A bit of feedback from the Black (London Black that is) economy. A typical
City-West London fare - previously around £18-£20 is now frequently as low as
£11-£12, saving at least £6 due to time savings, but the taxi trade isn't
losing out on this one, as by doing the journey faster they get to do more
trips per hour - a 2:1 ratio or better has been suggested.
Of course this means a further business benefit, as with faster and more
consistent journey times you can schedule more meetings in a working day.
Given the measuring criteria of reduced costs to passengers, and increased
revenue to taxi operators, this would surely be a key way to assess the
benefits of congestion charging, with far greater impact than the average
speed of traffic. Is anyone reviewing the this yet? Is this why the former
critics of the Charge have gone quiet?
Dave Holladay
Glasgow
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