Strike

[Rat Catcher]

I'm sure many of our colleagues / competitors will reluctantly accept and appreciate your somewhat regrettable decision not to get involved.

[John m]

Pass this on to your man in Costa... In conjunction with Taxi Regulation Act 2003 (as amended) it'll help him understand (and maybe explain to you) that the maximum fare permitted by law as calculated by the taximeter is not the maximum fare permitted by law.



Source: Uber Driver app.

Yeh and your point ? We can operate a waiver offer a fixed fare to OUR customer .This is just a digital form .Note the fare will be LESS than the Maximum .So all legal .Note the tech charge is not part of the fare but an additional charge for use of THEIR technology .Like I said about two hours and four goals ago at Lansdown road

[Rat Catcher]

My point was that your legal advisor (deliberately?) misled you in suggesting that there is currently a "sealing" on the amount we may legally chare our clients.

[John m]

My point was that your legal advisor (deliberately?) misled you in suggesting that there is currently a "sealing" on the amount we may legally chare our clients.

There is a Limit Licenced taxi drivers may charge .PUC ,Extras ,Metered fares .But A service Provider App or Dispatcher is not limited to what they charge for their services .We can of course recive gratuities but we do not enter them as part of the fare although it could be argued they are ?

[Rat Catcher]

There isn't any limit on what taxi drivers may charge. The maximum fare permitted by law as calculated by the taxi meter is not the maximum fare permitted by law. That's what you and you legal advisor don't seem to understand.

[Rat Catcher]

I have to agree with John anyone could get making up these posters on a smartphone without even going near a printer.

True. The proof of any pudding is in the eating. The men who have produced this flyer are voicing the concerns drivers have with how their trade is being regulated. My own main concern is that current regulation facilitates market manipulation which is anti-competitive. Of the other concerns expressed I don't disagree with any but I do appreciate that not all drivers will necessarily support all, in particular those with competitive advantage gained through plate ownership and/or operating heavily subsidised vehicles may not agree with promoting a level playing field. In any event, they have invited their colleagues/competitors to join them in protest action so I guess their credibility is dependent to some extent on the numbers that show up. That said, I think they are a new group (we have so many unions I've honestly lost track at this stage) so they may not necessarily expect a huge turnout for their first outing... it could be as much about spreading the word and attracting support from like minded colleagues/competitors at this stage.

[Rat Catcher]

.. and I will reiterate, the last strike gave birth to the Tap A Taxi Cooperative Society which is a remarkable success story. Ok, it cost us a few million in cuts to EV subsidies and might cost us a couple of grand each for a new smart meter but that's, arguably, a small price to pay. Anyway I got my EV grant so I don't give a flying fuck how much they cut it now!

[Octavia1]

.. and I will reiterate, the last strike gave birth to the Tap A Taxi Cooperative Society which is a remarkable success story. Ok, it cost us a few million in cuts to EV subsidies and might cost us a couple of grand each for a new smart meter but that's, arguably, a small price to pay. Anyway I got my EV grant so I don't give a flying fuck how much they cut it now!

Can ya rite that proper ?  Yur inglish is bleedin Apaulin  ....an yu an inglander 

[watty]

That Uber fare waiver is interesting.  Saying the fare bit of final cost will be less than the NTA max fare is playing with words when they immediately add on a tech fee.  What's to stop them adding on extras for the 'office pizza fund' or the 'bosses holiday fund' etc.  Taking it to the extremes, they could say the 'fare' is one cent but then add on whatever they wanted so they could charge what they like.

We used to be able to charge extra for putting luggage in the boot but it was all simplified to make it easy for the passenger to understand.  The apps are taking us back to those 'complicated' days where they passenger has no idea what the fare is and how to choose between competitors.

I would lean towards what RC is saying.  If you drive your mate to the pub for a tenner, you're giving discounts.  The question is where does the industry draw the line.  The danger is if the fare go too cheap, so will the taxi drivers with their vehicles.  Change the breakpads?  Maybe next week.  Spend €100 on cleaning a soiled taxi?  A dash of €5 fabreze instead?  Buy a shiteheap instead of a new EV.  And so on...  The passengers loses out ultimately but Uber still makes it's quarterly profits for it's American shareholders.

[John m]

Watty the taxi fare is regulated they do not charge above the metered fare .They add on booking fees .That has nothing to do with the TAXI PART .Two different things .One is a Private treaty between the passenger and UBER or Free Now .THEN they sell off the taxi part of that treaty  to taxi drivers .The legal grey area is Booking Apps are private entities covered by commercial law .The Dispatch only occurs when the Commercial booking App divests the taxi task to Drivers .They then are legally required to make sure the fare does not exceed the Maximum Metered Fare and the Driver is Licenced and the Vehicle is licenced .Everything they are doing is within the law if not the Spirit of what we perceive we are entitled to ..

99.9999999999999% of drivers did not know this I did. I warned you all on Roys I was told I was a Fuckwit .I told lads they were running logarithms by not pre registering for a bonus to prove how it worked I was slagged by idiots who missed the point .I was exposing a plot not being to stupit to understand registering . The industry sold its sole for stickers Gold ,Silver and Bronze stars .Fuck You Ambassador privilege's .The passengers got weaned off street hails and into the Apps and Drivers done the damage to themselves .These Apps have the best legal minds can interpret things the way they want to see them not the way we want to see them .History is littered with industries that destroyed themselves through huberous .

[John m]

Just for clarity .When you cover a Free Now or Uber taxi job .They are your client not the person in the car they are the cargo .The product to be delivered .Bet you didnt know that .in fact it was Drivers who agreed to pay 2 euro to hotels and pubs out of their earnings for work .And you wonder where the apps got the Idea Drivers dont want full fares .No Pick up Charges applied then pay hospitality fees  ..Fuck sake Im laughing that much a bit of piss just came out .

[markmiwurdz]

But the stars and medals look so cool on the app.....

[John m]

12000 + licence holders and some unknown who dosent put his name or anything on a poster wants us to stop working .

[Rat Catcher]

Fuckwit is a tad harsh, erm... the men can be very cruel. Poorly advised might be a better way of putting it. Any driver or any firm can charge any amount provided the rider waives his right to have the fare calculated by the taximeter. As suggested, pass the documents referenced on to your legal man.

Obviously apps have brought a lot to the table. As far as stimulating demand goes they have put taxis in riders' pockets and use clever little tricks to predict when they can entice them to use a taxi including capitalizing on the addictive nature of screen based systems. They have also opened up a whole new world of work to drivers. Before we had apps we were tied to one depot with geographical limitations and the men who didn't subscribe to a depot were tied to the county or counties in respect of which they are licensed. Now there are no borders resulting in vastly improved productivity. Of course that costs money, the question must be how much is a fair price to pay. Obviously, improved productivity is beneficial to the environment in reducing dead mileage which is good for the ozone layer and helps reduce traffic congestion, both of which ought to appeal to (local) government and the population in general.

Did you ever get that bonus from MyTaxi/Free Now?

[watty]

Any driver or any firm can charge any amount provided the rider waives his right to have the fare calculated by the taximeter.

Is that true?  I'm thinking about those sunbed shops where the bad guys allegedly launder their money.  Could a 'bad guy' get into his mate's taxi, waive the meter, and be charged €1,000 3 times a week with written receipts and launder his money that way?  Maybe that's what the notebook and pen in the safety kit is for?  Afterall, the courts more or less allow taxi drivers to be drug couriers nowadays.