How Many Cloned Bills Are Out There?

Just How Many Cloned Bills Are Out There?
Drivers are now complaining that they are being inundated with Badge and Bill requests all over Central London. Last week saw enforcement officers at many different locations, in and around the West End. I for one was ranting about the continued harassing of Licensed Taxi drivers when illegal ranking by PHV's is being completely ignored.

I have now been informed these B/B exercises are for a very good reason.


Earlier this year, a member of the RMT approached Chairman Paul Walsh after being called to attend a police station in the City of London, over discrepancies in the details recorded on his Taxi drivers licence (Bill).
It transpired, or so we were led to believe, that the "Bill" which had been presented to the station was in fact not the genuine article, (but was good enough to fool the examining officer). The driver whose name was on the bill had no knowledge of an offence, or the presentation to the police station. The driver was subsequently released and told that the City of London police would carry out an investigation.


RMT Meet With Mason.
Not satisfied to let the matter be buried, the RMT contacted John Mason, director of LTPH, and although he had repeatedly refused to meet with an RMT committee in the past, a meeting was hurriedly arranged. Mason assured the assembled contingent that this was no more then a one off. In fact he insisted the Bill was just a bad photocopy. 
He seemed uninterested in reports that someone in his department was offering bills for open sale and said the rumours were unfounded. He added "if this were the case, then LTPH at Palestra would go into "Lock Down" mode".




Fuel of the Flames

Just a few months earlier an incident (still unexplained) took place at Victoria Station. 
Reports of a major collision between a Toyota PHV and a Black Taxi were published on twitter by a number of Taxi drivers. I attended the scene personally, and was told by the officer in charge that the driver of the Taxi had absconded.  The officer was visibly upset, as a number of elderly American passengers were taken to hospital in quite a serious condition after the roof had to be removed from the Taxi. I made enquiries to LTPH on a number of occasions and have been informed that, so far, the police have been unable to trace the Taxi driver. The condition of the passengers remains undisclosed as the police investigation is still ongoing.


How did this driver manage to disappear without a trace?
How did he manage to hire a Taxi in the first place?
Until today, no answers have been issued.


It is believed that the licence used to hire the Taxi was in fact another cloned Bill. Garages are now being advised by LTPH to ask to see the drivers badge as well as holding the Bill copy.


Now We Have Cloned Bills, Turning Up Again.
It is alleged that cases involving cloned Bills are regularly turning up in court. Apparently fines of £80 are being dished out along with 60 hours community service. I have been informed of one knowledge student, who paid £5000 for the fake Bill and after being fined, as he did not disclose where the fake was purchased, was given a complementary one and is now back behind the wheel of a Taxi.


Knowledge Students Targeted.
Targets are selected carefully from amongst Knowledge students that have completed over a years training to give them a reasonable chance of blending in unnoticed.


Unconfirmed reports
There have been unconfirmed reports that a large number of genuine Bill blanks disappeared when the PCO moved from Penton Street to Palestra. Could this be the reason behind the sudden change from the old styled bill to the new issue?


This would explain the increase in on street badge and bill checks of late as PCO enforcement would be in possession of all the numbers of the stolen Bills.


LTPH say, the increase in on-street Badge and bill checks are a result of too many yellow badges working out of sector. Many green badge drivers say they won't display these ID badges in their present form as, if stolen by passengers from the rear windscreen, the driver has to apply for a new badge number and cant work until it has been issued. As there are no counter services at Palestra, this could take several weeks.

LTPH have been unable to back up the supposed mass exodus from the suburban sectors with statistics of revocation or suspension of Yellow badge licenses.


Perhaps LTPH think these drivers who are in possession of stolen or counterfeit Bills are suddenly going to disappear if/when ID badges are bought in. The people behind the fraud will just add fake ID's to their illegal transactions.

200 licences at £5k a pop, a cool million pounds! We're not talking about peanuts here.

Suddenly they find a couple of dozen foot soldiers to look for stolen Bills...

Where have these PCO enforcement officers been for the last two years, when over 270 serious sexual assaults have taken place in Licensed Private Hire vehicles???Not unlicensed minicabs!!!! but licensed Private Hire vehicles. How do the officers in charge of policing the Taxi and Private Hire trades sleep at night?

Joe Royle (now removed from his position) Sultan Taylor, John Ryland, John Mason, Helen Chapman, Peter Hendy and Boris Johnson...It is your incompetence that has kept this number so high. Your inability to deal with illegal plying for hire has meant that 270 young lives have been shattered.

How do you sleep at night? 

A friend of mine has just come back from New York, where they have 13,000 licensed Taxis. The tour guide told him they have 400 enforcement officers to deal with illegal plying for hire and plenty of rank spaces.

What are they doing with our licence fees?

Why have they suddenly not got the budget for enforcement?

Where has the money gone?

Thomas the Taxi.