Surveys carried out, admittedly rather crudely, will show that most fare paying customers in this neck of the woods prefer to use Private Hire cars than Hackney cabs...Why you might ask???
For a start the general perception is that Hackney cabs are more expensive...swings and roundabouts I say...and who wants to be picked up in a big black ugly thing, they say...
The powers that be say it's safer to travel by Hackney and they're easier to identify...I say there's a bias but it doesn't work...There's a more personal thing about using a car as opposed to a cab..maybe that's why the Hackneys are outnumbered by a ratio of four to one...in truth there are too many taxis on the road in Chester today and it impacts on the wages you can earn..try telling that to Cheshire West and Chester Council...they don't listen...
As is the case with most Licensing authorities throughout the country...they make their own rules up as they go along, taking little or no notice of the drivers..
For instance, The Hackneys in Chester commissioned their own survey, at great expense, to determine the need for extra cabs in the area and the results were ignored, the council opted for their own survey and today the ranks are overflowing mainly with new Hackneys some of the owners are struggling to make a living and make their monthly payments on brand new cabs....
For more years than I can remember Private Hire have had no say in what goes on and what rules are imposed on them. Last year I was instrumental with five other drivers in setting up our own Private Hire Association and we took up the cudgel in an effort to be heard...It's a long hard road and to date we only have a few minor concessions from a Licensing authority seemingly ' hell bent ' pushing both Private Hire and Hackney to the limit..
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