Essruu

You've already said that you use Radio Taxis, so you don't have to worry about the age of the vehicles as they are licensed by Southampton City Council. If you were a regular user of taxis in many licensing districts around the country, then you would probably quickly haves different opinion if you saw the age and condition of some of the vehicles that you were paying to travel in! Would you want to pay good money be transported in an L-Reg Volvo, or a P-reg Primera? Older, cheaper cars with a lower standard or number of mechanical tests, as accepted by some districts, mean a lowering of general standards as everyone will try to compete on price and one way of doing this is to run older cars, not have them serviced at regular intervals, stretching out the life of tyres/brakes etc. put it this way: I would never willingly encourage a loved one of mine to use a taxi/PHV in certain districts around the country unless there was literally no other option.

You admitted yourself that the disgruntled Fleet drivers got together with the disgruntled office staff and 'made a list' of the regular Fleet customers to go after them for the new company. Ok, you can have us believe you did it from your collective memories and that these same office staff, whilst working the Fleet computer and dispatch system did not either copy the information and write it down or store to a storage device or print off the info, if you want. Or you can admit that you collectively colluded to take the information from the Fleet systems. If, as seems likely, the information was all taken from Fleet's system, in Fleet's offices and by staff employed at that time by Fleet, then what would you call it?! I'm not that bothered or involved on the mess, but I just thought that fuller information should be provided to people who you were canvassing on here, as to what went on. I think we both know what the difference in the comparative general vehicle standards between the Eastleigh and Southampton are. I look out of my window every day and see an L-Reg Volvo, licensed by Eastleigh, that has its exhaust held on by a piece of string - and it's been like it for months!! That just wouldn't happen with Southampton licensing, not just the condition, but the age of the vehicles. £15 isn't particularly cheap for Ageas Bowl to the City Centre either, but I can understand some clients being happy to pay a fixed price if they hear rip-off stories of some Hackneys trying it on in the past. I think you're on dodgy ground to suggest that Elite's fares are always cheaper than Radio Taxis and that every driver will be friendlier and more helpful than every Radio Taxis driver, but it may be a way of generating interest. Go on then, you've got me - give me a quote from Beaulieu Close, Lordswood to Rownhams Road, North Baddesley on Sunday 2nd September at 4pm, cheers... oh, it's SFC v Man Utd, so you'd probably need to check if you'll have any cars available if a Saints home match affects your fleet that much :-D

Hi Jeff, Ok, the word 'sabotage' may have been too strong with regards to the Fleet customer database, but stealing the information of Fleet's customers is plain wrong. I'm surprised that no action is being taken against those responsible, but that's up to the new owners to decide I guess. Fair enough regarding the EBC areas that you cover, but you know as well as I do just how many pubs, shops and social clubs in the (mainly east side of the) SCC licensing district Fleet targeted. I have way of knowing for certain either way whether Elite will or won't try to go after these same businesses and customers in what is a neighbouring district to that which they are licensed in... but I could hazard a guess ;-) Don't get me started on the decline of the hackney service in Southampton, because I agree with you! It's all too easy for them to try and agree a price up front with a pìssed up night time reveller who just wants to get home and doesn't even realise they are being ripped off. I don't know if you have the same problem with the Eastleigh Hackneys, but why anyone would choose to queue at a rank in the cold/rain and then allow themselves to be unwittingly ripped off is beyond me. AND THIS IS A PIECE OF ADVICE FOR ANYONE TAKING CABS: If you're going to jump in a taxi at a rank or flag one down in the street, DON'T agree a price up front, ALWAYS insist that the driver runs the meter. You may get drivers that refuse to, but just threaten to take their plate/badge numbers and report them to licensing. If you don't feel up to doing this, simply refuse to travel and phone a reputable local Taxi/Private Hire company before you even bother rolling up at a rank. Most will arrive before you would have got to the front of the taxi rank anyway!, and all of the larger Southampton firms will insist their drivers run the meter and don't charge boundary charges (unlike the Hackneys.) A lot of people have recommended Radio Taxis in this thread - they are by far the largest fleet of Taxis/PHVs in Southampton, with 265 cars, so customers rarely wait more than 10mins for their car to arrive. Mikey recommended West Quay Cars, and they are ok too, but don't have anywhere near as many cars and you'll often be quoted 1hr+ waits in busy times - also, they run their own tariff, not the Southampton City Council tariff that all Hackneys (when they use their meters!) and most other Southampton Private Hire fleets adhere to. They quote a lower starting price, but it is pointless as they have a minimum fare anyway!, plus for multi-seaters they charge an extra 50% on top of the metered fare, instead of the flat £2 extra that the Southampton tariff stipulates for 5 or more passengers. Also Jeff, you touched on the compulsory TaxiCams in Southampton like they are a bad thing. The main people moaning about them are vehicle owners that just don't want to have to pay for them. The privacy issue is a red herring in my opinion. Virtually all passengers I carry have no problem with them. If anything, people feel reassured when travelling in a cab with the TaxiCams, especially lone females who might otherwise be wary of travelling. It's protection for both the driver and passengers to prove what happened during the journey should the need arise, saving the risk to drivers of false allegations or runners, and to passengers to have a complaint taking seriously and proved. It's not as if I can just play back recorded images or sound willy nilly - an official complaint has to be made to the police or licensing for them to download and unencrypt the recording for viewing. In the years I've had mine fitted, neither the one in the vehicle I drive, nor in any I rent out have had to be accessed for any reason. Anyway, I repeat, best of luck to you - provided you stick in the main to your licensing area and don't try to encroach too much across the border ;-)

*all of those references to "ECC" should have said "EBC" (Eastleigh Borough Council, by the way.)

I do note that you have conveniently failed to explain how the owners of Fleet sold their business and then a group of disgruntled drivers and office staff (allegedly) sabotaged Fleet's computer database and took the customer and account customer database. Can you shed any light on this? Without wishing to get into a 'Taxi Wars' argument, can you just clarify for the readers the following:- 1) Elite will be licensed by Eastleigh Borough Council (EBC), yet you have called them a Southampton/Eastleigh company. Is it true to say that Elite will market themselves more to the Southampton City Council (SCC) licensing area rather than looking to operate mainly in your licensing area, in the same way that Fleet did? 2) Are your vehicles still going to just adhere to the minimum requirements of EBC in terms of having no limit on the age of the licensed vehicle (unlike SCC licensed vehicles which have to be less than 7 years old) as well as just being subject to one annual Mechanical Inspection (unlike SCC vehicles which have an intensive Mechanical Inspection and a normal MOT test each alternating 6mths) despite the stress and wear that vehicles covering 40k+ miles pa suffer? 3) Are all your vehicles fitted with meters set at an agreed tariff by your local licensing authority, or will your fares be charged ad-hoc or from a mileage chart (despite most passengers having no idea of the mileage of their journey or the tariff involved when commencing their hire? I hear so many horror stories of the amounts charged by ECC cars without a meter, that I think people should know where Elite stand on this. I only ask these questions because I feel it is important that people in the Southampton licensing area have some knowledge of the fact that Elite is an ECC licensed company, ECC has lower standards than SCC when it comes to licensing, vehicle age and vehicle condition. You are promoting yourselves as a "Southampton Taxi Company" when of course you're not. Thus, it would be misleading for people to believe that they will be getting the same standards as if they used a Southampton Licensed company. Provided Elite, licensed by Eastleigh, do not follow the Fleet model of trying to encroach on Southampton licensed areas and the bulk of their business sticks to ECC areas, then I wish you well.

I know it's wrong, and I've tried to stifle the thoughts, but that Penny Mordaunt would get it, skate or not.

If you're that bothered by it being per ticket and not per transaction, you could always do more to feel like you've made them work for it and feel like you've got more value from it; Just purchase each ticket one by one: stay in the queue and make them do a separate transaction on your card for each ticket, using an excuse of needing a separate receipt for each ticket in case each person doesn't believe the extra charge is per ticket or something!

LOL, theTrust expects Chinny/Portpin to take 2p in the £ on their debt!!! Add this to the fact that Chinny hasn't responded to their offer of £2.75m fo Fartton Park, plus the players will get more (if paid) from Chinny, then this is game over, surely - or am I missing something?! A mix of the two with Chinny renting FP to the Trust possibly?

Oh no... the fat bloke just mentioned the German bombings... pompeyscot must be crying in the corner right now and logging on to POL to ban him.

Watch their misguided hope and the associated hilarity here, if you're so inclined:- Online Video Delivery

I agree wholeheartedly. But West Quay Retail Park is there and has been for some time. That being the case, when the land that IKEA sits on became available to develop, what exactly does the person who queried the logic of having it there think should've taken it's place?! It's also very easy to say 'this should've gone there' or 'they could've done that with it', but other developers or businesses weren't exactly falling over themselves to take it on. Love or hate IKEA, people travel from miles around to go to their stores and it brings jobs, people and money to the city.

What would you have put on the main road and next to other warehouse-style stores on the retail park then, Einstein?

I haven't read this whole topic, because I knew it would be full of stupid comments like this one and those made by Crab Lungs earlier in the thread. This is indeed a harbour with a huge maritime tradition. It is, as it has been for hundreds of years, a working port though. Unlike traditional recreational seaside resorts, we have no large beaches. The pier was originally built almost 200yrs ago, at a time when the city was much smaller, and the concert hall, and the events held there were a focal point for residents. The original wooden and added structures deteriorated fairly quickly and renovations were needed almost constantly. ABP closed it in the 80s after it was deemed unsafe and in need of major renovation and rebuilding. Other entertainment venues have sprung up since the 19th Century, there's no train line down there anymore, and we're not a seaside resort that needs a pretty pier: so why would anyone think spending a huge amount of money on rebuilding one a good idea? Some of the land that was incorporated into the old pier area is now used by Red Funnel parking anyway. Kutis have done a decent job with the Pier Building itself though, it has to be said. I agree that some of the waterfront planning has left a lot to be desired. Ocean Village for example could be better for visitors, but it is a busy working marina and houses the Royal Southampton Yacht Club. If more shops went in there we'd get the same people moaning about 'more shops'. As for the CITY being a 'grey town' - WTF? Southampton has some of the best city centre parks outside of London in the country. And it's probably one of the greenest cities too. Take a walk from Watts Park, through East Park, Palmerston Park, Houndwell and onto Hoglands Parks, take in the colours, the statues and the history, and only an idiot would say our city is grey. That's before you even think about the 300+ acre Common. Southampton was bombed to shīt in the war. Unfortunately, most of the rebuilding took place in the 60s and 70s when concrete seemed to be the architects' material of choice. Combined this with some decades of lacklustre councils, and I'd agree parts of the city looked bizarre - ugly blocks of flats in French Street next to medieval walls (because emergency housing was needed), 'modern'-fronted shops along London Road, Above Bar and High Street amongst stunning buildings, parts of the Medieval Walls even being taken away in some cases were nothing short of scandalous. However, of late, things are starting to happen.Guildhall Square is coming along and if/when the Arts Quarter ever occupies the temporary green space where Tyrrell & Green once stood, it will transform that end of town. Work on Central Station has also started and if the vision for the future actually gets followed through, then that area will also be something to be proud of. You have the recently opened and Sea City Musuem, the newly renovated Tudor House in the city centre - both of which are stunning. The sprucing up of Old Town is starting to take shape and the history of our city is starting to come back to life for visitors to appreciate and Sotonians to be proud of. It's small things, but things like the Old Town signage, new paving, information signs, re-siting of the one of the QE2 anchors outside of Holy Rood Church etc are all helping to show people what we have. As a taxi driver, I see many parts of this city that most people won't: not just as in areas or streets or buildings, but in the detail of buildings, in the history of places, and in things that most people going about their busy lives would just walk past daily without even giving it a second thought. Open your eyes, people. This is a fine, fine, (and green) city.

No. But there are a few people who I wish would try it.

Those seats last season were used by some fringe medical staff, St Johns Ambulance people and a few random changeable comps. I'm guessing it'll be the same doctor plus St Johns Ambulance etc.

My comps were in Block 7 last season, which this is the 'Premium' priced block. It makes sense for the nil-income tickets to not be taking up expensive seats that can then be resold. Block 3 was probably the only area in the main stand that could accommodate a large number of comps in one block, whilst not plonking them right next to the away fans in Block 1 or 2. My block 7 seats were in a great position, but I'm glad to be back in the Itchen North corner

That's only because pompeyscot was leaving the ones properly debating with you, but deleting the majority of the hate-filled abusive responses.

What a complete load of böllocks you talk. Next you'll be saying it's not fair for people with long legs to compete because they don't have to take as many strides in running races or can jump hurdles easier. Your body is your body, no matter what size legs you have, how big your muscles are, or how many red blood cells you naturally produce; It's a bit different to letting Zebedee spring his was along a 100m track.

You only have to ask... I reckon almost half of the regular posters on there are scummers from here in disguise and just taking the pīss, so we could loan you a login and password anytime you want to catch up with what your mong fans are saying

I just use iTunes to capture sections of songs and change the file type. I wouldn't ever pay for a ringtone song snippet. Never been a fan of the jokey ringtones, but some did make me laugh.

Currently bored and messing around with my iPhone. Searching iTunes and the ringtones section - ringtones have come on a long way since the last time I looked at them. The comedy section has some funny ones. Despite being a tightārse and not really wanting to pay 99p for them, I must say that I am tempted by the one currently at No. 73 in the Top 100: It's an Angry Birds themed one called 'Fat Guy with titties'. I would use this as the personal ringtone for when Turkish phoned me. Do people really pay for this shīt?!

You should watch The Mirror.

So, basically, jillsaint saw three Chinese lanterns and was drunk. You can close this thread now, mods.

So, basically, jillsaint saw three Chinese lanterns. You can close this thread now, mods.