At precisely 11pm last night, Taxi drivers from the UCG flash mob, along with many other ordinary working drivers (who had been informed using social networks and word of mouth) assembled in Finsbury Square. Led by the Chairman and secretary of the UCG, dead on the stroke of midnight, the order was given "Wagons roll !!" and the hit was on.
Drivers made their way down Moorgate to Abacus and formed a virtual rolling rank in exactly the same fashion as the touts use. Cabs ranked outside the venue and doubled back on the opposite side of Cornhill. We found the clipboard Johnnie standing on the pavement outside the club, openly touting. But customers leaving the venue saw the bright orange lights, pushed the touts aside and came over to the Taxis.
If it's legal for them to form a rank anywhere they like, then it's got to be legal for us.
The City of London police turned up but soon realised they were powerless to do anything as night after night, they have sat back and allowed the touts of Diamond cars and other minicab firms to do exactly what we were doing.
Well done to all the drivers that put themselves out and attended this "Club Hit", the first of many that we will be seeing over the coming months.
We listened to trade leaders who advised we should do this by the book!
Well, all I can say is, "You need a new book".
We have tried every avenue to avoid an on street "Taxi War", but after the shambles made of the appeal by Diamond cars, we know we can't leave this in the incompetent hands of the LTPH.
We have had club hits in the past and we know they can sometimes be very successful. Look at NOBU and Funky Buddha , for many years the touts had a free hand at these venues and now there is a well used Taxi rank outside the doors. This is what we hope to achieve with other night spots.
It will take time and we will take it one step at a time. When we get success, we will move on to the next venue. Our aim should be to put large taxi ranks outside the front door of every major night venue, so the first thing punters see when they leave a club is a big yellow for-hire sign and not a clip board Johnnie.
Meanwhile, until the councils give in to our demands for new ranks, we will do what the touts do and that's form our own virtual ranks.
Just look at the success of the Charing Cross Road Rank!
We have seen one minicab kiosk close and the 24 hour shop/minicab office being starved of work. We know the public want Black Cabs, so lets be there for them. Another great success was the expansion of the rank in Coventry street. Although the "Golden Rank" was a failure, this new rank put paid to two minicab outlets opposite.
We just have to rank under their noses, right outside the exits of all night venues. As the Council move our ranks away from the doors, we must ignore and rank where the touts wait. Block them in if we must and take back the work.
This can only be done with help from the rank and file drivers, there will be no help from the LTDA, LCDC or Unite management. LTPH will not be behind us and the touts will fight back.
So who's up for a fight!!!
The UTG just want stand down money & Marshalling contracts for the chosen few,
ReplyDeleteFORGET THEM (p.s cancel that DD if you have yet to do so).
Good stuff, the work thats ours is out there, lets win it back.
TfL are useless, the law is defective and satellte offices must go just like Oddy!
We now know from a reliable source that the case against Abacus failed because of the poor evidence submitted by LTPH and our observer who attended the case said the legal team who gave evidence for LTPH were appalling.
ReplyDeleteIs this what they were told to do
Has the trade been stitched up again ?
Oddy's gone, time for Mason to go!!!
Mason can't go until he pays Diamond Cars their legal costs, rumours are that this is between £10,000 - £15,000. I've also heard from a reliable source that LTPH were made to look very stupid in court.
DeleteWhy did Mason not appear and give evidence? was he up the cafe having a fish supper with his mates from the biscuit factory.
ReplyDeleteNot only was Mason not there but where was Bob Oddy?
DeleteOddy was at a board meeting at Taxi House, where he agreed to step down before the LTDA collapse
DeleteOddy and Mason should be ashamed of themselves, putting such a case together and then neither being present in court
ReplyDeleteWell done UCG we have seen enough of the weak leadership rolling over and doing nothing letting our work go to the scabs. We are fighting for our lives our biggest enemy is the enemy within Mason oddy Boris. Direct action is the only way forward stop your DD to organisations that sell you out join the fight to save your trade today
ReplyDeleteJM and BO must really be feeling stupid, they took such a weak case to court. Did they really expect winning?. A clever guy would say that the only reason they took it to court is due to pressure from the LTDA and others. If these guys were serious they would have attended themselves.
ReplyDeleteI've hit Abacus 3 nights running and had some great jobs. This has turned a bad week into a good one thanks ucg.
ReplyDeleteThe drive-in at Abacus was just a token of what we should be doing at many of these night venues that have been swamped with minicabs who are ALL acting illegally.
ReplyDeleteThe objective of such attention from the licensed taxi trade has to be to get people from these night venues into licensed cabs and NOT into unlicensed vehicles where much of the sexual assaults, muggings and rapes are known to come from. John Mason has said so in print - so it must be true!
The saying goes: "TO BEAT THE MINICABS - BE WHERE THEY ARE!" has never been more important than it is now and the success at Abacus clearly shows this. We don't just want ranks outside these venues, we want cabs ON those ranks instead of just the odd one driving by just after the passengers have been illegally purloined by the Clipboard Johnie into one of their 'ranking' vehicles.
If we are to beat them at their own game and force them away from these venues we have to put some effort/time into it. Don't expect them to run away when we cry 'foul' - they just laugh. Take away their income from these venues and they will be forced elsewhere - and hopefully only to find that everywhere else is being serviced by licensed taxis too. Leave 'em NOWHERE to go and everything else will fall into place.
When they are not able to make a living by illegal methods then they will be having a very hard time and it must be up to all of us to act decisively and squeeze them out both physically and financially.
If we cannot do this then we are never going to win this war. The Authorities are merely scratching the surface in terms of enforcement so we must do our bit too and in a away that brings us clear financial benefits.
It is no good driving by these places and complaining to all and sundry when we know our complaints are falling on largely 'deaf ears'.
The answer lies with us - it's our trade and we only have to change our work patterns slightly in order to severely restrict the illegal activities of the minicab touts. We have options - they don't!
The problem is - do we have the resolve to do this?
The UTG has seemingly given up on the minicab issue and to beat the minicabs we only need "TO BE WHERE THEY ARE!"
A simple strategy requiring the 'will' of individual cab drivers is all that is required. If you can rank on Waterloo or London Bridge why not rank on any of the night venues where the minicabs seem to have made this territory their own. If this work is not what we really want they why should we bother moaning about it?
If we are there you can bet the minicabs won't be there for too much longer - if nothing else this has been clearly demonstrated by the drive-in at Abacus.
However, A one night 'blitz' is not enough. Be at these venues regularly and we will reap the rewards in more work and fewer minicabs. This in turn may well mean fewer rapes, fewer sexual assaults and fewer muggings. Think about it! After all - isn't this what we all want?
The permanent answer lies in our hands ONLY.
Don't moan - just be there when you are needed and you will be helping yourself - and the rest of the trade.