London Taxi Trade Must Fight for Survival.... By Thomas the Taxi

No one likes to be labelled a grumpy old sod.
That's the title I have had to put up with for the past four years, ever since I started my website, a preamble towards my first blog.
I have been banging on about the way the licensing authorities act towards the taxi trade, with all the touting from private hire. At times, I put my own safety on the line to acquire short videos of the contraventions that occur at an alarming rate. Taking much abuse and sometimes being the victim of vandalism and physical attacks.

So, why do I put myself at risk?
I have been accused of attention seeking and putting my name all over the Internet for personal gain and glory. None of my blogs have ever contained adverts and I tried to remain anonymous until outed by an Internet troll. I have never asked for or received one penny piece from my writing.
I am, at heart a cabby, that's all. One who is worried about what has happened to his trade, the job he loves. The only income I seek is that which I can honestly earn in my Taxi.

I have seen the various org's and associations sit back and observe whilst quietly raking in money from the trade. I realise that they are not the Police or the PCO and have little or no power. But they do negotiate on our behalf with a man on the board of TFL. I also believe they have a duty of care.
I genuinely thought that if I banged on and on, that eventually some one would take up the baton and lead from the front, show a bit of the old Dunkirk spirit.
I have personally written thousands of emails to TfL/TPH/PCO officers, London Assembly members, MP's, local councillors and virtually every borough commander in the Met.

Tired and weary, I had to sit down and rethink my campaign.
I thought about abandoning my blogs and giving it all up.

Should I just be like the other drivers, who take whatever’s slung at them and just get on with it?

A New Dawn.

But then a series of amazing events happened.

• Firstly, the formation of a Taxi trade forum, made up from ordinary drivers who have shown they are not going to just lie down and take it anymore. This Band of Brothers has formed a hit Squad that has been instrumental in taking back huge chunks of work in central London at night.
• The formation of a strong Twitter group that has spawned an action group (TaG) and a new concept in Taxi booking service (TweetaLondonCab).
• Finally, the formation of the RMT, which has given us a Union we can finally trust with our future. Chairman, John the cabby Kennedy, has put a promising media career on hold and is currently leading a fight back that will see great changes in the way we are treated by those who take money from us, in the form of licensing fees.

This has put the fire back in my belly and I have decided to carry on. We now have people in this trade again who are willing to fight to get our problems sorted.

If you give these minicabs operators an inch, they will take a yard. We've seen how they've performed outside every major night venue and now, most of the more up market Hotels have satellite office licenses with lines of touts outside in broad daylight.

This past week has been a mile stone in the indignation our trade has had to suffer.

It started with the Grosvenor House Hotel. Minicabs tried to test the water, by openly touting, and formed a queue of vehicles the entire length of the block, waiting to be hired (A Rank). They were supported by marshals and hotel security staff.

Next we heard the news that without any consultation with the trade, on a request from Westminster council, TfL revoked most of the feeder Taxi rank at Paddington station, to park empty buses over night. No attempt was made to find alternative parking and again the Trade had no say in the matter.

Finally the M4 Bus lane is to be scrapped, as the authorities have no idea how to enforce the restrictions. The Only winners will be the Heathrow Express. The losers will be the Taxi drivers and their passengers with longer and more expensive journey.

John Kennedy, Chairman of the RMT London Taxi Branch said this week;

The London taxi trade has experienced a very dark week and those within our trade who have laid claim to be sitting at the table must surely realise the table appears to have no legs and may have even collapsed (maybe it's a fold away table). The whole of the London taxi trade was ignored by Westminster City Council, TFL and finally the Secretary of State for Transport. It is time for the ordinary hard working self employed London taxi-driver to join the only union able/prepared to stand up for your hard earned right to "ply for hire".
The RMT London will be debating/discussing these issues and many more at our regular well attended branch meetings. Join the RMT online at www.rmt.org.uk

As I’ve said many times before, if you stand and fight, I can’t promise we will win. But if you just lay down and carry on burying your heads in the sand I guarantee you will lose.