I'm not sure
whether that's not merely an artefact of Panther (fleet ~500) being
based at a cheaper site near Waterbeach, just outside the City limits.

That's an artifice of Hire Car licensing law. They can benefit from
slacker regulation in South Cambs with the same operational rights in any
area.

Ah-ha! So Neils plan for countrywide harmonised regs would scupper
that - at the risk of watering down the rules inside the City. Unless
of course the rule is set to the highest anywhere for each aspect.

That's the least of it. Cambridge treats hire cars as public transport and
allows them in bus lanes and into restricted city centre areas. London
doesn't allow minicabs (as they call them) in bus lanes. I've no idea about
other restrictions in London or the rules elsewhere.

Panther has offices inside and outside the city.

Of course, despite being north of the City, that's in South Cambs!

East Cambs doesn't start until the A10 crosses the Great Ouse, north
[yes, I know!] of Chittering.

You're looking in the wrong direction.

I was looking north (to Panther's depot and beyond).

You can look in any direction. As long as an operator has a office in a
district it can have a licence from that district.

Going east from Cambridge you only have to get to between Stow-cum-Quy
and Lode to enter East Cambridgeshire.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

[email protected] · April 18th 17, 03:53 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In article , (Roland Perry)
wrote:

In message , at
05:49:31 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?

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.

go by the meter.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Roland Perry · April 18th 17, 04:02 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In message , at 09:53:14
on Tue, 18 Apr 2017, remarked:

Assuming that referred to raising bollards rather than being a
euphemism, those are done by registration number too, not car colour.

Nope. In Cambridge it's by transponder.

More "was" than "is" now. The only transponder-operated gates left only work
for buses.

The rest are ANPR?
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry · April 18th 17, 04:05 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In message , at 09:53:14
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.

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.

go by the meter.

--
Roland Perry

[email protected] · April 18th 17, 05:11 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In article , (Roland Perry)
wrote:

In message , at
09:53:14 on Tue, 18 Apr 2017, remarked:

Assuming that referred to raising bollards rather than being a
euphemism, those are done by registration number too, not car colour.

Nope. In Cambridge it's by transponder.

More "was" than "is" now. The only transponder-operated gates left only
work for buses.

The rest are ANPR?

ANPR is now the preferred method of enforcement. The bollards near
Brooklands Avenue are quite new so they seem to be keeping them for now.
It's why the signage was changed to make the gates into bus lanes, in case
you'd missed that.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

[email protected] · April 18th 17, 05:11 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In article , (Roland Perry)
wrote:

In message , at
09:53:14 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?

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.

go by the meter.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Roland Perry · April 18th 17, 08:36 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In message , at 11:11:17
on Tue, 18 Apr 2017, remarked:
Assuming that referred to raising bollards rather than being a
euphemism, those are done by registration number too, not car colour.

Nope. In Cambridge it's by transponder.

More "was" than "is" now. The only transponder-operated gates left only
work for buses.

The rest are ANPR?

ANPR is now the preferred method of enforcement.

And is deployed at any bollards in Cambridge?

The bollards near Brooklands Avenue are quite new so they seem to be
keeping them for now.

As buses/transponders only?

It's why the signage was changed to make the gates into bus lanes, in case
you'd missed that.

Which gates?
--
Roland Perry

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

[email protected] · April 18th 17, 10:07 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In article , (Roland Perry)
wrote:

In message , at
11:11:17 on Tue, 18 Apr 2017, remarked:
Assuming that referred to raising bollards rather than being a
euphemism, those are done by registration number too, not car
colour.

Nope. In Cambridge it's by transponder.

More "was" than "is" now. The only transponder-operated gates left
only work for buses.

The rest are ANPR?

ANPR is now the preferred method of enforcement.

And is deployed at any bollards in Cambridge?

The bollards have either gone completely or been disabled. The layouts have
changed, with many of the cycle bypass lanes removed. If you cycled in
Cambridge you would have noticed a year or more ago.

The bollards near Brooklands Avenue are quite new so they seem to be
keeping them for now.

As buses/transponders only?

Yes.

It's why the signage was changed to make the gates into bus lanes, in
case you'd missed that.

Which gates?

The bollards were located at bus gates. Do keep up.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

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