Why is there never a Taxi at the Railway Station when I arrive?
The Taxi Ranks at Station premises are on private ground, so are provided by the land owner (e.g. First Group).
If you want to ply for hire on these ranks you have to purchase a ‘permit’ to do so under a private arrangement. Unfortunately, this further restricts the supply of Hackney Carriages for consumers due to exorbitant fees, as First contract the process out to another private company called ‘Cabfind’ to organise the issuing of these permits, whom I assume place a nice profit for themselves on top, forcing the cost up to inconsiderable levels.
So for example: It used to cost £65 per vehicle permit (with no driver limit), but now – £150 for a vehicle permit to include 1 driver + £100 for each additional driver. So for me – 2 vehicles and 3 drivers including myself would be a cost of £350 per vehicle equaling £700 per year to operate at Newquay Railway Station. That’s more than the cost of my annual vehicle license to the council!
So the next time you arrive at a station and wonder why there are no Taxis there please remember, it’s not because we don’t want to be there, it’s because it’s too expensive to consider!
I think it is fair to say that we are all trying to do the best we can to provide a good service to the public, but often it is uncontrollable external factors such as this that cause the most misconceptions about the Taxi trade and supply vs. demand.