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Hello people, I am a newbie to the site and this is my first post.

I operate 5 taxis / hackney carriage vehicles licensed by the Vale of White horse District council in Oxfordshire. We have been using meters set at  a LOWER RATE than the councils maximum fare, everything was ok untill one of my cars went in for a 6 monthly test and failed on taximeter set at a LOWER RATE.

The council updated its licensing policy this summer and added a condition under taximeters stating that all tamimeters must be set at the councils tariff. I believe I am the only operator who has taximeters programmed at a lower rate - because we operate in an area bordering our neibouring council of Oxford city which has lower tariffs a lot of our customers call Oxford taxis and to compete with them we set our tariffs slightly lower than the councils maximum.

I have spoken to 2 people from the National Taxi Association who agreed that the council was wrong to force me to use a higher rate and sent to me a copy of the ruling from a court case in 1983 LIVERPOOL V CURZON, which ruled that the council cannot force a taxi operator to use higher tariffs.

 

I have to face the taxi licensing sub-committee on the 13th of November to argue my case for using a LOWER tariff, I would appreciate ANY feedback and advice in this matter.

 

Many thanks

 

 

 

 

 

Well, you could do what many of my colleagues do around this way and just ask for less than is on the meter or you could wise up and charge the proper fare!!!

If I was the only driver I would use a calculator and calculate a 10% discount at the end of each journey - BUT I have several drivers and there is NO way to be sure that my customers are getting the appropriate discount at the end of their journey. The ONLY  way this is guranteed is to have my meters programmed at a lower rate.

About your "wise up" comment ..... I have my fares set inline with my competition - which happens to be vehicles licensed by the neighbouring council (telephone bookings - well some illegally pick up from the street but thats another issue) as some of our district area is within the Oxford ringroad we have the same telephone codes and members of the publice dont know .....they just want a taxi and call whoever - but once I scare them off with the council tariff start off at £3.10 and £2.00 per mile ontop !!! I think they will never bother calling me again, so the "wise" thing was to start off at £1.70 and charge £1.70 per mile.

Lower fares are in the best interest of the public so why the objection by the council?

Indeed lower fares are in the interest of the public but I am not a charity and I operate my business in my best interests.

 

I can see you have a tricky situation there faz but my philosophy is to compete on service, not on price!!!

www.oxfordcarriage.co.uk

 

Nice web site BTW faz 

As you know Oxford is a student town full of students who are on a restricted budget and will priortise price over other things, we use top of the range Merc Eclass and Volvo S80 cars, have presentable courtious drivers who can speak ENGLISH........more than can be said for 60% of Oxford drivers....

Good to know you like the website, I made it myself and tweaked it up to show on the first page of google for Oxford taxis .....it was EASY

Hi Faz

 

click on the links to 2 posts on here and im sure you can get all the help you need if you speak to Keith

 

im sure he was involved in the Gladen case, if i'm wrong im sure he'll tell me lol

 

just say Tony of Taxi-Today mag put his contact details on the forum

 

Or you could use the current council rates, and if all operators used the current council rates there would be no price war going on, and drivers charging "washers" to transport passengers.
Don't think people will stop using taxis if you use the correct rates.....
OK at first they might notice, but after a little while they will become used to the rate and simply pay the correct amount.

Also remember ( You must put your meter on as a passenger gets into your car if you are a HC )
I for one pay top bucks for Insurance, Fuel, License fees etc...etc....etc...
I need to use my meter to manage !

Steve

Like faz I two am quite near to a bordering licensing area with lower fares.

 

Here in Breckland the tariff is: £3.00 for the first mile and £1.80 a mile thereafter.

 

The neighbouring area (Kings Lynn & West Norfolk) are: £2.70 for the first mile and £1.32 thereafter.

 

When I go to pick up people from over the boarder I want the rate that is on my meter.

 

When people phone from over the boarder they usually ask the price and if they don’t I tell them what the price is likely to be according to our rates, if they don’t want to pay my rates I do not want them as a customer.

if only we could all pick and chose our customers though !

I really do not think it is a matter of picking and choosing customers.
It is a fact that if ALL HC charged the correct rate given to us by our councils the public would still travel by taxi as a means of transport but they would expect to pay the meter rate.
I can not see why on earth PH offices want to run round for nothing. doing half price jobs to keep there phones ringing. I think PH offices should also use meters and be made to charge the same tariffs that the HC drivers do.
But thats just my opinion......
Steve

Taxis your right of course, FAZ your tactics are what destroys the industry, do you offer 96p for diesel whan they advertise 99.9 really! and they tell you to have sex and travel. I believe that drivers charging less than whats on the meter should have their licence removed for life and of course proprietors that allow it likewise!!!!!!!!!!!



NEVER GIVE A MUG AN EVEN BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Tony

I have looked at this and see nothing in the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 nor the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 that should stop a driver from charging less than the fares prescribed by the Council.

The case of Liverpool City Council -v-Curzon - 12th November 1993 does support this view. Lord McCullough in giving Judgment said amongst other things, "It is my view that the Statutes prevent a driver from charging more than the fares prescribed, but not less, they do not empower a district council to prevent him from charging less".

If the meters are accurate for the rate of fares that this company intend to charge (provided they do not exceed the council's prescribed fares) then the vehicles should not have failed the test.

As is usual, my view is based on the information provided by your subscriber and is a general view based on that information. It is not intended to be, nor should be taken to be case specific legal advice.

Hope that helps

Regards

Keith

Thank you very much Keith,
I got a call from the licensing officer this morning who informed of the licensing committees decision to cancel the proposed hearing as they have looked into the situation and found that the councils demand for having meters set at the higher rate cannot be supported in law and I am allowed to use a lower tariff and have all my meters programmed for a lower tariff.
So thats the end of that.

I have the right to charge LESS if I want to.

Thankyou all for your contributions useful or otherwise.

Not for long sunshine the GMBPDB will do all it can to stop such as you destroying the industry, that law needs changing and were on to it. Why not answer the question do you OFFER 99p for Diesel priced at 104p, i long for the day when your licence is REMOVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! disgusting behaviour!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


JOIN THE GMB CLEAN OUT THE RABBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did not want to waste my time answering a pathetic question, but since you insist....

Do you drive around looking for a petrol station thats selling fuel at 104p? do you really drive past all the ones selling fuel at 99p untill you find one selling at 104p???? I dont think so

So its OK for you to benefit by buying cheaper fuel but you have a problem with my lower tariffs????? grow up and get a life

I dont own a petrol station but if I did I WOULD SELL AT 99P per litre - I would make sure I am providing other services such as car repairs/servicing, tyre sales, MOTs or anything to do with vehicles so as I have other income to support my 99p per litre campaign.

I provide a courier service, minibus hire, removal service alongside my taxi service - I make enough money from other lines of work to support my lower fares and pride myself in providing my local community with a great taxi service at lower fares and will continue to do so because I DO HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHARGE LESS IF I WANT TO.

well said faz, i fully agree with you.


and from Keiths post above which im pasting below.


are you saying then Terry that lord McCullough was wrong and that the statutes he mentioned are wrong and that your correct.


do you or have ever gone to a london market and haggled on price.... bet you have.

we all know what we need to earn to make a living and faz obviously isnt stupid. he's probably got a better business acrumen than both of us together. so dont mock a man who is hard working and gets off his arse when theres others out there that just take and screw the system
well done faz what do the rest of ya think about it ?




I have looked at this and see nothing in the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 nor the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 that should stop a driver from charging less than the fares prescribed by the Council.

The case of Liverpool City Council -v-Curzon - 12th November 1993 does support this view. Lord McCullough in giving Judgment said amongst other things, "It is my view that the Statutes prevent a driver from charging more than the fares prescribed, but not less, they do not empower a district council to prevent him from charging less".

Fu-k McCullogh what i said was this practice is destructive, what Faz has done is avoid the issue, so when he finds a garage selling diesel at 99p does he offer 97p??? Pious nonsense, how much do your drivers earn thats the question they are your most important customers! We will campaign to change the law making this poncing policy ILLEGAL with 132 MPs we might have some influence????????

The pile it high sell it cheap communities are a destructive parasitical growth on our industrys we wiil return them to their rightfull enviroment the CESS PIT!!!!!!!!!!!

ORGANISE EDUCATE AGITATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is very easy to give something away cheaply and call it competition. Luckily your mileage rate could be a lot worse but your flag-fall is appalling. The council to which you pay your dues has set a rate that allows the public to receive a decent service and your drivers to earn a living without working ridiculously long hours. You should support your drivers and council in following the local policy. Once you have given something away it is VERY difficult to get it back. Around Crawley YEARS ago , one PH company went for a flat rate day and night, nearly every other company followed suit to avoid loss of business and now the only winners are the public who go out and spent £3 on a bottle of Becks but object to paying ANY extra to get home at 2.00AM. Please for everyones sake don't go too far down this road. In the long run you and your drivers will lose.
( How much income do you think has been lost to the cab industry in Crawley in the last 10 years of flat rates? Frankly a massive but almost incalculable amount )

well thought out post above