Will ED business/residents continue to use Addison Lane?

[StraferJack]

Whatever about dulwich, other businesses, including The government, are cancelling contracts

Bit of a major blunder by the owner all told

[Loz]

The government is cancelling a single contract... "In regard to Addison Lee, the only existing government contract with the company will expire at the end of this month and is not being renewed." No company likes to lose a contract, but I can't see this affecting AL too much.

On the other hand, how much have AL raised their profile? Good publicity and bad publicity is all publicity. Plus, although AL lost the injunction hearing, the judicial review he wanted has been brought forward to before the Olympics, which is pretty much what he wanted in the first place.

Job done, really.

[snowy]

Apart from the fact that JG has been filmed in one of his cabs instructing the driver to break the law and use the bus lane.

AL have had negative press in at least 4 broadsheet papers and their apps are being slated on iTunes etc.

I don't think it's particularly good publicity if you're the chair of a taxi firm who still thinks that 'road tax' exists. It doesn't give a good impression of his understanding of his outgoings does it?

Nor that his drivers aren't responsible for the safety of other road users. Nor that he's allowed to take responsibility and cover liability for his drivers breaking the law, which was the crux of the High Court decision.

Do you really want an additional 60,000 mini cabs in the bus lanes?

[Loz]

snowy Wrote:

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> Do you really want an additional 60,000 mini cabs in the bus lanes?

I just want a level playing field in business. If, as a result of this, black cabs are excluded from bus lanes that would also be acceptable.

[snowy]

But you recognise that black cabs are regulated and seen by TFL / State as a formal part of the public transport system?

[Loz]

What?? "A formal part of the public transport system". No, they ferry around individual people and small groups of people, not the general public as a whole, from a given start point to a given destination. They are no more part of the 'public transport system' than minicabs are.

You do realise both minicab drivers and operators in London are also licenced and regulated by TFL? Does that make you believe they are part of the public transport system (as least as much as black cabs are, anyway).

Anyway , I'll believe black cabs are part of the public transport system the day that they honour my TFL-issued 2-zone weekly travelcard.

[Huguenot]

As an aside, I'd be very happy to see 60,000 more minicabs on the road if it meant 240,000 less privately owned vehicles.

I'd also like to see reasonable competition, of which there's none in the black cab cartel.

I'd also like to see a bit of innovation and creativity in the private hire market that has been completely trousered by Essex based black cabbies who refuse to go sarf of the rivva after 4pm.

[indiepanda]

Huguenot Wrote:

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> I'd also like to see a bit of innovation and

> creativity in the private hire market that has

> been completely trousered by Essex based black

> cabbies who refuse to go sarf of the rivva after

> 4pm.

That's so old. Over the last few years I've got black cabs back to East Dulwich all times of the evening and night and I've never had anyone refuse to go south of the river. And being quite chatty, I can tell you a lot of them are from Essex.

By and large I'd rather use a black cab than a mini cab - at least they usually seem to know where they are going. Most mini cabs are too reliant on their sat nav these days. All for a bit of healthy competition but the black cab guys do have to put a lot of effort into their training and often it shows.

[LondonMix]

Minicabs in the bus lane would defeat the point of a bus lane (which is to speed up public transport). It definitely can't be for all. Black cabs are highly regulated and have much higher standards than mini cabs and are part of the official transport system. All the additional rules and regulations must come with some benefits otherwise what would be the point of having black cabs at all-- the entire system could just be unregulated minicabs.

[Huguenot]

I see what you're saying indiepanda - only black cabs can turn on a sixpence, carry five passengers and are set up for wheelchair access. Additionally they are more likely to know where they're going without referring to satnav.

However, this should be a matter of consumer choice.

The majority of journeys in London do not require u-turns, five passengers, wheelchair access and supernatural biological mapping facilities, so why should the consumer be forced to pay the second highest taxi fares in the world to a cartel of Essex tribes whose employment criteria are not merit, but being in the family?

Issues regarding regulation of drivers could be just as easily addressed by minicabs as it can with taxis.

Those who assert that bus lanes are to make buses go faster are both right and wrong - they're actually about compensating for drawbacks in public transport to incentivise use.

The increased flexibility and reduction in prices delivered by minicab would provide an added incentive of equal merit, and shouldn't be rejected out of hand.

[snowy]

Huguenot Wrote:

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> The majority of journeys in London do not require

> u-turns, five passengers, wheelchair access

Forgive me for being a bit glib, but surely if you're a wheel chair user, every journey requires wheel chair access.

And are you suggesting that you can't pass the knowledge without being from an Essex cartel?

[Loz]

LondonMix Wrote:

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> Minicabs in the bus lane would defeat the point of a bus lane (which is to speed up public

> transport). It definitely can't be for all. Black cabs are highly regulated and have much higher

> standards than mini cabs and are part of the official transport system. All the additional

> rules and regulations must come with some benefits otherwise what would be the point of having black

> cabs at all-- the entire system could just be unregulated minicabs.

As I noted above, minicabs are licensed and regulated by TFL and so, by your argument, are part of the official transport system also.

You raise an important question. What is the point of black cabs? Why are they so heavily protected? Minicabs are cheaper, more plentiful and - most importantly - take you where you want to go. If black cabs offer such a great service, why are they so damn scared of competition?

But this thread has somewhat changed my view. I used to think minicabs should be given access to bus lanes. I now realise that both minicabs AND black cabs should be banned from bus lanes. It's the only sensible conclusion.

By the way... anyone here want to declare any current or past membership of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Cartel Association?

[LondonMix]

You have a point. I certainly agree all banned rather than all allowed makes more sense. Cabs are essential as London does not have a 24 hour tube system. Private companies can shut down potentially. Still, perhpas, regulating the entire sector to ensure universal standards is better than giving black cabs perks.

[Huguenot]

Snowy, do you want a serious answer to that?

Regarding wheelchair access, the obligation we make as a society is not to make everyone to sit in wheelchairs to make disabled people feel better, but to make an active compromise between wheelchair access and able-bodied access wherever the cost-benefit calculation accommodates. I'm not suggesting disbanding the black cab fleet, but facilitating consumer choice. There is still plenty of room to accommdate disabled passengers within that objective, so please don't be facetious.

Regarding the knowledge, you may not be aware, but getting the knowledge does not entitle you to have a black cab, it merely permits you to.

To actually get one you'll need to join the merry gang of black cab cartels to which entry will be prevented unless you fulfil a set of alternative criteria to which legislation is redundant. You'd need to be in the tribe.

[snowy]

Well I did warn you that I was being a bit glib!

[uncleglen]

Yes I understand that, but don't necessarily recognise it- and don't they think they own the road.

[Loz]

Addison Lee drivers or cyclists, uncleglen?