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The two broad areas that
a prospective new customer needs to consider are;
What I am going to do with the vehicle?
Where am I going to use it?
The relevance of the first question mainly applies to the AVD Taxi.
Legislation differs from country to country and even from city to
city. It would be impossible to cover all the various local bylaws
that may apply to taxi usage. In the UK two main taxi classifications
prevail; Omnibus and Hackney carriage. Local authorities often have
conflicting views and precedents regarding which legislation should
be applied. Most common classification applied to our vehicles is
the Omnibus category. This requires the vehicle to be operated along
a fixed route with predetermined stops. This can be restricting and
prevents the vehicles being used as a “hail and ride” [Hackney type]
service. The Hackney classification offers the most operational flexibility,
but attempts to classify rickshaw type vehicles as Hackneys often
provokes hostility from “conventional” taxi driver associations and
a reticence from local authorities to be involved in confrontation
with them. In practice rickshaws can operate harmoniously with motor
taxis, they just need the opportunity to prove it. The resentment
shown by drivers of motor taxis is usually as a result of ignorance
about how rickshaws operate, however it is important to appreciate
that a London cabbie will have undergone a long and expensive process
to acquire his/her cab licence and they jealously guard that right
to operate.
Our advice if you are thinking of setting up an operation is to first
approach the relevant local authority and get a feel for their attitude.
If it is unfavourable then you h will have a long struggle ahead.
If they are receptive then you should try to canvas some local support
and start to create a business plan. At this stage you should contact
ourselves and we will see what help we can offer. We will be pleased
to liase with the Police and other interested bodies to reassure of
them of the operational safety of the vehicles etc.
The second question relates to the vehicle construction and use regulations
that may or may not apply. If you are using a pedal-only version of
an AVD vehicle then there should be no problem. [We are assuming that
the proposed operation is somewhere in Britain or mainland Europe]
If you intend to use an electric version then a wide variety of different
rules may apply, depending on which country you live in. The best
advice is to contact the factory and we can advise. We have international
contacts through our local Chamber of Commerce and will be pleased
to check on local legislation for you.
The laws in Great Britain are changing at the moment regarding electric
vehicles, we will publish confirmation of these very soon. In the
meantime contact us if you have a specific question.
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