TfL, the proverbial hits the fan.....by Thomas the Taxi

TfL/PCO mess up big time.

Thanks to PA's mistake. A whole train of email thread has been sent, in error, to the RMT's Heathrow rep.

It shows just how the whole of TfL and the PCO hold the Taxi Trade in contempt and in one section, explains an agenda they have always denied having.
So we cant be accused of leading drivers on with statement's about this train of emails, we will publish the thread from first to last in full. This will give you the chance to make up your own mind, about how you feel the PCO/TfL think and act when it comes to the Taxi trade.

First email sent;Sent: 22 July 2009 12:30;

Click Here to read all emails in date order

King Cross Bus Lane Unlawfull....By Thomas the Taxi

We would argue that when conditions within a bus lane change, it heralds the start of a new bus lane. Therefore the regulating body must give clear and proper warning and must not be deceptive or misleading.
All bus lanes must have an advance sign to warn there is a bus lane ahead and give you time to change lanes. This should be cited 30m in advance of the taper where the speed limit is 30mph and 45m in advance where it is over 30mph.

The TSRGD does not specify exactly where this sign should be located. However according to the guidance in Chapter 3 of the Traffic Signs Manual(page 130): "Where the speed limit is 20 mph or 30 mph, the sign should be sited 30m in advance of the lead-in taper formed by the road marking to diagram 1010, with a minimum clear visibility distance of 45m. Where the speed limit is 40 mph, the sign should be sited 45m in advance of the taper with a minimum clear visibility distance of 60m"

A bus lane should be commenced by a diagonal taper in the form of a dashed line approximately 30m long to give drivers time to change lane

The 30m comes from the guidance in Chapter 5 of Traffic Signs Manual and refers to diagram 1:10, so 30m for a 3m wide lane, 40m for a 4m wide lane etc.

The Bus lane that runs in front of Kings Cross Station does not have the advanced warning sign and the diagonal taper dashed line is approx 3m at the most. We have to abide by the traffic orders laid down by the secretary of state but so does TfL and the local councils.

In our opinion, if you receive a ticket in this bus lane you should appeal on the above grounds.

The photos contained in this article are examples of how the signage should be

Exclusive...At Last, Good news At Tiger Tiger...by Thomas the Taxi

Major victory for the Anderson shelter, the LTCPR and the LTDF's two and a half year campaign, to get a Taxi rank outside Tiger Tiger.

New sign erected on the corner of Panton street?
Was it the Video's that finally did it? Click her to view
Or was it the thousands of emails sent from the
Carry on Complaining campaign that finally did it?

.The most important question's are,
when will they mark it out?
and will they enforce the 24 hour bus lane?

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The Anderson shelter would like to thank every member of the LTDF, who emailed complaints in the Carry on complaining campaign. We would also like to thank any driver who joined in this action that has been ongoing for over two years. We had knockers who said that email campaigns don't work, but this victory proves them wrong.

We would also like to take this oppertunity to thank John Kennedy who's "Carry on Compaigning" idea, has been so successfull.

If you don't ask you don't get, that's what Martin Lowe said and I am sure he played a big part in the acquisition of this new rank.

Breaking news,.. by Thomas the Taxi

Mason confirmed head of PCO.

Click here to read email from Jereon Wiemar.

Two years on and they are still taking the proverbial....by Thomas the taxi.

While we are talking about the media, lets not forget what has been happening on the Internet for many years...


Some time ago Peter Rose wrote an article about the way that some private hire operators were abusing the Internet by using the terms "Taxi" and "Cab" in adverts and even more underhanded, covertly as key words, in the page HTML code that is invisible to the general viewer. We can understand why companies may want to use the word "Taxi" in an advert, instead of mini cab or private hire car, as it gives an air of respectability to an industry, fraught with illegal activities and in some cases connections to organised crime. Many drivers have lodged complaints with the licensing authority but their objections have not been followed up in any way and the problem has now escalated.

Its time we bought this up again.
Why are the licensing authority turning a blind eye to this blatant disregard of the Private hire act?
Why has nothing been done?

Peters original article explains what is happening perfectly, so with his permission I would like to re-post it in full.... Read full article here...

Now after reading these articles, if you really want to know how to do something about it ......Click Here

Also while we are plugging other drivers blogs, have a read of the latest post from Legalled off. great read...Click here

Bad Press....... by Thomas the Taxi

Every time someone asks me "Have you seen the article in the..." I wince.

We have come in for some bad press of late and its not going to get any easier in the near future. Drivers who have given many years of service to help make this "The best taxi service in the world" are saddened and it seems there is no place left for us to fall, the trade is at an unprecedented, all time low

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We have to realise that we have NO friends in high places, no one is stepping up to the plate to defend us and we are being constantly bombarded with lies myths and rumours, in the press and on the radio. Our trade doesn't have the press officers and PR Companies that are being employed by the opposition to, spread false rumours, phone up radio stations with malicious vindictive comments and spread lies about using comment boxes in on-line press articles

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Myths and Rumours

In the press and on the radio chat shows, we come up against our biggest problem. It doesn't matter what is true, its what people believe to be true that is important.

In the same way that the passenger is always right, the shortest way is his/hers shortest way and not the drivers rout. We have to start informing the public that the lies they hear and read on a daily basis are just that, lies.

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Personally, I have had to stop listening to radio presenters who constantly make references to our trade being too expensive, failing to go south, looking like tramps and driving dustbins on wheels.

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The presenters are highly skilled in the art of making people look small and demeaning. Almost every time a driver phones in, they are treated a way that makes them look quite stupid and it damages the trade. We need a team of drivers that speak well and are intelligent enough to take these people on. A team that has the knowledge to combat this type of media assault.

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We have to get across to the media certain points about the trade.

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Are our vehicles dirty and polluting?

We have little or no control over what vehicle we drive, a choice of just two very expensive brand names. Most of the Dustbins out there are rentals from greedy proprietors trying to squeeze every last penny out of a dying FX4. It is up to the drivers to refuse to drive these monstrosities, Pay a bit more and get a comfortable ride. Considering the hours we spend in a vehicle, you know it makes perfect sense.

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Are we are too expensive?

We have no control over the meter which is set by Parliament. We are not expensive when our capacity for passengers is taking into account and our fare compared with public transport. Five passengers travelling from Selfridges to Harrods is far cheaper in a cab than on the tube. Five passengers from Paddington to Heathrow, cheaper by cab than the Heathrow express. We are constantly told in the press and on the radio we are expensive from the Airport, but this is not the case. Just look at Addison Lee's website. They charge a fixed booking price of £87.50 to Mayfair, our price on the meter, under £70. One of our biggest enemies is the London Chamber of Commerce, they are always banging on about the price of a cab ride, they really haven't got a clue and their figures are based on myths and rumours with no actual research. These are the very people who couldn't see the credit crunch coming.

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Do licensed taxis really not go south of the river?

30-40% of our work goes south. If we turned it down we just wouldn't survive financially. Our meter now makes these journeys profitable and has completely turned around the official complaints that used to haunt this trade.

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Are our drivers scruffy, arrogant and belligerent?

Our image has however been damaged by drivers who insist on wearing shorts, vests and flip flop type sandals, its not a pretty sight. But then again, the media must not be allowed to put us all in the same basket. There are some very smart taxi drivers out there. Perhaps we should take a leaf out of Addison Lee's book, Primart suits £20, shirts £3, and plastic shoes £5. In fact we could all look like miniscab drivers for a grand total of the price of a pair of M&S shorts. Our driver base consists of people from a complete cross section of society, ranging from ex-dustmen to solicitors, policemen and in one case a magistrate. Our trade is made up by many different individuals, a complete cross section of society and should not be stereotyped by the media.

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They used to describe minicab drivers as rapists and robbers, now they're doing this, (Extract from the Independent).

This is a blow beneath the belt, as the recent case of John Warboys was a one off. We expected this case would be used against us are in some way we have got off quite lightly. The Private hire fraternity however (given the figures issued by TfL themselves), manage to suppress the fact that the rate of serious sexual assaults including rapes, carried out by licensed private hire drivers, is still running at approximately 6-8 every month. A figure that hasn't gone down with the implementation of the satellite office and the safer travel at night scheme, as some officers at TfL would have the public believe.

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Post taken from a trade forum

Last Friday night a girl was rescued from a tout after the terrified female passenger phoned the police. He had driven her to a place, just off York Way near the quarry. She had the presence of mind to dial 999, when she knew something was amiss. Turned out he was wanted on warrant for sex offences and will probably be deported when this has been dealt with!

Articles like this pop up all over the forums and trade press but are rarely published by the national press. This actual posting came from a serving police officer who also drives a London taxi part time.

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Unity, will it ever happen?

To make matters worse, we now have infighting amongst ourselves, to a point where I dread logging on to the cab trade forums. Worried associations and unions, whose leaders have for so long, lead us very badly, are now panicking because they are haemorrhaging members in a way never seen before.

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With the latest goings on at Heathrow, we now see the infighting starting to escalate. Victories are being claimed that have not materialised and there is bad feelings between trade reps that have been close friends for many years. Why can't these people work together when it comes to trade issues?

When on the terminal dealing with difficult passengers, they stand solidly back to back. But when it comes to their associations or union, civil war brakes out. They act like football supporters, disregarding any view that conflicts with theirs.

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While this trade remains so disjointed the competition will walk all over us. If the combined allied armies of 1945 were in the same state as the licensed taxi trade, D-day would never have happened.

We have only just seen the start of Addison Lee's campaign, according to my source in the private hire industry, there's more to come. With massive investment coming from America, they now have an eye on all the major rail termini, plus City Airport.

The really bad news is TfL want to give them these ranks and we have to face facts, we have no friends in that department. With Ed Thompson gone the new head will not come from a taxi background and will have little idea of the needs of our industry.

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The man most likely to be appointed will be John Mason who comes over from the congestion charge department, that has failed dramatically to stop motorists using private hire licenses and false number plates to avoid paying the congestion charge. This appointment has yet to be confirmed.

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We have had our Dunkirk.

The time has come, for our once great trade to join together in a united front, for an almighty assault on our enemies.

There are people in high places, left over parasites from a previous administration, that are hell bent on the complete and utter destruction of our trade. There are only two ways left for this trade, "The Best Taxi Service in the World". Either we go forward as a united force together, or we go down the toilet with Addis on Loo pulling the chain.

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If we stand United, we will never, never, never be defeated…

Bob Crow Visits the Drivers at Great Suffolk Street..... By Dizzy Disgruntled...

Tuesday afternoon, Great suffolk Street Taxi stop,

Bob Crow took time out from his busy schedule, to come down to the Gt Suffolk St and meet some of the drivers. Once again his speech was truly inspirational, with drivers clambering to sign up there and then.

After his speech, Bob was happy to listen to drivers concerns, and answer any questions.

After approximately 1 hour, Bob, a man known for 'rolling up his sleeves & getting stuck in', shook everybody's hand and bid us all farewell, leaving us all in no doubt where the future lays. Bob will soon be making a visit to the Royal Oak cafe, so if you have questions you would like to personaly put to Bob, watch this blog for details.

Exclusive... Ed Thompson's job filled...By Thomas the Taxi.

Thank you very much for your recent enquiry, the post of Taxi and Private Hire Director has now been filled.

There will be an announcement regarding the successful candidate in due course.

Yours sincerely

Beverley Hart.

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I take it from the tone of this email I was unsuccessful in applying for this post.

...............................................................................................

There are four top runners for this job;

1, Mary Dowdye. Current deputy head, very little knowledge of how London's taxi trade should operate.

2,Luke Howard, Bus company background, makes the rules up to fit his own agenda.

3,Len Simpkins. Old fashioned Met police background.

Should be considered as the only candidate that has experience of the way the Carriage Office used to be run. A quality that will probably go against him getting the position.

4.John Mason. Head of the Congestion charge. Our money will be on this candidate as he has no experience applicable to run the Licensed Taxi trade and has a history of failing to catch crooks who evade the congestion charge by posing as private hire drivers.

We now have to wait with baited breath to find out who gets this post. As the job was filled internally, the new director of the PCO will have no experience or background from the London Taxi trade.

Sent from my iPhone

Its State Induced Anarchy on the Streets of London... By Thomas the Taxi

Working Saturday night is a real eye opener. The situation in the West End with touting mini cab ranks is now ridiculously out of control. The streets of London are now completely lawless.

The Mobile Police station at the junction of Piccadilly Circus is a sham, situated as it is, next to an illegal private hire rank.

Illegal in the sense that the bookings for these mini cabs are taken in full view of the mobile cop shop, on the pavement outside the venue “On anon”, by a clipboard Johnnie. The drivers are of course unlawfully parked on double yellow lines whilst forming this rank.

When I parked on the back to make a complaint to officer’s station at this cop shop, I was asked to move as I was parked on their (the illegal touts) rank. The tout on point told me that under the abstract of law pertaining to Hackney cabs, by being stationary on double yellow lines, I was forming an illegal taxi rank, which was an offence under the hackney carriage act of 1864.

The PCSO also advised me that as I had left my light on, I could be reported for forming an unauthorised taxi rank. When I explained why I had stopped, to report this illegal rank and the touting that was occurring, I was told by the officers on site, that they had been informed by Charing Cross Police station’s “Sergeant Ramsay”, that he had personally given the cars permission to use this strip of double yellow lined road. This is the second time I have made a complaint at this site and probably won’t be the last.

This situation is not an exception to the rule, as just yards away we see the same set up outside Tiger Tiger in the Haymarke, CoCoon in Regent Street and Café de Paris in Coventry Street. It is also not a situation that’s unique to the west end. Just a few minuets drive in any direction will find Clubs bars and ordinary pubs with huge ranks of illegal mini cabs controlled by an army of clipboard Johnnies.

This is not an exaggeration of facts, as any night driver who regularly works in the centre of the London, will confirm.

So now we have not only a police force that has become impotent, we have a council whose wardens refuse to enforce parking restrictions and a licensing authority that will not enforce their own guild lines.

When enforcement officers finally venture out on to the streets, they pick areas that are easily avoided by the touts, who have an amazing network of text based information services that give regular updates at very little cost to the driver.

In a bid to cover up the true facts to those in a position of power, who could actually do something positive, the police with the aid of the TOCU squad make high profile police stop and check points on completely wrong nights, at inappropriate venues when the amount of touting occurring is at its lowest point.

After the operation, officers in charge, enter in their logs that very little touting is occurring and the reports and complaints from the licensed taxi trade are wholly exaggerated.

A few weeks ago it emerged in the press that the company that prints the baby on board private hire license stickers, was broken into and thousands of licenses were stolen. The following weekend the Police and TOCU squad officers spent two days stopping licensed black taxis and asking to see badge and bills.

How is this incompetence allowed to continue year after year?

Surely there are Members of Parliament that have an interest in saving the London cab trade?

Or maybe there are London Assembly members with a sense of justice?

Perhaps there are officers in TfL who want to bring an end to this unjust, victimisation of the best taxi service in the world?

Maybe there are journalists who would stand up for our trade?

Going on the amount of complaints, articles, emails and phone calls I have personally made in the passed two years, I have come to the conclusion that outside of the close brotherhood of the London Cab trade, no one cares.

The case I would like to make for the London licensed taxi trade is;

Although we get no protection from a licensing authority, that bends over backward to facilitate the illegal acts of our competitors, although the police constantly victimise taxi drivers and turn a blind eye to the unlawful acts of the private hire trade and although the local councils unfairly penalise cabbies going about their lawful daily business, we have never dropped our standards.

This trade carries on through all adversity, which is a testament to our strength of character and professionalism. Qualities and standards that are the envy of every taxi service in the world. The one process that keeps the standards of our great profession this high, is the "Knowledge of London".

It is this one aspect of our job that makes us exactly what we are…. The best in the world.

Photo by Stormcab http://www.stormcab.com/

Lets all apply for Ed's Job.......with thanks to Gerry.

As a placed man and ex bus driver Ed Thompson has been allowed to retire before the blame for the state of the trade can be laid at his door. (Does he know something we don't ? You bet he does). No more ex bus driver please Boris!
The next head of the PCO should be judged on the content of their abilities and not who they bow down to.
I think it would be a good idea for every cab driver to send in an application to the Mayor of London, to be considered for his soon to be vacant job... ..................................................................................................................................

Dear Mayor Johnson,

I would like to be considered for the position of head of the P.C.O. now that Mr Thompson has announced his intention to leave.

I bring an understanding of the cab trade which i believe would be unique amongst the staff at the P.C.O. in that I am a London Taxi driver and I have shown myself to be a fit and proper person as defined by the London cab act and as a working driver on the streets of London my experience would be vastly superior to any candidates from within and without the P.C.O.

I believe I can identify touting behaviour on the streets without any problems whatsoever (a task which has singularly stumped the carriage office staff tasked to control this activity thus far).

unfortunately, as I do not hail from a heavy subsidised industry vis London Buses I would not be able to bring along any delusions of easy solutions to everything which can be paid for by someone else, in this case the cab drivers but obviously in subsidised industries linked to local government, the taxi payer.

Nor can I claim to be a member of "common purpose" or any other social engineering societies. i am afraid that all I can offer the post is a standards driven approach and not a political one.

I would also look at cutting costs by exploring the need to have nearly five times the amount of staff today than was the case under the Metropolitan Police years.

I am sure you agree that the London cab trade is regarded the finest in the world for a reason and that reason is the professionalism shown by each and every cab driver on a daily basis, but is quite definitely not because the rest of the world enjoys and appreciates the capricious and unfathomable whims of the current management.

Finally I can guarantee to you that I will never twist any edit issued from your good office, to my own wants and beliefs as was the case with the one strike and your out debacle recently.

I remain your faithful and proven honest servant....

Copy or write your own and send to... mayor@london.gov.uk,

Stop Press Exclusive....

Bad news I'm afraid.
Just received a Tweet from Peter Rose;
Movida has won their appeal against the revocation of their minicab licence!
Which means they are back in business :-(
.........................................................................................................
The power of the Internet, so much faster than printed media.

Exclusive...Mary Dowdye Kicks the Cab Trade into Touch....by Thomas the Taxi.

Taxi Trade face media blitz.

We have all recently seen articles in the Times, Independent and the Evening Standard that have slagged off “The best taxi service in the world”.
We have all heard certain radio presenters, who have always professed to be friends of the cab trade, proliferating old myths and lies about London’s elite taxi trade. Is it any surprise that moral amongst the ordinary, everyday driver is at an all time low.

Even the Mayors Transport Advisor, Mr Kulveer Ranger, has accused the Licensed Taxi Trade of failing to keep up with the competition.

Well all I can say to Mr Ranger is, how can we possibly keep up when TfL keep changing the goal posts?

Want me to explain further?

Just last month, a press release, 19/09, was posted on the Internet stating that;

Operators are reminded that they must keep booking records securely on the venue premises, and they must be available for inspection by the PCO or police officers.

This is essential for TOCU officers to ascertain if drivers are touting.

This post was signed by both Mary Dowdye and Dave Stock, knowing full well that this month (July) sees the introduction of a new piece of legislation that has received royal assent and is now law, that slipped under the radar as an amendment to the 1998 act, conceived in 2004 and called the 2008 amendment, it clearly states;

In a bid to make it easier for a private hire company to install and run a satellite office and to negate the need for extra staff at venues, private hire companies no longer have to keep booking records securely on the venue premises.

Lets not forget that Mary Dowdye was the person who got TfL to drop the need for planning permission when private hire operators apply for a license to open an operating centre.

What does this actually mean?

It means that TOCU officers who already have a hard time trying to ascertain if a PHV driver is touting, now have to be in two places at the same time, at the satellite office where a possible offence is taking place and also at the main operating centre where full details of a job booking are supposed to be kept . It makes their task almost impossible, unless the driver is set up by the honey trap, a method which Inspector Joe Royal head of TOCU, is reluctant to use.

Now you may be thinking how did this piece of highly damaging legislation manage to get through and why our so called Associations and union who we pay handsomely to look after our interest, never stepped in to oppose this back in 2004. Surely, TfL never consulted with the Trade?

Well the sad news is the trades representative bodies were consulted. The LTDA, LCDC, and Unite were all sent copies of the proposed act and we must assume that they just failed to read them properly. They failed to do the job they are highly paid to do and they have failed to look after the interests of the trade.

There seems to be a pattern emerging of late where pieces of new legislation, that have potentially damaging possibilities to the trade, have been passed to our representative bodies for consultation and have been allowed by them to be implemented without objection. It is now up to the members of these associations and union to sort out the people who are at fault. The present leadership is losing the fight through complacency and apathy. It is only you the members who can change this situation.

If you do nothing and these people are allowed to continue in this way, the trade will not survive….

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An open question to Inspector Joe Royal;

Why is it perfectly OK , using undercover plain clothed officers to trap unsuspecting Taxi drivers at Victoria and yet it is deemed inappropriate to use this same method against the touts in the West End?

One rule for us and a different one for them?

LTDA, LCDC and Unite jump the gun...by Thomas the Taxi.

There is an old saying, "Its not over till the fat lady sings".

So why are the united efforts of the LTDA, LCDC, Unite(T&G), HALT and HATDU being displayed on posters all over London as a victorious defeat, yes defeat, of BAA over the private hire ranks at terminals 3 and 5.
Are they that desperate for some victory, a victory at any cost?

There has been no such victory.
BAA are employing delaying tactics and have said they have postponed the start of this scheme. At no time have they mentioned anything about dropping the scheme.
For a full update and a more complete view of the current situation at Heathrow click here....

Unfortunately the fight goes on...

RMT taxi drivers take on BAA

RMT WARNS OF STALLING TACTICS AS BAA DELAYS PLANS TO UNDERMINE BLACK CABS AT HEATHROW

Specialist transport union RMT today warned BAA that they will not fall for stalling tactics after the company announced this evening that they are delaying their plans to undermine the black cab trade at Heathrow by allowing minicab company Addison Lee to operate what is effectively a rank system at the airport.

The RMT held a mass consultation with cab drivers at the feeder car park at Heathrow yesterday at which Bob Crow, RMT general secretary, pledged an all-out fight with BAA over their plans to deregulate taxi services on the airport.
Bob Crow said tonight: "There is no doubt that the big, angry gathering of RMT taxi drivers at Heathrow yesterday has forced BAA into this short-term climb down.
"However, RMT knows every trick in the company book and we can spot delaying tactics a mile off.
"We will be strengthening our organisation and our campaign in the weeks ahead to ensure that this temporary delay in opening the door to Addison
Lee is turned into a long-term victory with the plan killed stone dead."

Competing with the aircraft noise, the message still gets through as Bob Crow gets a warm reception from the drivers at Heathrow's Taxi feeder park.

John The Cabby Kennedy, founder of the LTCPR said;

"With the RMT involved, it seems today may well be the day that the light appeared at the end of the tunnel for the London taxi-cab driver. Bob Crow and the RMT have the organisation and the skills to assist and steer this trade through very darkened troubled times. I like many more of you have joined the specialist transport union for they offer not just hope but a clear path out of the apathy that has plagued this trade for far too long.

July is an excellent month, The American declaration of Independence and the storming of the Bastille and now the start of the Cab Trade Revolution?

Sent from my iPhone

Stop Press Breaking News.

Stop Press Breaking News.

Just been announced By Grant Davis, on BBC Radio London, that after a meeting with all taxi trade representatives, the Plans for Private hire to have waiting areas (ranks) at Heathrow have been cancelled.

We will contact the RMT press office to confirm.

Horror as black cab driver decapitates himself by tying rope around neck

The driver of a black cab decapitated himself in his taxi today after tying one end of a rope to his neck and the other to a lamp post.
The man, believed to be in his thirties, is said to have then driven off at full speed shortly after midnight.
His head was found yards from the vehicle in Great Suffolk Street in Southwark near an informal depot for taxi drivers.
One of his colleagues, who preferred to remain anonymous, said: “One of the drivers was at the scene just afterwards. He saw the cab all smashed up against a pillar, with the driver's body still inside the vehicle.
“He then saw the head lying on the side of the road next to some rope. It is horrific.”
He added: “The driver who arrived at the scene just afterwards alerted the police and ambulance service. Some people from the flats nearby also came running out of their homes when they heard the crash.”
The death happened at the entrance to a disused Texaco petrol station which has a café and a number of spare parts shops on it. Read full article here

Our Richard, the Man on the Telly....

Tweet a ride in a cab
Updated on 10 July 2009
By Channel 4 News

There is now a new way to hail a black cab in London - through social networking site Twitter.
Richard Cudlip and a fellow cabbie came up with the idea to set up @tweetalondoncab. Now over 30 cabs have joined the collective since it launched last weekend.
The system mainly caters for pre-booked journeys, with drivers waiving the initial fee for people who book through twitter.
It is apparently good for drivers too, as it offers them a network with having to pay for subscriptions to radio networks, and they can share information about traffic or roadworks.
For more information, visit tweetalondoncab.

Police Station or Mini Cab Office?

All in a nights work…by Thomas the Taxi.

Thursday morning just before 2 am, driving through Piccadilly Circus, I spy a line of scabs illegally ranking on double yellow lines outside the night club Onanon in plain view of the Porto-cabin police station at the start of Shaftsbury Avenue.
I decided that enough was enough and parked on the back of this illegal rank and walked into the prefab police station where I was met by two lovely WPCSO’s. I explained my chagrin and they promptly walked round the counter and said they would move this line of scabs on.
WPCO no 1 then said we have been told by our sergeant that these cars have permission to park here as long as they are not causing an obstruction.

I asked her to get her sergeant from Charing Cross police station down to tell me this information face to face. She then radioed in and explained the situation to her sergeant. She then repeated to me, that he, sergeant Ramsay of Charing Cross Police station, had in fact given permission for the scabs to park on these double yellow lines and instructed the two WPCSO’s that they were not traffic wardens and it was Westminster’s job to police the yellow lines. He then told the WPCO to move me on as I could not wait outside this club unbooked as I was breaking the law forming an unlicensed Taxi rank.

I told her to tell him (sergeant Ramsay) that he can not give permission for private hire cars to brake the law and that I would be making an official complaint. I also told her to tell him I was videoing the situation, with sound track and that I would also be reporting this matter to the RMT ranks and highways committee my MP TfL and The Police complaints dept New Scotland Yard.
There was a silent minuet and then he came back with “move them all including the cabby”.
The lovely WPCSO then said as she now had been told to move these scabs, she would carry on moving them on till she was told different.

She then approached the door man who was controlling these touts from the pavement, in breech of Mary Dowdye’s latest press release and told him his cars could only be called once they had a definite job and that they could only pick up, not wait.
What a wonderful lady.

Unfortunately within hours the scabs were back in force.

So this is why these scab cabs are allowed to park in 24 hour bus lanes, on bus stands, Red Routs, double yellow lines and double park in areas such as Smithfield. The Police have given them permission!

Riesel Stabs Taxi Trade In Back

Following the purloining of their circuit by the management at Radio Taxis, the management have decided to really put the knife into their driver's backs.

Radio Taxis management have joined an alliance with the nemesis of the taxi trade. Addison Lee's John Griffin. THEY ARE TO OPPERATE A PICK UP FACILITY AT Heathrow's terminal 5 with Addison lee doing the same at terminal 3.

Radio taxis will be using "first transport" their private hire arm alongside their hackney cabs.

In reality this will mean the taxis covering the local jobs and First transport will do the distance work.

Demonstrate your feeling about this support your fellow drivers with a drive in/picket at Mount view house

Lennox mews Lennox road N4.

Friday 10^th July 2009 2.30 pm  Lennox road N4

 

Take back your circuit make your views known.

Issued by RMT Taxis London on behalf of the London Taxi Trade

What is Happening to the London Taxi Trade...By John The Cabby Kennedy

These are odd times because like me you are probably finding things a little tougher than usual due to the present economic crisis. But here within the London taxi trade we seem to be entering very stormy waters.
I like many of my colleagues were pleased the reign of Ken Livingstone had come to an end yet it seems his legacy and politics live on in the form of transport for London. When Boris Johnson became Mayor of London he stated the differential between taxi-cabs (street hailed and pre-booked) and mini-cabs (pre-booked only) would be maintained. Yet it seems transport for London is bending over backwards to accommodate the mini-cab trade and placing mini-cab offices in bars and night clubs under a "safer travel at night programme" which seems only to have made the touting problem worse and certainly highlighted the complete lack of enforcement by those in authority. You should note we have been refused ranks at the majority of these venues where the PCO have granted mini-cab office status.
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What The London Daily news says;

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"French style" black cabbies protest to block Heathrow

The war of words between BAA the owner of Heathrow and the black cabbie fraternity has reached a new nadir with threats of "French style" blockades of Heathrow to traffic, provoked by a decision from BAA to grant private hire firms to pick up passengers at Heathrow.In what is now becoming a battle of nerves for the 25,000 black cab community the decision by BAA to allow private hire company's like Addison Lee to operate from the various terminals at Heathrow has been seen as a direct threat to the monopoly held by black cabs who are allowed to pick up passengers from ranks at Heathrow.
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What the times on line said;
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Taxi war looms at Heathrow over minicab plan

BAA has incurred the wrath of black cab drivers in London by striking a deal to allow a minicab company to pick up passengers at Heathrow.
The deal will allow Addison Lee and One Transport to operate a booking service directly from the airport, prompting cabbies to threaten a blockade of Heathrow over what they call an unacceptable encroachment of minicabs on to their lucrative turf.
Cab drivers, who gridlocked Central London in February to protest over a similar minicab issue, said that the move would be “disastrous” for their trade.
The airports operator confirmed that a six-month trial would take place at terminals 3 and 5 this year, with Addison Lee operating a booth from the car park at each of the terminals.
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TWEETaLONDONCAB

TWEETaLONDONCAB is a new service run by a co-operative of Licenced London Taxi drivers who use Twitter.

Twitter is a great free text based service available online, on your PC or lap top. It can also be accessed via smart phones such as an iPhone, blackberry or any phone that can access the Internet. You don't need an expensive do everything phone, updates are available on most mobiles free on vodaphone as simple text messages.

When you open your free account, you start by following like minded people who in turn may follow you. Sounds a bit cheesy but it becomes very addictive.

After several taxi drivers had been asked by Twitter followers if they could book a taxi, they decided to come together as a non fee or sub paying co-operative. It is not, however, intended to rival the radio circuits, we at TLC wont be charging run in fees or booking charges.

When a request for a taxi gets TWEETED, all the drivers who are working and follow TWEETaLONDONCAB on twitter via mobile devices, will see the request and if a driver is nearby he or she will contact the punter directly through twitter, then DM (direct message) each other to arrange pick up details. The punter only pays what is on the meter, it really is that simple. This is completely free, and all members of TLC will have access to the Twitter account and the host email site, passwords etc. This is a non profit making service, set up as a co-operative open to London Licensed Taxi Drivers only.

If you want to find out more about this great new service, go to http://tweetalondoncab.wordpress.com/

Twitter is very easy to use, there is plenty of help on their site for those who find the computer confusing.
Plus there are some great aps for the iPhone that make it really easy to use.
TweetDeck on the PC enables you to send and receive updates from Twitter and FaceBook, all on the one browser.
Give it a try, as I said it is very addictive and their are some interesting people out there to follow.

The one thing you have to look out for is the spam Twitters, but after a few days practise they will stick out and you can avoid them, but even if you can't they won't affect you as long as you don't follow them.

ABACUS Cornhill....by Thomas the Taxi

In the early hours of Thursday morning, drivers from the London Taxi Drivers Forum descended on the bar Abacus, in Cornhill City of London.
Their aim to give the illegal touts a tough time.



This bunch of touts have become more and more aggressive. They now crowd the entrance and intimidate customers making it almost impossible for them to reach licensed taxis that are legally ranking up outside.
In a snub to the Licensed Taxi trade, the City of London and the PCO/TfL have placed the rank so far back and the wrong way round, that a customer leaving this bar would have great difficulty recognising the fact that these taxis are in fact for hire, as they would not be able to see any for hire signs.

TfL/PCO has made it increasingly easier all over London for mini scab drivers to plague the entrances of every Club, Bar and night venues, by relaxing the enforcement of regulations and parking laws.
If you were in any doubt, a trip along the Haymarket would show the extent to which these touts are taking liberties. Tiger Tiger has a 24 hour bus lane, double yellow lines, a bus stand and a traffic island which is impassable with the illegal ranks of touts, sometimes double parked. What makes this extremely unpalatable is the fact that a car bomb was left here disguised as a mini cab and still no one takes any notice of the goings on at this establishment. To add insult to injury, there is a Licensed taxi rank pushed down the street which is unusable as there is a barrier between the rank and the pavement. It would also be impossible for a wheelchair user to access a taxi from this rank, similar to the situation in Victoria Station.

Well done to Stef and the drivers of the LTDF, who put themselves out on a regular basis to take work away from this wild bunch of marauding bandits outside Abacus. You have to have a bit of bottle to do this, so its not every drivers cup of tea, but the number of disgruntled drivers is growing.

Most of our critics said this "Take the work back" action wouldn't last but they have been proved wrong, by drivers like Stef and his mates from the forum.

Important breaking news, I told you so!...by Thomas the Taxi

Some weeks back I was informed by my Mini Cab snout that Addi Lee had applied for ranks for their vans at Heathrow. I did a short article about this and told my friends who said, again, "they just cant do this out there, It will never happen, we'll bring the place to a stand still"
Well guess what?
Just got this email from the RMT rep at Heathrow;

Just been informed BAA have given Addison Lee/West One cars waiting areas at Heathrow. Trade liaison meeting was last Friday, no mention apparently. Meeting today held with LTDA, LCDC and Unite only. No more info at the moment.

The wonder of the blog bought to you just as it happens. You will now have to wait at least a week to have this confirmed in the trade press.

I wondered why there had been so much interest in my blog from Addi Lee who scan my pages every morning then again in the evening. Mind you so does the LTDA. Sometimes you have to wonder just who's side Bob is on and what his staff are doing for the money you pay them?