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Drivers celebrate the news of a freeze on licences with BLTF chairman John Yexley and secretary Andy Watson
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'Delight' at cap on taxi licences

By Mike Pyle
November 04, 2009

No new licences will be issued until at least February after a survey confirmed there are more than enough taxis to meet demand.

Bracknell Licensed Taxi Forum (BLTF) has been pushing for the freeze since last year because members believe Bracknell town centre is “dysfunctional” and too many taxis would mean drivers having to increase prices to make a living.

Now an independent survey commissioned by the council and paid for by taxi drivers has concluded there are more than enough taxis to serve the town.

Andy Watson, secretary of BLTF, said: “We’re delighted. The survey was pretty conclusive, it backed up everything we’ve said.

“This is not to do with the recession – it’s because Bracknell is dysfunctional. There’s no night-time economy and nothing on the weekends.”

The freeze will be reviewed by the committee in February.

Andy added: “Hopefully they will agree to keep the limit on for the next three years. Until the town gets regenerated it’s not going to get any better.”

There are 86 Hackney carriage drivers operating from ranks in the borough as well as numerous private hire vehicles on the phone.

Drivers marched on the Bracknell Forest Council offices in Time Square in July 2008 to deliver a petition demanding a cap on the number of cabs in the area.

In April, the council agreed to appoint independent firm Transport Planning International Ltd to conduct an ‘unmet demand survey’ if taxi drivers agreed to foot the bill by paying £50 more for licences this year.

The council’s Licensing and Safety Committee considered the results of the survey this month.

Robert Sexton, head of licensing, said: “The survey concluded there was no unmet demand for taxi services in Bracknell Forest and the committee agreed to a temporary suspension of new licences.”

The report found passengers rarely faced delays at ranks at the bus station, train station and the British Legion – and that drivers waited for about 20 minutes on average for a fare.

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Anthony, I agree with you on some points - I wouldn't mind paying for a taxi in the evening to go to Reading if the driver knew where he was going.

Part of the problem I've had is taxi drivers asking me for directions because they don't know their way around... so what happens when I'm getting a taxi because I don't know the way either? One ended up driving down a pedestrian only street because he just didn't have a clue, and to some of us taxis are expensive. I'm not sure about the £500 claim but £30 from Reading to Bracknell seems like a lot to us other poor folk.

CMA
12/11/2009 at 12:19

500.00 pounds in a night who you kidding get real, we are lucky if we earn 500.00 pounds a week and thats after working 80 hours a week and always unsocialble hours. I have been driving taxis for 25 years and believe me im not rich buy any means increasing taxis would bring down our wages meaning nobody would do the job meaning you the customer would not be able to get a taxi then we will see whos moaning then Taxis are not expensive they are very resonable and competitive,how dare you say it is a unskilled profession,you try learing 4/5 thousand street addreses Look at the price of petrol these days and we do not set the pump prices.

ANTHONY ROE, reading
10/11/2009 at 18:57

Ah yes, just testing you.... Terrible maths aside, the point remains - Hackney carriages are not all that expensive Also Marjo, I'm not a taxi driver - it's just that for some reason I feel the need to defend them!

Doc Poodle
5/11/2009 at 15:02

And the maths... £3 starting price, £1.36 per mile, is not less than £5 to go two miles, it is in fact £5.72

CMA
5/11/2009 at 12:07

Doc Poodle I'm sorry about that, but the problem is that you're all call Cab drivers. If I need a cab, it is usually to get from home to somewhere. That means I have to call an private Hire as I do not have a rank outside my house. The problem we have in bracknell is all these expensive private hire companies are giving all Cab drivers a bad name. Until such time that I can call a Hackney cab to collect me from a place of my choosing then, you are all going to be tarred with the same brush. We need you guys to petition the powers that be to allow you to take your reasonable fares to anyone that choses to use your services from a place of their choosing.

Marjo
5/11/2009 at 11:49

Marjo - I think maybe you are another one who is getting private hire taxis and Hackney carriage drivers mixed up. This story quite clearly relates to Hackney carriage drivers who will be the only ones affected by this new measure. If you took the time tio have a quick look on the council's website you'd be able to see that Hackney carriage charges are actually quite modest. Dukring the day there is a standard starting price of £3 and then evey mile costs about £1.36. That actually makes it less than a fiver to go two miles - a price you'd happily pay? It annoys me to hear people slagging off public services without knowing nanything about what they're talking about. Give the taxi drivers a break.

Doc Poodle
5/11/2009 at 09:47

I have a mate who is a taxi driver. Never charges me much.

All I'm saying is love your taxi driver and reap the rewards.

Beef, Bracknell
4/11/2009 at 15:21

Taxis also have a problem with going into Warfield Park. They say they get lost and refuse to come out to you. Just a matter of learning where everything is. I find Priestwood harder to find my way around

Marjo
4/11/2009 at 15:12

That was my origional point. The cost of getting a taxi home for £10 which is 3 miles away is an absolute joke, especially when I have to direct most of them which way to go.

MPwannaB, Bracknell
4/11/2009 at 14:46

The licences should only be issued in the first instance to drivers who live in Bracknell Forest and they should be the only ones that should pick up fares locally. I actually think taxi fares are a disgrace, especially when the drivers are unhelpful and miserable. It's about time a sensible fare cap was placed on the drivers. I don't know if they realise this, but if they put the prices down people like me would use them more often. I think £7.00 for a 2 mile trip is too much, but I would happily pay five. If this was case I would use a taxi to go into town more often and I think others would too. The result would be that drivers would get more work. Simple ecomomics - this goes for the bus company too. They don't have enough passengers, so they put up fares, but the reason people don't use the bus is because it is too expensive and because people don't use the bus, the company puts the fares up to cover costs...it's what's called a vicious circle and it will only get worse. false economy!

Marjo
4/11/2009 at 14:03

Ok,

I have to admit I am wrong on this one.

But I still stand by my statement that the price of a taxi fare in Bracknell is ridiculously high

MPwannaB, Bracknell
4/11/2009 at 13:51

MPwannaB, in relation to your first statement...

If there are more drivers, that means less customers per driver, so each driver would earn less in a day. Therefore, to keep their earnings the same as before, they would need to charge each customer more. Due to Bracknell's culture they are unlikely to get more customers by lowering prices - most taxis are used for business as there is no nightlife in Bracknell.

CMA
4/11/2009 at 12:22

I must admit I am not an expert on Taxi's!!!!!! :) But if you have got a taxi in this local area they are very expensive. For example a trip from the train station for around 3 miles!! I have also had trips to Reading cost me £25 - £30. As for the types of taxi your comments do make sense.

What I don't understand is that for the drivers, if you can go to a hire company or work for the council why not go to which ever one is best, that is there choice surely.

MPwannaB, Bracknell
4/11/2009 at 10:30

MP - where were you getting a taxi from? It doesn't sound like it can be from Bracknell as I would imaging drivers struggling to make any money in Bracknell at night as there's no-one there! Hackney Carriage drivers are distinct from private hire cars as they are the ones who are restricted to waiting at ranks for fares. The problem they have with more taxis would be that they have to simply wait their turns for fares and have to charge a standard rate set by the council. If there are more taxis they will have to wait for longer and therefore earn less money. They aren't in competition with each other so in this case your theory about more taxis driving prices down is incorrect. I think you have got your Hackney carriages and your private hire vehicles confused.

Doc Poodle
4/11/2009 at 09:43

"dysfunctional” and too many taxis would mean drivers having to increase prices to make a living

- This statement above is complete rubbish, they could not put the prices up by much more. I have never been charged so much for a taxi ride than in Bracknell, it is cheaper to get a black cab!!!

The reason the current drivers do not want more drivers is that it would make the market more competitive & therefore prices would come down.

I was given a fare back just last week @ 10pm at night with a taxi driver bragging how he can sometimes make £500 a night! That is good money in any industry where in all honestly it is an "unskilled" profession.