Hackney cabs

[Annasfield]

Are Hackney taxi drivers allowed to ask you for a deposit before commencing a journey?

I had a bit of an issue on Sunday night trying to get home from Victoria. I hailed a cab, jumped in and asked the driver to take me to Peckham Rye. He was very rude and demanded a deposit. I had the cash on me, but refused to give it to him as I've been ripped off by hackney cabs before, as some of them chose to take the long way round. I felt that if he had my money in advance then I had no come back. Because I refused, he told me to get out.

Anyone know if he was within his rights to do this?

[Keef]

I've certainly never heard of that.

[zeban]

Are Hackney cabs a company? If so what were they doing in Victoria? Did they tell you how much it was going to be before they asked for a deposit?

[pk]

zeban Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Are Hackney cabs a company? If so what were they

> doing in Victoria? Did they tell you how much it

> was going to be before they asked for a deposit?

hackney cab = black cab

[kpc]

I've not come across this myself (or heard of it before). TfL now have responsibilty for taxi licensing and setting tariffs, so presume they may be able to answer.

[zeban]

ohhhhhhhhhhhh pk thank you for clearing that up! I feel a bit embarassed now! :-$

[Pearson]

Annasfield Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Are Hackney taxi drivers allowed to ask you for a

> deposit before commencing a journey?

>

> I had a bit of an issue on Sunday night trying to

> get home from Victoria. I hailed a cab, jumped in

> and asked the driver to take me to Peckham Rye. He

> was very rude and demanded a deposit. I had the

> cash on me, but refused to give it to him as I've

> been ripped off by hackney cabs before, as some of

> them chose to take the long way round. I felt that

> if he had my money in advance then I had no come

> back. Because I refused, he told me to get out.

>

> Anyone know if he was within his rights to do

> this?

_________________________________________________

simple answer: NO

Furthermore, once you are in a cab they are obliged to take you home whether you have the cash or not!

(my mum god bless her, was a multiple black cab owner...which is why i know this)

A little tip for those who find cabbies refusing to take them south of the river:

You know when they wind the window down to ask where you're going?

Ignore, and just get straight in the cab! When you're in, as mentioned above.

They have to take you to where ever you wish to go if they had their light on.

Whatever excuse they may come up with! stand your ground.

[Mick Mac]

Many years ago I had a friend who lived in peckham and he said he could never get any cab to go there, black cab or mini cab. So the cabbie may be old school or have bad experiences of dripping off in peckham for example passengers claiming to have no money at their destination.

Maybe you should have asked to go to bellenden road and then he would have known you were peckham posh.

[Annasfield]

Well, I did stand my ground and refused to get out until he gave me his licence number. We argued for about 5 minutes and then he screeched off to the police station with me in the back. When we got there, there was no one on the desk.

I was really angry at the time as it was about 12.30am and I just wanted to get home and not be walking around the streets of Victoria trying to get a taxi.

I'm unsure whether to report him or not. Had he have been polite in his request I might have been more obliging but I get the impression he just didn't want the fare.

[Narnia]

Reasons for not wanting to go to a particular destination can include the driver wishing to head in the direction of his home and not in the opposite direction, and/or the degree of difficulty he may have in getting a 'return' fare from where ever you have taken him.

As said above I'm sure the black cabs are obliged to take you if they have their light on in the front and so long as the destination is within x number of miles from the centre of London. if they refuse to you can always take their cab number and report them.

[Jah Lush]

That's outrageous. Report the bastard.

[Keef]

What Jah said!

[Mick Mac]

I imagine reporting him will be your word against his. Your will need to write a good letter and also commit to following it up otherwise its not worth doing.

[Annasfield]

I've reported a driver for refusing to take me home before. There were 4 of us, we were in the City wanting to get to East Dulwich at about 10pm. The response I got was that they could do nothing, but it would be marked on his records. IF they get 5 complaints logged against them then they get investigated/warned.

I don't like being a grass and if he's well within his rights to ask me for a deposit then fair enough. I just thought he was very unreasonable.

[zeban]

What a horrible experience. He sounds like a bully. I'd definitely report him.

[Emerson Crane]

Annasfield Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I've reported a driver for refusing to take me

> home before. There were 4 of us, we were in the

> City wanting to get to East Dulwich at about 10pm.

> The response I got was that they could do nothing,

> but it would be marked on his records. IF they get

> 5 complaints logged against them then they get

> investigated/warned.

Anna, black cabs come under the authority of the Met Police, report the tool. http://www.londonblackcab.com/ourtaxis.htm. Hopefully the link will help.

>

> I don't like being a grass and if he's well within

> his rights to ask me for a deposit then fair

> enough. I just thought he was very unreasonable.

[DJKillaQueen]

It says on that site that if the fare is moer than six miles they can refuse it but not if they take the fare from a taxi rank. I think (but may be wrong) that Peckham Rye is eight miles so if you flagged him down then he can refuse the fare but if he was at a taxi rank then not.

[SeanMacGabhann]

8 miles? more like 5 tops I'd say

[Loz]

4.9 miles according to Google Maps

[Scribe]

Current legislation entitles the driver of a Hackney carriage to demand a deposit before accepting a fare. But they're private, self-employed contractors, so I thought that would've been obvious?

Hackney carriage licensing conditions.

[kpc]

Given the further details, quite shocking, especially if you consider campaigns to ensure people use either a black cab or licensed minicab.

Public Carriage Office transferred from the Met to TfL a couple of years back. This is available from their website - don't know if it helps at all.

Taxi Driver Abstract of Laws

[DJKillaQueen]

It actually says scribe, that a driver can ask for a deposit if he is asked to wait at a destination. It says nothing about asking for deposits up front. So it seems that the journey was less than six miles, and couldn't be refused and that no deposit could be asked for in this instance.

©

If a driver carries a hirer to a certain place and the hirer asks the driver to wait, the driver may

ask for his fare for driving there and ask also for a deposit against the waiting time. After

accepting such a deposit, the driver shall not drive away without the consent of the hirer.

(Section 57 Town Police Clauses Act 1847).

[ruffers]

Life's too short. I always ask if they're happy to go to East Dulwich, if they're not the next one almost always is. I know the rules but I'd rather have a happy journey than a row.

[louisiana]

Isn't the idea of "Hackney cabs" terribly North-ist?

[ruffers]

How so?