Supply and Demand and the Taxi industry

[TGPS]

In economic terms taxi drivers are the equivalent of sharecroppers operating on common land, and like all sharecroppers their incentive is to take more than they give.

If the industry wants to do well then it needs to differentiate but to do that operators need to be able to signal to potential customers their pricing and service, and that they cannot do because the Regulator is a failed entity.

But to be honest it would be difficult to expect anything else. A regulator is only as good as the people staffing it and in the Commission for Taxi Regulation is staffed by exactly the same people who were in the Carriage Office and the County Councils. No new thinking was brought it, no imagination, and no innovation - for God sake the first Regulator was a florist from Carlow!!!!

TGPS
http://thisgruntledpublicservant.blogspot.com/

[asset test]

If taxis are in a free market why is there a taxi regulator?

Surely she should be the one who regulates the standards, the licences, the illegal jobbing, etc.? but not the fares

I would have thought that the "free market" for taxis would result in fare competition, no pun intended!

if fare prices were at the behest of the driver, then who knows what the result would be. probably for the better. I realise that the fare structure is the maximum, but what if a Revenue audit is conducted, what would the meter say if a driver gave a good discount off the calibrated meter? hmmmm

Also, sadly, I have NEVER been offered a receipt unless I asked for it

I have no vested interest, but I wonder if the regulator is taking cognisance of the fact that some taxis are being used for nefarious reasons. You guess

[HanleyS]

So 30 euros for 8 hours and minus the cost of keeping a taxi on the road puts you on 25% of minimum wage at best.

Part of my question was why is taxi driving seen as more attractive than say working in McDonalds? Especially if the wages are higher.

[Twin Towers]

Part of my question was why is taxi driving seen as more attractive than say working in McDonalds? Especially if the wages are higher.

Hard to say, apparently there's 3,500 eejits preparing to sit the test.

[HanleyS]

Hard to say, apparently there's 3,500 eejits preparing to sit the test.

Are you a cabbie yourself? I don't mean to be prurient, but what would make taxi driving more attractive to yourself than working in any other job? If you don't mind me asking that is.

[CrapCountry.ie]

Are you a cabbie yourself? I don't mean to be prurient, but what would make taxi driving more attractive to yourself than working in any other job? If you don't mind me asking that is.

I can answer that for ya. I like driving. I like my freedom, which means i go to work when i want, and finish when i want. Overtime was unlimited. The different customers mean no two nights are alike. However, after 10 years, and the drastic changes, i now hate my job. I now work most nights, the return has halved, the stress has quadrupled. We have a regulator in place who knows nuttin (just like emanuel from faulty). This isnt an attack on foreignors, but, the horror stories i hear from passengers, not to mention what i witness, kerb crawling, and literally trying to intimidate people into their cars. Its disgusting. As soon as i can land something else im out.

[CrapCountry.ie]

I wanted to add, cos some people havent a clue. The cartel days some fools refer to no longer exist. With the numbers out there now, such days can never possibly return. More fools refer to market forces and such tripe, again not relevant to the taxi industry. Our plight is similar to, opening one hundred butcher shops on O Connell St. There simply isnt enough business for them. There are now approx 17,000 taxies operating in Dublin, far too many btw. Anyone, who if honest, will admit there is generally no problem getting taxies now at anytime. Even on Saturday nights, the streets are cleared in record time, compared to years ago. These are PEAK times i refer to, at any other times, its embarrassing watching drivers almost race one another for fares. It has to stop. To answer a question someone else asked, as to why people still enter the game? Because now our shambles of a government are offering certain people back to work schemes etc to get them off the dole, again disgusting. I couldnt give a flying **** who this offends, but to think some African or whatever, can come here, cannot be properly vetted for a criminal record, has the social welfare, offer him money for, in some cases, a car, or insurance, or the taxi plate, and then to subsidise his wage. While poor Mr Irish here has always worked hard to keep a nice car on the road, has never had as much as one complaint in ten years from a customer. There is something very wrong with the system. If i go to the dole office tomorrow and ask for help, i know what i be told. Rant over.

[JCSkinner]

Individual taxi drivers cannot set prices. Those are set by the regulaor.

Of course they can. The Regulator sets maximum prices. Taxi drivers could go lower if they chose. And they invariably don't. No sympathy.

[JCSkinner]

The taxi industry in Dublin would be an interesting research topic for anybody studying market economics. Are taxi drivers really only earning minimum wage? Is taxi driving more attractive than other minimum wage jobs? Why are more people entering a saturated market? Something doesn't add up.

Their tax returns?

[CrapCountry.ie]

Their tax returns?

Get a fuc kin life. Big deal, some taxi drivers may not declare every penny. Ifs not like our esteemed leaders or bankers are setting very high standards when it comes to honesty. What sector in this country is totally honest when it comes to pay? Grow up. The days of high earning taxi drivers has passed. Sadly.