Appeal From The UCG…Please Support And Send This Letter To Your MP

Appeal From The UCG…Please Support And Send This Letter To Your MP

by | Oct 24, 2016 | London News

As you are no doubt aware TFL are trying every way possible to avoid publishing the latest Taxi / PH sexual assault figures.

A member of the UCG has asked that you email your MP as a matter of urgency requesting their help to force publication.
The letter below can easily be cut and pasted into an email to your MP.
Please take a few minutes to do this. The figures MUST be made public asap.
Thank you
UCG Committee…
In March this year, in response to a Freedom of Information request, Transport for London agreed to publish Taxi / Private Hire (using the Public Interest Exemption) sexual assault statistics in the ‘coming weeks’ they never did.
In response to another FOI request on August2nd 2016 they said they anticipated publication on September 20th 2016 – they still have not done so, despite several assurances that they are imminent.
During the interim period women have been sexually assaulted, having had no warning from TFL of the possible dangers associated with using Private Hire vehicles.
Having used Section 22 of the FOI Act to justify their response, I believe TFL will shortly be in breach of FOI regulations as the use of Section 22 is conditional upon the ‘existence of intent to publish ‘ BEFORE the FOI request is made.
I would like you, as my MP, to demand the immediate publication of a complete and comprehensive statistical report of the sexual assault fata.
TFL REF: FOI – 0870-1617
Thank you
Editorial Comment :
MAKE SURE YOU SUPPLY YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
MPs can only reply to their constituents.
Stop Transport for London’s ill-planned Cycle Superhighway 11 scheme in North London

Stop Transport for London’s ill-planned Cycle Superhighway 11 scheme in North London

by | Oct 24, 2016 | London News

Transport for London (under the charge of their “Cycling Tsar” Andrew Gilligan) are proposing to implement a catastrophically ill-planned scheme called “Cycle Superhighway 11”.

This scheme, if allowed to go ahead, will adversely affect local residents, all road users and public transport users in : Finchley Road, Swiss Cottage, Avenue Road, Regents Park, St John’s Wood, Baker Street and all surrounding areas by causing TOTAL GRIDLOCK on the roads and increased air pollution to all the affected areas as a result.

It is strongly suspected that this scheme has been DELIBERATELY designed to cause maximum road congestion and make life as miserable as possible for motorists that we simply abandon our cars and vans and lorries and instead join Boris Johnson and Andrew Gilligan’s utopian “cycling-vision”.

Please help support this petition to stop Transport for London from destroying some of the nicest, greenest areas of London and turning  a major section of London into a congested car park.

Thank you for your support!

Click on the link below to sign the petition

https://www.change.org/p/transport-for-london-stop-transport-for-london-s-ill-planned-cycle-superhighway-11-scheme-in-north-london?recruiter=100988780&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_facebook_responsive&utm_term=des-lg-petition_update-no_msg

London Thunderbird Taxis Are Go…

London Thunderbird Taxis Are Go…

by | Oct 22, 2016 | London News

Watch our for five Thunderbirds taxis in London this weekend!
The publicity stunt hosted to celebrate the new series of ITV’s Thunderbirds Are Go, will see five traditional London black cabs transformed on October 22 and 23 into either Thunderbird 1,2,3 or 4. A tribute to Lady Penelope’s iconic six-wheeled pink Rolls Royce, FAB 1, will also be available to hire.
Each car will be transformed with wings, personalised number plates and what are being billed as ‘rockets’ – though even the Tracy family have to abide by the law. Scott Tracy, who drives Thunderbird One in the series, will give every passenger a mission and each cab will be driven by a take on Penelope’s Parker.
Thunderbirds Are Go is ITV’s reboot of Gerry Anderson’s classic Thunderbirds (1965) which continues to draw in new fans to the incredible Gerry Anderson original 51 years on from its original production.
Midnight Flash Demo, Joined By Exciting New LED AdVan.

Midnight Flash Demo, Joined By Exciting New LED AdVan.

by | Oct 22, 2016 | London News

It’s no big secret….the London Licensed Taxi Trade find their licensing authority an embarrassment !

Late last night, London’s finest, decided to bring to public attention, the disgusting bias and scandalous agenda being waged against the Taxi trade by licensing authority TfL.

While TfL’s PCOs visit mainline stations harassing hard working Taxi drivers with Badge and Bill checks and operation Neon officers casually saunter from McDonalds to Starbucks around Mayfair, illegal touts are openly touting, encouraged by TfL’s lapsed attitude. One of the worse areas appear to be the Shoreditch High And surrounding streets.
It’s been alleged for years by disgruntled Taxi drivers, that TfL, their COs and City police turn a blind eye, letting the touts clear the streets, because it’s cheaper than actually policing the area and keeping the public safe.
It’s also alleged, 75% of all minicab sexual assault and rape victims, have been picked up outside clubs are bars in the Shoreditch area.
Concerned members of the Flash Demo group were joined by other groups such as the Dads Defending Daughters, Mayfair Mob and the ITA. Drivers assembled at Finsbury Square at 11:30 pm and on the stroke of midnight, made their way to Shoreditch, bringing the area to a complete standstill.
The night time protest also saw the latest addition to the trades armoury, a LED screened AdVan. Financed by the brand new -driver owned, driver lead- TaxiApp.
    
This latest Demo is the third in eight days.
A spokesperson for the drivers said:
“We intend to step up our action now, and could be having three demos a week, eventually increasing to daily demos, if TfL keep choosing to ignore us.”
The spokesperson went on to say:
“TfL must be worried, as all the different groups are uniting. The recent protests have also attracted support from the majority of trade representative orgs. The one thing TfL fear is our unity. There seems to be only one org who refuses to support the latest wave of action and there’s no prizes for guessing which org that is.
“The police were initially caught out but were in good spirits and some even told protestors they supported our action.”
“Initially the protests was kept between a small group of individual drivers, but by word of mouth, surprisingly we saw over 300 drivers turned up”.
As the protest dispersed, drivers were adamant that more flash style action needs to take place, as a compliment to main line demonstrations.
Taxi Leaks Afterthought:
Do you find it disturbing, that some of our Orgs are now condemning drivers for doing what the Orgs used to do?
TfL To Drop Requirement For Private Hire Operator To Have A LandLine. Ignoring Consultation Result

TfL To Drop Requirement For Private Hire Operator To Have A LandLine. Ignoring Consultation Result

by | Oct 21, 2016 | London News

Someone pinch me please….is it really 2016.

After reading be latest diatribe spewed out from Blackfriars, I’m truly beginning to think we a stuck in 1984, or living in North Korea.
For 4 1/2 years TfL have continued with a light fingered approach and ignored, Uber’s reluctance to conform to regulations set down by acts of Parliament in a number of Hackney Carriage acts, Cab Orders and the PHV act 1998.
Number one on the long list of noncompliance must be the failure to insure their drivers were fully insured, closely followed by them never having an accessible landline for pre bookings and customer contact (a requirement for licensing as a PH operator and covered by the PHV act 1998)
Let’s not forget the jaw dropping saga, as Managing Director of Surface Transport Leon Daniels explained to a benign GLA Transport committee, all about a mythical on off insurance policy (which according to the Association of British insurers never existed in the first place).
This lead on to more lies about Uber’s landline which when asked by GLA members to supply, he said ‘haven’t got it to hand right now’, then on a subsequent occasion,  supplied the private number of Uber’s director of operations, saying it was the illusive pre booking line.
When pointed out who was at the end of the line, Daniels added ‘it wasn’t mentioned in the act that the landline had to be a permanency’. Much concern has been shown over this issue, so TfL in their infinite wisdom, held a consultation.
Now we find in light of the consultation, even though the majority voted to keep the landline requirement, TfL have decided to drop it, saying they feel the consultation could have been filled out by aggrieved Taxi drivers.
Meanwhile we’ve had to watch PH applicants licensed with fake medicals, fake topographic test passes, not being in possession of Hire and Reward insurance.
While we’ve been harassed for over ranking, we’ve seen compliance walk by PHV’s openly plying for hire, sometimes sitting on licensed Taxi ranks….and while all this has been going on, Licensed Taxi regulations have been updated and will be vigorously enforced by a new army of compliance, no prisoners will be taken.
We’ve been told:
 •You will take CC
 •You will take contactless payments
 •You will absorb transaction and incidental charges
 •You will gave a paper, printed receipt
 •You will remove all previous stickers
 •You will replace with TfL authorised stickers
 •You will buy a Purpose built electric Taxi vehicle
The list seems to be never ending.
If all this wasn’t ridiculous enough, we come to yesterday’s unbelievable edit from TfLTPH, who now informs us
You cannot refuse Scottish notes
 
News to the Bank of England’s banking code on legal tender.
 Can you see the pattern unfolding here?
As Taxi regulation are aggressively tightened up, private hire regulation has being relaxed. And where legislation seemed to be solid, TfL top officers have coached Uber on how to circumnavigate you regulations.
So why do we find ourselves in this uncomfortable position?
Uber’s licence runs out in the spring of next year. TfL and the Mayor office are reluctant to take any action that may halt issue of a Uber’s renewal. So any action against uber will be postponed until after they are relicensed.
UPDATE ON PARTITION WINDOW STICKER!
TfL say if you have head rests on the passenger compartment side of your partition window, then the CC sticker must go on the seat back……you really couldn’t make this crap up….
You will probably need a boxful of these stickers as they don’t stick very well to the plastic which is not a smooth surface and will peel off very easily. If a passenger removes, you won’t see it until you make a concerted effort to observe.
Top caption shouldn’t read Mockup….it should read Mockery.
Question: Who gives these people jobs?
Ask yourself: Would Uber stand for this?
AND NOW, JUST WHEN YOU WERE THINKING 
“COULD IT GET ANY WORSE?” 
TOTALLY FAILING LONDON BRING YOU:-