woody2 Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 min wage increase will remove any saving.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notwell Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whimsy Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 We keep getting told how good ComCab taxis are because they can take wheelchairs. All the Manx patients I have traveled with have not been in their own wheelchairs but have used borrowed airport chairs for getting around the airport and to the transfer taxi/minibus. It is misleading to quote this as an advantage. The use of minibuses by Bridgewater was efficient and practical for the transfer of large numbers of patients on the regular walking wounded flights. I don't see how using a number of taxis instead of a single minibus can be cost effective in the long run. And when the Bridgewater staff spot a Manx patient at the airport not looking totally competent, they set off down the airport and get a wheelchair for them and wheel them across the road to their mini-buses - and on the return journey, go back into the airport, retrieve a wheelchair, bring it to the vehicle and then wheel them across the road to the airport. Seen it happen dozens of times - will the new drivers be doing that I wonder? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whimsy Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Most, if not all Taxi firms can deal with said people without any problem. It is a taxi service not an ambulance service. When all these patients get dropped off at the boat or airport they don't receive any specialist care and when they get to Ronaldsway they get in an ordinary taxi to go home. How is that any different ? shouldn't these people be paying for their own transfers to and from the airport to the hospital if they have both the health and means to shop and sight-see? The vast majority of patients are elderly and many infirm. They only get sent away for the more serious and complex illnesses. My experience is that very few of them have the ability or health - or inclination - to 'sight-see" or shop. And there has been a real tightening of those allowed to accompany patients. Hard to tell who can afford it, but most are pensioners, not always the most affluent people. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Duck of Atholl Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Most, if not all Taxi firms can deal with said people without any problem. It is a taxi service not an ambulance service. When all these patients get dropped off at the boat or airport they don't receive any specialist care and when they get to Ronaldsway they get in an ordinary taxi to go home. How is that any different ? shouldn't these people be paying for their own transfers to and from the airport to the hospital if they have both the health and means to shop and sight-see? The vast majority of patients are elderly and many infirm. They only get sent away for the more serious and complex illnesses. My experience is that very few of them have the ability or health - or inclination - to 'sight-see" or shop. And there has been a real tightening of those allowed to accompany patients. Hard to tell who can afford it, but most are pensioners, not always the most affluent people. Congratulations. In cutting out Roger Mexico's response and in particular the section I enboldened you've taken my statement completely out of context. You've also made some sweeping generalisations. Do you have any stats to back up what you say? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dilligaf Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Well that wouldn't make any sense dilli. There is a saving of 30k on the cost now. Not what Bridgewater might have proposed. It seems to me a lot of people are applying double standards. Any other area goes twenty years unchecked on charging to government and there would be uproar. Which post are you referring to fella ? Maybe you just typed the wrong name there.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notwell Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Well that wouldn't make any sense dilli. There is a saving of 30k on the cost now. Not what Bridgewater might have proposed. It seems to me a lot of people are applying double standards. Any other area goes twenty years unchecked on charging to government and there would be uproar. Which post are you referring to fella ? Maybe you just typed the wrong name there.? Sorry, it was Quilp who said: "No it's not, it's clear someone will do it cheaper, is all. What is not known is whether Bridgewater were able to raise their charges year on year without it going out to tender; which is, after all, proper procedure. Maybe Bridgewater kept their prices low for years and proposed an increase which led to re-tendering. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quilp Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 And all I suggested was that Bridgewater's charges may've remained static for years and a proposal by them to increase their charges was what prompted iomgov to throw it out to tender. Or, that Bridgewater provided the (excellent) service, raising their charges year on year without the contract ever being put out to tender. Who knows? It's all very vague... At the same time, it's a non-story really, storm in a teacup. As I said earlier, I expect to see a few familiar faces doing the runs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Power Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 Well, Comcabs had a fleet of black cabs at Liverpool airport this morning. Courteous and timely service although the driver didn't help anyone in and out of the cab. There were three of us going to two hospitals, the driver set the meter and the first leg was around £13.00. He reset it to drop me off at my destination and the next leg was around £9.00. Only two of us came back and the meter read around £19.00. I have no idea if that is what the government are being charged but if so, the number of trips undertaken will certainly be expensive bearing in mind how many cabs were being used? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Surely it would be much cheaper running mini buses or mini coaches? Especially if people all arrive on the same flight, and chances are, return to the island on the same flight? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Prom Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 I have no idea That's the key point from your post. Guesswork and supposition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody2 Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Surely it would be much cheaper running mini buses or mini coaches? Especially if people all arrive on the same flight, and chances are, return to the island on the same flight? i said before, stick them in the back of a van.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Mexico Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Well, Comcabs had a fleet of black cabs at Liverpool airport this morning. Courteous and timely service although the driver didn't help anyone in and out of the cab. There were three of us going to two hospitals, the driver set the meter and the first leg was around £13.00. He reset it to drop me off at my destination and the next leg was around £9.00. Only two of us came back and the meter read around £19.00. I have no idea if that is what the government are being charged but if so, the number of trips undertaken will certainly be expensive bearing in mind how many cabs were being used? This was the point that puzzled some of us earlier in the thread. It could be that there are also savings to be made by not having specialist vehicles of course, but using more vehicles and drivers seemed expensive, unless the vast majority of past loads could have fitted in a cab anyway. The metering of the journey may just be the normal protocol and journey-logging, rather than indicating that it is what the IOMG will end up paying. The only worry is that there were statements that the contract hadn't been signed or even written when the changeover took place (there is a lot of history of this with IOMG) and you have a horrible feeling that they may end up paying full whack until it gets sorted out. Which will be in several years time (if ever) on past performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarne Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 "make you own way from Liverpool airport to the hospital". Suddenly twenty government jobs are gone, and saving of millions. Wow. It isn't hard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolley Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 I wonder how much the tendering process and administering the change is costing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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