London Boat Show, or Not

[Croc]

Of course if you want to do it in a degree of style and comfort you could do what many Londoners do and ring Addison Lee and ask them to meet you at the station and for the price of a black cab...actually normally slightly better.... they will give you a fixed price Paddington to Excel fare and whisk you there in a clean and comfortable limo.....it is what Londoners call "sending for a car"....very efficient , civilized and hassle-free but rather dearer than the Tube and DLR unless there are three or four of you and then it is probably cheaper.

 

[ari]

That's a very good suggestion. Perversely, I quite like rattling along on the old tube, makes me feel like I'm properly in the city (or under it at least).

 

[jfm]

Of course if you want to do it in a degree of style and comfort you could do what many Londoners do and ring Addison Lee and ask them to meet you at the station and for the price of a black cab...actually normally slightly better.... they will give you a fixed price Paddington to Excel fare and whisk you there in a clean and comfortable limo.....it is what Londoners call "sending for a car"....very efficient , civilized and hassle-free but rather dearer than the Tube and DLR unless there are three or four of you and then it is probably cheaper.

Bit of thread drift here, sorry, but what do you base the "Addision Lee is cheaper than black cab" on Croc? I use AdLee and black cabs literally every day of the week that I'm in London and I'd say AdLee are about 1.5x the price. And my firm is their biggest account, bar none. I'd be very interested to know your experience

Also I wouldn't call a Sharan or Galaxy a "limo" but i know what you mean But I like the outspokeness of ther CEO in his leader column in the free AdLee magazine

 

[Croc]

Ah you are pinning me down....I have used Addison Lee about 20 times....I live in Norfolk and so while often in London it is not a daily experience for me although I have a son there and he uses them several times a week.
I have found them staggeringly efficient. On time every time they advise when they are coming and when they are outside waiting for you. Maybe the description of their cars as limos was a faint exaggeration but they are spacious, clean and comfortable and seem devoid of the slight air of tension that comes with every black cab journey. The drivers seem well trained and smooth.
Obviously you have more knowledge of the fares than me and you may be right about the price compared with a black cab.... if the journey goes smoothly. However if you hit a big traffic snarl-up in a cab the costs mount up whereas in the AL car the price is agreed and kept to.
I was converted to being a fan of AL one night coming back from Paris...I called them to book a car as we left the Eurostar terminal at Folkeston. I had just told them the train I was on and that I wanted a car from St Pancras to Bethnal Green but before I could tell them my name the signal was lost. There was a thunderstorm rolling across London and I get not get another signal to get back to them.The queue for taxis stretched right across the station. I just joined it and my mobile rang and an AL driver said he was waiting outside for me. They had made a note of my number and name ...and previous destination from when I had last used them nine months earlier. You are possibly right about the 1.5 times difference compared with a cab but I would have paid 3 or 4 times as much to get out of the station and to our flat that night. The effectiveness of their computer systems has to be experienced to be believed.
I too enjoy travelling in London but sometimes it is all too much and then it is good to know there is a a comfortable alternative.
Sorry about the thread drift and the long waffle.

 

[mjf]

Being pedantic I know but its not on the tube - its a DLR job so at least one change for most.

Its a slep from central london - but worth the effort after last years improvements - much easier to cross halls etc

 

[jfm]

Thanks Croc. Yup, no issue with your general description and I'm very aware of their service - I do at least one AL a day. I just wanted to check your pricing and I'll now stick to my guns which is that they are priced at around 1.5x a black cab and they have to add VAT which black cabs don't. I agree all the things you praise about them but for journeys in town you need to have a black cab account too and pick the car that suits the journey becuase AL limos can't use bus lanes.

Overall I am an AL fan

 

[MapisM]

they have to add VAT which black cabs don't.

Weird. Same service, one VAT chargeable and not the other?
Seems grossly unfair, if not even against competition law...

 

[jfm]

Weird. Same service, one VAT chargeable and not the other?
Seems grossly unfair, if not even against competition law...

Yup. It's because the UK does not require VAT registration until turnover exceeds £74k pa (or some number close to that). Which number just so happens to be just above a typical black cab owner's turnover (black cabs are invariably one-man businesses)

There is a perfectly viable legal argument whereby a 2-man 140k pa cab business can claim it is being discriminated against compared with a 1-man £70k pa business, but so far no-one has taken a case!

AFAIK no other EU country has a threshold for VAT registration anywhere near as high as £70k pa

 

[windpipe]

I have been to many Southampton and London Boat Show and they are very different. Southampton for me is a sailors boatshow where as London has seems to be more dedicated to Power which is not my thing. However i do keep going as it is always worth getting on board the Oysters, if you can

 

[rubberduck]

Bit of thread drift here, sorry, but what do you base the "Addision Lee is cheaper than black cab" on Croc? I use AdLee and black cabs literally every day of the week that I'm in London and I'd say AdLee are about 1.5x the price. And my firm is their biggest account, bar none. I'd be very interested to know your experience

Also I wouldn't call a Sharan or Galaxy a "limo" but i know what you mean But I like the outspokeness of ther CEO in his leader column in the free AdLee magazine

We have an account with them & I would say that the fares are in line with black cabs but you don't get the add on's like waiting in traffic, so overall cheaper IMHO.

 

[Richard Shead]

We have an account with them & I would say that the fares are in line with black cabs but you don't get the add on's like waiting in traffic, so overall cheaper IMHO.

but they (AL) do know how to charge if you over run or your flight is late...then again try getting a black cab to take you from LHR to Twickenham....sorry guv not going that way.....

 

[sgoodwin71]

i am travelling up from Torbay, £90.00 first class travel by train is so cheap & easy!
just getting to Excel from Paddington is the pain, hence way so many boat owners from Devon & Cornwall dont bother with Excel. please come & say hello to me on the Fairline stand.

Happy New Year to you all!

 

[ACE]

Are there any planned meetings of the members of the forum at the show ?

 

[jfm]

Are there any planned meetings of the members of the forum at the show ?

Quite a few Fairiline-eys have already haphazardly arranged to meet up on the first saturday so ask the Barke brothers to point out the renegades upstairs in Fairline's bar area and we'll join you for a beer. Still haphazardly, we will probably manage to meet up with the princess-eys aka Hurricane, mjf, DJE (DJE's got a Fairline, but i did say this was haphazard)

 

[z1ppy]

Was planning on going Saturday but thats been shot down now so maybe the second Saturday. its going to be dangerous going without SWMBO. wonder what i will come back with!!

 

[Solitaire]

Was planning on going Saturday but thats been shot down now so maybe the second Saturday. its going to be dangerous going without SWMBO. wonder what i will come back with!!

Well come and say hi! I will be on stand D421.

 

[Whitelighter]

Thinking I may go on Thursday as I finish work at 12.00 so can nip down the M11 for the afternoon.

 

[ACE]

Quite a few Fairiline-eys have already haphazardly arranged to meet up on the first saturday so ask the Barke brothers to point out the renegades upstairs in Fairline's bar area and we'll join you for a beer. Still haphazardly, we will probably manage to meet up with the princess-eys aka Hurricane, mjf, DJE (DJE's got a Fairline, but i did say this was haphazard)

Excellent, I received my VIP Fairline invitation and I am around Friday and Saturday so hopefully "haphazardly" I will bump into everyone..... Look forward to it ......

 

[z1ppy]

Well come and say hi! I will be on stand D421.

will do.

planned for this weekend but boring domestic duties are now in the way!

 

[jfm]

Ace, several of us will be there Friday afternoon too, maybe late-ish from 3pm onwards. Me, Jimmy le builder and EME, for starters. So we can catch up either day and I'm sure the Barkes will be happy to intropduce us. Whitelighter, I am there on Thursday for an 11am meeting so might see you after that