Taxi driver strike

Ham'nd'egger

koolkid wrote: »

Compete on price. Hand out cards etc.. Discount for those who call you etc

There are many taxi firms doing this in Dublin; two to mind are VIP and Citycabs. Both firms drivers are down in terms of fares undertaken by their drivers and in the case of VIP they have had to adjust their discount scheme. And lest you ask, I was with VIP so I saw the dip in work notwithstanding this discount.

oisindoyle

With regard to competition that Koolkid keeps going on and on about .for your information there has ALWAYS been competition,,,buses ,trains,dart,luas are all competition ,,
With regard to "discounts"Some firms have offered customers 20% discounts in the hope that it will drum up business.the fact of the matter is IT HASNT ,The fact of the matter is the company still charge the driver FULL price for renting a radio off them ,The company offering the discount doesnt take the hit ,the driver does.
In my opinion any driver that agreed to this was foolish in the extreme.
Drivers simply cannot afford to give discounts ,,petrol is up ,insurance is up,licence fee is up from 3 euro to 250 euro ,,and on and on it goes ....
Its all very well having arm chair critics ,but until people actually get into the business ,they have no clue how deifficult it really is

AlekSmart

With regard to competition that Koolkid keeps going on and on about .for your information there has ALWAYS been competition,,,buses ,trains,dart,luas are all competition ,,

Oisindoyle ain`t far wrong there.

I`m constantly reminded of the competition issue as would anybody who lives or works on an Aircoach route.

It`s commonplace to see Taxidrivers (Usually the 7 Seater drivers) doing their level competitive best to envagle Aircoach customers into their cabs.

What does grate a bit with me is when the Taxidriver becomes insistent and even perhaps a tad menacing in attitude when the Aircoacher sez no thanks.

I have also watched and listened when a Taxidriver told plain downright lies about breakdowns to the Aircoach service in order to seal the issue and get the punters into his van.

There`s little doubt but the arrival of Aircoach was of far greater significance to the Airport based Taxi Driver than it was to the likes of Dublin Bus.

Taxipete29

koolkid wrote: »

Compete on price. Hand out cards etc.. Discount for those who call you etc

Drivers are doing this. Those who wish to discount have joined firms advertising those discounts. Street drivers regularly hand out cards to customers they are likely to get repeat business from.

I dont know where you got the impression this wasnt happening??

Just on the aircoach thing. We all know its illegal for drivers to tout for business in the manner they do, but that beggers the question, if you are asking taxi drivers to compete in the market, then allow them to do so. If a driver makes a reasonable offer to 4 or 5 people at a bus stop where is the problem. Yet I have seen uproar in threads on this forum when drivers do it. How can guys be expected to compete when they cant try to drum up business for themselves???

Taxipete29

AlekSmart wrote: »

There`s little doubt but the arrival of Aircoach was of far greater significance to the Airport based Taxi Driver than it was to the likes of Dublin Bus.

Agree with this totally. I have had personal experience of this as a new airport route took alot of business away from taxis in an area I used to work. Firms in that area have started to compete with them on price as much as they can.

Del2005

oisindoyle wrote: »

Its all very well having arm chair critics ,but until people actually get into the business ,they have no clue how deifficult it really is

I though you don't want more competition.

everyday taxi

Taxipete29 wrote: »

Drivers are doing this. Those who wish to discount have joined firms advertising those discounts. Street drivers regularly hand out cards to customers they are likely to get repeat business from.

I dont know where you got the impression this wasnt happening??

Just on the aircoach thing. We all know its illegal for drivers to tout for business in the manner they do, but that beggers the question, if you are asking taxi drivers to compete in the market, then allow them to do so. If a driver makes a reasonable offer to 4 or 5 people at a bus stop where is the problem. Yet I have seen uproar in threads on this forum when drivers do it. How can guys be expected to compete when they cant try to drum up business for themselves???

TaxiPete i agree with most your views, but not this begging at bus stops. Whats next, walking into pubs and restaurants, handing out discount tokens? Please please use me. Im sorry but thats akin to begging far as im concerned. I see guys, often black, curb crawling, driving alongside couples almost begging them to get in. Apart from been disgusting, its illegal. I will drive the streets, til i get a hand wave to stop. I may go an hour or two sometimes without a job, but id rather this than beg.

Chinafoot

Ok, I'm butting in to give my account of what happened tonight.

I was out having a few pints with friends and I left the bar and waited at the side of the road to hail a cab. I was looking in one direction, ie, the direction the cabs usually come from, when I heard this incessant beeping and there was a taxi flashing his lights at me. Being eager to get home I went over.

So then I noticed 2 Irish flags on the roof and lagre A4 sized stickers on the side of the car saying "A Dublin taxi driven by a Dublin driver".

Once in the car I asked the driver what was up with the stickers and he said "It cos of all the Meath and Wicklow drivers"

I said, "Just the Meath and Wicklow folk?" and he said "well, and the rest". I asked what he meant and he said "well, it's not our kind being illegal"

I asked him to pull over and let me out.

I have absolutely no sympathy for any of the taxi drivers involved in this crap. The racial abuse I've seen thrown at black drivers has been disgusting. The insult thrown at drivers, both Irish and foreign, who dare to try and make a living while this crap is going on is astounding.

Bully boys who don't know how to communicate beyond threat and intimidation.

Sickening.

Taxipete29

everyday taxi wrote: »

TaxiPete i agree with most your views, but not this begging at bus stops. Whats next, walking into pubs and restaurants, handing out discount tokens? Please please use me. Im sorry but thats akin to begging far as im concerned. I see guys, often black, curb crawling, driving alongside couples almost begging them to get in. Apart from been disgusting, its illegal. I will drive the streets, til i get a hand wave to stop. I may go an hour or two sometimes without a job, but id rather this than beg.

I know it illegal and I dont condone it, but its the only real way drivers could compete against each other on the street. Totally disagree with Kerb crawling

positron

Chinafoot wrote: »

I have absolutely no sympathy for any of the taxi drivers involved in this crap. The racial abuse I've seen thrown at black drivers has been disgusting. The insult thrown at drivers, both Irish and foreign, who dare to try and make a living while this crap is going on is astounding.

This is happening every day just outside Parnell St near UGC, stand in front of Peats, and you would see what a number of taxi drivers there are doing to other taxi drivers on the road. These people have taken up the taxi bay, they are on strike, and whenever a working taxi stops at the traffic lights either sides, they pull the door open, shout abuses, threaten them and all sorts - doesn't matter if there's a passenger on board or not.

Totally disgusted that this is allowed in this day and age!

D.McC

KoolKid,

Firstly, it’s very hypocritical of you to complain about your quotes been cut to suit the respondents argument, when you have constantly cut mine in the same manner. :mad:

Secondly, ‘badly spelled’, is grammatically correct. It doesn’t have to sound right to be right! :rolleyes:

Now, I’ve got that out of the way it’s on with the debate.

With regard to the handing out of cards or flyers, where do you expect drivers to do this?

Visiting pubs and clubs?

As the passenger alights at the end of a journey?

What you seem to forget is, taxi drivers are forbidden to tout for business. Even if they were allowed engage in this practice how do you expect the driver to finance this?

And when would they do it, do you expect them to park up and walk around touting for possible future business. Maybe they should recruit their wives and children to do this?

The offer of discounts by individual drivers is not very practical, as the travelling public aren’t loyal to one driver, so the only winner in this situation is the passenger.

You cannot expect a passenger to wait for a particular taxi, who may be on the other side of the city when the passenger calls.

The offering of discounts works in other business’s because the customer feels they got a good deal and will return to the service provider for any future work needed.

On the price issue, yes the price is set by the regulator and may appear to be high. But, consider the amount of work an individual driver gets each day. The average fare in Dublin is around 10 euro. A driver may have to wait for up to an hour between jobs so in reality the driver earns €5 an hour, far below the minimum wage.

Despite what some posters here might believe, I don’t believe taxi deserve some special protection from competition.

What they and every other business deserve is protection from undue competition. In the case of taxis, that protection should be in the form of better enforcement.

Increased enforcement would target drivers who not compliant, such as those working illegally, those from other areas such as Meath, Wicklow, and Kildare etc.

Increased enforcement would protect them from the part-time driver, who after finishing a 40 hour week, then comes out at the weekend.

Cookie_Monster

D.McC wrote: »

Secondly, ‘badly spelled’, is grammatically correct. It doesn’t have to sound right to be right! :rolleyes:
.

badly spelt

LOL :pac:

Cookie_Monster

What about only allowing limited companies operate rather than individuals.

It would address a lot of the issues, remove costs fro drivers, allow fixed wages, see standardisation of cars, allow discounts to be more obvious and available, reduce buying and maintenance costs and allow more branding to come to the fore.

Just throwing it out there for opinion...

D.McC

Good idea, but I don’t think the revenue allow taxi drivers to operate as limited companies, I think they are all sole traders! (I’m open to correction on this).

The other points you make are allowed in other European countries, so why not here?


Badly spelled was correct in the context it was used

KoolKid

D.McC wrote: »

KoolKid,

Firstly, it’s very hypocritical of you to complain about your quotes been cut to suit the respondents argument, when you have constantly cut mine in the same manner. :mad:

Please quote an example of where I have cut a quote of yours to mean something totally different. Please quote original & my quotes explaining how I changed the meaning. If so I will happily apologise & clarify my meaning.

D.McC wrote: »

Secondly, ‘badly spelled’, is grammatically correct. It doesn’t have to sound right to be right!

Pointless really so I'll take your word for it.

D.McC wrote: »

With regard to the handing out of cards or flyers, where do you expect drivers to do this?

Visiting pubs and clubs?

Possibly leave them in clubs or at doors of clubs etc.

D.McC wrote: »

As the passenger alights at the end of a journey?

That is a good idea. I use the same taxi driver a lot. It started from him handing me a card & offering me a discount any time I call him.

D.McC wrote: »

What you seem to forget is, taxi drivers are forbidden to tout for business. Even if they were allowed engage in this practice how do you expect the driver to finance this?

They are allowed advertise.
How does any business finance advertising?
As I'm sure you are aware sometimes it's not a case of if you can afford to advertise, rather if you can afford not to.

D.McC wrote: »

And when would they do it, do you expect them to park up and walk around touting for possible future business. Maybe they should recruit their wives and children to do this?

Thats a bit of a silly idea really.

D.McC wrote: »

The offer of discounts by individual drivers is not very practical, as the travelling public aren’t loyal to one driver, so the only winner in this situation is the passenger.

See my example above. If it works for me it will work for others. The problem is the taxi drivers unwillingness to even try and drum up business.
Insted they are looking for entry into the business to be curbed.
I have yet to hear a valid reason why this is not unfair compared to other industry's who are also finding this hard. Should we maybe stop entry into other sectors also.
At the end of the day business is business & there are probobly may other ways to increase revenue if you put your mind to it.

D.McC wrote: »

You cannot expect a passenger to wait for a particular taxi, who may be on the other side of the city when the passenger calls.

I'm not saying it works for every one in every instance, but if it drums up any extra business isn't it worth it.

D.McC wrote: »

The offering of discounts works in other business’s because the customer feels they got a good deal and will return to the service provider for any future work needed.

See my example above again. Every industry needs repeat business. Even if 1 in 50 return to you ins't it worth it. Take the cards issue. If you give every passanger a card when they leave the car, eventually a card will make contact with someone worthwhile. Maybe a company whoe use taxis regularly. Again I ask what has the driver got to loose.?

D.McC wrote: »

On the price issue, yes the price is set by the regulator and may appear to be high. But, consider the amount of work an individual driver gets each day. The average fare in Dublin is around 10 euro. A driver may have to wait for up to an hour between jobs so in reality the driver earns €5 an hour, far below the minimum wage.

Again by drumming up extra business & using some initiative this hourly rate could be increased.

D.McC wrote: »

Despite what some posters here might believe, I don’t believe taxi deserve some special protection from competition.

Agreed!

D.McC wrote: »

What they and every other business deserve is protection from undue competition. In the case of taxis, that protection should be in the form of better enforcement.

I would agree with this ,but not the curtailment of entry into the industry if you are able to meet the criteria.

D.McC wrote: »

Increased enforcement would target drivers who not compliant, such as those working illegally, those from other areas such as Meath, Wicklow, and Kildare etc.

Enforcement would be good. Are drivers still limited by region of thier licence?

D.McC wrote: »

Increased enforcement would protect them from the part-time driver, who after finishing a 40 hour week, then comes out at the weekend.

What exactly would be enforced here. Are part time workers acting illegally?

Calina

Okay.

There is one option for continuing this discussion. It's called 1) being constructive and 2) not being racist.

I'm not in favour of having to delete off topic tangents that derail the discussion. I'm quite prepared to shut the thread if necessary and hand out bans if necessary.

GTE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzySKDuPu9I