Best group I can think of to ask this off-topic question: how do taxi meters actually work? I don't often have to catch a taxi, but when I do, the guy always seems to drive a hell of a lot slower than I want him to (and than he was driving when I flagged him down).
It's surely based on a combination of time and distance, but the way they drive, it seems to be to their advantage to go as slow as possible. Can I tell the driver to "step on it, please"? [well - obviously I can!]
John
In article , John writes
Sounds about right, time and distance. They take pulses form the speedo cable or more correctly transducers from electronic speedo's these days and use that to compute with.
Google for "taxitronic" and "HAC taximeters" and "digitax"
If they are anything like the ones in the US, they run based on distance when the driver is going over a certain speed, and when stationary in traffic switch to a rate based on time.
There will be certain areas they are more likely to get hailed, but they can't park there as there is no rank, so they'll drive round and round (who said taxis were environmentally friendly ... they usually sit at ranks with engines idling too).
To know the answer to that, you have to check your local council's taxi rates. Generally, it's distance based, but if you're going below a certain mph the taximeter may assume the vehicle is stopped and apply "waiting time".
London uses both distance and time charging.
For the first 335.8 metres or 72.2 seconds (whichever is reached first) there is a minimum charge of £2.20; For each additional 167.9 metres or 36.1 seconds (whichever is reached first), or part thereof, if the fare is less than £13.40 then there is a charge of 20p;
Owain
Think that's the case in the UK too - so it is of no advantage to the driver to go slowly. Except that it helps the fuel consumption.
On the rare occasion I use a black cab, I'd say they drive too fast. ;-)
That's sometimes been my experience but mini cabs ALWAYS do, I wouldn't use them from choice. Mind you, so do buses, especially National Express.
Mary
Interesting stuff! So if a taxi driver was driving slowly to bump up the fare, he'd *actually* have to drive at less than 10.4 mph. I doubt that he'd do that!
On 15 Jun 2005, Set Square wrote
-snip-
In some parts of London he'd be grateful to be able to reach such a speed...
Agreed. But the OP was implying *deliberately* driving slowly - presumably when there were no obstacles in the way.
[HA! Black cabs in London, maybe, but certainly not in the North East. "Knights of the road", indeed! ]
and Set Square said
Yes -- like the sedate 50mph 20 mile drive I had back from the airport along our empty dual carriageway, a few weeks ago. (But Come, John! using the words "empty dual carriageway" must be a red rag to most UK citizens these days!)
But thanks for all these illuminating answers folks -- this is really educational.
John
... observers of the Highway Code ...
Flanders and Swann's "A transport of delight" was about buses, not taxis.
I remember empty motorways. We happened to be travelling on Cup Final day but, not following football, we didn't know it. (We = the family.)
Owain
We make a point of knowing when it is - so that we can do our shopping with empty shops! We also see how long we can last after the event before becoming aware of who's won. If we're *very* lucky, we don't even get to find out who's playing!
Indeed - the black cab bunch were dismissively cast aside: them *jackal* taxi drivers can only swear and cuss behind that monarch of the road ob*ser*ver of the Highway Code that big six-wheeler scarlet-painted diesel-engined ninety-seven horsepower omnibus
or nearish offer (can't be bothered Googling for the right words - them's the ones in my head and that's what's going out through my fingers...)
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