A new begining or just the end?...By Thomas the Taxi.

As we wind down the naughties and look forward to the new, as yet unnamed decade, we look back on an epoch that has seen the trade bought to the brink of destruction.

With the licensing of Private hire, our trade, the best taxi service in the world, has been sold one of the biggest deceptions of its entire existence.

The promise that mini cab numbers would be halved, by the previous Mayor Ken Livingston, took us into a completely new dimension. One that would see the trade fighting for the right to exist, one that would see mini cab numbers triple in just three years.

Who would have thought, a couple of years ago, that one day we would be moved on and accused of stealing work from a line of touts. All because an official from TfL had read a book by a solicitor from Derbyshire had and deemed them to be legally waiting to be hired, even though they were parked in a 24 hour bus lane or on double yellow lines, even though case Law says they are illegal.

These satellite offices have spread out of control like a virus infecting the whole of London's night life.

Under the dominion of Metropolitan Police, we had protection as they felt they had a duty to protect our working practises. Now even that has been taken away, as the Licensed taxi trade fell under the authority of a TfL bent on the harmonisation of the two services.

It's no secret that this band of belligerent, wannabe politicians, have the demise of our trade firmly in their sights. We have seen this in the minutes of surface transport meetings publish on line, where the possibility of letting PHV's Ply for hire from waiting areas (ranks) are regularly discussed.

But how has this happened?

Do we not have a London Taxi driver on to the board of TfL, who sits on this panel?

Does this man represent the whole of the trade?

Then how come so many ordinary London taxi drivers are completely oblivious to what is happening.

Recently, we have seen the trade torn apart by the LTDA, in a bid to retain membership numbers, but now its time for the in-fighting to stop. The ordinary driver is sick of the propaganda and lies of recent weeks.

We know who is trying to destroy our trade, we know where the threat is greatest. We must be a laughing stock in the eyes of our competitors. We need to move on, to come together and face our real enemy and stop fighting amongst ourselves.

Normally end of year reports give the reader hope for a better future, something to look forward to, but for our trade all we have to look forward to is much of the same and possibly a trip to the job centre.

There is hope though, as finally it has become increasingly clear that TfL are on shaky ground and they know it. They have acted outside the law by encouraging PHV's to rank illegally outside night venues.

Satellite Offices are unworkable,unenforceable and have to be banned. Not only do we have case law on our side but also the very person who TfL have quoted in the past to give these ranking PHV's a blanket of legality, has made a statement that in fact (in his opinion) PHV's must not ply for hire, stand, form a rank or wait to be hired outside booking offices if full view of the public. They can only wait for passengers after they have been pre-booked by a third party who hold an operators license.

The time has come when all the trade bodies need to join together. If we do nothing in the light of this latest statement from Mr James Button, we will disappear completely. There is no time left to sit on the fence and be an observer, no time left to stick your head in the sand.

TfL know they are on borrowed time, so will try to push their damaging agenda through covertly and quickly, before we can organise residence.

They want Private hire waiting area's (ranks) set up all over the capital, starting in the West End and ending at major rail termini plus Heathrow and City Airports.

But the trade representatives can do nothing without you, the ordinary hard working taxi driver. The trade has never needed you as much as it does now. All you have to do is join us in the fight back. As I have said many times before, it doesn't matter who you join as long as you join. If you are disillusioned with your present association, leave but make sure you join one of the others.

Only one third of this trade belongs to an association or union and now this is no longer enough. Your trade needs you now like its never needed you before.

Our fate is in your hands, its up to you now.

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Will 2010 see the end of the offensive parking stealth tax?

News set to break in the New Year will send shockwaves through town halls who have spent the last 15 years collectively using parking fines to fill black holes in council budgets.
We have evidence of malpractice in every one of the councils listed below.
The High Court case detailed at www.motoristslegalchallenge.co.uk will create the focus.
Other matters will come into the public domain in a matter of weeks.

See full article click here makes really interesting reading.