Anyone used them, am I correct in saying you have to register a bank card with them, no cash ?

Correct

they seem to be everywhere. its anybody but uber for me on the odd occasions i do use a taxi.

Uber is cheaper it seems like. I suppose it depends on what your personal priorities are. I can imagine plenty will go for them over taxis for cost efficiency.

I don’t 100% know about Hartlepool but a mate from the town has used them and said the driver was based in Sunderland. I guess if they get a previous fare to the town or near, they will pick you up.
Uber is a superb service to be fair. I also spoke to a driver in London once and at the time the black cabs were kicking of about their licence. The driver made the point that that the government like the system because it’s cashless.
Don’t necessarily think this would apply to Hartlepool but around the country and actually overseas, I also find the drivers friendlier and they can’t really rip you off. I suppose that’s a consequence of the rating system.

We stayed in an Airbnb in Prestonpans for Edinburgh marathon and tried approx 10 taxi firms to get into Musselburgh for a few pints and none were available. Mostly delivering takeaways. Anyway, the landlady dropped us off and we bumped into a family in one of the pubs who told us to use Uber. Got the app and was able to get picked up in 10 minutes. All paid via app and you get the option to tip the driver afterwards.
BTW, that family we met were Poolies!!

The pricing is based on demand. Last Saturday night it was the same price as a yellow cab yet more expensive than private hire. At other times its the other way round.I find having the app useful as it gives you options. Initially they give promotions to get you hooked. The advantage i find is you normally can always get one.
This is based on my Hartlepool experience.
When in Birmingham the response was 2-3 minutes on a Saturday night.
The cashless thing is great as fumbling with cash when pissed is a real issue.

What about vehicle checks, do they have to be examined…?

Again, outside of Hartlepool, number of times I’ve had a taxi driver tell me his card machine is broken is a joke. Tax is literally in the job description (if you look hard enough.) Just pay it!

I assume they are the same as other private hire.

A "cash only" sign is almost an admission of ..........but i see the points about card charges eating into margins.

feel a bit sorry for taxi owners and companies who have been around for years. keep hearing things like i got an uber to go somewhere rather than getting a taxi. bit like the supermarket situation years back. rid towns of their choices and when thats done put the prices up. its only other companies that have kept their prices down and we,ll need a new uber for some competition if we are not careful.

I get that to be fair accy and somewhere like Hartlepool people often know the taxi drivers at the local companies, although I’d say less so now though.
I’ve asked Uber drivers about their experience in the past and they all say they wouldn’t go back to a private hire firm. Ultimately with Uber they earn more, have total flexibility and the customers are nicer (going back to the rating system again.)
Choice is good though.

I put the Uber app on my phone months ago but never used it until the other week. Train got cancelled to get me home from work in Billingham. Phoned 23 who I've used for years...£20 but no Taxi for 90 minutes.
Opened the App...£13.75 and the Uber picked me up in under 5 minutes!!!
Trying to get a Taxi in Hartlepool is a nightmare now. If you need one for a Friday or Saturday night you are best off booking the week before!! And since all the taxis have changed hands the prices have rocketed.

Its a god send that Uber are now in the town - much cheaper, readily available. 23 will have to really sort their shit out otherwise we will see another town staple from the history books go under

enjoy it whilst you can as things will be different if 23 and others go to the wall and uber has a monopoly. the amazon of the taxi industry.

Slightly of topic I was told Dave Hudson had passed away recently. Does anyone know if this is true

Yes he did.

It is true I'm afraid. In August I believe.

R.I.P. to Mr Hudson

I didn’t know he died in August only 67 years old, obituary said he died from a broken heart ?
When he first started as Hudsons he had a few old Ford Orions nicknamed ashtrays on wheels, he sold Hudsons to a woman then started up 23 almost immediately, no idea why there wasn’t a clause in place where he couldn’t start another taxi business, the new Hudsons didn’t last very long after that. I could never fault his cars in the later years, the airport run cars were usually a merc or another high end make.
My ex booked a 23 taxi from Teesside AirPort, it never turned up, she got an airport taxi. She phoned up the next day, the booking had been booked in the wrong year. Half an hour later a knock on the door, 23 gave her the taxi fare back.

Dave Hudson dies a matter of weeks after his wife Cath died. Cath was one of the nicest women I ever knew. All very sad.

Thanks for the info Mr I, very sad indeed.

Happened again today. Got out of work early for Doctors Appointment. Got to Billingham Train Station 10 mins before train was due. Checked board....Train delayed 5 minutes. Then as I was looking at the board it changed to Cancelled!!!!
Got the App up on my phone and booked a Uber. It came within 3 minutes....£8.27 to Park Road, Hartlepool.
That's what I call a very good service.

People need to start to writing to our politicians to get this Northern Rail shit show sorted as they are strangling the North East coast towns. The reasons given are often lies. Its driver training on the new Ashington line and units sent to Manchester.

do not use trains much but everytime i have been to leeds station waiting for another train there has always been an announcement for a cancelled train somewhere. its not just northern rail it seems all the lot of them.

Can you claim monies back from Train company.. I would have thought so,?

From my knowledge the train companies only have the responsibility to get you from a to b and don’t even have to guarantee you a seat.

It says you can but when I looked into it it depends what type of ticket you have. Mine was an any time return so they'll just say you can get the next one....which would of meant I'd have missed my appointment.

And BTW...You won't believe this...(well Bluestreak will). Finished work at the normal time yesterday for the 17.50 train home. Got to the station....Train Cancelled!!! And the reason...a Train Crash!!! As I was stood there the train to Middlesbrough pulled in and 5 minutes later a train came flying past from Middlesbrough!!!
Checked news sites....no mention of a train crash anywhere!!!

Seems that you might've booked a seat on the Lying Scotsman.

Of which there are many...

or they were watching the film The Ghost Train.

More like Von Ryan’s express.

I might be wrong but if you have an itinerary when you book the tickets even if it’s an open return you can still claim delay repay based on you being delayed on the train that is on your itinerary. I’d also suggest you might be able to claim money back (with fees applied) on the return part anyway on the basis it’s unused. If it is an open return though they usually have a couple of months for the return bit to be used to it would be worth just keeping it anyway if it’s a journey you do often and you can just buy a single to get there and use that return to come home.

I made a claim against Southern Rail for cancellation and got my full fare back.

Got an uber Tuesday night 6.20 pm from Stockton high street to Hartlepool.
Was there within 2 minutes cost an astonishing £10.68.
When demand is low so are the prices.