John Mason Answers for The Mayor.....By Thomas the Taxi.

I refer to your email dated 5 December addressed to the Mayor and others regarding the work of London’s taxi drivers during the recent bad weather. Click Here to read


As the Director of London Taxi and Private Hire the Mayor asked me to respond to you directly.
Firstly, I would like to assure you that the Mayor and “his minions” at TfL have nothing but the upmost respect for London’s hard working, loyal and dedicated taxi drivers. Time and time again London’s cabbies rise to the challenge against adverse conditions to support London’s travelling public in getting to where they need to go. Such dedication is not ignored or underestimated but instead is applauded and publically acknowledged whenever possible.


With regards to your comments on the on-going problem of touting in London I would like to stress, again, that TfL continues to work hard with the Met and City Police, Local Authorities and taxi driver associations in tackling such problems.

As I am sure you are aware, in addition to the dedicated teams out there in London every evening making arrests and revoking licenses for touting offences we are also currently consulting on a  range of proposals in relation to the licensing of private hire vehicles, operators on related matters.
Thank you for writing.


John Mason Director - Taxi & Private Hire 
4th Floor Yellow Palestra 
197 Blackfriars Road. London. SE1 8NJ


Editorial Reply


Dear Mr Mason


Thank you for replying on behalf of the Mayor and other officials from TfL.
I strongly disagree that TfL or the Mayor has applauded and publicly acknowledged the efforts of the "Best Taxi Service in the World", as not one word has appeared in the media or the TfL website.

Your email reply, is the first time the Licensed Taxi Trade has received any acknowledgement of their dedication to the safe transport of the public over the recent bouts of extreme weather, at no extra cost to the public, whatever the conditions.


If you believe your record on touting is good, I would suggest you to think again. 
The on-going problem of touting in London has now escalated to such an extent that it has become impossible to legally rank outside most night venues for fear of violent confrontation from PHV drivers and door security staff.
Most Licensed Taxi ranks in the West End become infested with touts at night and enforcement is none existent. 


Because of a lack of enforcement, the new Golden Fare Rank was taken over completely by minicab touts just after midnight on its second night. The LTDA's "Golden Marshals"  gave up the ghost, leaving drivers who had made their way, passed a sea of regular customers,  high and dry. 
We have now learned that this rank is to be suspended until further notice, because of lack of manpower. This from an organisation that boasts 9000 full members!


The trouble now being, people are still turning up to this abandoned rank, only to be confronted by illegal touts who are charging exorbitant fares. The drivers who worked the rank at normal rates, before the introduction of a" Golden Fare" have been pushed out.


In the majority of the trades opinion, this is no more than a return of the Martin Low's Whitcomb Street minicab rank, by stealth. 
Absolute proof that the surface transport committee along with senior members of the UTG do not have a clue what's happening out on the street late at night.


OR DO THEY?
Question that needs an answer;
Is Peter Hendy carrying on Ken Livingston's agenda, (recently publicised on The Anderson Shelter)  ready for his return in 2012?


Mr Mason, for the past year you have constantly talked about Stakeholders, United Trade representation and working partnerships with enforcement agency's. But even with the removal of the two senior Cab Enforcement officers, nothing has actually surfaced, nothing has improved.
Still you refuse to talk to disgruntled Taxi groups, choosing only to meet with drivers who have shown complete agreement with your policies, changing the rules of engagement to suit your own purpose... 


Drivers who are out there at night on the front line, are being confronted by massive lines of aggressive, illegal touts who are now actively taking over Licensed Taxi ranks

• Charing Cross Road
• Tiger Tiger
• Sanderson Hotel
• Dorchester Park Lane
• Grosvenor House Park Lane
• Movida Argyll Street
• Babble Berkeley Square
• Jalouse Hanover Square
• Shepherds Bush Rank
• Strand Feeder to Charing Cross Station
• Selfridge, Debenhams and John Lewis Oxford Street
• Bury Street St James
• Scala Kings Cross .

Cab enforcement officers are seen by drivers to be turning a blind eye. 
But these same officers can be seen acting as bailiffs for local councils, or stopping Black cabs for badge/bill checks and giving them mini on the spot inspections.

To add insult to injury, at one of their favourite check points, (the lay-by at the junction of Charing Cross Road and Irvin Street) Cab Enforcement officers carry out checks for badge and bill, oblivious to the fact that fifty yards north, up to 15 illegally parked PHV's sit and tout right under their nose's (the first eight on a licensed licensed Taxi rank). 


False accusations have been made (and printed in the trade media) about an encroachment escalation from suburban drivers to deflect from the real problem. Dived and Rule?


As for the PCO complaints department, that's another complete joke. Over the past 4 years I personally, have sent in hundreds of photo's and videos (some with witness statements). I have only ever received one reply,  which informed me the PCO had no way of viewing film clips once uploaded to the Internet.


PHV drivers who had been videoed touting and reported, along with witness statements are still illegally touting at the Bus stops in Victoria some 3 years on. What happened to "One hit and your out" ?


As previously mentioned, damning evidence has emerged showing that (despite claims to the contrary), there has always been an agenda to install thousands of Satellite offices with lines of PHV's ranked outside for immediate hire, with an option for a PH Gold, Silver and Bronze system, which would allow mini cabs to ply for hire after 10pm.


London at night under your watch is now lawless. Touting is completely out of control and we now have the evidence that this situation has been completely contrived by TfL. 


James Thomas
Licensed Taxi Driver 38 years service.
Editor, The Anderson Shelter.
www.theandersonshelter.blogspot.com




Just in case you missed it, read the agenda dug up by Austin Taxi


Click Here