As a resident of the borough I am familiar with this handy addition to the areas transport requirement. Although there is a large rank outside the station, this rank is handy for shoppers using facilities on the other side of the high street.
The rank was marked out on Monday as a loading bay and the Taxi Rank board has been removed. I have spoken to drivers who work this area, many have become members of the LTDA in recent recruitment drives, but none were aware of the ranks removal.
The rank in station road was a favourite of Com Cabs Taxicard account customers, as drivers from the circuit could often be found here for simple street hiring.
Long established ranks in the suburbs and central London, are disappearing at an alarming rate. This is leaving yellow badge areas vastly over subscribe in a driver to rank space ratio. TfL have no intention to limit the issue of suburban licenses, so the problem will just escalate.
In some areas private hire vehicles have taken over Licensed taxi ranks, with the authorities (LT&PH,,PCO, Cab Enforcement, local wardens and Met Police) unwilling to enforce the law.
A week ago Wimbledon drivers, who earlier this year lost the rank facility at the Wimbledon dog track, had to put on their own show of force to win back the rank at Balham Station. If this situation is not addressed soon we could see violence breaking out between Taxis and minicab's.
It has been said in this months Badge, the journal of the LCDC, that over a weekend 40 suburban drivers were found to be working out of their sector by the City of London Police. Unfortunately the CoLP seem to be blissfully unaware of the massive problem at night, caused by illegally ranked minicab touts.
As the night life and with it the "unsocial behaviour" in the City expands, so does the problem of illegal touts organised by clip board johnnies.
We still lost two places at Balham outside the Exhibit bar / Sainsburys ,We lost the one Cheam rd Sutton as well and the one at the bottom of Sutton " always has a scab on it ",, Wonder what the TPH have to say feck all i expect they dont care about the yellow badge drivers @TC14
ReplyDeleteWell 40 ybs caught touting ,I think the ltdf forum will be on fire when they read this lots of denial about this subject on there.
ReplyDeleteDont agree with YBs working out thier sectors,As to me they are no better than the scabs,Having said that if they are continuously losing thier ranks,what are they to do,Diesel is to expensive to keep cruising round in the hope of finding a rank,and i believe street work in the suburbs is next to none.Demos are not going to work simply as much as the sectors are over subscribed,there is still not enough of them to really cause chaos,Unless say a couple of hundred of us GB drivers help them out.Then it would really give the council a problem,and maybe make them think twice.
ReplyDeleteAnon no2, your not making sense! What denials ate you talking about?
ReplyDeletePlease elaborate.
TtT
yellow badge drivers are vital to the future of green badge drivers,but the council officials get more bungs from private hire than us,thats the problem.
ReplyDeletecolinthecabby.
There are a few yb posters saying this problem is not that bad ,clearly it is. I understand the problems they face but taking my work is not the answer.
ReplyDeletecanarys have been working in central london for years nothing to do with them losing ranks ,get the yellow entitles them to a work vechicle for central streets. one strike and out i say,stop thieving and DO THE KNOWLEDGE.
ReplyDeleteThe council have turned it into a minicab rank basically is what it sounds.....they will just park on there saying their waiting for a booked fare.
ReplyDeleteWe know how well the councils treat minicabs that park where they like.
This seems to be happening all over,cutty sark rank,greenwich market rank both seem to have gone,as well as an "holding"area(rank) for minicabs at the o2 arena,i can see trouble in this part of london too.
ReplyDeleteIt seems this is becoming a problem all over London,And we cant stand back and let it happen,I am aware that the problem of YBs working in town,can stick in some of our throats and the attitude F*** em springs to mind,But look at the bigger situation,Minicabs only got strong by opening offices in places we never went,The suburbs,and now they are getting away with what they want,So this is something that must be nipped in the bud.
ReplyDeletedon't panic!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe LTDA have it all sorted, i read it on the front page of taxi so it must be true!!!
They've saved the Sutton drivers from the menace of PH but they seemed to forget to mention that they gave the green light for the PH kiosks in Richmond.
one badge for london and sudurbans yellow badge do test ?????moredrivers take on ph minicab all over london????
ReplyDelete