Dodgy Taxi Drivers

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I'd be far happier to pay a fare based purely on distance, even if it that fare was higher than present. Not going to come a day anytime soon when I don't resent the meter clicking up while the cab is going nowhere at Preston Circus lights or the town bit of the Lewes Road. That's ALWAYS going to feel like you're being robbed, even if the cabbie is completely blameless.

 

[Garage_Doors]

I had always been of the opinion that cost was related to distance,

I had always assumed the cost was related to time rather than distance ?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I stopped using cabs,unless emergency, several years ago, it was normal to go from Brighton Railway station to Westdene via 7 dials and Dyke Road,then drivers took a route down Trafalger St on to New England road which is very busy so traffic is down to a crawl. I mentioned this to a regular taxi user who informed me that cabbies used this route knowing they would be delayed and therefore the fare and tip would be higher I had always been of the opinion that cost was related to distance,however on my next trip I noted the meter going up as we stood at the lights,so my cab trips are rare now.

Cab drivers do rip you off. If I had more money I'd use the bus.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I had always assumed the cost was related to time rather than distance ?

Combination of both shirley?

 

[public school boy]

If one is going to take long journey, always agree a price before starting off

 

[mune ni kamome]

The meter is a combination of both but it's much slower when you are stationary as opposed to covering distance. The whole idea of sealed meters is to make it fair to all and be difficult to be ripped off. If you have a problem with the fare, query it. If still unhappy or its more than usual for no apparent reason I would pay roughly the usual fare and say lets see what the taxi officer has to say about it. If they get aggressive I would pay a token amount and contact the council with the badge number. Of course if you're in a strange town it's a bit more difficult.
Here's a tip. When you get in ask the driver to contact his control for a quote to wherever. If he works for a large taxi firm he is supposed to contact his office and they will give the price over the radio and he must stick to the price whatever the road conditions. At least that was the case when I worked for Streamline.

 

[spongy]

I know not all taxi drivers are cheats, but the minority ruin it for the majority,

The majority of the time I use taxis is after a night out in town, I avoid west st and mostly stick to the lanes so use the castle sq rank.

To me the best route to woodingdean is Edward st, cut over near the top to queens park road then elm grove and up, the last one I had went Madeira drive, cut up to st James st, over again to Edward st and another cut across to queens park road, then cut up pankhurst avenue, top of freshfield rd then racehill, the bloke was a piss taker. Then he had to be told where the top of balsdean road is (where I live), at the lights at the downs hotel he went left up Falmer rd and right along bexhill hill rd. This was just after midnight on a Saturday night. Fare was £18.40. We had an argument and I paid £12 after telling him to drive me to the police station, I took his number and reported it, never heard anything from the council. When he asked where my road was and I said straight on over the lights how did he know to take the very long way round to the top?

It's experiences like this that are becoming more regular.

I drink regularly with a couple of drivers, one a hackney, one a private hire and they both have a dislike of the foreign driver boom. The private hire only drives on days between roughly 7.30 and 17.30 and doesn't have a second driver for nights, and the hackney driver drives days and a sunday with no need to work nights.

Of course a lot of drivers are honest and if they know where they're going properly I will give a decent tip.

If a driver does slow down over the racehill then I won't tip, if he asks me where my road is I won't tip. I like a professional service, whether it be getting me to my destination quickly or even asking if I have a preferred route.

I have an Asian friend who came to see me for a weekend in the summer and he got a cab back from town one night, the taxi driver (foreign) started talking to him how he hates driving a taxi because everyone is drunk, the girls are all fat and ugly, and how the English are all rude.

That is the view of one driver, make of that what you will but it is tempting to only get in an English taxi if there is that kind of sentiment from foreign drivers.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

Who are?

Do you have evidence? Or just a prejudice?

no prejudice, just pointing out that there may be something " not quite right "going on within the taxi buisness in general ,DIDN'T THE POLICE WARN ABOUT THE INCREASE IN UNLICENCED DRIVERS OPERATING IN BRIGHTON a while back

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

I know not all taxi drivers are cheats, but the minority ruin it for the majority,

The majority of the time I use taxis is after a night out in town, I avoid west st and mostly stick to the lanes so use the castle sq rank.

To me the best route to woodingdean is Edward st, cut over near the top to queens park road then elm grove and up, the last one I had went Madeira drive, cut up to st James st, over again to Edward st and another cut across to queens park road, then cut up pankhurst avenue, top of freshfield rd then racehill, the bloke was a piss taker. Then he had to be told where the top of balsdean road is (where I live), at the lights at the downs hotel he went left up Falmer rd and right along bexhill hill rd. This was just after midnight on a Saturday night. Fare was £18.40. We had an argument and I paid £12 after telling him to drive me to the police station, I took his number and reported it, never heard anything from the council. When he asked where my road was and I said straight on over the lights how did he know to take the very long way round to the top?

It's experiences like this that are becoming more regular.

I drink regularly with a couple of drivers, one a hackney, one a private hire and they both have a dislike of the foreign driver boom. The private hire only drives on days between roughly 7.30 and 17.30 and doesn't have a second driver for nights, and the hackney driver drives days and a sunday with no need to work nights.

Of course a lot of drivers are honest and if they know where they're going properly I will give a decent tip.

If a driver does slow down over the racehill then I won't tip, if he asks me where my road is I won't tip. I like a professional service, whether it be getting me to my destination quickly or even asking if I have a preferred route.

I have an Asian friend who came to see me for a weekend in the summer and he got a cab back from town one night, the taxi driver (foreign) started talking to him how he hates driving a taxi because everyone is drunk, the girls are all fat and ugly, and how the English are all rude.

That is the view of one driver, make of that what you will but it is tempting to only get in an English taxi if there is that kind of sentiment from foreign drivers.

really ?

 

[Art Vs Science]

Here's a tip. When you get in ask the driver to contact his control for a quote to wherever. If he works for a large taxi firm he is supposed to contact his office and they will give the price over the radio and he must stick to the price whatever the road conditions. At least that was the case when I worked for Streamline.

That must be a company policy thing then because i have never heard of that. A metered fare is exactly that. If a customer called a taxi office for a quote for a local journey it would be quoted as approximate. An out of town journey is more likely to be a set fare but that would also depend on circumstance

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

, the taxi driver (foreign) started talking to him how he hates driving a taxi because everyone is drunk, the girls are all fat and ugly, and how the English are all rude.

And there was me thinking all cabbies spoke rubbish

 

[Lord Bracknell]

no prejudice, just pointing out that there may be something " not quite right "going on within the taxi buisness in general ,DIDN'T THE POLICE WARN ABOUT THE INCREASE IN UNLICENCED DRIVERS OPERATING IN BRIGHTON a while back

There is an issue about private hire vehicle drivers and vehicles operating (legally) in Brighton and Hove, despite the fact that they and their cabs are licensed outside the city (by Adur or Lewes District Councils, for example), without any requirement to comply with the standards set by the City Council. This issue was the subject of a report by the House of Commons Transport Select Committee that was published earlier this year and recommends a change in the law that currently allows this state of affairs to continue.

 

[Magicman]

According to Google Maps, the SHORTEST way from West Street to Woodingdean is via North Street, Edward Street and Queens Park Road (3.7 miles, 12 mins), but the QUICKEST way is via Marine Parade, Bedford Street and Freshfield Road (3.9 miles, 11 mins). The route via North Street, Marlborough Place, Lewes Road and Elm Grove is 3.8 miles, 12 mins.

When a customer gets in my car i have approx 5 seconds to work the route out in my head , occasionally i get it wrong but always put the onus on the customer by giving them the option of 2 or 3 routes .

With respect to google maps and the "shortest" routes , it does not allow for "live" road conditions . What may appear to be the shortest route on paper (mileage) may not be the cheapest route for the customer when taking into account the road conditions (roadworks etc) that have been experienced earlier in the working day/week.
With the recent roadworks in and around Preston Circus the waiting time incurred whilst in traffic has been both costly for my customer and embarrassing for me .
I know from experience what a job will roughly cost and as a matter of principle would stop the meter when stuck in heavy traffic , 9 times out of 10 the customer appreciates this and my tips relate accordingly .

Just recently we have had strict instructions to no longer use Sydney St as a cut through between 10.00 am and 17.00 (Mon - Fri) as we will be issued with £30.00 tickets if caught. Two of my colleagues have ignored this and both had tickets from plod .
We and the public have forever and a day used this route , but have been breaking the law , the signs have always been there but never been adhered to . I hope that just by reading this a few members of NSC will be saved £30.00.