Are taxi finding services legal?

[somerledone]

What is the difference between someone acting as a tout for a cut from a taxi driver and a company acting as a go between to effectively do the same thing? If one is illegal then surely the other must be too. I am thinking specifically of companies like Cabfind Ltd and others of that ilk, who provide on line and phone services but don't actually hold an operators licence for the area. They also provide rail replacement but then focus on a given company and send all the rail work to them even when they are not present at the time of need and other cabs are already available on the rank and being bypassed. I know that the rail company has dispensation as an emanation of the state to use taxis for third parties but that dispensation can't devolve to a private company can it?

[bednobs]

i don't really know what cabfind it, but common sense tells me that if it is for hackney cabs then it's legal (after LL you can just flag a hack down in the street) If it's for private hire, as you probably know they can only pick up prebooked clients. If that is prebooked through a company or through themselves, it probably amounts to the same thing i would have thought ie legal. Your rail replacement example is not different than any company booking taxis for their clients or staff - the clients are going to wait for the taxi that's coming to pick them up, rather than get in a random cab off the rank as they don't want to pay for it!

[bednobs]

meant to add at the bottom, as i said that's what common sense tells me, but common sense and the law aren't always the same - i am giving you a guess

[FredPuli43]

Somebody touting for a minicab, 'private hire', firm in the street is breaking the law, as are the firm, because the cab is in then plying for hire, which is forbidden.

Taxicabs that are allowed to ply for hire are free to use Radiocabs or any of the 'circuits' to get fares from any address or in the street. Can't think that the circuit needs any local licence, provided the cab is licensed to take the fare. A tout for such a cab surely commits no offence. He is just providing a service, just as the doorman at a hotel is when he hails a cab for a guest. That the tout gets some of the fare is immaterial.

[somerledone]

Flagging any passing vehicle is fine, that's pretty much what cabfind are NOT doing. Taking a cut from a cabby and then deliberately pointing fares at him is not fine. Plying for hire is not the same as touting. A cabby is not allowed to approach a fare, the fare must either approach him or flag him down whilst he is moving. Also, a cabby can only wait to be approached if he is on a designated rank, he can't just park eg outside a night club close to closing time (unless there is a rank there). In order to ply for hire at the local rail station taxis are required to have a station permit which costs about £700 per car per year. In addition a White Docket agreement is part of it and the cab agrees to accept these in lieu of fare for transporting rail passengers when required. He then submits a claim for the fare via Cabfind who are acting as go between for the rail company. However, they have made a separate back door agreement with one of the larger firms and in most cases they will call them in to do the rail replacement work, despite the fact that there is a requirement for a minimum of 5 cabs to be available within 10 minutes plus 5 more within 20, also regardless of the fact that there are nearly always other vehicles from other firms already immediately available at the station. Many times, as well as directing towards the local big firm, they bring in private hires etc who don't even hold a permit, yet the local taxis can't even get docket work unless they have a station permit. It all seems a bit grubby.