RMT Picket Windsor House.... Thomas the Taxi

Selfish arrogant fools, go away

Transport Commissioner for TfL  Peter Hendy, yesterday blasted London Taxi drivers who campaigned outside his office in Victoria. 


The drivers, all members of the RMT London Taxi Branch, were handing out leaflets to staff and visitors at Windsor House, highlighting the lack of enforcement regarding the Mets newly released figures, which show the 54% increase in minicab related serious sexual assaults of 2009, have not been addressed significantly by LTPH enforcement,which are still currently running at a staggering 10 attacks every month.
  

Mr Hendy tried to creep away from the building unnoticed but was spotted by a driver and asked to give a statement about what TfL are doing/ going to do about these attacks.

Hendy just turned and said;

"There are people trying to work in this building. You're nothing but a bunch of selfish arrogant fools.Now go away".

With that he scurried away into the distance.

Hendy recently appeared on the Nick Ferrari show where he was asked by a phone-in guest about the sexual assault statistics. 
He replied he had no knowledge of the figures and they were the work of a militant Taxi drivers Blog, even though they had been posted on TfL's own website, the Met Police website, in the Evening Standard, on the BBC news website and spread all over the Taxi media.


It hasn't gone unnoticed that TfL have spent the enforcement budget on bus ticket evasion. Virtually every night you can see groups of about 50 TfL enforcement police officers along with British Transport police and revenue inspectors pulling over buses and checking tickets. 
This happens while sexual predators hide amongst lines of illegally ranked, touting TfL licensed minicabs, outside clubs,bars,restaurants and hotels all over the capital.


New York has over 400 Cab enforcement inspectors working on a 24/7 shift system, to deal with 12,779 licensed Cabs (figures up to 2006).
A ratio of 1 inspector to every 32 cabs.
We don't have an exact figure for limousines but we're led to believe its about 6000, thats a work load of 1 inspector to 47 vehicles.


London has 58 cab enforcement officers who work 9-5, with 4 officers on night shift, to deal with 24,000 black cabs and 72,000 private hire vehicles.
That's 1 enforcement officer for every 1,548 vehicles.


Let's not forget what this ex bus driver once said about the Taxi Trade, when told by Peter Hulme Cross at a Select Transport Committee meeting;
"The Taxi drivers are worried about their future"


He replied;
"Well they should get out more often"


In a bid not to interfere with the long suffering motorists, this Picket was held on foot. Just a handful of members were used very effectively and when it was known that Hendy had left the building, the picket was called off.




Video by Mick the Brit.