Bay Taxis

[Jayne]

Just a word of warning about the unreliability of Bay Taxis. Me and 6 friends were left abandoned for almost an hour last night in a dodgy area of Kirkcaldy at 3:30am.
We had booked 2 taxis the day before and Bay Taxis had promised they would pick us up
2:30am. When they weren't there at 2:40 we phoned them to ask how long they would be, the guy assured me that they were on their way and wouldn't be any longer than 10 mins. 15 minutes later when they still hadn't arrived, we phoned again and we were promised no later than another 10 mins. Eventually after 3 more phonecalls 2 taxis arrived at 3:30am, 1 of which wasn't even from Bay Taxis. When we complained the company gave us no good reason for the fact they were one hour late and refused to give us a discount for our hour of waiting around and we still had to pay the full price.
It is ridiculous that a taxi company should be allowed to leave 7 girls under the influence of alcohol stranded in an unknown town to us, full of neds, and in the freezing cold at 3:30 in the morning so beware when booking Bay taxis.

[Dom]

Quoting Jayne from 19:19, 25th Feb 2006
It is ridiculous that a taxi company should be allowed to leave 7 girls under the influence of alcohol stranded in an unknown town to us, full of neds, and in the freezing cold at 3:30 in the morning so beware when booking Bay taxis.

The fact you were stranded for an hour is the taxi firm's fault. The fact that you were "7 girls under the influence of alcohol stranded in an unknown town to us, full of neds" is entirely yours.

But I do agree with you, appalling service. The only reason they didn't give you a discount was probably because they knew you either paid the full price or didn't get home at all.

[Wee Nic the Dobber!!!!!]

yeh i've had bad experiences with them too....they once tried to charge me and my friends hundreds of pounds because chewing gum was left on a seat. they had no proof whatsoever...as anybody could have left it and my friends trousers infact got covered in the gum which was someone elses!!!!

[flarewearer]

Are bay taxis a taxi firm or a minicab firm?

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[Jayne]

Quoting flarewearer from 20:22, 25th Feb 2006
Are bay taxis a taxi firm or a minicab firm?

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Whats the difference??

[munchingfoo]

They haven't different laws and restrictions.

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Tired Freudian references aside - your mother played my mighty skin flute like a surf crowned sea nymph trying to rouse Poseidon from his watery slumber!

[evil becca]

i totally agree!
its appalling that they left u all there, they r supposed to provide a safe and reliable service.
By the way Dom, how can u blame 7 friends for having a life?! besides it could have been neone waiting there - a disabled old lady etc

[Cain]

Quoting evil becca from 21:09, 25th Feb 2006

By the way Dom, how can u blame 7 friends for having a life?! besides it could have been neone waiting there - a disabled old lady etc

point was, the taxi company cannot control how desperately its customers need to use its services; it isn't their fault that it was 7 ladies who were the worse for wear for drink who were needing a lift.

Equally, it shouldn't make any difference who is waiting for a lift to the quality of customer service.

agree that the service in this case was pants

[hr]

I hold an element of surprise

[SR]

Yes, I used to use them but they hardly ever came on time when I had booked or came promptly when I phoned.

Are any of the other companies better?

[flarewearer]

Quoting evil becca from 21:09, 25th Feb 2006
By the way Dom, how can u blame 7 friends for having a life?! besides it could have been neone waiting there - a disabled old lady etc

I think his point was it was the taxi companies fault for leaving them there, but not their fault that they weer 7 drunk st andrews girls in kirkcaldy.

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[Dom]

Yep flare, and if becca had read my post in the first place, she would see this for herself.

[papercutheart]

Quoting evil becca from 21:09, 25th Feb 2006
i totally agree!
its appalling that they left u all there, they r supposed to provide a safe and reliable service.
By the way Dom, how can u blame 7 friends for having a life?! besides it could have been neone waiting there - a disabled old lady etc

What's your point caller? It could have been seven burly Rugger players...

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[Wee Nic the Dobber!!!!!]

independant taxis are simply brilliant and have NEVER had to wait more than 5 minutes for a cab.

[munchingfoo]

I love Club Cars. fucking ace. Brilliant taxis and nice drivers.

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Tired Freudian references aside - your mother played my mighty skin flute like a surf crowned sea nymph trying to rouse Poseidon from his watery slumber!

[BeccaLydia]

Quoting Dom from 03:30, 26th Feb 2006
Yep flare, and if becca had read my post in the first place, she would see this for herself.

Got a shock there - didn't think I had posted on this board and I hadn't!

I like Club Cars too, always friendly and on time.

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http://facebook.com/p.php?id=37100244&l

[Stu]

Please note that some of the taxi firms in St Andrews are little more than one or a handful of taxis with one of the drivers taking calls on a mobile phone.

Unsurprisingly, this can mean that mistakes can arise, particularly if the driver is controlling several other taxis at the same time.

Another point is that a smaller fleet means that if things don't go according to plan then the firm is less likely to be able to put things back on track - eg a two-car firm has one vehicle booked to go to Leuchars and then the plan is to fulfil another booking, while the other car is engaged elsewhere. However, when the taxi gets to Leuchars it transpires that one of the passengers wants to go on elsewhere, and this obviously means that the driver may end up running late for the next booking. Same with roadworks, breakdowns etc.

On the other hand, if a firm has a bigger fleet then it's more able to absorb such contingencies and thus it's less likely that bookings will not be fulfilled on time.

However, it is true to say that because they don't have to run a staffed office then the smaller firms do tend to offer lower prices, thus it's basically a case of a trade-off between price and reliability.

And, of course, the bigger firms can cock up as well, and indeed at that time of night these firms may only have a couple of vehicles operating, with the office phone number diverted to a driver with a mobile, thus in effect subject to the same problems as the smaller firms.

Please note also that there are no minicab firms in St Andrews - they are all taxi firms. (Out of over a hundred taxis in the St Andrews/Leuchars area there are acually a couple of private hire vehicles (ie the legal term for the informal 'minicab') working for the 'taxi' offices, but in practical terms they are the same as the taxis, the only difference being that they can't pick people up on the street - they must be pre-booked - and the only real difference from the user's point of view is that they don't have a taxi sign on the roof).

Also, the charges for the hire of taxis are controlled by Fife Council and the 'soiling charge' is £30 or so - this was the charge before the last fare increase, but I doubt if it's any more than £35-£40 now - failure to pay that would be a criminal offence.

On the other hand, it's probable that if the cost of the soiling amounted to more than that then the operator could seek legal redress for more than the set charge in the civil courts, but in practical terms this seems unlikely.