by News Desk | Sep 6, 2014 | London News
By Thomas the Taxi
A Flash Demo was staged by London Taxi drivers on Friday to highlight Rickshaws illegally plying their trade in Central London
Many drivers have express their disgust at statements being put out by the Met recently, that touting in the West End was under control.
Cab drivers on the other hand would paint a completely different picture.
Touting out of control
Illegal plying for hire by licensed and unlicensed minicab touts is currently at epidemic proportions
Illegal electric Rickshaw bikes are wide spread.
In short Central London’s West End has become a free for all, at the expense of the highly regulated and strictly enforced licensed Taxi trade.
Outraged cabbies decided to strike back in the form of a flash Demo Hit Squad.
For the last week, messages were put out on the social media platform Twitter, advising drivers that a flash mob type demo would be held at 8pm on Friday night, at a location to be advised nearer the time.
Just after 7o/c it was announced that the destination would be the area around Charing Cross Police Station.
Chaos Caused by Taxi demonstrating about motorised Rickshaws
The whole area around the police station was bought to a complete stand still. Police were caught napping and were not very happy.
Outside the Police station, a driver was told:
“F***ing move or I will get in & bash your head in, f***ing idiot”.
The words of a police officer in Chandos Place.
Line of taxi demonstrating and the LTDA ad van
The demo lasted approx 1hour and then drivers filed away back to work.
But it was felt the message got through.
Reports came in while the demo was in full swing that the police were out on foot, seizing dangerous electric rickshaws.
Police Officers Sieze Motorised Rickshaws
Flash Demos
This type of demonstration has become very popular. Targets can be picked that get right to the heart of the problem without the public being disrupted.
At the last major demonstration on Whitehall, organisers failed to get the message across. A press conference the night before was ignored by the United Trade a Group, over inter-trade rivalry and the PR battle that followed was lost. Uber claimed to have had an 80% increase in downloads over the period of the demo.
Hit Squad History.
The hit squad demos were pioneered on the LTDF forum in 2009 when a group of drivers gathered in Hanover square and formed an impromptu Taxi rank to take back work being stolen by illegal touts outside the club, Jalouse.
Within weeks a rank appeared outside the club exit for two taxis fed from the rest rank by the Taxi shelter in the square.
More hits followed on Nobu, Oxo Tower, Tiger Tiger. Resulting in a new rank at Nobu and a 7 Taxi extension to the rank outside Tiger Tiger.
Later in 2013 the hit squad were reformed and succeeded in gaining a new rank at Smiths and marshalled ranks at Swallow Street and Charing Cross Road.
With street hails disappearing as more people turn to smart phone apps, ranks will become an important asset. Over the last 14 years TfL have been taking away rank spaces and continue to cut the TPH ranks budget. Coming soon Camden to cut St Pancras Taxi rank in half and give the road space to a cycle lane.
Make sure you get involved in the fight for your trade.
Follow the twitter accounts of @Flash_Demo and @TAG_HIT_SQUAD
by News Desk | Sep 4, 2014 | London News
TFL Licensed Courier Van
TFL License Courier Van
TFL now licensing courier vans as PHV’s (no congestion charge?)
by News Desk | Sep 4, 2014 | UK News
A controversial minicab company which brought London to a standstill this summer is heading to Birmingham.
Uber is planning to set up in Birmingham and is advertising for a manager to run the operation – from London.
In June Hackney Carriage drivers staged a mass protest in central London because they claim the Californian company was threatening their business.
Uber works by allowing customers to order one of its private cabs using a smart phone app and getting exact details of how long they will have to wait and what the fare will be.
Although a number of taxi and cab firms currently allow online and smartphone bookings, the San Francisco-based firm is unique in that it is purely app-based and does not take orders over the phone.
The service launched in London in 2012 and in Manchester in May.
But it has had a temporary injunction stopping it from operating in Frankfurt because the German authorities are not satisfied its cabs have the necessary licences.
In Birmingham, Black Cab drivers are not planning a protest.
Mohammed Taj, from the Birmingham Black Cab Drivers’ Association, said they were not worried by Uber’s imminent arrival, but were concerned its drivers would not have to undergo the same strict vetting its members did.
“These kind of app-only companies haven’t been very successful in Birmingham and several have tried to operate here and failed,” he said.
“We already have several black cab companies who operate using apps so Birmingham people are well used to them.
“What does concern us is that because it’s an app-based company, will they have to go through all the scrutiny and checks we do, like enhanced CRB checks and doing ‘the knowledge’ like our drivers do?”
A spokesman for Birmingham City Council said until Uber started operating in Birmingham they could not comment on the licensing arrangement.
“Until they start we don’t know if we treat them as Hackney Carriage or private hire drivers as it seems they fall between the two,” he said.
“Because they operate on a meter system that makes them Hackney Carriages, but if they have to be pre-booked and cannot be hailed in the street, that means they are private hire.”
A spokeswoman for Uber said it was too early to discuss its Birmingham operation.
“We are currently operating in London and Manchester in the UK but are looking to expand to other UK cities in the near future but can’t give specific details on our launch plans at the moment,” she said.
by News Desk | Sep 4, 2014 | London News
The London Taxi trade has been subjected to many improper decisions by the Mayor and TFL.
The London Taxi Age Limit is improper and unlawful, and deliberately causes financial hardship to taxi drivers, who are the group of workers most badly affected by toxic pollution.
The Mayor has failed in his Duty of Care to protect the Public and urgent action needs to be taken.
The Mayor is due to appear before the Environmental Audit Committee on Wednesday 10th September and should be required to explain why he has implemented the London Taxi Age limit which will not reduce pollution as proven by scientific evidence.
London Taxi Protests will take place before the Inquiry in the hope that this point is not overlooked.
Drivers will stage a ‘Go Slow’ in Central London at 2pm on Tuesday 9th September , the day before the Air Quality Inquiry hearing.
C.A.B hope that drivers from all trade organisations will support the protest.
The Committee is urged to ask The Mayor;
‘’The Mayor of London acknowledged in a written report to the Environmental Audit Committee in 2011 that the new Euro Emissions standards were not delivering reductions in pollution.
He said:
‘’A Euro 5 car, for example, emits around five times as much direct NO2 as a fifteen year old car. ‘’
The Mayor was asked on many occasions by London Assembly Members to at least conduct testing to prove that scrapping taxis would reduce emissions. He point blank refused to conduct a single test
In 2013 Defra released a report after the Environmental Research Group tested 10,000 taxis which confirmed that the new taxis were creating more pollution than those that had been scrapped.
Emissions reduction of PM could have been achieved by use of Clean Diesel, an Engine Clean Up Process, or retrofitting Diesel Particulate Filters.
Why has the Mayor needlessly scrapped 3000 taxis and why does he continue with this improper policy of scrapping taxis which are cleaner than the new taxis?’’
For further info see the links
http://taxileaks.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/shock-result-air-pollution-highest-in.html
http://taxileaks.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/the-unlawful-and-improper-london-taxi.html
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