And another question about Taxis.

[Eater Sundae]

I always understood that black cabs had to be to a specific design, eg number of seats, possibly turning circle etc. As a result, there were just a few different designs. I presume these were hand built, and so much more expensive than mass produced cars.

 

However, we now see taxis based around the Peugeot Expert and similar. These will, I expect, be much cheaper to buy than the old London Taxi that we all recognise.

 

Also, with the growth in mobile phones in general, and smartphones in particular, the black cab has lost much of its advantage of being hailed on the street. You can easily call/text/email a private hire vehicle.

 

So, what is the advantage of running a black cab (and the costs involved) over running a car as a private hire vehicle? Why would anyone choose to buy a London type taxi over a Peugeot Expert, people carrier or car?

[El Cid]

So, what is the advantage of running a black cab (and the costs involved) over running a car as a private hire vehicle? Why would anyone choose to buy a London type taxi over a Peugeot Expert, people carrier or car?

 

Private hire drivers usually work for someone else; they have to pay for the privilege of working for that company, or a percentage; I am guessing a proper taxi just gets hailed.

[Bodie]

I saw a black cab recently with City Cars on the side. I would think that the driver of that could have the best of both worlds, pre booked or hailed.

[AmberLeaf]

I want to try ' Martini Taxis ', just because of the name. I'm also curious to know if they have a cocktail logo on the side.

[Eater Sundae]

I saw a black cab recently with City Cars on the side. I would think that the driver of that could have the best of both worlds, pre booked or hailed.

 

But an expensive vehicle, I expect, in comparison to private hire cars.

[SheffTF]

I always understood that black cabs had to be to a specific design, eg number of seats, possibly turning circle etc. As a result, there were just a few different designs. I presume these were hand built, and so much more expensive than mass produced cars....

 

The historical context of the rules and the design are significant to appreciating the reasons for the black cab's design. The rules governing the taxi trade were drawn up in 1847 for thevLondin market and as it was then, for the horse drawn carriages. The seating confguration and the turning circle are part of that established criteria. Instead of updating the law and make the changes, the taxi trade of thousands of individuals simply adapted to the rules already in place. The horse was replaced by the engine but main body of the law has remained unchanged to this day. The converted vans comply with the turning circle (only in London) and the seating arrangements with the specified head room and leg room etc. Till the vans came on the scene the black cab was the only tyoe that fitted the criteria.

 

However, we now see taxis based around the Peugeot Expert and similar. These will, I expect, be much cheaper to buy than the old London Taxi that we all recognise

in the rest of the country apart from London and some major cities, the hackney carriage licence rules were adopted but without the strict vehicle type conditions. Most places either have saloon cars or a mixed fleet of hackney carriage licensed vehicles. Sheffield allows converted van types without the turning circle condition so that we see many maufacturers being represented today. The seating and the wheelchair access conditions so far stops Sheffield from allowing any other than either van type or black cab type of vehicles.

 

 

Also, with the growth in mobile phones in general, and smartphones in particular, the black cab has lost much of its advantage of being hailed on the street. You can easily call/text/email a private hire vehicle.

 

So, what is the advantage of running a black cab (and the costs involved) over running a car as a private hire vehicle? Why would anyone choose to buy a London type taxi over a Peugeot Expert, people carrier or car?

The local council is tasked with regulating the taxi service for the public and that includes provision of ranking space for the taxis in strategic locations where they might be needed and accessed. For that to work efficiently they carry out a survey to assertain demand for taxis and issue licenses accordingly, thereby maintaining a limitation policy on the number of licenses issued as and when needed. This then has created a premium market that if anyone wishing to enter the black cab market they either have to wait years for the council to issue them a licence on the off chance or buy one off the existing number by paying extra premium to the current owner. Private hire has no such restrictions on the number but of course can only work strictly on bookings through a booking agent such as City Taxis or Excel or Uber etc. The licence issued by SCCafter testing is a dual licence allowing you to drive both, so choice people make to purchase one or the other is based on prefference as to which they think they can best make a living in. Hackney drivers don't need to use booking agents so can save cost there but then are restricted to working off ranks and pot luck on being flagged down during their aimless travels. Private hire has increased costs of average £100+ per week but usually can recoup that by a wider offering of their market. You choose....

Edited April 30, 2017 by SheffTF

[El Cid]

The licence issued by SCCafter testing is a dual licence allowing you to drive both, so choice people make to purchase one or the other is based on prefference as to which they think they can best make a living in. Hackney drivers don't need to use booking agents so can save cost there but then are restricted to working off ranks and pot luck on being flagged down during their aimless travels. Private hire has increased costs of average £100+ per week but usually can recoup that by a wider offering of their market. You choose....

 

I guess the customer pays that £100+ per week, if private hire were allowed to ply for trade, it could bring prices down.

[Puggie]

So it's not just Sheffield

 

[Anna B]

There are very few places outside London that still have the black hackney carriages, (London Taxi.) Sheffield is one of them.

 

They are very expensive, come with hugely expensive license plates, expensive testing and mechanical standards to maintain, and a huge list of regulations they have to conform to. How they are expected to compete with private hire and Uber I don't know.

 

I doubt they will survive.

[SheffTF]

There are very few places outside London that still have the black hackney carriages, (London Taxi.) Sheffield is one of them.

 

They are very expensive, come with hugely expensive license plates, expensive testing and mechanical standards to maintain, and a huge list of regulations they have to conform to. How they are expected to compete with private hire and Uber I don't know.

 

I doubt they will survive.

Uber is a private hire company and not a separate category, so it's not Private hire and Uber but just private hire and hackney carriage two tier system and both expected to conform to regulations of testing their vehicles and insurance and maintenance etc. PH also paying the private hire company such as Uber or City taxis, but they don't have to buy a particular type of vehicle. The black cab or the hackney carriage has a captive market still at stations and the Wheelchair access trade, so they have more organised competition but are a long way from finished

As for not many cities using black cabs, I disagree, most of the larger cities are using black cabs type vehicles with wheelchair access as a standard hackney carriage licensed taxi, Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham, Birmingham, Liverpool, Reading to name a few

 

---------- Post added 30-04-2017 at 14:51 ----------

 

So it's not just Sheffield

 

TBH it's the other way around in Sheffield, with Uber using out of town drivers who quite often haven't a clue where they're going

 

---------- Post added 30-04-2017 at 15:00 ----------

 

I guess the customer pays that £100+ per week, if private hire were allowed to ply for trade, it could bring prices down.

You would not get the half the service if the organised taxi bases are taken out of the equation and without any benefit of reducing prices as many are already earning less than minimum wage. Bulk of the costs are fixed licensing maintenance, Insurance and fuel etc plus the need for driver to earn a living so £100/Week taken away from the bases will have the opposite of the desired effect.

Edited April 30, 2017 by SheffTF