Yesterday saw the start of the forth week of protests over TFL’s and the Mayor’s agenda against the Taxi Trades access to certain Streets and bus lanes, with Tottenham Court Road and being the thin end of the wedge. As the protests are gathering momentum, it may become necessary to split the venues so that all those who want to protests, can do so….rather than be tucked away round a side street.
Yesterday also saw a scathing attack, not only on the protesters, but also on the Chairman of a Taxi Trade representative org who supports the protests….from the general secretary of the LTDA, Steve McNamara. The email sent to most of the LTDA members has since found its way onto social media and has prompted this response from the Indeoendant Taxi Alliance (ITA) below.
STATEMENT FROM THE ITA IN REGARDS TO STEVE MCNAMA’S EMAIL TO MEMBERS.
The LTDA email to members. Where do I start?
Steve McNamara stated that working drivers were pelted by coins?
Utter rubbish!
Of course he is lying, because he has not attended any protests (not demos).
Football hooligans?
Who wrote that for McNamara, TfL?
Why has Steve McNamara constantly tried to undermine anything or anyone who questions TfL?
The “end game”?
That’s Simple, “Where Buses Go, Taxis Go”.
The “exit strategy”?
Much the same as Tooley Street (covert and face saving for TfL).
How does the LTDA expect any Org or Union to get Tottenham Court Road back onto the table?
Let’s not forget TCR is currently lost.
And as far as anyone is concerned, is on track to exclude Taxis in 12 months time.
Ask Dan Howard and Westminster Council if the LTDA had any impact in their CS11 victory. Macca talks as if the LTDA has had an impact on the ‘Unblock the Embankment’ campaign. Both CS11 and ‘UTE’ are bandwagons the LTDA hitched itself to, after other people did all the ground work first.
Ask Macca what he is actually instigating and doing for Taxi drivers against roads closed to Taxis, in favour of buses, except “wait and see.”
One of Steve McNamara’s greatest tall tales is his last minute leaflet campaign on Tooley Street because “taxi demonstrations highlighted the issue to” cyclists.
What?
Who does Macca think hits every single TfL and Council consultation?
Gingerbread men?
It’s the CYCLISTS!!!
Taxi drivers (protestors) handed out 15k leaflets on London Bridge and Bank Junction informing the public.
The LTDA “leaflet campaign” comprised of a couple of marshals handing out consultation leaflets to Taxi drivers on nearby ranks.
“Last minute”, because they failed to think of it.
Steve McNamara admits he is happy to allow Taxis to be excluded from TCR for one year, while Camden assess the impact in 2021.
Where the heck is Jeremy Beadle?
Is this the same ” wait and see” policy that has worked so well in Bank Junction?
Do us all a favour Steve, go now!
As for lobbying. Carry on Steve.
It can’t do any harm.
But up until now, after years of feeding our greedy, yet misfortunate and barren Taxi APPG, we have nothing to show for it.
Maybe, just maybe…those decent, honest, mixture of race, creed and gender of Taxi drivers outside in the cold, fighting for their livelihoods, deserve better from you than scorn and wilful slander, while you sit in the warm, sipping tea and exchanging unminuted pleasantries with impotent, ineffectual officials.
Steve McNamara, in our opinion, you are not fit to stand with us, outside in the real world.
I call upon all those who are still LTDA members to join another Org or Union.
While the LTDA still have 7k members the press take this quisling seriously.
It is now official……and in the concept of the term ‘dived and conquer’, TfL are to use the new LEVC TXe to split the trade further, (with a little help from their on-side friend). While ‘Project Horizon’ looked to destroy the two tier system, integrating both services of the Taxi and private hire trades into one, it now appears that TfL have suddenly swerved 180° and are now bent on introducing a new tier into the Taxi trade itself, to divide the drivers even further. At an all trade TOPS meeting yesterday, it was announced by TfL, that there are to be certain rewards for “Green Pioneers” who have made the investment in LEVC’s TXe. This will come in the shape of eTaxi only ranks and bus lanes, with unique access to certain areas around central London and parts of the CoL.
Unsurprisngly, this subjec was bought up at the end of the meeting, so there was no discussion on the issue….although we can probably guess at the LTDA’s opinion being different from the rest of the trades. After recent events, followed by damaging emails and statements from a major trade representative org, TfL totally believe that now is the right time to unveil these measures as there will be little to no resistance from within the body of the trade. TfLTPH’s perception of Taxi Drivers, is that we are extremely badly led with the fight kicked out of the general rank and file driver. According to slides shown at yesterday’s meeting, the new eTaxi only ranks will start to appear in the new year. TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT : WHAT’S BEING SAID ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
So TfL preciseve the majority of the trade as deeply divided, having no stomach for a fight and extremely badly led. Before TFL’s special friend starts slinging accusations about fake news stories on a certain online website, let us point out that the images above came directly from the TOPS meeting….and the ones below, originated from the DfT.
“The right of Brighton and Hove to decide its own taxi regulations is being “undermined” by Uber and its use of out of area cars, the city council argued as it defended its decision to suspend the controversial ride hailing app’s licence.
Brighton and Hove City Council appealed to district judge Tessa Szagun’s sympathy for localism over the so-called “right to roam” which allows cars licensed in other areas to operate within the city.
But Uber fought back, saying there was not a “scrap of evidence” that out of area taxi drivers had been “rampaging into Brighton” and causing harm to passengers, and pointing out the only complaints had been made by local taxi companies.
Leo Charalambides, appearing for the council at Uber’s appeal, told Brighton Magistrates Court the implications of cross border hiring as used by mobile apps such as Uber had not been tested in the higher courts.
He said: “There were concerns from the outset that the impact of this novel operation needed to be assessed and considered.
“If you look at the example of CCTV in Brighton and Hove, that’s a local policy which is rooted in genuine local concerns.
“There are 97 Uber drivers in Brighton who have CCTV but 117 registered in Lewes operating in the area which may not have.
(AP Comment: No mention of all the other areas that have flooded this city…just concentrated on Lewes.. nothing about all those cars from Chichester.. Southampton.. Portsmouth… Fareham …Havant.. and more?? )
“My case is an appeal for your sympathy for loyalism.
“Our local councillors are concerned that that the right to roam is having an adverse impact on the application of our local policy.
“Can the right to roam be of such importance that the power of local people to decide what their own public interest requires can be so outweighed by that particular legal consideration?”
(AP Comment: Philip Kolvin QC was very vigorous with using the phrase “Right to Roam!” many times throughout the hearing…. possibly a clever subconscious ploy that these clever people use…..And quoting Knowsley… But didnt that just apply to the driver licence and not actually the vehicles licence? However… Uber has created those ‘Uber Mythical Regions” which ironically “Restricts the right to roam” )
“The council’s head of safer communities Joanne Player, said that should Uber “geofence” its app to prevent anyone hailing a non-Brighton licensed taxi within the city, the council would be happy to reinstate its licence.””
(AP Comment: There was no mention that Uber had geofenced London from allowing any other PHV from accepting work within the city.. probably because of the outcry that it would cause in London and affect the Uber London licence…… So Uber uses ‘Right to Roam’ when it suits….)
“However, she also acknowledged that should Uber lose its licence, it could still offer rides in the city but the council would have no power of enforcement over it or any of its drivers. She said: “There probably is a degree of absurdity.
Philip Kolvin QC, appearing for Uber, said it was not the court’s job to apply an unlawful condition, such as geofencing, for the higher courts to then decide on.
He said: “The chief magistrate has said the question of cross border hiring is irrelevant to the fit and proper assessment.
“This is a perfect example of using licensing law for an ulterior motive.
“Are these Uber drivers rampaging in Brighton and causing harm? In fact there’s not a scrap of evidence that speaks of actual harm.”
(AP Comment: Well how about all the photos and videos of out-of-town cars sleeping in the vehicles night in and night out.? How about all those PHV and hackneys that have been reported by the trade for breaking conditions of their own licensing rules such as removing council door signs….illegally working (not having to display licence or livery) under an ‘Exemption Policy’ which councils do not allow for everyday PHV work.. with the biggest culprits being Lewes DC & Chichester vehicles. I fear that Mr Charalambides was not briefed on this as none of this was mentioned in court to defend ‘Localism’.
Additionally I spoke with the local Uber rep at the Appeal and had an interesting conversation of localism and put to her the issue of all those out-town-vehicles sleeping in their cars on the seafront… including using the car park by the cafe near Roedene School….night in and night out…… there was no reply… no reaction….. just silence…. )
“Removing the right for Transport for London drivers to drive here has taken a lot of heat out of this situation. My client is now well on track to meet the 20 per cent wheelchair accessible vehicle requirement when it hits 100 cars.
“The heat which seemed to be there in April and May seems to have vanished. The direction of travel is a good one.”
“My client should be allowed to continue to be licensed here rather than operating outside the council’s jurisdiction.”
Fred Jones, Uber’s head of mobility who has been involved with Uber in Brighton since it launched in October 2016, told the court that a web page which unfavourably compared the cost and speed of getting a licence in Brighton with Lewes had now been taken down.””
(AP Comment: Yep you took it down because I pointed this out the council as proof that you were effectively encouraging drivers to get a quick and easy licence outside of Brighton & Hove to come and work here)
He explained the page had been put up after Uber created nine UK regions within which drivers had to be licensed if they wanted to drive there, which meant many London based drivers who worked in Brighton would need to be re-licensed.
He said: “They were facing a situation where they would be not able to drive. We didn’t provide pros and cons, we just provided information about what drivers are most interested in, which would include costs and the different steps.”
(AP Comment: No.. there are other Apps and companies in the city Mr Jones… in fact a lot of Brighton & Hove Uber drivers use more than one App.. so please don’t try the ‘heart strings’ ploy)
“He also said that Uber had given £1,000 to any driver who applied for a Brighton licence, with a further incentive of 250 commission-free trips once the licence was granted.”
“And he explained that Uber was strongly in favour of cross border hiring because it meant drivers weren’t having to travel back from other areas with no fares, thus driving up congestion and pollution as well as overall fares.”
(AP Comment: Very funny Mr Jones… so what about all those out-of-town drivers who actually drive up to hundreds of miles to come to Brighton & Hove to predominantly work in the city.. and then drive back again? You couldn’t make it up unless you are an Uber employee!)
“Uber originally lost its licence in May following a licensing panel hearing in April at Hove Town Hall after councillors decided it was not a “fit and proper person” to be an operator, citing cross border hiring and a data breach, for which Uber was today fined £385,000.”
“Today’s appeal hearing, which was originally scheduled for two days, finished this afternoon. Ms Szagun scheduled another hearing for 11 December at Brighton Magistrates Court where she will announce her judgement.”
AP Comment: I would like to thank Jo Player (Brighton Council) who was sworn in as a witness…. and was up against the Uber QC Philip Kolvin who robustly asked all the right question to which Jo had to answer with absolute honesty.
With the typical Surging of nearly 3X normal rate this week because it rained in the city…. this is what will be probably be the normal cost to the public in Brighton & Hove when it takes over Brighton & Hove… and to think the hackney trade is currently hesitating for a small fare review as fares have remained static for three years.
Perhaps the trade should ask for permission for the hackneys to have a ‘Rain Tariff’ … because at the moment Uber has the unfair advantage over the hackneys because the council controls what hackney drivers can earn…
Plan Insurance Brokers and Family Business United have teamed up once again on a national campaign to help the homeless this Christmas.
The Family Business Santa Dash sees a decorated van tour the country to collect donations from generous family businesses across the UK, to help the homeless and support national charity Emmaus.
The trip began on December 3 and the Santa Dash van travelled an epic 1000 miles visiting family firms to collect donations regionally, stopping off in Manchester, Carlisle, Glasgow, Leicester, Colchester, Chelmsford, Enfield, Redhill, and Cobham, with brothers Grant and Scott sharing the task of driving, at times in weather of hazardous conditions!
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