A hard-hitting DVD entitled London at Night, made by the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) has been shown to the Public Carriage Office (PCO), Westminster City Council (WCC) and the Met Police TOCU. With undercover cameras filming the activities of the minicab trade in the West End, the LTDA produced the DVD to try and galvanise some action from those in authority. Outright examples of law breaking illegal touts in the West End make for a hard-hitting film. The undercover cameras travel along “hotspots” such as Wardour Street, with long lines of minicabs parked on double yellow lines, Charing Cross Road where even a pedicab has joined the long line of parked minicabs on yellow lines and outside Abacus on Cornhill in the City of London where the long lines of “ranked” minicabs are on both sides of the road. The touts are filmed outside Tiger Tiger in Haymarket, at Walkabout on Victoria Embankment, the Whisky Mist Club in Hertford Street where the tout is seen clearly, wearing a high visibility coat which is marked “Co-ordinator Licensed Minicab Services” with the website address of a minicab company. Another tout outside Crystal in Wells Street wears a jacket that states “Licensed Minicab Marshall”.  In response to seeing the DVD, Ed Thompson said: “I congratulate the LTDA on producing this informative DVD. It really brings home some of the late night problems which cabbies are encountering in central London.  It formed the main talking point of a constructive meeting hosted by Bob Oddy at Taxi House, involving TfL, TOCU, Westminster City Council and representatives of Unite and the London Cab Drivers Club.

“TfL, WCC and TOCU have started a 3 week operation to target some of the touting issues discussed at the meeting.”

Whether the operations result in enough touts being taken off the streets to make a difference remains to be seen but at least some action has been forthcoming thanks to the LTDA’s DVD, so well done to those involved.

Head of Projects and Developments, Alan Matthews will depart from the PCO on 1st May 2009. Dave Stock, who is currently Head of Service Delivery, will then take responsibility for the delivery of taxi and private hire vehicle licensing and inspection services. Ed Thompson, Taxi & Private Hire Director at the PCO announcing the news said: “The core services are delivered, under contract, by SGS United Kingdom Ltd. Since the contract came into effect in April 2004 this contract has been managed within the PCO by Alan Matthews as Head of Projects and Developments. However, as a result of planned organisational change within the PCO, Alan’s current post as Head of Projects and Developments will cease with effect from 30 April 2009. The PCO Contract Management Team, under the day-to-day responsibility of Ray Biggs, will now report into Dave Stock. This change will not affect the standard of service delivered to taxi and private hire licensees.”

Alan Matthews was closely involved with the transfer of taxi testing at Penton Street to the SGS centres.

Drivers are urged not to issue receipts that display advertisements that may cause offence to passengers as the PCO continues to receive complaints from passengers who have been issued with receipts that cause offence, particularly from female passengers who have been given receipts that advertise lap dancing clubs and other similar establishments.

The PCO is urging promoters to apply the same standards used for approving advertising on taxis and the reverse of printed taxi receipts, which at present do not extend to hand written receipts.

The PCO recognises that receipts are an effective method of advertising and has itself promoted causes through this medium. However, when issuing receipts drivers are reminded that the advertisement of some products or services may cause offence to passengers.

Dear Editor

After a number of years as Secretary of the LCDC and latterly as its legal representative, many will know me for the help and advice I have given with all manner of problems and difficulties including parking tickets, public complaints, police summonses and appeals against possible revocation or suspension of licence at the PCO.
I have felt that the time was ripe to move to new pastures. The trade needs a new voice and I believe that with the formation of the RMT (Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union) London taxi branch that progress can be made in the many areas of concern that face us. A new broom sweeps clean and this is a wonderful opportunity to ditch vested interests and the cult of personality and put driver first.
The current trade organisations have tried to face up to the various issues but have not projected a united front until recently with the Trafalgar Square demo. Ranks for private hire vehicles are only one of the issues and the trade needs to consider where it goes with the tariff and other working conditions and practises. The RMT has shown itself to be a strong voice in the representation of its members even if this has led to disruptive action. Our demo was itself a disruptive action and so far to date it appears that no further progress has been made.
For my own part I have joined the new organisation and I urge unaffiliated drivers and those seeking change to participate as well to create a Union where the taxi trade membership can create its own agenda with the resources of a Union with nearly 80’000 members throughout the UK to ensure the long term future of the cab trade in London.
Rest assured that the RMT will bring strong representation, legal cover and many other benefits to the working cab driver. The current recession is hitting the whole of the labour market. Therefore it is important that the whole issue of touting by private hire, penalty charge notices issued with malice by local councils are all addressed to protect our income and our livelihoods. The time has come for the trade to put its footdown. I believe that the RMT with sufficient support from drivers can be the new voice of the trade. For a membership application look out for the RMT man on the station ranks or call the membership help line on 0800 376 3706 and ask them to send you an application form. Tell them you’re a London Cabbie.

Stan Marut (Former Secretary and Legal Representative of the LCDC)

Martin Low, Westminster City Council Transport supremo is either very stupid or, as I suspect, a very intelligent and devious man who thinks we in taxi trade are very stupid. First he tells us that the Whitcomb Street minicab rank is not a rank but a pick-up and drop off point and gets the PCO to agree with him, mind you its not to difficult to get them to go against the cab trade. Now he plans to give pedicabs bays and some sort of legitimacy by signing them up to a code of conduct, again with the blessing of the PCO and tells us that it is for our benefit as it will keep the streets of Westminster clear for us. Well thank you Mr Low, we are very obliged to you, but with respect may I point out how very wrong you are and that we are not as stupid as you and the PCO believe we are.

PARK AND HIDE

After Martin Low was mauled on the radio over the Whitcomb Street minicab rank and had to admit that West1 cars were actually ranking up and hanging it up in the surrounding streets. So he came up with a cunning plan, ‘Park and Hide’. Low has hidden the cars in the Whitcomb Street multi-storey car park in the good old tradition of ‘Out of Sight Out Of Mind’. But, what Low forgets is even though the cars are ranked in a Westminster City car park it is open to the public, the minicabs are still illegal. The Law plainly states that if vehicles are available for hire on public or private property that is accessible to the public then that is illegal. The Leicester Square car park in Whitcomb Street is owned by Westminster City Council and open to the public and Mr Low is allowing West1 to rank their cars there free of charge at the Westminster ratepayer’s expense. So not only are the cars available for hire via the Ticket Booth but also very handy for those who park their cars and want a £20 minicab ride to Mama Mia.

As reported in this papers last issue, West One Cars who are a part of the City Sprint group set up a new company and website called West1, now why would they go to all that expense in this financial climate for a one off operation in Leicester Square? Could this be just the start of a string of minicab ranks planed throughout Westminster? I have a suspicion Martin Low and the PCO know all about it, if I am wrong and, and I hope I am, then, perhaps Mr Low and his co-conspirators at the PCO will prove it to the trade.  

LOW-DOWN PEDICABS

Martin Low now plans to reward the pedicab pests with nice bays to rest up in between touting excursions in return for them signing up to a voluntary code of conduct, once again in conjunction with the PCO. As yet we are not told where these pedicab bays will be sited but I can give them a great place; the fast lane of the M4. Does Martin Low really believe that the pedicab riders will sit quietly on their ranks waiting for work and give up openly touting on the streets of Westminster? This is just legalising pedicabs on the cheap and through the back door and once the operators and riders of these death traps think they have bogus legality they will become even more arrogant and prolific. None of us want confrontation but Martin Low seems intent on pushing the cab trade into a fight to save our lawful work. Low states that pedicabs have no vehicle registration numbers to use if or when the council want to take enforcement action by issuing Penalty Charge Notices when pedicab riders contravene parking and moving traffic controls. Well Mr Low neither did the Hot Dog and Burger peddlers who infested Westminster have vehicle registration numbers on their Burger stalls but you eradicated them by crushing the stalls and destroying the food, easy wasn’t it! 

WHERE THERE’S A WILL

When Livingstone was Mayor Almighty he gave himself more powers than God and behaved like one, but that’s another story, so I can’t believe that there’s not some sort of instrument in the Mayors executive powers to ban pedicabs, but there seems to be no will to do so. We have to ask why pedicab riders are openly aloud to tout in every sense of the word that is illegal. Pedicabs openly ply for trade on the street without a trading licence, surely that’s illegal. Pedicab riders form unlawful assembles outside theatres, surely that’s illegal, they must break every Health and Safety law so why is there no will to act? The LTDA proved that pedicabs are unsafe to be used by the public as the Road Transport Research Laboratory refused to allow their vehicle testers to get in the death traps let alone test them.

Why do the PCO think the only way tackle the pedicab problem is have them classified as Hackney Carriages, that is an insult to the taxi trade to have them classed the same as licensed London taxis. The PCO never classified minicabs as Hackney Carriages when they licensed them. If the Public Carriage Office/Transport for London/The Mayor really wants to license pedicabs then they should do it now without delay.

The pedicabs should be tested for public safety and plated with a license for a maximum of 2 passengers who should be compelled to ware head protectors. Pedicabs should be charged a similar test fee to Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles, which will give SGS a few bob to make up for the defunct midyear test. The pedicab riders should have an enhanced CRB check and an assurance should be given that they are legally entitled to work in the UK as they often transport minors and lone women in their death traps. Their license fee should be similar to a PHV driver. The riders should be compelled to wear crash helmets and high visibility jackets with their license number displayed on an armband. It really is this simple. So, why is there no will to act? There must be a reason. A hidden agenda perhaps?

GOGO BOJO

Boris Johnson is a mayor who is true to his word; he pledged to get tough on touts, he gave us One Tout and Your Out. (Although the PCO got it wrong where to direct the Mayors policy and have been forced to make an apology to taxi drivers, you should have received your letter by now) He pledged to get rid of the unnecessary Mid-Year Inspection, which is now history. He pledged to beef up TOCU to fight on street touting, he has delivered on that. Boris cut out the excessive spending and time wasters of the Livingstone regime at City Hall, he also cleared out and gave back some respectability to The London Development Agency. Now he needs to turn his attention to the Public Carriage Office that seems to be operating in the same old Livingstone way of empire building. I have never known such a small agency with so many people with so many titles; every other person is a manager of something pointless. The Mayor urgently needs to investigate the way the PCO are dishing out Private Hire driver licenses without obtaining an enhanced CRB check. It is outrageous that a person can enter this country and be issued with a PH license without a full check on his character because he has not resided here for 3 years. TfL urge women to only use minicabs from a PCO licensed operator but these lone women are given false security and placed in danger as the licensed driver of that licensed minicab could be a convicted rapist in his homeland.  A perfect example of the danger posed by the PCO’s lack of security was highlighted by Ken Burns of the LCDC who reported in the Badge newspaper about a minicab tout who was arrested at Heathrow. The tout was a PCO licensed Private Hire driver who was also an illegal alien from Afghanistan who had no right to be in the UK let alone licensed to driver a minicab that had been given clearance to work airside and park next to aircraft. What if this guy had been a Taliban fanatic just waiting for a chance to wreak havoc, would the PCO have been held responsible?  Boris should insist that any person wishing to obtain a Private Hire license must be domicile in the UK for at least 5 years so a full CRB record can be produced, the public have a right be protected and the PCO have duty of care to the public.

A REMINDER

Mary Dowdye is Head of Standards & Regulations at the PCO; you may not know her as she keeps a low profile and doesn’t mix with the taxi trade that often. Mary recently issued a PCO notice warning us of a number of recent thefts from licensed taxis near to Marylebone Station at Harewood Avenue, Hayes Place, and Baker Street. Mary gives us some good advice such as:  Be vigilant and remove property and cash bags from the vehicle, items hidden under seats and badges in glove boxes have been taken, as well as property such as mobile phones left openly on display, and a reminder to remove the sat-nav: think to remove the cradle too. It shows a thief there may be a sat-nav inside the car

Notice the word car! Well that proves we are all the same to Mary Dowdye and most of the other managers at the PCO.  She should know better as she has a close relative who is a licensed taxi driver. Mind you she did look stunning in her ball gown at the Private Hire Dinner and Dance I hope she wears it at the Taxi Driver of the Year Dinner and Dance, nah that would mean mixing with taxi drivers wouldn’t it.

Be Lucky John-Paul Pace