Discussion
Streetcop said:
What are the experiences of pistonheaders regarding Taxi drivers...(Hackney and Private Hire)...
Reckless lawbreakers who care for nobody? Or professional drivers with lots of experience?
Neither, they are mostly just guys trying to make a living same as you or me. If they drive a lot then they usually become OK at it. They are often crap on motorways cos they dont use them that much.
Streetcop said:
What are the experiences of pistonheaders regarding Taxi drivers...(Hackney and Private Hire)...
Reckless lawbreakers who care for nobody? Or professional drivers with lots of experience?
Usually as cynical as Plod due to dealing with the best society has to offer every chucking out time session. Some nice some grumpy just like anywhere else.
Streetcop said:
What are the experiences of pistonheaders regarding Taxi drivers...(Hackney and Private Hire)...
Reckless lawbreakers who care for nobody? Or professional drivers with lots of experience?
Black cab drivers (Hackney cabs, not the colour of the drivers) in London think they own the road, they pay scant attention to road signs or other traffic.
They bleat at minicabs taking "their work" but can't be bothered to do it themselves. On more than one occasion I have seen rows of black cabs reserved for business users on one side of the street, and people waiting in a queue to hail a cabbie off the street. They then get arsey when when a tout takes the public on their journey...
IMHO minicabs (Private Hire) should be allowed to compete, as long as licenced and checked for convictions, roadworthy cars etc etc
wolf1, I tend to agree with you there mate...
Taxi drivers do tend to meet people at the worst time; pissed up revellers on way home, arguing people, drug users going to buy more drugs, etc etc...
The reason for the post is that last night I was pro-actively patrolling a town centre trunk road that is a high KSI site on my area...and a quarter of those drivers who I ticketed for excess speed where Taxi drivers...racing to and from town...
Taxi drivers do tend to meet people at the worst time; pissed up revellers on way home, arguing people, drug users going to buy more drugs, etc etc...
The reason for the post is that last night I was pro-actively patrolling a town centre trunk road that is a high KSI site on my area...and a quarter of those drivers who I ticketed for excess speed where Taxi drivers...racing to and from town...
No better than most other road users, often worst i.e. stop where and when they like, don't signal, don't look or signal before performing a u-turn, drop diesel and belch black smoke, and also one of them turned right infront of me without signaling, knocking of my motorcycle, then tried to blame me !! then drove off before I could get his details and as it turned out was uninsured, so he was in short an utter c**nt. And they are very expensive!!
Streetcop said:
Like ther rest of society some good, some bad.
Fair comment...
So....should they be treated any differently from other drivers then? ie: more leniency?
Like the rest of society they should be treated with due discretion, dangerous/inconsiderate driving is just as dangerous or inconsiderate no matter who does it, even dare i say it, a BiB.
From personal experience many drive better when carrying passengers than they do when going to the next pickup, i.e. they do 30mph to your drop off and then lay down some rubber to go to the next!
Streetcop said:
What are the experiences of pistonheaders regarding Taxi drivers...(Hackney and Private Hire)...
Reckless lawbreakers who care for nobody? Or professional drivers with lots of experience?
When you're in a cab or waiting for a cab to pick you up they can do no wrong, when you're behind one who pulls over to pick somebody up with no consideration for other road users they're a pain in the arris. Generally I'd say the standard or driving was not good but I guess there are reasons for that.
Well in one town they are clearly treated more leniently because historically they have been "eyes & ears" of plod to some extent. Not saying whether it is right or wrong just stating a fact.
Personally I try to use taxis as little as possible because I feel their driving is below (often way below) the general standard I would like to see on the roads.
At one time we were encouraged by work to use taxis to the airport rather than incur car park charges where a saving was possible. Bean counters huh!
Anyway some examples
the guy in a Rover 216 who thought he could outdrive Colin McRae (he really believed it) yet any control he operated was either full on / fully off, nothing in between. OK I have cast iron guts but I wondered how often he had to clear up after a passenger
the guy (Pug 405) who went down tracks with grass growing up the middle because it saved him 2 minutes on the trip, and passed parked vehicles leaving a 1 cm gap, how his n/s door mirror survived?
the guy Vx Cav SRi with inop power steering so he could hardly steer, filthy lights and windows, empty washer bottle so he kept swerving about trying to slosh some fluid near the pickup pipe. Made him stop and sort it.
On a family trip the septuagenarian in a Transit minibus who insisted on blind overtakes into bends on the Snake Pass. Eventually he got the Telegraph wapped round the back of his head and strong words from yours truly. Father in law commented something like, "Christ I've never heard a bollocking as good as that since I was in the Navy"
So on balance I'm sure that there are some excellent taxi drivers out there, personally unimpressed though.
>> Edited by Flat in Fifth on Saturday 19th February 16:16
Personally I try to use taxis as little as possible because I feel their driving is below (often way below) the general standard I would like to see on the roads.
At one time we were encouraged by work to use taxis to the airport rather than incur car park charges where a saving was possible. Bean counters huh!
Anyway some examples
the guy in a Rover 216 who thought he could outdrive Colin McRae (he really believed it) yet any control he operated was either full on / fully off, nothing in between. OK I have cast iron guts but I wondered how often he had to clear up after a passenger
the guy (Pug 405) who went down tracks with grass growing up the middle because it saved him 2 minutes on the trip, and passed parked vehicles leaving a 1 cm gap, how his n/s door mirror survived?
the guy Vx Cav SRi with inop power steering so he could hardly steer, filthy lights and windows, empty washer bottle so he kept swerving about trying to slosh some fluid near the pickup pipe. Made him stop and sort it.
On a family trip the septuagenarian in a Transit minibus who insisted on blind overtakes into bends on the Snake Pass. Eventually he got the Telegraph wapped round the back of his head and strong words from yours truly. Father in law commented something like, "Christ I've never heard a bollocking as good as that since I was in the Navy"
So on balance I'm sure that there are some excellent taxi drivers out there, personally unimpressed though.
>> Edited by Flat in Fifth on Saturday 19th February 16:16
Had a driver fall asleep when we were sitting in traffic once! Had to shake him to wake to old git up!
Black Cabs, in my experience are good. When I got mugged in London a Black Cab gave me a lift back to the station and wouldnt accept any payment for it, which was nice! On the other hand, it was a unlicesned mincab driver that mugged me for £100 so....
Black Cabs, in my experience are good. When I got mugged in London a Black Cab gave me a lift back to the station and wouldnt accept any payment for it, which was nice! On the other hand, it was a unlicesned mincab driver that mugged me for £100 so....
Round our way we have the full range. I've driven by loons. I've been driven by chaps who would give chauffeurs a run for their money...along with the sort of courtesy and manners you expect of someone providing you with a service.
The guys who offer me a good, courteous, well driven service get a big tip.
The ones who are unsatisfactory simply get paid.
The guys who offer me a good, courteous, well driven service get a big tip.
The ones who are unsatisfactory simply get paid.
Streetcop said:
Taxi drivers do tend to meet people at the worst time; pissed up revellers on way home, arguing people, drug users going to buy more drugs, etc etc...
The reason for the post is that last night I was pro-actively patrolling a town centre trunk road that is a high KSI site on my area...and a quarter of those drivers who I ticketed for excess speed where Taxi drivers...racing to and from town...
I would have thought that it would be in the polices' best interest to let the cabbies go a little above 30mph where it is safe to do so... faster driving means people get home quicker, spending less time on the city centre streets, therefore less chance of it "kicking off"...Apart from Fixed Scameras the police round here turn a blind eye up to 40/45 in some 30 zones away from the focal point of town centres (you know the type where the limit should be higher, such as the dual lanes)
Had a few run ins with taxi drivers. I get the opinion that they think they're above road traffic law. They whine and moan boy racers then drive as bad as the ones they complain about. Have met some good ones but the majority get seriously arsey when booked.
As for leniancy.....got to be each individual case in my book whether a cabbie or not......
As for leniancy.....got to be each individual case in my book whether a cabbie or not......
Perhaps one of the bib could enlighten?haze said:
Never had great experience with cabbies, to be honest. They seem to have their foot super glued to the accelerator.
Yes I know us PH all enjoy speed, but in a taxi I just feel unsafe! I'm sure there are good ones to make up for the crazy ones.
This also tells us something about ourselves. We should clearly be thinking as we drive - if I was a cab driver, would my passenger want to give me a tip?
Just a thought...
The guys that specialise in long distance stuff seem to be OK. Those who do long distance (airport runs for example) but irregularly tend to be lane 3 at 65 in the motorways - presumably to save fuel.
Around town, especially in the evenings, I have seen many whose vehicles I would be dubious about travelling in even before seeing the way they drive them.
Quite why they can dawdle along, stop anywhere, turn anywhere and then suddenly decide to undertake at red lights at something well over the set limit is a subject that will always baffle me. Oh, and stopping absolutely anywhere if their phone rings.
Best ones I have been chauffeured by were nearly all in the Nordic countries. It is amazing what an automatic diesel Merc can achieve even on icy roads in the hands of a part time rally driver.
Most worrying - well there have been a few but nearly every experience in Paris felt like an accident waiting to happen.
>> Edited by LongQ on Saturday 19th February 20:57
Around town, especially in the evenings, I have seen many whose vehicles I would be dubious about travelling in even before seeing the way they drive them.
Quite why they can dawdle along, stop anywhere, turn anywhere and then suddenly decide to undertake at red lights at something well over the set limit is a subject that will always baffle me. Oh, and stopping absolutely anywhere if their phone rings.
Best ones I have been chauffeured by were nearly all in the Nordic countries. It is amazing what an automatic diesel Merc can achieve even on icy roads in the hands of a part time rally driver.
Most worrying - well there have been a few but nearly every experience in Paris felt like an accident waiting to happen.
>> Edited by LongQ on Saturday 19th February 20:57
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