surly black cab drivers ! (not taking fares to ED)

[lemonellen]

I've experienced this several times but nearly always in the Waterloo area. Hasn't been so much of a problem elsewhere...

[Alabama]

i've had this, too - trying to get a black cab from victoria and two refused me - one even glared at me, wound up his window and screeched off as soon as I said 'east dulwich'...

[Domitianus]

Funny thing is they have been kicking off (see today's Independent for example) about the infringement of their rights by minicabs/changes at Heathrow etc etc, and, like a bunch of French farmers, they take to blockading the Mall and Trafalgar Square to protect their legally-enshrined monopoly through acts of intimidation and virtual blackmail.

Well, if they expect to have their legally-enshrined monopoly protected then perhaps these to***rs should fulfill their legally mandated obligations under said monopolistic situation by taking passengers where they f***ing well want to go!

[iamyamyam]

If you find yourself in this situation: Note down the taxi driver?s licence plate number from the back of the cab and report them to Ed Thompson, Director, Public Carriage Office (PCO), 15 Penton Street, Islington, London, N1 9PU. Email it via: https://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/contact/pco/taxi.aspx or call 0845 602 7000. Fax: 020 7126 1897. Email: [email protected]

It is an offence and they can lose their licence for refusing a fair

[tiger ranks]

The same thing happened to me while being over in rotherhith tunnel i reported it to the carrage office and was told that the drivers response was that i was being aggressive and rude which i was not

So its a no win situation for the public but i do not know if you have noticed but on a friday or a saturday evening there are 2 or 3 black cabs up and down the lower part of the lane. black cabs are feeling the credit crunch south of the river!!!!!

[shoshntosh]

i've actually never experienced this but i wonder if my recent black cab journey has anything to do with why they won't come down here. having hailed the cab near picaddilly (where i'd apparently been on a bender), i spent the better part of the last two miles asking him to pull over so i could be sick.

apparently girls down here in east dulwich can't hold their liquor.

[nutty]

As someone mentioned earlier in this thread, there is actually a minimum distance you want to go for the rule to apply. I suspect annoyingly ED regularly fals within this (e.g. Waterloo to ED is 4.5 miles according to gmaps). Probably best to actually lie and say you are going further, e.g. Sydenham, Downham etc!

http://www.londonblackcab.com/ourtaxis.htm

When may a driver refuse a fare?

The driver is not obliged to stop when flagged down, but if he does he must accept the fare unless it is over 6 miles in distance or finishes beyond the boundaries of the licensing area. If the taxi is waiting on a rank or at a stand, he or she must take the fare (unless there is a reasonable reason not to - whatever reasonable may mean).

[Annasfield]

It's worth reporting them even if the response you get isn't any good to you. If they done it once, they'll do it again.

As it's only our word against there's, I understand that if they get a sufficient amount of complaints they can stand to lose their licence. The last time this happened to me and the driver refused our fare, I asked for his number and he sped off. Still got it though and reported him.

There's another thread on here about it. Will dig it out.

[SeanMacGabhann]

shosh! Shock'n'tosh

[Loz]

apparently girls down here in east dulwich can't hold their liquor.

Well ladies, I'm reliably informed that the general advice is "by the ears".

[simlqd]

My Father is a Black Cab driver and I can confirm that they are scum :)-D

Seriously, just get into a Black Cab and sit down and then tell the driver where you want to go.

If his light is on (it will be if he has let you in) he has to take you, by law, anywhere within a 6 mile radius of Charing Cross - I think all of ED falls under that.

If he starts to make a fuss, tell him that you know the '6 mile rule'... if he still continues, tell him you are about to take his license number and number plate and shall complain to the Public Carriage Office first thing tomorrow.

I have never had a problem and I have been wasting money on Black Cabs to Dulwich for far too long.

Simon

[Loz]

simlqd,

You are getting two 'six mile' issues confused. The Knowledge covers a six-mile radius of Charing Cross. On the other hand, a driver is obliged to take you anywhere within six miles from where you happen to be. So, if you are in, say, Camden, they can (and probably will...) refuse.

[nutty]

Glad this is getting cleared up. I totally read the 6 mile thoing the wrong way around in my post. I always used to have problems getting them to take me home from the city, but actually that's only 5.5 miles so they shouldn't have refused. Hasn't been a problem getting taxis from the west-end.

I guess there is the other part quoted on their website:

unless it is over 6 miles in distance or finishes beyond the boundaries of the licensing area

I guess ED is within the licensing area though.

[Loz]

Yep - it's the Met Police area.

[dave]

I had this issue a couple of times when I lived in Deptford, but not so much recently.

The rules as currently published by TfL state that a driver with his/her light on must accept any fare which terminates within 12 miles and is in the Greater London area - 20 miles if started at Heathrow.

See the TfL website for official guidance. In my experience stating that they're obliged to take you where you want to go, politely and patiently - even before talking about taking the cab number - is enough to convince the driver that they ought to do their job. God knows what they have to deal with in terms of drunk/abusive/threatening passengers from time to time, but there's still no excuse for some of the responses people have noted above when drivers were asked to take people home.

There's no reason not to travel to SE London other than the chance they won't get a return fare.

[sophiesofa]

> In my

> experience stating that they're obliged to take

> you where you want to go, politely and patiently -

> even before talking about taking the cab number -

> is enough to convince the driver that they ought

> to do their job.

In theory it sounds like a good idea I just don't think I could then sit in his cab worrying how much the driver hates me for politely forcing him to drive me where he doesn't want to go. It would be such an awkward journey and I wouldn't want to give him a tip for trying to get rid of me but i would feel like he expects one anyway. Ahh just the thought of it is making me feel awkward.

[Horsebox]

sophiesofa Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> > In my

> > experience stating that they're obliged to take

> > you where you want to go, politely and patiently

> -

> > even before talking about taking the cab number

> -

> > is enough to convince the driver that they

> ought

> > to do their job.

>

> In theory it sounds like a good idea I just don't

> think I could then sit in his cab worrying how

> much the driver hates me for politely forcing him

> to drive me where he doesn't want to go. It would

> be such an awkward journey and I wouldn't want to

> give him a tip for trying to get rid of me but i

> would feel like he expects one anyway. Ahh just

> the thought of it is making me feel awkward.

Why worry what a complete stranger thinks of you? As for a tip, it's earned not guaranteed. If the driver doesn't deserve it then don't give it. I've never understood why people feel obliged to give drivers tips and it really posses me off when black cabbies moan about customers not tipping.

My dad is a black cab driver and I get sick of him and his mates moaning about 'mean' customers not tipping.

In his defence though he's generally very unlikely to refuse a fare in an direction within the rules and has on many occasion taken people for free when they have really needed it.

They're not all bastards.

[sophiesofa]

I know it's ridiculous but that's the way I am - i need to grow some balls pronto! No they defintely are not all bastards, just a few bad apples in there. Tipping is one of those things i will always find awkward. My boss gave a cabbie a tip of 20p once and when I realised I kind of ran away. 20p is just insulting!

[sb]

.

[Annasfield]

Your complaint has been investigated which involved providing the driver with a copy of your complaint (data protected, no personal details given) for comment.

The only sanctions available to us are to issue a warning or to suspend or revoke the driver?s licence. As you can appreciate the loss of a licence deprives a self-employed individual of the ability to work at their chosen profession and could be seen as disproportionate in respect of a single lapse in the standard of service provided.

Nevertheless, complaints are recorded on driver?s files and if a pattern of complaints and poor behaviour emerges, a driver?s continued fitness to remain licensed is reviewed. If on the balance of probabilities, the Licensing Authority feels that the driver?s conduct is not satisfactory his licence may be suspended or revoked.

The details of this letter together with yours has been noted and placed on file. The driver?s future behaviour will be monitored closely to ensure that this was an isolated incident and not a regular feature of his work.

[R&A]

I got a similar letter but my driver received a strike for throwing out a young lady, in black tie dress, in the middle of the night. Also the hotel's concierge complained too, which prevented the driver using the ol' 'she was p1ssed' trick.

If we all keep reporting when this happens - it should hopefully stop

[legalalien]

I've also had some bad experiences, but it's a lot better than when we lived in Brockley (was once refused a lift at 11pm when 8 months pregnant - great.). We find that asking for "Dulwich Village" rather than "Dulwich" seems to help a bit (random I know, given that the prime consideration would be distance / ability to get a fare back, as noted above).

But re the "no tip" annotation on the receipt, some city firms ask for this sort of statement as confirmation that expenses being claimed don't include a tip amount (I have worked for firms whose policy is not to reimburse any tip component of the fare)

[thebeard]

Black cab drivers earn in excess of ?50,000 a year.

Who in their right minds would tip these miserable moaning high earners?

Only Tourists and Bankers and MPs.

[sophiesofa]

Do they really earn that much?! They should be tipping me not the other way round.

[jaybee82]

You sure about that Beard? 'Cos if they do some of them could definitely afford to have a wash!