Paul Neades Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 Saturday night I had a taxi refuse a short trip for a girl who needed to go from Commercial Road to A&E as the trip was too short. This is not the first time we have seen short trips eg Commercail Road to Saxtys / MammaJammas refused by cabs on the rank as they are to short and people have had to go down the line looking for a cab to take them. Has anyone else seen this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin James Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 Surely as license holders they are duty bound to take customers Paul no? I appreciate they can refuse to take roudy or drunk customers but genuine customers needing a short trip, how can they refuse? This is a disgrace!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 How long was the rank? Obviously should not have happened but I can see why it happened ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Preece Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 I was told a trip was too short a few weeks ago from outside Saxty's I wanted to go to St Martins St, the driver told me there was a minimum charge and that it was too busy for such a short trip, so I ended up walking but I was really quite surprised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Preece Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 How long was the rank? Obviously should not have happened but I can see why it happened ... What has how long the queue got to do with it Roger? I assume that is what you are asking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K.Butt Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 If this happened to me I would take their badge and vehicle registration number and report them, so not they can pick and choose the best fares? Not only that but this will end with in fighting between the drivers of the various companies. Council need to start revoking licences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navarre96 Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 I have a friend who is a taxi driver. I know this happens and its wrong but there is a system in place to report them for this kind of bad customer service. Please keep in mind that to many complaints might mean there taxi licence might get refused and they might loose the livelihood. So if you report them make sure its justified. A&E refusal is so very out of line!! Report him Make the report here: Licensing Section, Herefordshire Council, Blueschool House, PO Box 233 Hereford HR1 2ZB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Neades Posted December 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 Tried to take his badge number but he was not wearing one, I insisted that he had to have his badge number on him and he told me to take the plate number on the car, after standing my ground he produced a badge from the side door pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin James Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 Tried to take his badge number but he was not wearing one, I insisted that he had to have his badge number on him and he told me to take the plate number on the car, after standing my ground he produced a badge from the side door pocket. I hope that you reported him Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 What has how long the queue got to do with it Roger? I assume that is what you are asking? It's gonna be barely over the minimum fare to do the distance quoted. If not the minimum. So not more than £3 ... Coming back to a viable rank after a short trip then entails a wait that the driver has worked out is not worth it ... It would boil down to the 'down time' entailed .... At the back of the queue ... I would be the first to condemn the situation as described by Paul but I think that's the way it is ... I don't use taxis in Hereford as I live within walking distance to town but I use taxis/private hire quite a lot in Liverpool due to my lifestyle and 50% of the time I have an issue ~ wrong tariff/wrong route etc ... I just take the vehicle taxi plate number off the bumper after a 'rip off' attempt and moan direct to The Mayor. Via Twitter ... Not the Official method but the whole World can read the moan ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dippyhippy Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 Refusing to take a fare without good reason is a disgrace. Refusing to take a lone female, at night, because the route is too short, is disgusting. I would hope that this is reported. Earlier in the week, over on HT, I was reading about an apparent increase in folks who leave cabs, and run off without paying. The taxi drivers have my sympathy...however, if this practise of refusing certain fares, is allowed to continue unchallenged, that sympathy will soon evaporate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 I have a friend who is a taxi driver. I know this happens and its wrong but there is a system in place to report them for this kind of bad customer service. Please keep in mind that to many complaints might mean there taxi licence might get refused and they might loose the livelihood. So if you report them make sure its justified. A&E refusal is so very out of line!! Report him Make the report here: Licensing Section, Herefordshire Council, Blueschool House, PO Box 233 Hereford HR1 2ZB Good advice if you follow the book ... I wouldn't as it's not Public enough ... Take the cab badge number off the bumper (sometimes driver badge is not easy to get) and Tweet the info to @HfdsCouncil and tag it #taxi #Hereford ... You probably won't get a reply but it will be out there ... ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin James Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 I used to drive Private Hire Cabs many years ago and if we ever had anyone who looked slightly suspicious we would always ask them to pay up front and give them a price for the trip. Taxi's who have rank status should realise that this is a privilege and not a right and this badge/license can easily be revoked. I understand what Roger is saying but that is the luck of the draw, some fares will be more profitable than others but they cant start picking and choosing like this, thats not fair on others cabbies and its not right either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Neades Posted December 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 Maybe the council should do this. http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/newcastle-city-council-crackdown-taxis-6213889 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Neades Posted December 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 Looks like other councils are clamping down on this. https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/news-story/fare-refusing-taxi-driver-prosecuted-city-council Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navarre96 Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 Good advice if you follow the book ... I wouldn't as it's not Public enough ... Take the cab badge number off the bumper (sometimes driver badge is not easy to get) and Tweet the info to @HfdsCouncil and tag it #taxi #Hereford ... You probably won't get a reply but it will be out there ... ;-) It is not in my nature to take a grievance public, that always feels like you are making things personaly! if I was the one complaining about this cabby it would be because he is not doing his job in a professional manner. I can take care of my self but maybe the next fare he refuses might not be able to and that is UNPROFESSIONAL!! and UNACCEPTABLE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 There are too many taxis in this City. Full stop. Exacerbated in slow periods when they clog up the usual places ... The problem was created years ago ... Time has long since passed when drivers' having a laugh should have the permit revoked ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ubique Posted December 16, 2014 Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 For what it's worth I went onto the Council website relating to Taxies , both Private Hire and Hackney . Speed read through 85 pages of Terms and Conditions for licensed drivers but couldn't see anything about refusing a Fare . Could have missed it . Smiled when I saw that there is a Dress Code and the Driver must not smoke in the vehicle at all . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin James Posted December 16, 2014 Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 I have just read this article, similar issues in Scunthorpe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 This needs nipping in the bud and examples should be made by revoking licenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Smith Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 This is disgusting and something and the council should look at this, taxis cannot pick and choose between fares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted December 23, 2014 Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 This is disgusting and something and the council should look at this, taxis cannot pick and choose between fares. This complaint has been put to The Council on Twitter and they have given an Official response: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ubique Posted December 23, 2014 Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 As I said in a post four / five previous , speed read the Council Licensing Conditions , nothing re cherry picking customers ! Not sure what the Police can do when a taxi driver refuses to take a passenger . Perhaps Roger can advise what action the Police would take after receiving a complaint of this nature ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted December 23, 2014 Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 As I said in a post four / five previous , speed read the Council Licensing Conditions , nothing re cherry picking customers ! Not sure what the Police can do when a taxi driver refuses to take a passenger . Perhaps Roger can advise what action the Police would take after receiving a complaint of this nature ? In my experience the cops self generate any taxi licence infringements by finding them themselves. The common ones are not displaying badges/not having first aid kit or fire extinguisher in the boot/smoking in the cab etc. The offence report then gets forwarded to the Council for consideration. If you've got a complaint about a fare being turned away I suppose the cab driver is not going to be there to speak to if a cop receives the report so I don't think it's unreasonable then to get the fare to complain direct to The Council. I suppose this all hinges on the exact wording of the up to date taxi rules'. Which I haven't read. I might just dig them out on the web as this seems to be a hot topic on the internet at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted December 23, 2014 Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 I've just read the Council 20 page taxi/private hire rules' here and can't see any mention about refusing short trips. I've also read the 'penalty point scheme' here where there is no offence listed for refusing a fare. There is one for 'Failure to proceed to another rank when at the time of arrival rank is full' (page 9 byelaw 7b) which obviously applies in Bewell Street outside Tesco where it gets crazy with drivers' ignoring that constantly. Not much Council enforcement going on there in my view ... Regarding enforcement here is their website extract: 'Powers of local authorities to enforce through existing bylaws, conditions, Penalty Points Scheme Appendix 1 and statutory instruments;' Link here Which appears to totally contradict their Twitter response which limits enforcement to The Police or by moaning at the taxi firms ... However it does not address the fact that there appears no visible local policy to outlaw the refusal of short fares ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Neades Posted December 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 Again this weekend a Young lady was looking to get from Commercial Road to Ledbury road and was refused by a Taxi who said the fare was too short as he had been sat on the rank for an hour and was not going to go a short trip. We have taken his licence number and car plate number. He will be reported this week. Surly all taxis have a duty to get the citezens of Hereford home? If they are not prepared to take short trips then they should not be allowed to work the ranks of Hereford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin James Posted December 31, 2014 Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 Again this weekend a Young lady was looking to get from Commercial Road to Ledbury road and was refused by a Taxi who said the fare was too short as he had been sat on the rank for an hour and was not going to go a short trip. We have taken his licence number and car plate number. He will be reported this week. Surly all taxis have a duty to get the citezens of Hereford home? If they are not prepared to take short trips then they should not be allowed to work the ranks of Hereford. I completely agree with you Paul, this so wrong. 'Name & Shame' It might be worth dropping a letter to the HT too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ubique Posted December 31, 2014 Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 It would be interesting to know if the Street Pasters are meeting the same negativity when they arrange a taxi home for one of their Clients ? Just another thought - perhaps the " customer " should jump in the taxi and then tell the driver where they want to go - if the driver refuses they should do a sit in , Police might be called but it will make good publicity . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ubique Posted December 31, 2014 Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 Update - I have now been on the Street Pastors FB site and asked the question re refusing short trips - it's gathering moment .....! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dippyhippy Posted December 31, 2014 Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 Well done Ubique! I agree with Colin's stance.....they should be named and shamed. How would they feel if their wife, daughter, or indeed anyone they knew, was refused a fare to take them safely home? Common decency should mean that these fares should not be refused. It also begs the question "When is a taxi, not a taxi?" Perhaps trading standards might have a take on this?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts