Some
annoyed email messages were sent from one well established and expert operator
out of irritation. This company operates very close to Stansted Airport, and
when it comes to their service level they really want it to mirror their fees.
Moreover, they want their service to actually be helpful for any visiting
business traveler or tourist.
However, lately they've been losing a large amount of business to a different "operator" that is acting a bit like a broking service, which is our old favorite. These people register other operators from all of the main UK airports such as Gatwick, Heathrow, and Stansted. And then these people concentrate on a very general pricing procedure and the "partner" operator will either accept the booking or refuse the fee offered by the broker. Pretty much the most cost effective fee.
Often this cost will be £20- £30 cheaper after the fee billed to the operator or driver, which is significantly less than that operator would usually charge, Just give the offer to the next company on the list if they refuse the job.
I immediately discovered while talking to them on a phone call that when taking on "partners" these people failed to do any kind of check, failed to ask for driver documentation, and failed to go to the "partner companies". The truth is, the only thing they request is a copy of your operator's license. I was told that they prefer to make use of non-VAT register drivers, which is much more interesting.
Moreover, they state that clients can pay a "meet and greet" cost, which means they're met up with within the terminal. If people choose not to pay that in order to keep costs reduced it's possible for them to be met and picked up on the outside of the terminal, which we all know now a days is against the law at many airports.
However, lately they've been losing a large amount of business to a different "operator" that is acting a bit like a broking service, which is our old favorite. These people register other operators from all of the main UK airports such as Gatwick, Heathrow, and Stansted. And then these people concentrate on a very general pricing procedure and the "partner" operator will either accept the booking or refuse the fee offered by the broker. Pretty much the most cost effective fee.
Often this cost will be £20- £30 cheaper after the fee billed to the operator or driver, which is significantly less than that operator would usually charge, Just give the offer to the next company on the list if they refuse the job.
I immediately discovered while talking to them on a phone call that when taking on "partners" these people failed to do any kind of check, failed to ask for driver documentation, and failed to go to the "partner companies". The truth is, the only thing they request is a copy of your operator's license. I was told that they prefer to make use of non-VAT register drivers, which is much more interesting.
Moreover, they state that clients can pay a "meet and greet" cost, which means they're met up with within the terminal. If people choose not to pay that in order to keep costs reduced it's possible for them to be met and picked up on the outside of the terminal, which we all know now a days is against the law at many airports.
When it comes to this company the most interesting thing about it is the fact that it's located in Somerset and nowhere close to Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick, Luton, or any other airports. Seemingly, the firm’s licensing authority (Sedgemoor District Council) is completely happy for them to function in this fashion and is actually - through the words and phrases from the chap spoke to Mr Ed Halil -“very much protected".
This highlights once again that local licensing authorities don't have a clue when it comes to their own rules. If other authorities won't let operators accept bookings from outside their own jurisdiction, then why are operators in Somerset allowed to ply for business from Stansted airport?
It's very common these days to find little kingdoms where licensing officers enjoy waving around their authority and creating their own rules whenever they please. This makes it much easier for the corrupt operators to keep working unchecked, while the more respected and responsible operators have a harder time trying to work.
They blame it on the fact that they don't have the manpower, which is probably true. For instance, take Surrey. We've got 11 area boroughs and 18 neighbouring boroughs and districts and every one has distinctive guidelines, rules and charges pertaining to Private Hire or Hackney Carriage licensing.
Even so the school managed contracts for Surrey are controlled and operated by Surrey County Council-one department, one huge workforce for the whole district. When it comes to PHV licensing and the taxi why not do the same thing? Bring together your resources and have a single license issued by the County. In order to get the admin done and to be out there checking drivers and operators, making it tougher for illegal drivers and operators to keep doing what they're doing, it should be just one cost and the same rules for everybody and a much larger team.
In order to make certain out industry is operating on a honest and appropriate platform for everybody these County Licensing Departments can then liaise and work with their counterparts all around the United Kingdom.
The National License will not work despite the LPHCA's efforts campaigning it, mainly because many individuals will wish to run the thing and it will immediately fall into politics and infighting. However county licensing would do the trick and those county licensing departments may also talk with one another to establish standardisation related to cross-border policies.
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