Over the last ten years, fundamental flaws have appeared in the licensing process governing Taxis and private hire in London. TfL’s bias against the Taxi trade, has never been so pronounced as it is at present.
PH company’s have been licensed on a nod and a wink, disregarding all TFL policy. Rules an regulations appertaining to private hire are now treated as flexible guidelines. License variations (Satellite Office) have been and still are issued without requirements or conditions of fitness being met.
In The Past:
Addison Lee’s vehicles were reported for contravening the conditions of fitness.
Were Griffins minicabs put on stop?
No they were given 9 months to get it sorted.
RD2 were issued multiple variations without first being registered as a PH operator for the required 12 month term.
When this was reported, did TfL revoke their license?
No, the Director of TPH, John Mason and his deputy Helen Chapman both lied about the issue (covered comprehensively in previous posts).
When the lies were exposed, TfL issued a statement that they can do what ever they like as TfL policy is flexible and not completely covered by legislation.
Diamond carriages (Diamond cars) clipboard men have been allowed by TfL to operate outside the perimeters of venues.
And now Über!
Über first registered in 2012. The operating centre address on their original license was an accountant’s office in the More London building, conveniently situated next to City Hall. No one in their right mind, even with the wildest imagination, could envisage an accountant’s office, in the midst of large office complex as a minicab operating centre. Taxi leaks pointed out to TfL that in the last few months, Über were operating from premises in Islington without a licence variation. This was formally reported to TfL.
Did they immediately revoke Über’s licence as you would expect?
No they gave them time to sort it out by not investigating or answering the complaint until a licence variation had been issued.
Another issue that needs addressing ASAP is the appointment of new ranks.
How is it that a PH operator can set up a satellite office in just a few days and yet to get a licensed Taxi rank outside a new Hotel, Bar/Restaurant or other venue, takes many months and in some cases, years?
We know it can be done!
After direct action at Nobu, within weeks, a major new rank was appointed. Same with the Shard.
Is this what it’s going to take, conflict and direct action from flash mob type demos?
Should the people of London have to put up with major disruption every time we need a new rank?
It has recently come to our attention that the management of many venues would welcome a licensed Taxi rank outside their premises. But antiquated bureaucracy stops this happening.
Solution:
1. We need a system in place to fast track rank appointment, much in the way PH get licence variations approved.
2. All ranks need to be enforced efficiently by both the police and local parking services.
Why should drivers have to put themselves on offer to protect work being stolen by bent door staff and organised gangs of touts.
Where is the protection that TfL and the police have a duty of care to provide?
Boris Johnson, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, Sir Peter Hendy, if your not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem!
Constantly turning a blind eye to what’s happening outside these venues, has resulted in serious sexual assaults (including rape) statistics going through the roof.
The people charged with the responsibility of providing safe transport in London are complicit in the shattering of many young lives and also the lives of their families and it’s time these people were held responsible.
A FORMER Conservative MP has challenged London mayor Boris Johnson to release an app for London’s black cab trade and beat Uber at its own game.
Ex-Corby member of parliament, Louise Mensch, (43) lives in New York and says her experience of using Uber cabs in the Big Apple should serve as a warning to the taxi trade in the capital.
She said that “everyone” uses Uber vehicles to get around in New York and that black cabs will, “dwindle to nothing” unless Boris, keeps up with the times.
Mrs Mensch, married to Metallica manager Peter Men- sch, said the mayor should hire IT experts to bring a taxi app to market that is as good as Uber’s online vehicle booking service.
The former Conservative MP, who resigned from the House of Commons in 2012, said: “If Boris was really clever, here’s my advice. TfL, make an Uber-style app and system for black cabs and undercut Uber on price.
“Black cabs will die out without this. I don’t mean to sound alarmist but it is a fact. Everybody in New York City uses Uber and that’s even with yellow cab taxis being cheaper than black cabs are in London. Because black cabs are more costly, Uber will ultimately destroy them.
“If TfL and Boris coded a good app, they could beat Uber, but it would have to have all the same features. I am a fan of Uber but not one that wants to see black cabs disappear. Boris should get some good coders on this right away or a part of London’s heritage will dwindle to nothing.”
Last night, with the help of the TaG hit Squad and the Flash Demo Twitter accounts, disgruntled drivers Turned up in a steady stream at the new, pretentious eatery just off Baker Street, the Firehouse and took back work from the cars touting outside.
I received a message from my friend Paul just before 9 o/c that after dropping a passenger in Chiltern Street, he was approach by two people leaving the restaurant. But to his amazement, the doorman told the passengers that Taxis were not allowed to pick up outside and that my friend was a rogue driver. The people were told to go back through the restaurant to the rear exit where they could find a safe licensed car service.
This place has had terrible reviews of bad service poor quality food and not being too hygienic, but celebs love to be seen here. Last night apparently, it was Gary Lineker holding court a friend who was planning his stag do.
When I started work at 10pm, the FireHouse situation was already being disgust on Twitter. Drivers were told to hold back as a meeting with management was planned for next week, but it was decided to make a statement by means of an impromptu flash demo.
Posts were made in the Flash Demo and TaG hit squad Twitter accounts and the action began.
Customers arrive at the Chiltern Street entrance, but when leaving, those who ask staff to get them a “Taxi” are shepherded by to a line of waiting minicabs in Broadstone Place, the mews behind the restaurant.
So both entrence and exit were covered by a continuing procession of Cabs. Not surprisingly, customers chose licensed Taxis over the inflated prices of the illegally plying for hire touts outside.
Door staff and a lone traffic warden were busy taking photos of the Taxis forming a rolling rank and threats were made that drivers would be reported.
Coincidently, the NSL traffic warden never said a word about the cars parked round the back in Broadstone Place. Lets not forget that these are the same wardens who refuse to ticket minicab touts illegally parked (in bus lane) on Regent Street by Swallow Street Arch and touts parked on the pavement in Coventry Street, outside Platinum Lace lap-dance club. The same company that only allows Taxis drivers 3 minutes to complete a transaction, being paid off outside the Cumberland Hotel!
Doorman talking to Traffic Warden in Blandford Street.
There is a meeting with management next week, but there also needs to be meetings with Westminster Council and TfL. It should be a requirement that before a licence variation is issued for a satellite office at any hotel, restaurant/bar or night venue, a taxi rank should first be implemented.
Time and time again, we have shown that if licence Taxis show a presence outside these places, the public are only too willing to use us. They are fed up with being ripped off by minimum prices by drivers who don’t know where they are going.
Meanwhile, tonight will be another rolling rank to discourage the touts. It’s not massively busy but there is a steady flow of work and customers were still leaving at 2am this morning. So if your in the neighbourhood it’s definitely worth a look.
Minicab tout takes walk up in Chiltern Street after doorman told passengers not to get into my Taxi.
Uber has been banned in Berlin, according to a press release from the State Office for Public Order of affairs.
The press release, issued on Wednesday, said the app-enabled service was in violation of the Passenger Transport Act. The headline of the press release was titled “prohibition order to protect the public”.
The company has been threatned with fines of up to €25,000 for each violation of the ban. Individual Uber drivers could face €20,000 fines if they continue to carry on their business.
According to the Berlin city government, Uber risks passenger safety through the use of “unverified drivers in unlicensed vehicles”. The ban is not yet in force and Uber still has time to challenge the prohibition order in court.
Uber pushed back against the ban in a statement issued this morning:
“With demand for Uber services in Berlin on the rise, Berliners are voting with their fingers for choice, freedom and mobility for the future.
If the prohibition order goes through, it will considerably restrict the people of Berlin’s access to innovative transport options that open up choice and mobility in Germany’s biggest city and beyond. One of the biggest benefits of uberPop, our innovative ride-share service is the additional mobility option provided to people by Uber living outside the city limits.
The prohibition order therefore seeks to restrict freedom and limit mobility in Berlin and beyond.”
Back in April, Uber was served with an injunction by a Berlin court for hurting competition.
The injuction was brought forward by Richard Leipold, a taxi operator and chairman of the city’s taxi association.
Berlin’s prohibition is just the latest in string of attacks by European regulators and politicians on the San Francisco startup.
France
After a strong lobbying effort by French taxi unions, Uber was subjected to the so-called “15-minute” law, which requires taxi apps to wait 15 minutes after customers place a booking to pick them up.
However, this has not been enough to appease the militant taxi unions of Paris. The French capital’s taxi groups have since been lobbying for a doubling of the regulation to a “30-minute” rule.
Belgium
In April, a Belgium court ruling found Uber’s operations illegal and threatened €10,000 fines for every ride. The ruling came after a series of protests by Brussels’ minister for public works and transport minister, Brigitte Grouwels, along with several taxi companies who had accused Uber of violating regulations.
There has been a clampdown on Taxi offences in Denbighshire and Flintshire.
Four taxis were found ‘committing offences’ following spot checks in a joint operation yesterday.
A total of 30 taxis were stopped during the operation by North Wales Police, council officers and the Vehicle Operator Services Agency in Denbighshire and Flintshire.
It found that four of the 30 vehicles checked were committing offences by not being maintained properly, but it also found the general standard of vehicles was good.
Two of the four offending vehicles had immediate prohibitions placed on them.
Sgt Jane Thomas of the Roads policing Unit said: “It is good to see that the majority of operators are maintaining standards and ensuring their vehicles are kept to the high standards essential for the safety of all road users. Further operations will be carried out.”
Recent Comments