The Home-Going"Motorcab.
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Drivers of hackney carriages may not decline to hire their vehicles without reasonable excuse, That is one of the stringently-applied conditions of the licensing regulations, both in London and provincial cities. We know that many motorcab drivers think they can pick and choose as they like, and it yet remains for somebody to administer an effective lesson in this respect. At the moment, we are concerned with the awkwardness of the position— awkward for would-be fare and driver alike—in which a taxi-driver finds himself when he has bona fide turned his front wheels in the direction of the depot after a long day's work. The taximeter flag perforce indicates "For Hire," and the intending hirer is thus invited to hail the man at the wheel. A driver may be hailed, under these circumstances, a score of times. between the point at which he decides to go home and the depfit, and take no notice. The man cannot be expected, though he possess rare proclivities in the ' direction of civility, to stop and inform all and sundry, in full detail, the nature of his "reasonable excuse" for not hiring the vehicle. We willingly concede the injustice of any regulations which would require him to do so, were they rigidly enforced in the technical sense. On the other hand, and this is where the public has its grievance, no official at the Public Carriage Office of New Scotland Yard can deny the irritating consequences for the intending hirer who is on the look out for a free vehicle.
There may be some difficulties, and there are un doubtedly arguments to be raised on both sides of the question, but we believe that the balance of considerations is in favour of the approval by the Commissioner of Police of sonic auxiliary indication, to be given when any particular driver has definitely started for home. With such a means at his disposal, which might even be an authorized method of covering the flag or the whole taximeter, the tired-out taxidriver might safely go home, free from the risk of any noting of his number by disappointed people who do not like to be ignored when they hail a vehicle, but, of course, at his own risk of failing to pick up some intending fare wishful to travel in the direction of the depot towards which the vehicle is being driven. We commit these impressions to paper, after our having heard the somewhat-forcible expressions of three visitors to London who have had occasion to COMment to us upon their own recent experiences.