Westminster's Mini Cab Ranks...By Thomas the Taxi.

In 2002 we were promised by Mayor Ken Livingstone, that when Mini Cabs became Licensed, they would never be allowed to to ply for hire or have their own ranks and it would stop them touting illegally.

We were also promised that their numbers would be halved and instances of rape and serious sexual assault would almost vanish over night.

Ed Thompson, on behalf of the PCO said; "Only Licensed Taxis can pick up off the street, only Black Cabs can ply for hire".

John Mason has said "it's illegal for Private Hire vehicles to wait outside venues without confirmed booking ie. Name, destination and time of pickup. These details must be recorded at an operating center".
In other words they can not sit outside a venue waiting to be hired or temporary booked as directed by a venue and must have a passengers full details.

Boris, not interested in transport matters unless it involves bicycles...



Who's fooling who.

Eight years on and PHV numbers are at an all time high of 54,000. Sexual assaults and rapes are up by 54%. Detection and conviction is down by 50%.

Licensed Taxi ranks have also started to disappear from the capital at an alarming rate. Westminster are issuing Parking tickets to drivers who are picking up or setting down Passengers.

Bias victimisation.

This lack of enforcement from TfL, the Met/City police or Westminster Parking services, has directly lead to these increased rape statistics. They are turning a blind eye just to clear the streets because budgets have been slashed. Look around the streets on weekend nights, thousands upon thousands of people and not a copper to be seen. Try to flag down a police car to point out a crime in progress and you take your life into your hands as they drive past you at speed.

Its immoral.

2010, London's West End now has an air of the third world about it with deathtrap rickshaw bikes causing gridlock on many roads. Street robberies are up even with all the extra CCTV camera's. Its amazing that images captured of crimes in progress are almost illegible. But when it comes to a Taxi number plate they can be read perfectly at half a mile away.

London's night Taxi drivers will confirm every one of these facts. But the head of Taxi and Private hire for TfL, John Mason, tells listeners to BBC Radio London this is no more than a conspiracy theory, that these predators are being caught and having their PHV license revoked.

Truth is John in 2008, only 6 drivers had their license revoked and in 2009 this figure halved to just 3.

That's unacceptable.

Tuesday afternoon, 23rd November at 14:04, Police are called to deal with a suspect Bicycle in Vauxhall. This turn out to be a cycle that was left unattended. Yet every night of the week, in an atmosphere of high security awareness, hundreds of suspect vehicles are left outside clubs, restaurants and bars that the authorities take no notice of, even in the wake of the car bomb left outside Tiger Tiger three years ago.

Truly unbelievable.

Our next step is to get the press on board. They have to be spoon fed with accurate information as we have suffered from many years with the press giving a false perception of the Best Taxi Service in the world.

Harmonisation from TfL has lead to Taxis and minicabs being perceived as the same service. It has to be made clear, we are not.

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Below in the comments section, is an anonymous post from an Addison lee driver who is trying to spread the old myth, that we are more expensive than mini cabs....

Our undercover video from Stormcab, shows the real truth.