Prostate Cancer Warning... An Anonymous Post.

A message from 'The Idiot'.


Hi Guys,

Over the past 15 months I have made a point of talking about Prostate Cancer with as many blokes as possible. Although most will say they are aware of the potential problem, some even have known of friends who have suffered and died, very few (none) have actually done anything to ensure they are not/will no be victims’

I sincerely hope the following real life experience will make every one of you get down the doctors for a PSA blood test. Yes that is all it takes a simple blood test not even the greased finger up the jacksy. The average PSA is 4 when I finally stopped being a bloody idiot and got tested mine was an alarm bell ringing 26.

Prostate Cancer is one of the easiest to diagnose and treat yet it (2008 figures) kills 10,168 men it that year, that’s 12% or all male cancers deaths and is only 2nd to lung cancer. Do the sums and that is one bloke dying every hour.

The main reason for the high mortality rate being that so many blokes are complete idiots (like myself) and don’t take note/do something at the first warning signs.

What is the Prostate –?It is a walnut sized thing that the pee tube from the bladder passes through to exit at the willy. The two sperm tubes from the balls also join the pee tube in the prostate (sorry about the technical jargon). You could call it the Clapham Junction for all routes to the willy.

What are the warning signs-?
Loss of pressure when having a pee
Frequent need to have a pee
Only being able to manage a dribble each time – I became over a period of 12 months a dab hand at jumping into the back of the cab and having to have a dribble into a bottle between jobs, sometimes twice an hour.
Reduced ability to ejaculate or not being able to ejaculate. I blamed the wife for this one and how wrong was I.

Well after some 18 months of ignoring all the warning signs – doing that blokish thing and just finding ways round the problem to compensate for the bloody obvious. It all came to a climax when walking back to the cab after having a coffee with my accountant (we all have to see them once a year) the front of my jeans suddenly became quite warm and a darker shade than normal. On arriving home my wife (a quiet person by nature) went bloody ballistic and in no uncertain terms told me to “get down the doctors and get myself sorted out.

Next day she went of to work I now had two choices, make that appointment or spend the whole day (in-between umpteen visits to the toilet) removing every ornament (potential missile) to the garden shed.

Off to the docs I went and suddenly found myself caught up in the fantastic machine that is our National Health Service. Had an urgent blood test, appointment with a consultant at East Surrey Hospital within days and the operation called a TURP a few days later.

It turned out it was not a case of not being able to hold me water but that I could hold it better than most. My prostate had squeezed my pee tube to a virtual closure so my bladder had to be full to bursting (which it came very close to doing) before a dribble could get passed.

The TURP in short is drilling a bigger hole through the prostate so I can now pee like a horse and go several hours without needing the loo. However it did bugger up the plumbing from the testicles a bit. After a week or so I just had to try the ejaculation stuff out. Well it responded all the sensations were there and so was that final relief satisfaction. But no ejaculation as it all back flushed up into the bladder, hey ho sex without the mess could save a fortune on boxes of tissues.

How much of an idiot was I?
Due to my own stupidity the cancer had burst out of the prostate and into the lymph nodes below so now I have been on female hormone implants for 14 months. That’s chemical castration (so no tissues required) menopausal hot flushes (still waiting for that female ability to multitask – think it is a myth). Due to start radio therapy on the 18th that’s then every day Mon-Fri for two months.

I can only blame myself for being so stupid WHO are you going to blame as some 50% of blokes will experience some form of prostate problem.

I do not want to receive any sympathy replies; I am quite capable of crying in my own beer. What I would really like is to hear that every male member has booked that blood test. Don’t be a bloody idiot.

BTW at no time did I experience (after the trip to the docs) any pain so relax it may be a tender and much loved part of you so take care of it.

London Taxi Trade not alone in fight for survival.

Council is driving licensed taxis out of town, says RMT

RMT TAXI drivers in Solihull are to demonstrate in the town centre on Monday (November 29) against the local council’s undermining of the licensed hackney-cab trade by giving unfair advantage to the private-hire sector.

The drivers, who will gather in Station Road at noon and march to Solihull Town House, are angry that the council has created marshalled ‘mobile pick-up’ points for private-hire vehicles, while imposing ever-more draconian conditions on licensed taxis.

The union says that imposing an unrealistic age-limit on purpose-built taxis and requiring two MOT tests a year on top of the existing stringent supplementary test, while allowing private-hire vehicles effectively to tout for trade on the streets will kill off the licensed taxi service.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today:

“RMT taxi drivers are in danger of being driven out of town by a council that is making life as difficult as possible for the licensed trade while effectively making touting legal for private-hire vehicles.

“The council says it has no money to conduct a survey on the town’s taxi needs, yet it is paying for marshals to facilitate private-hire vehicles picking up fares on what amount to ranks that ought to be for licensed taxis.

“Solihull’s 244 licensed taxi drivers have invested something like £7 million in providing purpose-built taxis and have to pass knowledge exams, but they are being squeezed to the point that several have already been declared bankrupt or had their taxis repossessed.

“That is shortsighted and all our members are asking is for some fairness and co-operation from Solihull’s licensing office, and an end to the unfair advantage being given to a private-hire sector that is regulated far less rigorously.”

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

In London we face the same problem, unfair advantage is shown to private hire drivers who constantly tout, while black cabs face more stringent regulations and on road checks from TfL's cab enforcement that profess to have no budget.

STaN team blame women for getting in to illegally ranked minicabs...byThomas the Taxi

Satellite Offices, where sexual predators can line up hidden, within a line of illegal touts and wait for their next victim...

A campaign to reduce the number of women sexually attacked in minicabs over Christmas was launched yesterday, in the wake of a 54% increase in serious sexual assault including rape and a 50% decrease in detection/conviction. The scheme aims to warn Londoners about the dangers of getting into vehicles without pre-booking and to help them get home safely. But leaders of the Safer Travel At Night scheme say women are putting themselves in danger by getting into minicabs that line up outside pubs and clubs.

• These will be the licensed Private hire vehicles that park on red routes in plain sight of TfL enforcement CCTV cameras.
• These will be the Licensed Private hire vehicles that park in a 24 hour bus lane, on a bus stand, underneath a CCTV enforcement camera.
• These will be the Licensed Private hire vehicles that Westminster City Council refuses to enforce parking restrictions against . See video No1.
• These will be the Licensed Private hire vehicles that park on Licensed Taxi ranks. Who become violent and abusive towards Taxi drivers when politely asked to move. See video No2

Better still scrap the satellites Offices

and ENFORCE THE LAW.

So, in their eyes its not their fault for lack of enforcement, its the publics fault for using unbooked mnincabs!!!

Steve Burton, of Transport for London, said: “Our advice to anyone using a minicab is to book it with a licensed minicab office. (Like the one in Shoreditch which, when raided a few years ago, found 34 drivers using forged or stolen documents)

Kit Malthouse, the Deputy Mayor for Policing, said: “Using unbooked minicabs can be dangerous. It is not worth the risk". (So why not enforce the laws you already have to stop this happening?)

Strange statement Kit, as we have been campaigning about this problem for many years, but neither the Mayors' office, nor TfL have done anything about these massive lines of unbooked, illegally ranked minicabs, outside every West End night venue.

In fact until earlier this year, the official line from TfL's legal team was that mini cabs could wait outside venues to be booked. Luke Howard, on behalf of TfL's Peter Hendy, answered many emails from Taxi drivers, with the reply that in his legal teams opinion, they could see nothing wrong with this situation.

It was then pointed out, in a statement by Derbyshire solicitor James Button, that "minicabs can not stand and wait to be hired". Anyone heard from Mr Howard lately?

Kit continued, “Many people think getting one home at night is safer than public transport or waiting for a licensed, booked cab but it's not true. Don't get into a car with a potential criminal. You could regret it for the rest of your life.”

Central Locking click, Blacked out windows and you could be the next victim...

Sign the online petition to ban Black windows in minicab's, CLICK HERE

And now, TfL give you...Taliban Killers and suicide bombers driving minicabs park time...By Thomas the Taxi

As if allowing a man on the knowledge who killed his wife and assaulted his daughter wasn't bad enough, TfL are now allowing terrorists who are killing our troops, to drive minicab's in central London, part time.

 TfL has insulted our countries veterans by closing down their main means of transport on Remembrance Sunday and now insulted our nations hero's by giving a safe heaven of employment to terrorists who are killing our service men and women abroad.
This action is indefensible. Giving refuge to the enemies of our nation is a gross insult to all who have died in its service and is akin to treason,.

In a week when, at a press conference about the heightened state of security, Met commissioner Sir Paul Stevens, made a reference to the car bomb left outside Tiger Tiger. It seems almost unbelievable that TfL would embrace a Satellite Office system that would put potential Taliban suicide bombers outside London's clubs and bars in Licensed Minicabs.

This surely has to be more serious than the Killer on the Knowledge and every Taxi driver has to look towards their respective representative bodies to organise a united protest to show the level of our feeling. If possible, perhaps we could even get our ex-service men and women involved. I believe the public at large would support any action.
I urge ever Taxi driver to write to Boris and their MP and lodge a complaint


Read the shocking truth for yourself...

In an article in the Guardian on Line, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad was taken to meet with a district chief in the house of a burly, bearded man who spoke passable English with a hint of a London accent. For most of the time he lived in east London, he said, but he came to Afghanistan for three months of the year to fight. He was a mullah and had the rank of a mid-level Taliban commander.

"I work as a minicab driver there," he said. "I make good money, you know. But these people are my friends and my family and it's my duty to come to fight the jihad with them.

"There are many people like me in London," he added. "We collect money for the jihad all year and come and fight if we can."

Full Article click here

Although the headline says quite wrongly "London Cab Driver", I think this issue has to be side lined as the serious nature of the content of this article must take precedence.

'No wrong-doing' Westminster council broke EU law

'No wrong-doing' council broke EU law
By Ed Davey
BBC News, London

Westminster was found to have infringed EU law
Continue reading the main story
Related stories

Council faces EU parking inquiry
A council has been censured by the European Commission for infringing contract laws - and criticised for earlier claiming in a press release it had been "cleared of any wrong-doing".

Westminster Council was the subject of an EU investigation after setting up Partners in Parking (PiP), which allowed local authorities to join forces to purchase cheap parking services.

Transport for London and six local authorities in the city joined when it first started, hoping for a better deal from private parking enforcement firms.

Canadian company Verrus was awarded the contract to provide pay-and-display services, pay-by-phone, parking tickets and debt collection to the members.

Additional local authorities were then persuaded by Westminster City Council to join PiP but these contracts under European Union rules should have gone back out to tender rather than being passed automatically to Verrus.

This move prompted an investigation by the European Union after an un-named parking company complained about the process and the failure to put subsequent contracts out to tender.

But on 8 November Westminster Council released a statement saying an investigation by the European Commission into its parking contract "has cleared the authority of any wrongdoing".

Councillor Lee Rowley, Westminster's parking boss, said at the time: "We always maintained this contract was properly awarded following a tender process carried out in accordance with the law and we are obviously pleased that the EU has decided to close this case."

But BBC London has obtained documents showing the Commission found against Westminster Council and that it was ordered to make changes.

'Infringed EU law'
In an written statement it said: "The Commission considered that Westminster City Council has infringed EU law.

"The United Kingdom authorities recognised the Commission's allegations and committed to take appropriate and adequate measures for the purpose of terminating the infringement."

This statement was obtained by Gerard Batten, a Member of the European Parliament and also of UKIP.


Gerard Batten MEP said Westminster's press release was 'simply not true'
He said: "The press release Westminster sent out is simply not true.

"They have not been cleared of any wrong-doing.

"They certainly were not let off scot-free."

He said he was not surprised the authority had put out "such a silly statement".

In light of the revelations, the BBC has learned some councils are considering withdrawing from PiP.

A head of parking at one of the PiP councils, speaking to the BBC on condition of anonymity, said: "The whole issue of legal capability has to be explained.

"I had the press release saying everything was in the clear.

"Then I received other information - now I am trying to ask how these things relate."

Asked if the council would now withdraw from PiP, the officer said: "Whether it is a deal-breaker I don't think we can say until they respond."

Westminster Council's initial claims followed an exchange of emails with the Office for Governmental Commerce (OGC), which dealt with the EU over the issue.

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote

Our earlier statement did not intend to mislead anyone”

Cllr Lee Rowley
Westminster Council
The OGC says it does not comment on individual cases but the BBC understands the OGC is privately adamant that Westminster's press release was inaccurate and the council should not have based its claims on their emails.

On Wednesday Cllr Rowley said: "Our assertion that we had been cleared of any wrong-doing was based on the fact the OGC had said that the Commission had closed the case.

"It was also based on the EU saying there had been a satisfactory outcome to its investigation.

"Our earlier statement did not intend to mislead anyone and it's important to note that there was no punitive action taken against the council."

PiP once had ambitions to go nationwide.

The minutes of its December 2009 board meeting read: "The board received a report to consider the recommendation enable non-London authorities to join PiP.

Expansion plans dropped
"An Associate Membership would be created in order to enable UK authorities outside London to take advantage of PiP procurements."

A PiP report from 2009 described Bristol, Maidstone, Swindon, Portsmouth, Birmingham, Chiltern and Oxford as having a "potential interest" in joining.

One PiP report referred to the "harmonisation" of a Westminster policy to charge motorcyclists for parking, promising to "review national policy context".


Bristol City Council was one of several authorities nationwide interested in PiP
But Bristol Council raised concerns about PiP with regard to the legality of authorities outside London joining the organisation.

After the EU investigation began, expansion beyond London was shelved.

Westminster Council, which insists the EU probe did not affect the plans' termination, has since dismissed claims of national ambitions.

In July 2010 the then PiP chairman, Alastair Gilchrist, who is now strategic director of resources at Westminster Council, told other members: "Concerns about PiP's nationwide expansion are ill-conceived and regional savings are still at the heart of PiP's focus."

The EU's ruling means that only the seven authorities which first joined PiP - Westminster, the City of London, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Islington, Camden and Transport for London - may continue to use the Verrus contract.

An OGC advisory in light of the ruling suggests councils who subsequently joined PiP may be said to have made an "illegal award" of the contract to Verrus, if they used the company.

There is no suggestion of any wrong-doing by Verrus.

Enfield, Richmond, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Havering and Croydon joined PiP after its start date.

The BBC understands at least one of those authorities, Tower Hamlets, is now actively seeking to award a new contract.

The Biggest Bilk in History?....By Travis B

Drivers who have a livery agreement with Taxi Media are becoming increasingly concerned that the payments (low as they are!) are in many cases weeks overdue and Taxi Media Accounts can only make vague promises such as 'should be with you by mid December'.

There is now real concern about what is going to happen. When Taxi Media was part of Clear Channel Communications ( a worldwide outfit) driver were paid 'on the nail' but change of ownership seems to have altered things.

Taxi Media are the people in partnership with the LTDA for the 'Hands Up' Livery campaign. Let us all hope its not the Drivers 'Hands Up' surrendering their monies due!

Editorial comment...
The Anderson Shelter did try to contact Taxi Media for a statement, but was told although there were managers in the office, none were available for comment.

While we are in the area of "No comments" I would like to bring to your attention, the continuing saga of the LTDA's claim that they have 9000 members paying subscriptions.
It has been suggested that statistics are being inflated by members who have left or even died, but are still on the books at Woodfield Road and no charge Knowledge Boys.

So a large list of ex members has been compiled.

Next a member was asked to phone up and make an appointment to scrutinise the books that the LTDA say are open to every member.
After spending all day on the phone and constantly being told to "Call back later, as there is no one available to deal with this query", our member finally called it a day.

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.

++++++++++++++++++++

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.

Lion Tamer Needed at Tiger Tiger, Not a Troupe of Clowns.

What a complete circus!

by Thomas the Taxi

Last Monday night, the whole Taxi trade watched in amazement as the Metropolitan Police turned up in the Haymarket with a highly visible transit van full of CCTV surveillance equipment.

Two uniformed officers stood outside Tiger Tiger and asked customers to fill in a quick survey as they left the premises.
I did try to get a look at one of the forms myself, but had to leave straight away as the other policeman put a job in my cab.

It seemed to do the trick as very few touts pulled up on the Licensed Taxi rank and the ones that did, were moved on by the officers.

I made a point of returning time and time again, but as soon as I pulled up outside the venue, I seemed to be off again with another set of passengers.
I did however manage to ascertain from the passengers, that the form was about being touted by private hire drivers (minicabs) inside or outside on the pavement.

As the Police had already moved on the touts from outside the venue, I fear the result of this survey might give the wrong impression .

The mood on twitter that night was quite apprehensive, as this type of activity has been seen before in this vicinity. I got the general feeling from other drivers, that this was just another knee jerk reaction, in light of the demonstration planned for the following Wednesday.

Our fears and beliefs were not wrong as the next day and for the rest of the week, Tiger Tiger reverted back to no more than a massive private hire rank where touts and sexual predators lined up, side by side.

Safer Travel at Night (STaN) I don't think so.

Video taken on Thursday night.

The confusion at this venue, is caused by the fact the night time licensed taxi rank is not marked out clearly. Private hire drivers are unaware of their contravention and the sight of Westminster's traffic wardens walking past the illegally parked touts, doesn't help the matter.

So these touts and predators are parked on a bus stand, in a 24 hour bus lane, underneath a CCTV camera belonging to Westminster City Council that never seems to be working.

Someone is not doing the job properly;

Messrs Low and Goad!

If you are not willing to be part of the solution gentlemen, then you are part of the problem that last year contributed to a 54% rise in serious sexual assaults and rapes, with a 50% decline in detection and conviction in the same year.

Funny though, just around the corner in Charing Cross Road, licensed taxis are receiving more than their fair share of PCN's for taking longer than 2 minutes to pick up or drop off passengers, at the corner of Bear Street on double yellow lines.

How come that this camera is so efficient and yet the one outside Tiger Tiger is so totally useless?

So where have the joint ranks committee been since this rank was set up over a year ago and

why haven't they sorted this problem out in their regular, meaningful meetings with TfL?

The floor is all yours Dickie...

Anyway, lets end on a high note just seen this article and its put a smile back on my face.

MONTREAL — Doormen at one of the most luxurious hotels in Montreal have been arrested as part of an extortion conspiracy investigation.

Montreal police arrested six doormen who work at the Queen Elizabeth hotel, saying they have been pressuring taxi drivers to pay them for customers.

Read full article click here...

John Mason adds Fuel to the Flames.... By Jason Byrne.

Wednesday Morning, Paul Ross interviews a spokesperson for the United Cabbies Group and asks whats this Demonstration all about.

.

Later that morning, John Mason, Head of Taxi and Private Hire at TfL, was given a chance to put his view on the current situation.

We are not muggers, thieves, rapists or terrorists.

We are in fact "The Best Taxi Service" in the world.

Every night, an assortment of muggers, thieves and sexual predators line up to take advantage of an uneducated traveling public.

Terrorists have been allowed to park car bombs outside Londons night venues, which were left, completely unchallenged for many hours and yet Taxi drivers, in the course of their work are constantly given penalty tickets for stopping on yellow lines for more than two minutes.

It would seem the only body that doesn't recognise our worth to London, is our very own administrative body "TfL"
John Mason, speaking to Paul Ross said that these people are being caught.
Well last year (2009) assaults including rapes, rose by 54% to a reported 134.
While detection and conviction fell by 50% from 6 in 2008 to 3 in 2009.

Safer Travel at Night isn't working, FACT not fiction.

The Havens rape crisis centers dispute these figures and suggest that most rapes are never reported to the police, so never make it into official statistics. Recently three Met officers were suspended for changing statement to show rapes as non crimes.

John Mason will only deal with a silent representative organisation, whose chairman is paid by TfL to say nothing.

The worm is now turning and the drivers are abandoning the Org's. At the recent turnout for the veterans, organised by the UCG, drivers from every representative organisation took part, in-spite of their leaders reluctance to get involved. This service given freely to our nations heros was such a success it is to become an annual event.

But even as the drivers lined up to pick up the veterans who had been abandoned by Peter Hendy's TfL, they were harassed by local traffic wardens. While across the road minicabs were allowed to sit and wait outside a minicab office.

See Simco's Video.

BMF: Bike Parking - Bmf Appeals for Appeal Funds. Payback time.

Now is the time for Westminster to get theirs. Its Pay Back Time.

All you drivers who have been unfairly penalised in the course of your daily work, or perhaps you've been "Taxed" for using the loo, now its time to get your own back. Help the bikers take on the revenue rakers and council bully boys. You just know you'll feel better, so pleas give generously.


The British Motorcyclists Federation is calling on all UK motorcyclists, no matter where they may live, to support the No To Bike Parking Tax campaign (NTBPT) against Westminster's on-street parking charges for motorcycles.
A strong supporter of the NTBPT campaign to overturn the parking charges imposed on motorcyclists by Westminster City Council, the bmf say that with a ruling last week that the High Court may have got it wrong in judging that the charges were legal, and with what was said to be 'a good prospect of success at the re-trial', now is the time to really get behind the campaign.
But with the Court of Appeal Hearing listed for mid-March, there is a desperate need for legal funding. The fund has already passed the £5,000 mark, but at least £20,000 will be required for the appeal case to be properly presented.

If every Taxi driver gave just 75p we could make up the difference.

The bmf's Government Relations Executive Chris Hodder, said: "Make no mistake about it, this is not just a London issue, the High Court ruling that Westminster's parking charges for motorcycles are legal could well signal the end of free parking for motorcyclists across the UK. That's why this case is important, that's why this funding is important, and without it we cannot succeed."
Fund donations should be made to:
'NTBPT' SORT CODE: 40-02-35, A/C 11411047.




Editorial comment;
Were they lead, soon we may have to follow...TtT.

A great day for a United Taxi Trade.....By Thomas the Taxi.

Today was a great day for unity in the Taxi Trade.

Drivers from all representative bodies banded together in a common cause. Despite this protest being shunned by their respective trade leaders, they came together to show their utter disgust at TfL's Cab enforcements resistance to enforce the law to protect the safety of passengers travelling home late at night. With a reported rise of 54% in serious sexual assaults including many rapes, predators outside every night venue, are left along to entice passengers to use their unsavory services.

Mason said earlier today that these issues were just a conspiracy theory.

Mr Mason Try telling that to a young girl whose whole existence has been torn apart by an attack late at night. Try telling that to her mother and father who have to pick up the pieces of this broken life.

In reality.

In 2009 there was a reported 134 attacks, but only 3 drivers were convicted and had their PCO Private Hire License revoked. Just a storm in a tea cup?
As the figures for attacks rose by 54%, the detection and conviction rate fell by 50% . 2008 showed 6 PHV drivers convicted. Storm in a tea cup Mr Mason?
TfL's answer to this was to remove two officers in cab enforcement from their posts.

The Demonstration

At precisely three o- clock The Banners went up outside the entrance to Oxford Circus underground station.

The first of wave of this united band of brothers, was given a motorcycle escort from the No To Bike Parking Taxi and headed south down Regent Street, towards Oxford circus. Within minutes they were joined by Taxis from every direction and the whole area ground to a halt.

The Police were great and were happy to discuss our grievances, most seemed sympathetic with our action.
After about an hour the police, acting under new orders, started to direct the cabs away from the congestion on Oxford and Regent Streets. They tried to trap the cabs in side streets and divert them away, but the Taxis just u-turned and came back in the opposite direction. Hendy's much beloved buses were stuck in the jam and couldn't get through. The roads in the West End have been narrowed to such an extent, they are now at breaking point. God forbid there is a terrorist attack in the heart of this shoppers paradise, when one road blocks it causes gridlock all over.

Secondary Target

It then became a cat and mouse game but all in all the whole area stayed blocked until just before five o-clock when a directive was issued by the organisers that the taxis should head over to the Palestra building on Blackfriars road.

The Police had anticipated this moved and when the cabs first arrived, they found the whole building was surrounded by police and security guards. The united protesters circled the building till the foot soldiers arrived. Then the vuvuzela's and horns gave a deafening cacophony which could be heard north of the river. Eventually, John Mason head of Taxis and private hire, emerged from the Palestra building to a rapturous chant of "Shame on you" from the protesting drivers. The police were fantastic and there were no reported incidents. It must be said that the Taxi drivers behavior was impeccably law abiding.

This was the scene as the drivers filed away after the protest some went on to join the 6 o clock "Tea Party" with the bikers in Trafalgar Square.

Cabwise… The bits they forgot to mention!

With thanks to Stormcab and the UCG For Photos and Video and a special thanks to the No TO Bike Parking Tax lobby who were fantastic.

Mass Demonstration, Wednesday 17th November

Press Release
United Cabbies Group
Demonstration
17th November 2010
3pm Oxford Circus

London’s Licensed Taxi drivers are holding a drive in demonstration to highlight the problem of satellite mini cab offices in Central London.

A satellite minicab office is defined as a branch of a traditional minicab office that is placed in the lobby of a night club or restaurant etc. Today this is not the case. It is possible to open a satellite office without being an established minicab operator and there are offices in newsagents, kebab shops and even stairwells of blocks of flats.

They were originally set up under the Safer Travel at Night Scheme as an alternative method of getting people home from Central London at night.

At the time it was obvious to London Licenced Taxi Drivers that this was a poorly thought out idea especially in the light of the failed terrorist attack at Tiger Tiger night club on The Haymarket.

What we did not know at the time was that the police division (TOCU) which was established to enforce the law was tasked with finding suitable venues for these sites. We believe that they are not clamping down on these venues as they were complicit in putting them there in the first place and are embarrassed to admit their own mistake.

These establishments are now at epidemic levels and are completely out of control. In their own documentation, TFL have published figures that show rapes and sexual assaults are up 54% in licenced and unlicensed minicabs. It is our belief that the vast majority if not all are directly related to these venues. They are so concerned about this statistic that in their consultation about tightening up the private hire industry they have suggested the following:



Driver Proposal 5

That TfL introduces a condition in private hire drivers’ licenses that ‘Drivers must not make any remark of a sexual nature to a passenger. Licensed drivers are not permitted to become involved sexually, or have sexual contact, even with consent, whilst in a licensed vehicle.’


http://ucg-london.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/PH-Consultation-Oct-2010.pdf


The London Taxi trade is rightly highly regulated and this is one of the reasons that it is voted the best taxi trade in the world year after year.

In contrast to that we have a minicab service in London that has been licenced since 1998 but has virtually no enforcement of the regulations from the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998.

So whilst on a daily basis London’s Licenced Taxis are stopped by TFL officials or the police for petty checks, such as missing ashtrays in the passenger area, minicabs have been given carte blanche to do as they please, such as touting for business, parking on Taxi Ranks and so on.

This has led to an intolerable situation in London at night where a scheme set up under the banner Safer Travel at Night has led to an increase of 54% of sexual assaults in licenced and unlicensed minicabs.
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/16746.aspx

Minicab licenses are being dished out like sweets at a rate of over 400 per month. Minimal background checks are being carried out on those drivers who are coming from overseas. It was Ken Livingstone, who said on his radio show during the last demonstration when challenged on this, pointed out that “they (TFL) do their best to check everyone”. Indeed in the consultation document http://ucg-london.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/PH-Consultation-Oct-2010.pdf
page 9 section 4.2 TFL states the following:

Not all countries provide a Certificate of Good Conduct, and where provided the information is generally of less detail than that contained in the Enhanced CRB check. There is also concern that Certificates of Good Conduct from some countries may be not based on as thorough and rigorous checks as those checks conducted via the CRB process. This leaves a risk that Transport for London may not be aware of convictions or misconduct by people who have lived overseas

In other words if you have committed rape in another country you are given the opportunity to do the same in London. Just get a minicab license.


The main problem with these satellite offices is the safety risk to Londoners trying to get home at night. But there are other issues such as:

• Assaults on Licenced Taxi Drivers as they go about their lawful business of plying for hire. These assaults can be verbal, being spat at or even physical assaults
• Passengers being ripped off by vastly inflated fare up to 5 times the legal metered fare in a licenced taxi
• Minicab drivers arguing and fighting with each other to get the better fares.
• Clipboard operators outside these venues touting and harassing people to get in their cars

It is our opinion that the experiment of satellite offices has not worked and according to TFL’s own figures is likely to have resulted in over 1000 young men and women being sexually assaulted or raped in these vehicles since the inception of this scheme.

We believe that this makes a mockery of the slogan ‘safer travel at night’ and that there is no such thing but is really to empty the streets of London at night at a cost that is justifiable to the authorities.

TFL have created a monster that they cannot control This scheme cannot be policed effectively and should be scrapped immediately and the authorities should sit down with us and discuss a more enlightened approach to what is in reality a problem for a few hours on a Friday and Saturday night.

We apologise to our fellow Londoners for this disruption but we are at the start of the party season and we cannot sit back and watch this mess with a clear conscience.

TfL, Beyond the Pale....By Thomas the Taxi

Sunday 14th November 2010,
Temporary closures on eight tube lines meant severe disruption to the network, which would make it extremely hard for some veterans to attend the Remembrance parade and service at the Cenotaph. News of the closures came late in the day with Howard Collins (TfL) appearing on Fridays London Tonight (ITV).
So London looked towards Mayor Boris Johnson and his top man at TfL Peter Hendy to come to the aid of the people who gave so much to make this country what it is today. Would he lay on a fleet of Dial-a-ride vehicles or perhaps a few buses much loved by Peter (Bendy) Hendy? 

Unbelievably, TfL turned its back on the veterans with an almighty snub, making their annual pilgrimage to remember fallen comrades almost impossible.

But there was hope on the horizon , in the shape of the London Taxi Trade who picked up the baton and turned up en masse, to offer the veterans a free shuttle service from designated pick up points to the Cenotaph. When the annual parade and service was over the Cabbies were there again, to take the veterans back to their original pick up points.


I have never been so proud of my fellow cabbies who stopped work and put themselves out to offer this free shuttle service.
The original plans for this operation were drawn up (in an amazingly short time) by members of the United Cabbies Group. But the operation was supported by a united band of brothers from all parts of the Taxi trade.

Spokesperson for the group, Jonathan Myers said "It has been so successful we are going to make this an annual event. Next year we will have more time to make plans and it should run even smoother".

Well done to all our comrades who participated in this exercise.

I'm sure the veterans will be grateful they were not forgotten.

click to enlarge

Boris Johnson and Peter Hendy, the eyes of London were upon you and you let the them down big time. You should hang your heads in shame.

Even more reason why you should turn up and demonstrate on Wednesday 17th November.

Also read Steves account. A driver that stayed out all through the night so he could be there. Click Here...