Taxi drivers ask for price hike

Originally posted by minority
my friends dad and brother are taxi drivers.
i asked them about insurance a few weeks ago.
his Dads insurance is <€1000 but he's been driving it for 10 years.
his bro is 29 - insurance last year was €2100. this year its €1500 and hes only driving a taxi since 2 years. And already he wont shut up for 5 seconds of the day.

This rubbish about how much a taxi drivers insurance is is just a red herring to make people feel sorry for them. Its like any driving insurance. If you are 21 then your insurance will be sky high, taxi or private car. high insurance Is not speific to taxis

Taxi drivers make plenty of money. i didnt see them giving money off the trips when petrol price ever went down.

Well if that is true, then things have changed considerably over the last few years, because to get insured from June 2001 to June 2002 it cost me just over £4,200 (That's punts, not Euros).

Originally posted by LFCFan
Which all points back to the way the country is being run. At the end of the day, everything that pisses us off about this country can be traced back to successive incompetant governments.

Lets stay on track here LFCFan. If we gather enough information about Taxi fares / crappy and insulting drivers / cars etc. We should be able to point out all the differences to the Government. And if we make enough people and the right people aware of what is going on then we should be able to do something about it. So let's find out a lot more information about it all first and then seek out the right people to complain about it all to.


OHP

Originally posted by Lemming
Eh .. that is absolute b*llocks. Well, at least in Dublin, in the taxis (not hackneys). Watch the little meter next time you're stopped in traffic or lights or whatnot. There's a little clock-like icon that blinks on a countdown. The faster the car is moving the faster it counts down and adds to the fare. So, being stuck in traffic still adds money.

So "time waiting" is included .....

That is not correct. Once the car is moving above a certain speed (3mph I think), then the clock doesn't operate. The faster the car is going, the faster it travels the 1/9th of a mile, that's why the meter moves faster, it is nothing to do with the clock, that only counts down when the car isn't moving. But there is a waiting charge, not only the clock, but an additional charge, if for example, you were to get a driver to wait half an hour outside an office. I can't remember what that charge is usually, but it is at the descretion of the driver (the unions usually set it, along with fares going outside the metered area).

Originally posted by Johnmb
Well if that is true, then things have changed considerably over the last few years, because to get insured from June 2001 to June 2002 it cost me just over £4,200 (That's punts, not Euros).

As i said, Taxi drivers never tell the truth about insurance. They always inflate it.
I have friends who dont drive taxis and their insurance is that high too. Should we all go out and give them some money just for the sake of it
If you cant afford the cost of entry to a business, then what are you dong in that business anyway.

Originally posted by minority
As i said, Taxi drivers never tell the truth about insurance. They always inflate it.
I have friends who dont drive taxis and their insurance is that high too. Should we all go out and give them some money just for the sake of it

And what has been inflated? The only ordinary drivers who have insurance that high are young drivers, or dangerous drivers who have a history.

If you cant afford the cost of entry to a business, then what are you dong in that business anyway.

Nice strawman, but nobody said anything about not being able to afford the cost of entry into a business.

Originally posted by minority
I have yet to get into a taxi where i considered the driver a safe driver. In fact i would say i've had more near misses on the roads either in a taxi or with a taxi than any other vehicle on the road. Taxi drivers seem to think they can drive however they want with no regard to safety. I'm sure this is not lost on the insurers.

Again with the strawman arguments. The insurance is high because of the public liability part of the insurance, not the comprehensive car insurance part, as you would already know if you bothered to actually check into things before proclaiming to know all about them.

Originally posted by minority
part of that public liability being the danger the taxi driver causes to their passengers.

No, that public liability is the same as the public liability that all businesses pay if they allow the public to access their premises.

If you paid as much as you say for insurance then you must be either lying, youn, or have a bad driving record.

And how would you know? You who has 0/zero/nada/none, as is no experience in the subject? For every intelligent persons information (as in those who want to get information on a subject before proclaiming to know all about it), my quote at the time included either £500, or £1000 (can't remember the exact figure at this stage) loading, which the insurance companies added in order to get themselves a nice big cut out of the initial surge in drivers. The unions were supposed to be fighting against it, I'm not sure if they were successful.

Since when have taxi drivers not harped on about how hard done by they are. Even when they were making fortunes.

Well, as long as ignorant people continue to claim that all drivers are raking it in, those drivers have every right to put on the poor mouth. The simple fact of the matter is that any drivers who are making a lot of money at the moment are working very hard to get it. A taxi driver will not make enough money to pay a mortgage and a car loan if he just works Monday to Friday from 9 to 5. Those who work those hours have no right to bitch and moan about drivers making money, because if those people where willing to work unsocial hours, they too could be earning a lot more money.

Tell it to someone who cares (that would only be other taxi drivers).

Yet it is you, and not other taxi drivers, who is post here with a load of uninformed opinions, and getting upset when the errors in your "facts" are pointed out.

Get one drunk and the bragging about how much they really do earn starts.

Get anyone drunk, twist the conversation in that direction, and they will either boast about how great they really have it, or they will complain about how bad they really have it. Taxi drivers are no different.

Originally posted by minority
The only one here getting upset is the Taxi driver ---- as usual

There aren't any taxi drivers involved, just you and me at this stage.

Originally posted by minority
OK, let me try again, for anyone who didnt notice what i meant.

The only ones getting upset are the taxi drivers (or ex-taxi drivers) --- as usual :

How's that???
Can you figure out what i was saying now.

Its just like talking to a taxi driver in a taxi and trying to stop him talking about how hard done by he is... Impossible.

You seem to be getting a bit upset there. Maybe if you had done some proper research before making your claims, you wouldn't have found yourself in such a position.

Originally posted by Johnmb
But there is a waiting charge, not only the clock, but an additional charge

This is incorrect.

Inside the taximeter area, the taxi driver is simply required to keep the meter running while waiting - that's 30c a minute 8am-10pm, 40c a minute 10pm-8am.

Outside the taximeter area (supposed the taxi's going from Dublin to Athlone but first has to wait for the pasenger to do something in Mullingar) the waiting charge is set by the Union - for SIPTU it's something like 45 euro an hour. But this second scenario never happens in practice.

Fully comp taxi insurance is around 6000 euro a year.
The only taxi drivers that make money are those that work nights - those that work days only would be lucky to take in 120 euro for 12 hours - out which comes insurance petrol, car servicing etc.

My experience of taxi's is the standard varies enormously. But overall its not unusual for a driver to go the longest route somewhere. Its obviously habit though. We hired a taxi, minivan to take a bunch of us to a party and agreed a fixed price there and back. The guy still went a roundabout way to the place, which I though at little odd till we realised he though he was on the meter. Quite funny.

Fares for the same journey do vary an awful lot. That shouldn't happen. If you were to take the same journey at the same time and conditions every day, I can bet you that the price will vary by more than 3 euro on a 6 mile fare. That said the same thing happens in shops and pubs. But people should be more aware of it.

As for the insurance. That price is not expensive. I know taxi drivers who are being charged between 10k and 2k for insurance. Sounds a lot, but then they have had driving offences and accidents, which is an occupational hazard IMO. If you were to price hiring an office, for a year and insuring that and furnishing an office with the basic equipment you'd have simlar costs. So taxi men are not going to win any sympathy with that.

They have costs, and expenses like any other business. They make enough to offset these. So the've little to moan about. Sure there are safety issues, as there are in many jobs, working as security guards, shop assistants, etc etc. No ones forced to do anything.

Originally posted by RicardoSmith
My experience of taxi's is the standard varies enormously. But overall its not unusual for a driver to go the longest route somewhere. Its obviously habit though. We hired a taxi, minivan to take a bunch of us to a party and agreed a fixed price there and back. The guy still went a roundabout way to the place, which I though at little odd till we realised he though he was on the meter. Quite funny.

Fares for the same journey do vary an awful lot. That shouldn't happen. If you were to take the same journey at the same time and conditions every day, I can bet you that the price will vary by more than 3 euro on a 6 mile fare. That said the same thing happens in shops and pubs. But people should be more aware of it.

As for the insurance. That price is not expensive. I know taxi drivers who are being charged between 10k and 2k for insurance. Sounds a lot, but then they have had driving offences and accidents, which is an occupational hazard IMO. If you were to price hiring an office, for a year and insuring that and furnishing an office with the basic equipment you'd have simlar costs. So taxi men are not going to win any sympathy with that.

They have costs, and expenses like any other business. They make enough to offset these. So the've little to moan about. Sure there are safety issues, as there are in many jobs, working as security guards, shop assistants, etc etc. No ones forced to do anything.

The difference is that when an offices expenses go up, they can increase their charges, a taxi driver can't. Also, regarding the routes taken, while that is probably down to the driver in 99% of cases, the carraige office also has to take a bit of the blame. When doing the test for the PSV licence, you are recomended to know the main routes between A and B, not the shortest routes. Sometimes a driver will take a longer route because it is the only one he knows, and the setup of the PSV test doesn't encourage people to learn quicker/shorter routes. I learned many more handy routes by getting my passangers to direct me than I learned by studying for the test. Maybe they need to re-evaluate the test.

Originally posted by RicardoSmith
Not everyone can increase their charges. You have to stay competitive in your market. So just like the taxi men then guy with his business and an office has to absorb the cost. If both are making enough money then this should be no problem. Unless you are suggesting they aren't making money in which why are they doing it.

Then going by what you are just saying here, taxi drivers should be totally free to decide their fares on a driver by driver basis. Staying competitive in the market will be enough to keep prices down.

I don't accept the knowing the shortest route. I have had taxi men try to take me on a obviously roundabout route. Its nothing to do with the test, thats just a smokescreen.

What smokescreen? As I said, probably 99% of the time it is a deliberate move by the driver, but does that mean that we shouldn't bother trying to improve the test and hopefully encourage a change in the mindset of people before they get into the bad habits?

About the test. You now see foreign nationals driving as hackenys and as taxi men, who don't know their way around, and can't speak english. How do they pass the test?

There were several ways that I have heard of. There was one report that the same guy had sit the exam for numerous others at different times. I also know for a fact that there are copies of the exams going around. The carraige office consists of two Gardai, or at least that's all that ran the tests for Dublin and Bray on a full time basis. Hopefully that has changed, but it wouldn't surprise me if it hasn't. They can't be expected to work miracles.

On the point of not making money and hardship cases. What happened when taximen after deregulation were asked to declare their earnings in order to qualify for the handouts? Lots of shuffling of feet and muttering thats what.

That's not really comparing like with like. The only drivers complaining about deregulation at the time where the ones who owned the licence. The cosies were quite happy to be able to buy their own.

Look at the costs of running a taxi if you hire one and insurance. Its what about 200-500 a week. So obviously people can make that and make enough to live on over that. People do manage it. So if every one has roughly the same costs, how come say they can't manage and the majority seem to be able to manage just fine?

As I have said earlier, a lot depends on the amount of work, and the time you work. Luck also plays a big part, as daft as that may sound.

Originally posted by DMT
Also remember that each time the charges go up, the taxi driver has to cough up 70 euro to have a new seal put on the meter. This doesn't include whatever amount they're charged to have the pricing upgraded on the meter.

How often has that happened in the last 3 years?