by News Desk | Feb 9, 2016 | London News
Boris Johnson today faced a storm of protest from motorists and taxi divers over plans to create new cycle lanes on key routes in London.
The radical proposals include banning traffic from one lane on the busy Westway and a rush hour ban in Regents Park.
City Hall released a series of computer generated images to show the eastbound carriageway of the Westway cut from three to two lanes and a new cycle superhighway linking Swiss Cottage with the West End.
Cycle Superhighway 11 (CS11) would see traffic restrictions on Avenue Road in St John’s Wood and the Outer Circle in Regents Park.
City Hall said the curbs on cars, vans and taxis would make Regents Park less attractive as a ‘rat run’ but the leader of one cabbies’ union described the proposals as ‘insane’.
Transport for London has unveiled a new bike lane which will see cars and lorries banned from Regents Park during rush hour.
The plans are a reaction to cycling in central London trebling over the past 15 years, according to TfL.
by News Desk | Feb 5, 2016 | London News
Dear Mr Bradley
Thank you for your invitation to comment, as a contributing respondent, to the proposal document being carried forward following the Private Hire Regulations Consultation.
I think I may speak for a vast majority of my fellow licensed Taxi Drivers in saying that in very simple terms, it stinks.
It stinks for a number of reasons chief amongst which are that it demonstrates an utter contempt on the part of TfL toward the licensed taxi trade.
Contempt because after a consultation period in excess of 3 months attracting some 16,000 individual responses TfL announce a fully formed set of proposals within 4 weeks of the consultation closure on 23rd December.
Given that half of that period was consumed by the Christmas break we are asked to believe that serious consideration has been given to the ideas and comments submitted in just 2 weeks.
Even an organisation capable of dealing with 3000 new PH licences per month cannot move that fast unless of course the reality is that this avalanche of newbies are rubber stamped in the same cursory fashion as the sham ‘Consultation’.
( Indeed TfL admit in the latest document that discussions with the PH trade had been on-going for months )
Contempt also because TfL have failed to address the most important issue concerning London’s licensed taxi drivers, – the ‘Elephant in the Room’ – how best to provide a clear distinction between taxis and private hire and prevent cars effectively plying for hire.
TfL have dropped the proposal to oblige Private Hire to work on a 5 min time delay without substituting any other mechanism to ensure that current PH practice does not completely eclipse traditional cabs.
There are many gradations of ‘stink’ emanating from Palestra around this issue;
The malodorous stench of sulphur arising from TfL’s perceived improper compact with Uber.
The waft of diesel fumes which daily exceeds any previous levels of air pollution experienced in central London and arises from a grossly distorted Bus population mixed with a soup of CO2 from the unprecedented exponential growth of Private Hire and the associated totally unacceptable levels of traffic congestion
And finally the less discernible but nonetheless highly obnoxious scent of moral decay.
In addition to the explicit statutory remit TfL have a concomitant implicit responsibility to act as the ‘good steward’ of a centuries old and world renown Taxi licensing system which they are failing to exercise.
The British Disease – the national habit of tearing down and failing to capitalise on that which we elevate and excel at – was a societal dysfunction that most people believed had been seen off in the last century.
Sadly it is alive and well and currently most recently diagnosed in SE1.
In this context the plight of the London Cab Trade is perhaps most eloquently captured in a sentence by a national treasure Tony Hancock.
In an episode of TV series ‘Hancock’s Half Hour’ Tub is seen soliloquising upon the subject of friends,
‘Friends, friends,’ he says in a questioning manner wearing a pained and distracted expression to some place off camera
‘I’ve got friends all over the world…..’
He then pauses for dramatic effect before continuing,
‘None in this country, but all over the world’
So it is with the London Taxi, revered the world over and yet marginalised by a hostile administration at home.
Many taxi drivers are bewildered at what has happened to our business as a consequence of TfL’s back door deregulation, it has caused financial loss and personal stress to some degree to every working cabbie and the emotions most keenly felt are betrayal and anger.
That discontent will be exacerbated if these proposals are not modified before implementation and the taxi trades inalienable exclusive right to ply for hire enshrined in the new regulations.
We may have been around for 350 years but without a radical rethink on the part of TfL we will not be here for another 350 days.
On Wednesday 10th February the taxi trade will make it’s displeasure very visible in a demonstration in Whitehall.
The blame for the ensuing traffic disruption to London on this and increasingly frequent future occasions, must rest squarely at the door of 197 Blackfriars Road SE1 8JZ
Yours sincerely
W J Grozier
Proud Licensed London Taxi Driver
by News Desk | Feb 5, 2016 | London News
A few weeks ago I promised an update on the many things happening within our trade and the LTDA’s lobbying and other involvement.
Credit Cards
The response to Transport for London’s (TfL’s) consultation into Credit Card acceptance in taxis was massively in favour of universal mandation from all stakeholders including taxi drivers. As a result, from October this year, every taxi will have to accept credit cards as payment for fares. I am currently trying to get precise details of the mandation but am aware that there will be a plethora of choice available to drivers. Paypal, Izettle and Levenpay, in addition to the more traditional fixed and wired units, such as those supplied by Verifone, Cabvision and Taxiworld, will all be acceptable.
In order to offset the credit card cost to drivers, there will be a 20p surcharge added to all fares by increasing the meter drop from £2.40 to £2.60, and a slight adjustment to the running rate of the meter. The Tariff 3 rate will now end at 5am instead of 6am. I am aware that most of our members already accept card payments; but it is expected that, in line with other countries where cards have been mandated, there will be a significant increase in the number of people choosing to use taxis. There is a whole generation of Londoners, primarily the under 35’s, who do not carry cash and therefore do not ever consider hailing a taxi. Many of this ‘cashless’ generation use our competitors such as Uber as their first choice of transport provider purely because they can pay by card, and it must be remembered that Uber do not even accept cash!
Legal Action
We are still awaiting the judgement on our Judicial Review of the Cycle Super Highway. Our Judicial Review into TfL’s licensing of Uber is progressing, and the City law firm engaged are currently communicating with TfL’s lawyers and the High Court regarding possible outcomes, costs and actions. There is no guarantee that we will be granted permission to have this action heard or that we will win if it does go ahead. The press have already extensively reported aspects of the case in articles similar to this one:- http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jan/29/londons-black-cab-drivers-consider-court-action-against-uber
As I explained in my last email, we are also reviewing other options in the criminal courts, which again are being progressed, and in addition we will continue to review the possibility of assisting the crowd funding campaign being organised by the savetaxis group.
Raising the Trade’s Profile Politically
Traditionally the taxi trade has had little experience in communicating with law makers and parliamentarians, but we have learnt fast as the lobbying and influence of our competitors became apparent. The LTDA has engaged a professional communications and messaging company to assist us in engaging with MPs and other decision makers, in order to reinforce our positive messages and raise our concerns at the highest level. In recent months I have met with dozens of, mainly London, MPs, the leaders of many councils, and all the mayoral candidates. My next scheduled meeting is with the prime minister’s senior advisor.
I am hopeful that we will shortly see a ten minute Bill, scheduled in support of our trade and an Early Day Motion (EDM) supported by most of London’s MPs.
Demonstrations
The LTDA has been asked to support a demonstration being organised by other trade groups on the 10thFebruary, aimed at highlighting the involvement of Whitehall and Number 10 in lobbying TfL and the Mayor to dilute some of the more important aspects of the recent Private Hire Regulations Review. The LTDA were not involved in any of the planning for this action and I only had it officially confirmed when I met all the trade groups on Monday.
Opinion in the trade is divided over demonstrations, there are those who have reservations about how these actions reflect on the trade and are reported in the media and question the likely benefits. Others see militant action as a valid option.
The demonstration on the 10th is being supported by all the other trade groups and if the LTDA, by far the biggest trade body, did not support the action, our position could, and probably will be, viewed as being indicative of disunity within our industry.
For this reason we will be supporting the action on the 10th which takes the form of a drive-in, in Whitehall, between Parliament Square and Trafalgar Square at 2.30pm
Best Regards
Steve McNamara
General Secretary
Published with kind permission of Steve McNamara
STRONGER TOGETHER 
by News Desk | Feb 5, 2016 | London News
By Derek Stewart co-founder of CabApp, a mobile booking and payment app for Black Cabs in the UK and licensed Taxis in Ireland.
We all love simplicity and speed.
Last weekend I popped into my local Apple Store at Bluewater to get a new charging cable. Instead of queuing, one of the staff came over to me and I purchased the cable via her handheld mobile payment device. The VAT business receipt was automatically emailed to me. What a fantastic customer service experience.
So, I welcome TfL’s decision that all black cabs by October 2016 must accept card payments, making life easier for all of us by offering a similar seamless experience.
But, although supported by the London Taxi Drivers’ Association, not all in the industry are happy about the decision. As always, the devil is in the detail and there are some issues in TfL’s proposals as they stand.
Chief among them is the fact that Black Cab taxi drivers will have to absorb the costs charged by their banks and card processing companies. But this is not the case for private hire licenced operators who can pass on the cost to the consumer as a surcharge.
This is in common practice in the travel sector, where companies such as EasyJet and Trainline.com can legally pass on to the consumer the payment processing costs of card payments in the form of a surcharge.
TfL’s insistence that Black Cab drivers absorb the cost further tilts the playing field against them. Already, cabbies have to bear the additional costs to uphold the high standards required to obtain their licenced status.
Another problem is the prescription by TfL that mobile chip and pin devices are mounted at the back of the cab at the cost of their operators.
Most taxi drivers already accept card payments, with 58 per cent of London’s 25,200 Black Cab drivers accepting card payments, according to a TfL survey in 2014.
Far from being luddites, Black Cab drivers want to embrace technology to provide the best customer experience. From medical checks to purpose-built and disability adapted vehicles, licenced Black Cabs already absorb the costs of measures to ensure higher standards of customer safety. But imposing this payments initiative, is in effect, forcing us into terms which aren’t in place for other industries.
Ultimately, we don’t want to compromise customer service provided by the iconic Black Cab industry, but we also don’t want to see our drivers’ margins squeezed in favour of the private hire sector.
by News Desk | Feb 4, 2016 | London News
Travelling in one of London’s iconic black cabs is about to become even easier. Today (3 February) it was confirmed that every London taxi will be required to accept card payments for their fares by October this year. The move was approved by the Board of Transport for London (TfL) following a consultation in which an overwhelming 86 per cent of respondents backed the move.
Cash has always been the standard method of payment in London’s 22,500 licensed taxis but around half of all cab drivers now accept card payments. By requiring cards to be accepted in all black cabs, taking a cab will be even easier for Londoners and visitors.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, said: “It’s great news that with a quick swipe of a card, millions of passengers will be able to pay for their journeys in London’s iconic black cabs. It’s an essential part of modern life and it’ll make paying for your journey swifter and simpler than ever before.”
Garrett Emmerson, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer for Surface Transport, said: “We believe the acceptance of card and contactless payments will be a huge plus for both taxi drivers and their passengers. Card payments are part of everyday life in London, and people use them in every aspect of their lives. The TfL network is seeing more and more contactless payments so this would bring the taxi trade into line with other transport services in the Capital. It means that customers no longer have to check whether they have cash for a journey beforehand and will open up taxis to potential new customers.”
TfL has also committed to working with the card industry to link card payment devices directly to the taximeter in future.
Today’s TfL release was tweeted by the LTDA, but it looks like they haven’t read it!
Should be post scripted “at present”
Release Cont:
Richard Koch, Head of Policy at The UK Cards Association, said: “Consumers are increasingly choosing to pay with cards as a convenient and secure alternative to cash. It’s great news for Londoners, and visitors to the Capital, that they’ll always have the option of using a debit or credit card in taxis now too. With one in ten card transactions now contactless, many passengers will also welcome the ability simply to touch and pay for their cab journey.”
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