‘Taxibus’ idea to beat congestion in York (From York Press)
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‘Taxibus’ idea to beat congestion in York
10:00am Thursday 29th July 2010 in
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- By Richard Catton » richard.catton@thepress.co.uk
SHARING taxis with other passengers for a flat £1 fare is the latest idea to be considered by councillors looking to ease traffic congestion in York.
The revolutionary plan has been sent to every member of City of York Council by taxi driver Richard Jackson, who said if the Taxibus idea works in York, it could be extended to serve rural communities.
He said: “The Taxibus will be able to offer the trip into town or out of town on any selected route for £1 per person, so it would not matter which route you travelled, your fare would be no more than £1.
“The terminus points would all be in the city suburbs, if the idea worked and was successful it could be expanded to the local villages around York with a different pricing policy.”
Mr Jackson, 53, said: “For congestion and pollution and all the other problems we have in this city, it would be ideal.”
The scheme would be voluntary and would not run late at night. Drivers would be able to decide if they were in “Taxibus mode” according to demand. Mr Jackson suggested drivers would wait for a maximum of ten minutes once the first person had entered the cab.
Set routes would initially serve well populated areas such as Acomb and South Bank and ranks would be situated at existing taxi stopping places in the city centre, such as Piccadilly and Duncombe Place.
So far Mr Jackson’s plans have had a positive response from city councillors.
The Lib-Dem head of city strategy, Coun Steve Galloway, said: “We are interested and I have looked before at the concept. It’s an idea worth exploring.
“We will be reviewing the use of Taxibuses, but less from the view of augmenting high-usage bus routes and more from the point of view of filling in gaps on less-used bus routes.”
Coun Ian Gillies, chair of the licensing and regulatory committee, welcomed the idea but said it would not be simple to deliver effectively.
“I think because of costs and timings it’s more appropriate for rural areas,” he said.
Comments(36)
Taken for a Mug
says...
10:11am Thu 29 Jul 10
Arblaster
says...
10:13am Thu 29 Jul 10
however, in this country we have to desperately seek problems, such that then we can rack our collective council pea-brains to come up with a solution; form sub-committees, steering groups, consultation exercises, followed by decisions on advertising and, gawd 'elp us, 'branding' and what logo to paint on their sides.
Just do it. It's not particularly advanced thinking, it's too obvious for that.
Wait a minute; Health & Safety..... insurance....Oh, well, forget it then.....
peepod
says...
10:14am Thu 29 Jul 10
sheps lad
says...
10:17am Thu 29 Jul 10
peepod
says...
10:21am Thu 29 Jul 10
Arblaster
says...
10:30am Thu 29 Jul 10
Minsterview
says...
10:36am Thu 29 Jul 10
There must also be a doubt about whether the taxi trade in York is sufficiently well organised, as a group, to provide a reliable service 52 weeks a year?
Worth a try on a route that is losing its bus service though, such as the 13 route to Monks Cross?
Does Mr Jackson actually have a taxi license?
chillout
says...
10:46am Thu 29 Jul 10
Taken for a Mug wrote:THEY ALREADY DO!!!!
What about allowing them to use normal bus stops...now that would kick First York's price increases into touch.
chillout
says...
10:49am Thu 29 Jul 10
sheps lad
says...
11:22am Thu 29 Jul 10
peepod wrote:Yeah but if this sensible idea was implemented it would interfere with CoYC's traffic management/congestio
Here’s a crazy ‘left-field’ idea to reduce congestion, how about synchronising the traffic light system on the busiest of routes through York, and how about the CoYC stop reducing the size of our roads to make way for more cycle paths?!
n plans. Wouldn't do to prove all the"experts" wrong.
Arblaster
says...
11:23am Thu 29 Jul 10
As i've said, it's also good in practice.
Taxi-vans hang around pre-arranged stops; people get on them. When they are full, they go to wherever they are going. Passengers get off where they want . Fuzzy logic determines when and to where the taxis depart. Logical routes would be out of town and back again. There's always another on its way.
If it's good enough for Istanbul, I suspect it's good enough for York.
hypnosis
says...
11:41am Thu 29 Jul 10
Minsterview wrote:Yes Mr Jackson is a taxi driver, No taxis are not just interested in bus routes.It is an idea to be looked at,or should we not take an interest in keeping York running and pollution free, have you any idea of how many empty trips are done with taxis daily or how many empty buses are running round York.
The idea is good in principle but it seems that the taxi trade would only be interested in creaming off passengers from the lucrative bus routes? That could put at risk those bus services that are cross subsidised. It could mean fewer evening services while links to remoter areas could also suffer.
There must also be a doubt about whether the taxi trade in York is sufficiently well organised, as a group, to provide a reliable service 52 weeks a year?
Worth a try on a route that is losing its bus service though, such as the 13 route to Monks Cross?
Does Mr Jackson actually have a taxi license?
This system runs all over the world and I have seen in operate in Belfast to good effect
spiritofyork
says...
11:57am Thu 29 Jul 10
Garrowby Turnoff
says...
12:50pm Thu 29 Jul 10
Stevie D
says...
12:54pm Thu 29 Jul 10
.
I completely agree with Cllr Gillies - this is something that maybe could be considered for rural areas, but in a city where there are buses typically running every half hour or better on most corridors, it's hard to see what this would offer other than a chance for people to get a cheap (and presumably subsidised) journey without the negative perception of travelling by bus. If people want to eschew a perfectly good bus service for a taxi, let them pay the full fare themselves!
evelyn_trent
says...
1:17pm Thu 29 Jul 10
meme
says...
1:58pm Thu 29 Jul 10
Hear Hear
If I have said this once I have said it a dozen times but i think elf and safety in UK will not allow collection/drop offs on demand which is the most stupid thing I have ever heard of. People dont use busses because they are inconvenient....... people use them in Turkey precisely because they are convenient....COYC there is an easy lesson to learn here
Taken for a Mug
says...
2:01pm Thu 29 Jul 10
Garrowby Turnoff wrote:Don't be daft! anything that makes sense is not worth considering.....next you will be saying there are Park and Ride facilities at these locations.
What about river taxis ferrying people into town from both North and south?
idlehousewife
says...
2:22pm Thu 29 Jul 10
AdmiralNN
says...
2:57pm Thu 29 Jul 10
Taken for a Mug wrote:Im not really sure it does make sense, The river can be really busy. From the north the river sits between boroughbridge road and shipton road - both well serviced bus routes, same for the south. Also the roads are already nasty whereas the river is still (relatively) unspoilt. Commercial park and sail routes and river taxis would pretty much destroy this.
Garrowby Turnoff wrote: What about river taxis ferrying people into town from both North and south?Don't be daft! anything that makes sense is not worth considering.....next you will be saying there are Park and Ride facilities at these locations.
Alan Fetish
says...
3:14pm Thu 29 Jul 10
Arblaster wrote:I believe the plural is dolmii...
I suggest sawing each of those absurd nearly-empty 'bendy-busses' into three or four dolmus.
;-)
Hieronymous
says...
4:31pm Thu 29 Jul 10
puffingbilly
says...
5:38pm Thu 29 Jul 10
under the 1847 act permission must be obtained from the initial hirer before any further people can be carried
if you are asking permission for the intial hirers consent, that is touting
so unless they are flagged it is illegal for any taxi stopping at a bus stop touting for customers, its breaking the law
any taxi carrying people at seperate fares is working as a bus, that is illeagal without the required licence
The 1985 act does not allow cabs picking up at hailing points to charge seperate fares, there is case law
waiting for 10 minutes, the law requires that the taxi must return to the nearest taxi rank as soon as you drop off your last customer
Mr Jackson doesn't really know his own job and points of law that go with it
Arblaster
says...
6:45pm Thu 29 Jul 10
under the 1847 act permission must be obtained from the initial hirer before any further people can be carried"
I quote.....
Well, when such pessimistic twaddle is brought to the fore, there is no hope for any practical realistic progress.
Change the law then!
Can we at least employ councillors who are not borne with a similar irremovable poker up their fundiment?
again
says...
6:55pm Thu 29 Jul 10
yorkandproud
says...
7:13pm Thu 29 Jul 10
evelyn_trent wrote:I understand Mr Jackson has had a few failed money making schemes in the past. Sorry to say he is a dreamer. I am therefore not surprised that York's number one dreamer Mr Galloway thinks it is an "idea worth exploring". Steve, why not take Mr Jackson to the moon. "That's worth exploring"
£1 a trip? It seems that Mr Jackson's philanthropy has no end. His business acumen however appears to have no start - unless he's assuming he will get a subsidy like the buses do.
Lizzie Browning
says...
8:51pm Thu 29 Jul 10
It is an idea worth exploring.
Oh and for those small minded enough to look for alternative motives; I don't care which party thought of the idea.
moneyforwhat
says...
10:22pm Thu 29 Jul 10
Lizzie Browning wrote:perhaps nothing to do with 'which party'. Any chance it's related to the recent Hackney plate saga. Rickshaws have already been tried here haven't they? I like the river idea. I don't know if it's practical but it would surely be a lovely way to get into York to go to work (with tea & toast on board of course).
Seems to be some mileage in this (no pun). How many times do you drive into town, see people at bus stops and think, this is madness? They are heading my way, why not us all go together? Similarly, a load of one person occupancy cars all traveling the same route. It is an idea worth exploring. Oh and for those small minded enough to look for alternative motives; I don't care which party thought of the idea.
piaggio
says...
10:59pm Thu 29 Jul 10
yup, they were called hoppas, me thinks
whitehorse
says...
8:39am Fri 30 Jul 10
Twinkle!
says...
8:49am Fri 30 Jul 10
hifive
says...
11:02am Fri 30 Jul 10
Hieronymous wrote:Best way forward! I do this if ever I'm getting a taxi from the station. The direction I travel in passes the groves, Huntington Road and is on the way to Haxby/ Huntington/ Wigginton..... More often than not I'll shout down the queue and someone hops in with me. Keeps my fair down and is very practical!
Strangers sharing taxis used to be common. Back in the early 70s, when you told a driver at York Station where you wanted to go, he'd call down the rank to see if anyone else was heading for the same part of town; usually two or three more passengers would come to the front queue and the cab would depart full. The cabby got his full fare; the ride was cheaper per head and no-one was accused of queue-jumping because the line moved more quickly.
councilsconscience
says...
11:07am Fri 30 Jul 10
Little Connie
says...
1:12pm Fri 30 Jul 10
skippy41
says...
6:35am Thu 5 Aug 10
There are several in most large city's running from housing areas to and from supermarkets and to and from rural areas
They have to supply a dedicated route and time table, once they have done the rout they can run a normal taxis without council interference
So it seams Mr Jackson has his head screwed on
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York taxi driver Richard Jackson, 53, standing in fron of his vehicle by the city’s Clifford’s Tower. Mr Jackson’s suggestion of creating a Taxibus service with a flat £1 to help solve York’s traffic problems has received a positive response from
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Monkey2 says...
10:10am Thu 29 Jul 10
I'm struggling to see the difference between the taxi-bus and a bus-bus. Could someone enlighten me please?