Minicabs in London

Author
Discussion

Janesy B

Original Poster:

2,625 posts

185 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all
They're an absolute nuisance, you'd think that if you do something for hours a day, every day you'd become good at it, but Minicabs seem to be the exemption to this. Even worse than black cabs.

Erratic driving, parking in stupid places, stopping with little or no warning and the lane discipline of a drunk. If there's something holding up a line of cars it's normally a Minicab. The hastag 'ubered' on twitter comes up with a hilarious array of battered and bruised Priuses.

There's been a couple of occasions where I've parked up near one and the driver looks like they haven't slept in 2 days as they stumble out of the car. Sometimes they even sleep in them - evidence of this is the bottles of piss they like to leave about in residential streets. They should ALL be forced to pass an advanced test to get the Minicab licence and have a tachograph fitted.

The last time I got a minicab to the airport, despite picking a local company the retard still got lost after 3 roads and I had to direct him out of a housing estate, proceeded to take the apex on every roundabout even if there was a car on the inside and seemed oblivions to the fact his people carrier had shagged suspension at the rear (every bump went up my spine and the thing was an inch lower at the rear before I got in it).

They're all crap and need to be tested/controlled. Discuss.

Edited by Janesy B on Saturday 28th November 08:48

DonkeyApple

54,934 posts

168 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all
To be fair, I would consider someone who adds 'discuss' as a complete sentence to be to the English language what a minicab is to the roads.

sicasey

637 posts

160 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
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Compelling.

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all
2/10. Nowhere near enough splenetic venom. Frankly, without the bottle of piss, it would have been 1/10.

johnS2000

458 posts

171 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all
I have , in the past , had a little bit of experience with private hire / private hire companies .

Most companies want cheap ! Cars , tyres , maintenance etc .

Most drivers are between jobs / cannot do anything else .

Most punters want cheap and thats what they get .

Advanced tests and tachographs/ regulating driver hours would kill the industry almost instantly .

Not just confined to London .

Janesy B

Original Poster:

2,625 posts

185 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all
TooMany2cvs said:
2/10. Nowhere near enough splenetic venom. Frankly, without the bottle of piss, it would have been 1/10.
It wasn't supposed to be a venomous rant but thanks for the honest feedback.

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all
Janesy B said:
It wasn't supposed to be a venomous rant
Oh. In one way, it's probably just as well - but it does raise the question of what it WAS supposed to be.

SidewaysSi

10,742 posts

233 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all
Welcome to London. Black cab drivers are pretty st too.

Personally it's not something that really bothers me and I have been living here nearly 20 years.

Edited by SidewaysSi on Saturday 28th November 12:47

jogger1976

1,251 posts

125 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all


Close the thread.

The Mad Monk

10,474 posts

116 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all
SidewaysSi said:
Welcome to London. Black cabs driver's are pretty st too.

Personally it's not something that really bothers me and I have been living here nearly 20 years.
Black cab driver's what?

grumpyscot

1,277 posts

191 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all
A few years ago, my London hotel was over-booked, so they moved me to a sister hotel. As I had booked the original hotel because it was next door to the venue I was to attend next day, I wasn't too happy. But the hotel said they pick up the taxi fare, so I thought "fair enough". A black cab took me to the second hotel. Next morning, a minicab picked me up. Casual conversation in the car reveled the driver had been on duty for over 24 hours. I told him to stop, and got out. Hailed a black cab to take me hotel #1 and told the driver to come with me to reception to get paid. Reception none too happy, but when I reveled that the minicab driver had been driving for over 24 hours, did they really expect me to put my life at risk?

They paid up and ever since I've only used black cabs in London.

glasgowrob

3,232 posts

120 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all
Private hire driver here or as you southerners call us Minicab drivers


wholeheartedly agree with you regards standards in the industry.


drivers who don't give a monkeys vehicles held together with gaffer tape and polyfilla(yes i've seen this before) and a level of enforcement that is laughable.


both the minicab and taxi industries need a degree of oversight and scrutiny, personally i lay the blame squarely with the licensing authorities( TFL local councils etc etc) to give you an example most local authorities will inspect a vehicle once a year (some like Glasgow- my local authority are twice a year) this is ludicrous for vehicles that can quite easily be covering in excess of 100k miles a year. Drivers don't care as the cars aren't theirs in a lot of cases, operators(vehicle owners) don't care as long as they can spend the bare minimum to keep the car running and take £150-200 a week of the driver.

enforcement is non existent, for example i've been stopped by our supposed enforcement team up here in Glasgow once this year, and it was nothing more than a cursory vehicle check lights work a black bit of rubber on each corner and your wearing your ID badge. the local authorities need to up their game undertake more work to root out the unsavoury elements in the trade and act more forcefully to transgressions. As a member of the public i would urge you to report any incidents that you think are wrong, dangerous driving, littering and unsavoury behaviour, if the people controlling the trade don't know, they can't act. don't waste your time reporting drivers to companies though, drivers are a cash cow for them and as long as their making money off the drivers they couldn't care less.


BUT, there is a silver lining, not all drivers and operators think like this, some of us do maintain our vehicles properly(see my thread in readers rides as an example) and some companies (albeit only a few) do regulate drivers hours and respond appropriately to complaints.

if theres anything specific you'd like to ask or query re the trade then feel free


lesstatt

4,318 posts

189 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all
Janesy B said:
They're an absolute nuisance, you'd think that if you do something for hours a day, every day you'd become good at it, but Minicabs seem to be the exemption to this. Even worse than black cabs.

Erratic driving, parking in stupid places, stopping with little or no warning and the lane discipline of a drunk. If there's something holding up a line of cars it's normally a Minicab. The hastag 'ubered' on twitter comes up with a hilarious array of battered and bruised Priuses.

There's been a couple of occasions where I've parked up near one and the driver looks like they haven't slept in 2 days as they stumble out of the car. Sometimes they even sleep in them - evidence of this is the bottles of piss they like to leave about in residential streets. They should ALL be forced to pass an advanced test to get the Minicab licence and have a tachograph fitted.

The last time I got a minicab to the airport, despite picking a local company the retard still got lost after 3 roads and I had to direct him out of a housing estate, proceeded to take the apex on every roundabout even if there was a car on the inside and seemed oblivions to the fact his people carrier had shagged suspension at the rear (every bump went up my spine and the thing was an inch lower at the rear before I got in it).

They're all crap and need to be tested/controlled. Discuss.

Edited by Janesy B on Saturday 28th November 08:48
The worst I'm a black cab driver and I don't like minicabs rant ever

MPowerMark

712 posts

205 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all
I wouldn't say they are as bad a black taxi drivers. The most ignorant bunch of clowns on the road.

Janesy B

Original Poster:

2,625 posts

185 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all
lesstatt said:
The worst I'm a black cab driver and I don't like minicabs rant ever
I work in telecommunications, so close enough. Sherlock.

sicasey

637 posts

160 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all
Janesy B said:
I work in telecommunications, so close enough. Sherlock.
Put that that telecoms knowledge to use and book an Uber.

glasgowrob

3,232 posts

120 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all
sicasey said:
Put that that telecoms knowledge to use and book an Uber.
one thing guaranteed to start a fight, mention the big bad Uber smile


a majority of the public love it, a majority of the trade utterly hate them

but in fairness they've came into the industry done the job right made cabs accesible cheaper and more reliable and taken a huge chunk of the UK market already

SidewaysSi

10,742 posts

233 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all
The Mad Monk said:
SidewaysSi said:
Welcome to London. Black cab drivers are pretty st too.

Personally it's not something that really bothers me and I have been living here nearly 20 years.
Black cab driver's what?

Janesy B

Original Poster:

2,625 posts

185 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all
sicasey said:
Put that that telecoms knowledge to use and book an Uber.
Why don't you put your knowledge in being a smart arse and book yourself an uber off the side of a cliff?

If you don't have anything useful to add don't bother posting. I'm sure a clever boy like you can work that out.

Edited by Janesy B on Saturday 28th November 15:26

Impasse

15,099 posts

240 months

Saturday 28th November 2015
quotequote all
Janesy B said:
Why don't you put your knowledge in being a smart arse and book yourself an uber off the side of a cliff?
They don't go south of the river at this time of night.