Hackney-Coaches.
The Times, 1824-10-06T00:00:00

TO TRE EDITOR OF THE TIDIES. Sir,-I noticed some weeks back a short letter ini youtr paper, crying out for a new arrangement -as te our ],ondon hackney-coach fares, and proposing, if I recollect right, an assimilation to the practice used in Paris. As to the ih- sufficiency of our present system, I apprehend there can be no doubt ; the only question wiould be, in wliat way we can improve upon it. The extortions of hackney-coachmen have become proverbial. At least, three times in five, you have to pay 50 per cent. over your fare when you employ them, or to dispute (i. e. to fliht): and it really becomes a serious inconvenience, that a ,dly cannot take a coach from the Bank to Charing-cross, without the moral certainty, if she be alone, of being plundered or insulted, Now the French scheme, as it seems to me, would be imprac- ticable in England altogether. When you take a coach in Paris, to go from one place to another, the charge is fifteen pence for the course, or single distance, be that dis- tance great or small; always provided that you (lo not stop to make calls in going along, for if you only have your coach door opened by the way, a new course (and fif- teen pence) commences. The difference, in extent, be- tween London and Paris, makes this arrangement with us quite impossible. If we were to say that a hackney-coach shoul(d go from Piceadilly to Aldgate for fifteen pence, we should in fact put an end to hackney-coach driving alto. gether; and, on the other hand, it does not seem very de- sirable that a passenger, who only wants to go a quarter of a mile, should pay fifteen pence instead of a shilling, for his conveyance. But although the French system, as it seemns to me, cannot, for these reasons, be adopted, I am still of opinion that our own might be considerably im- proved. The great incentive to extortion among the hackney-coachmen is the facility with wvhicli, at the moment, the fraud is committed. Nobody knows when he takes a coach, to any thing like even a rea- sonable certaintv, what is the distance to the place where he is going. The imposition is perfactly easy: the remedy that follows is too troublesome. You suspect that you are overcharged, but can't avoid paying the demand; and then to punish a feUow's impertinence, you throw away halt a (lay's time after your lost eighteen pence,and at last begged (if you happen to be successful) into fotgiving you oppo- nent, and perhaps paying his expenses. Now every man's experience must show him that this remedy is worth no- thing; but might not something be done in the way of prevention? The i.iducement to extort, nine times in ten, arises out of the notorious ignorance of the party who has to pay. People know nothing in town of distances. I dare say, Mr. Editor, that you don't know at this moment, and could not ascertain without some trouble, what is the distance from Tyburn turnpike to the Obelisk, near your own offioe, in Bridge-street. And there are no ready means, or sufficient ones, of informsation upon this poinlt. A man cannot always Wlave a book of hackney-coach fares in his pocket; and if he could, there is no such work suf- ficiently avowed by autliority for people to rely upon it. There should be some plain direct notice from authority- so plain and public as to come within the view and know- ledge of every bodv; and I can see no reason why there should not be direction-stones, lilke mile-stones, fixed in different parts of town, marking the distance from the par- ticular points at which they might happen to stand, to the great land-marks of London-such as the Palaces, the Bridges, and the Theatres. Where would be the mischief, for instance, of havin, a stone at the top of Portland-place, which, with twelve lines (or even more) upon its four sides, would give the distance to half the public points in the metropolis? Such a measure would not entirely re- move the existing inconvenience, because people would not have the line drawvn from their own house doors to those of rtheir friends or neighbours; but a very great deal of the difficulty would cease; every man must have a mark of this kind immnediately in his neighbourhootl; and the means I of ready reference and calculation would be at hand. I really think, Mr. Editor, that this suggestion may be worth a minute of your consideration. The tlling mrny be done with very little of expense or trouble; 50 such stones as I propose would be no eye-sore in the town, andi within five years we should all be as familiar wvith the extent of the grountd wve walk upon as we are now ignorant of it. In ad- dition to this, a little revision of our present scheme of hackney-coach fares, and a little publicity given to some of its details, might do well. If we were to consider the expediency of denying half-crown fares, vhile we allow eighteen penny ones-that is, explain why a man who rides a furlong over two miles in a coach shouldl pay a shilling for that excess, while he who rides a half mile over one gets clear for his extra sixpence, it could be no mischief. 'rhere is another little doubt, too, I think, about the "return fares," whether they are payable back to " the stones" (from the suburbs), or only to the nearest coach stand? for the law upon this point always shifts, I find,(the coachman being judge),% ith the circum- stances of the case; and I paid a " back fare" the other evening of a mile, having a coach-stand (at the Elephant and Castle) within 10 yards of where I stopped. If this small matter, and one or two other trifles,could be arranged, aild such a publication of distances ar I suggest introduced, it appears to me, Mr. Editor, that our old shilling a mile arrangement would prove tolerably satisfactory. I confess that I can quote no authority at present in support of my plan; but if it should happen to be a new one, you will not reject it purely on that account? I am, Sir, vour obedient servant. El. -, .... - HACKNVRY-COACHES.