Mason Emails the UCG and the Anderson Shelter

Dear United Cabbies Group

I noted with interest the most recent article on your website regarding the taxi driver license checker and other matters.

Firstly, I am sorry you have such a low opinion of myself but I am obviously very pleased to note how highly you respect my Deputy, Helen Chapman.

While I can not and would not want to stand in the way of any action you may wish to take as alluded to in the article I thought you may be interested in the following facts.

The weekend I instructed the license checker to be taken down Helen and I had been contacted by a number of driver groups and drivers. Jim Thomas was indeed in contact with Helen and, at the same time, I was in contact with reps from the LTDA and LCDC who were raising the same concerns.

The letter from Bob Crow (to Peter Hendy, not the Mayor)is regarding the taxi driver identifiers and was received AFTER the meeting I attended with the Mayor and Bob Oddy which had been planned since before Christmas. (see no1)

The letter from Bob Crow does not threaten legal action unless there is another letter I have not seen.

Grant Davies was not at the meeting when the license checker was discussed. (see no2)

I did not announce I was going to re-introduce the facility. (see no3)

The Mayor was not livid and did not shout. We discussed with Bob Oddy the concerns of the trade and we agreed with Bob that taxi driver names should not be made available through such a facility. (refer to again no3)

I hope this clarifies the matter.

Moving on to finals day at Palestra and the suggestions you make with regards to my involvement and apparent promotion of the LTDA.

Firstly you will not find one licensed taxi driver who I have presented a badge to who will corroborate your absurd allegation that I tell drivers they should join the LTDA. I have never have and never would make such a statement either in the finals presentations or anywhere else for that matter. If one of your members or committee would like to attend a finals presentation then please let me know and you can see exactly what I say for yourself.

In light of the above I respectfully demand a complete retraction of this unfounded allegation.

As for the photos of me outside handing out LTDA bags to candidates. This is simply not the case regardless of what you think you witnessed.

After finals I went down to collect a big brown envelope from the LTDA rep. No, not cash, 4 copies of TAXI. The LTDA rep asked me if I knew Maria (a member of my team) as he had some LTDA diaries for her. My taxi licensing officers find the diaries very useful for key facts a info regarding the trade.

I confirmed I did and he handed the bag with the diaries to me.

I was then approached by Maria and another one of my members of staff who asked the LTDA rep if he had the diaries. I said I had and handed her the bag.

We all the proceeded into Palestra and went back to our business of doing our best to serve the great London taxi and private hire trades as best we can.

I hope this clarifies matters and trust you will put matters straight on your website and, in particular, you will retract the inaccuracies and incorrect statements made about me in your article. (see no4)

Enjoy your weekend

Kind regards

John Mason


Editorial Comment:


Answers to John Masons email. 

1. I have been informed by the RMT that the letter of complaint sent by Bob Crow was in fact addressed to the Mayor Boris Johnson directly and was sent many days before the meeting on the 19th. If Peter Hendy received a copy of the letter after the meeting, then it would have been passed on to him from the Mayors office. Why would Bob Crow bother to write to Hendy? The Anderson Shelter received a copy of the letter on the 17th and Published on the 21th which would only have been sent out after the Mayor had received his copy.   
2. We were informed by a committee member of the LCDC, that the meeting that took place on the 19th of January included a senior member of the LCDC, we assumed it to be Grant Davis. If no other representative trade body was present the question needs to be ask why not? Has the United Trade group been disbanded? Do you only consult with the LTDA now?
3. In the Email you state, "I did not announce I was going to re-introduce the facility". Perhaps you could send us a transcript of the meeting to back up this claim and I will of course publish. If you had no intention of reinstating the web page, why did you say on an open forum, you only dropped it after the meeting on the 19th?
4. The Paragraph has been amended until such time we can find a knowledge student to corroborate the inference. 

More concerns:


Twitter
From the Director of LTPH John Masons own Tweets, on an open forum (Twitter), he admits that he was unwilling to drop the "Drivers details website checker" until after the meeting on the 19th, even in light of the many complaints from drivers worried about their own and their families safety.


After receiving a covering letter which explains an expectation that drivers should remove their ID badges when leaving the vehicle unattended, John Mason tweets that they should indeed leave them in as the plastic wallet is of such poor quality. (In answer to a question posed by Unites Chairman Peter Rose)


Diaries
It is also very worrying that LTPH licensing officers have to refer to a diary to get legal opinion when carrying out their duties. 


One would have thought they would receive intensive training in Hackney Carriage and Private hire law. Perhaps copies of the Abstract of Laws would be more appropriate, to hand out to these elusive officers. 


Illegal plying for hire
While we are on this subject John, perhaps you can give a definitive answer to the question;
How many LTPH Licensed Private hire drivers have had their license revoked for illegally plying for hire in the last 5 years. (Not touting, but illegally plying for hire)
I seem to be getting the run-a-round from LTPH on this one.


If none, why not?


We have seen the quality of TfL's legal department appertaining to legal opinion, given out by Luke Howard in the past and more recently at the Abacus appeal hearing.


IDs
We have seen our trade torn apart by these unbelievably badly designed identifiers. The simple solution would have been to recall and take the drivers badge number off.


It seems that identifiers would be widely acceptable without badge numbers and would bring us in line with PH who do not have their personal license number displayed on their vehicles.


Hope this clarifies the Anderson Shelters position on the articles posted.
Have a nice weekend yourself John.


Jim Thomas