Guess who's Got Your Back?....By Thomas the Taxi.

No one in their right minds wants to see a fleet of festering old bangers driving round London.
It would be fantastic to have a fleet of high-spec, up to the minute, low emission Taxis in time for the Olympic and Para-Olympic Games, for the whole world to see.

With more forethought and better planning (a scrappage scheme with subsidised road fund and fuel) we could have come close to achieving this goal. But instead of TfL looking after our interests, they have sought to "harmonise" and in some areas replace the "Best Taxi Service in the World" with an inferior private hire service that has shown time and time again, it can't be trusted or relied upon.


Every Bus is subsidised to the tune of £20,000 a year, even the ones that are being run by private companies. Massive profits for bus companies result in unbelievably high salaries to managers, with enormous bonuses paid out to shareholders. We will see in a couple of months, the Managing Director of TfL David Brown, leave his position for a post at a bus company for a staggering new salary of £1.4m a year.


Where is our subsidy?
If every Taxi received a comparable subsidy, our fleet would reflect the grant and would be made up of newer vehicles.


Back to reality!  
We have just been told that the rise in VAT, although known about by TfL,was not factored in to our next meter adjustment due in April. No subsidy on fuel, no subsidy on the price of a new vehicle and we have been whacked by an unfair road fund license fee that is not consistent across the whole London Taxi fleet.


We now find that an age limit is to be introduced, in the Mayors words, "to clean up the dirty old cabs from the street". 
And yet no scientific proof is available to back up his demand. His office has released colourful charts that purport to show how dirty Taxis are, but fails to explain how getting rid of older models will change this situation as new and old Taxis pass the same smoke test before being licensed.
His figures are also questionable as they are no more than guesstimates.

This is plainly a cosmetic exercise brought in to get rid of older models in time for the Olympics.


If you think this doesn't affect you then think again.
Being discussed on your behalf by the United Trade Group that includes only one fully working Taxi driver, is the possibility of prestige ranks for newer vehicles only and extra inspections for not so new Taxis.
Plus it has been discussed that older vehicles may lose their Congestion Charge exemption status!


This group of financially interested representatives (proprietors association, radio circuit entrepreneurs and manufacturers) have signed you up to a 15 year age limit with 2 MOT's (with SGS visits) and a full overhaul inspection. They are also discussing the possibility of older cabs having 2 MOT's and 2 major overhauls every year.


With the amount of Taxis taken off the road in the first three years, rented vehicles will become harder to find and there is much talk of a return of double teams working on the clock. Some proprietors have spoken of vehicles being rented in eight hour shifts!


What will happen to the old Taxis?
As there is no scrappage scheme in place, these vehicles will find their way into private ownership, so will still be out there adding to pollution levels. Without the regular servicing of Taxis, pollution levels of these vehicles will deteriorate. We may even see some working as unlicensed cabs as enforcement against touts from Joe Royles boys is at an all time low.


So, fewer vehicles to service a growing market of visitors. 
Who will pick up this extra business?


You guessed it... TfL have recently been talking to the United Trade Group, about marshalled Private Hire Ranks with the introduction of a Gold, silver and bronze system for minicab's. This issue has been on the cards since the inception of the STaN agenda back in 2002 and has been discussed many times at Service Transport Committee meetings, in the presence of our man on the board of TfL.


Phase1. set up a bait to get empty cabs to drive past street hails. (Golden Fares rank reinstated last night)
Public outcry "Not enough Taxis". Taxis refuse to work from marshalled rank at Tiger Tiger as Golden rank more profitable, so blind eye turned to PHV touts.


Phase 2. Permission granted to implement new "Marshalled Private Hire Ranks". 


Phase 3. Only newer Taxis to use prestige ranks, in prime positions. 


Lets not forget the man waiting in the wings to take over from Boris who wants...
Phase 4. Private hire to have the right to ply for hire after 10 pm.


This is why it is imperative that we put in a legal bid to stop this expensive madness thrust upon the trade by people who show a bias towards our competition and have no knowledge of how our trade functions.
Alan Fleming's appeal is up and running and if you care about the future of your trade, then I suggest you contribute to the fund.Details of payment can be found at the top of the right hand column.


When you think about the group that has been set up to represent you at meetings with TfL, like me you would believe this group to be made up from elected members of Trade Unions and Trade Associations!
Well, you would be wrong.
John Mason has put up hurdles to stop representative groups, that don't support his views from attending workshops and meetings. He has actively invited members from private business with their own agenda to negotiate on your behalf.


Attending the last Trade workshop in May 2010 were;
Mike Hedges, Unite
Steve MacNamara, LTDA
Grant Davis, LCDC
Eddie Crossley, LMCPA
Peter DaCosta, KPM Taxis
Malcom Paice, Com Cab


John Mason, TfL
Helen Chapman, TfL
Luke Howard, TfL


Invited absentees, 
John Russell, LTI
Brian Rice, Dial-a-Cab
Ivan Kovler, LMPCA.


Spot the full time working Taxi driver?


Rapes increase by 54%.
Earlier this month in a radio interview, Peter Hendy was asked what he intends to do about the 54% increase in assaults including rapes in private hire vehicles?


He replied, "I do not recognise these figures. They have come from a militant cabby with a blog"
No Peter the figures came from the Metropolitan police and the TfL website.

We need a better way to make complaints.
What we need most of all peter is a quick and easy way to report PHV's that are breaking the law!
Then we need you to enforce the law.
How about a website, accessible by smart phone for drivers to report incidents, that would have immediate response? 
I would pay double the current license fee for that Peter.