A stark difference surrounded yesterday’s demo. The protest manifested purely from driver momentum.
The words on everyone’s lips:
“Should TfL choose to ignore this action, it will be at their own peril”.
The message….was a giant vote of no confidence in the current TfL administration.
Police estimated well over 5,000 taxis assembled at two separate pre-planed objectives, causing gridlock outside Palestra, plus a second front at Tenison Way, Waterloo.
The signal given the protest began, with reports most of the city had been paralysed as traffic heading south over Blackfriars and Waterloo bridges became gridlocked.
The disruption saw TfL desperately trying to diverted the buses, but there was nowhere for them to go, as SE1 ground to a halt. With segregated cycle lanes and the multitude of road works, lockdown is now simply achievable.
Most of the time, the demo had a lighthearted atmosphere with police officers to a man, saying they supported our stance. Leaflets were given out to passers-by, many of whom were actively deleting the Uber App.
Just before 6pm, on a given signal from the organisers, attention suddenly switched to Parliament square, completely catching the traffic police off guard. By 7pm all approach roads into the square were solid, buses caught in the chaos emptied, as passengers made an exodus towards the tubes.
TfL’s director of surface operations Peter Blake told the Evening Standard, ” there is no need for this protest, we urged the organisers to call it off. The mayor has recently launched a comprehensive Taxi and Private Hire action plan that is aimed at driving up standards and improving services”.
Is this man for real?
If TfL are worried about safety, why are they refusing to publish the minicab related sexual assault/rape statistics recorded across the 32 London boroughs for the year Feb 2015-Feb2016 ?
So far, we’ve only been given the stats recorded over 6 selected boroughs.
Why are TfL slowly dismantling the Private Hire Act 1998 in favour of a company that has circumvented regulation and legislation to suit it’s self at every opportunity.
Instead of enforcing existing regulation, TfL are now openly revising regulation to protect this company.
Over the last few months, there has been a mounting of evidence showing collusion from TfL’s top level of management. It’s time the government got involved and held a public inquiry into the alleged corruption and open bias from TfL.
Yesterday protests saw a new era in style of demonstrations, no egos, no recruitment drive, just driver lead momentum.
The Independent Taxi Alliance (ITA) organisers have today made it clear that should TfL continue to ignore the Licensed Taxi Trades grievances, then this type of action will be escalated and could eventually become a daily event.
Drivers who are still in a daze about them being forced to fit card readers into Taxis without any statutory UK legal duties yet still find themselves pressured
doing so under TFL duress no choice or consideration regarding intellectual study surrounding what is truly beneficial to a singular Taxi driver & his own personal life situations or business.
The passenger has clearly been given all the perceived advantages regardless of the law of the country contradicting any supply of goods or services in fair & balanced reasoning. TFL have simply no idea how we operate in terms of conditions hours or risk & have simply lumped us all as one business model…this is simply without doubt pure discrimination because there are so many different factors in the carriage of passengers or goods how can TFL make any fair assumption of our service with a one tier solution?
If for example You are a nervous driver who has experienced several serious issues of bilking over the years (the police call it a civil matter…remember that) & you now decide you are no longer going to accept street hirings because of the losses and safety so you opt for a radio or App base who supply entirely account work (which you are perfectly entitled to do) you will not need any card readers in your vehicle (I know several drivers who do exactly that)…… yet on the rear of the “Positioning of Signage” letters we all received from TFL states on exemptions “no such exemptions will be granted” & this has still been taken into account despite all the raised safety concerns surrounding TFL’s isolated fixing demands, that is very worrying indeed as it abandons you just as the police do with bilking.
All of Londons Taxi business competitors without exception are notably are forced to accept card payments until they receive advance credential authorisation, and the same applies to the entire TFL transportation network as you simply cannot pay a fare in arrears (and will be fined if you are caught doing so)
If anybody in London… Britain..or the Planet does not consider this discriminatory against London Taxi Drivers then they can only be employees of the Undemocratic dictatorship of Transport For London Taxi section, as Private hire are not affected.
I discovered late last week Paypal are now on the list for Metrocab drivers and all will be revealed on Monday, But on closer product inspection ….particularly equipment pricing things are starting to look quite uncomfortable in a cartel sense and the pricing issues that are surfacing are not making sense?
Firstly, A singular Contactless Paypal reader can be now bought for a reduced price of £39.99 (£47.99 incl vat) and a Suitably good quality Bluetooth android printer for between £35-£50 incl Vat worse ways £100 incl for the pair, …so that currently leaves the £298.80 paypal “bundle” costing amost whopping £200 more for supplying 2 fitting brackets and they still have to be fixed at a cost of £70 plus vat or more if you have a Metro or Vito,
note, Izettle also use the same Muira M010 equipment as paypal and theirs is even dearer at £358.80 incl vat.
No matter how you look at this issue…it is a rip off, and the word “TFL approval” jacks the costs up, so buy you fixings separately, and as the tfl ultimate plan is to make all readers joined up with your meters why pay over the odds for equipment?
I am certain there will eventually be legal light shone on this whole enforced TFL card reading agenda which will result on final driver choice being made on appropriate needs driven by individual choices of safety and personal business need and other derivatives and not the simply dictatorial agenderist opinions of TFL employees who as we are currently seeing are making calamitous errors of judgements all over our trade without any self consequences of incompetent penalty.
Be out in force Monday to demonstrate outside the cockroach nest otherwise known as TFL, as enough is enough.
Londoners waste more than 100 hours sat in traffic every year, according to a new study.
The capital has been named as the worst area in the UK for congestion, with drivers spending more than 12 working days sitting in stationary traffic last year.
In a study for the Sunday Times, traffic information company Inrix also revealed that congestion has increased by 40 per cent in London in the last four years.
Figures from TfL added that some central London buses were travelling at an average of 3.8mph, which is slower than a horse and cart.
A five mile journey in the congestion charge zone last year took 25 minutes, which is almost five minutes longer than in 2012.
The average speed of any vehicle travelling through central London last year was 8.3mph, down half a mph from 8.8mph in 2002, the year before the introduction of the congestion charge.
Inrix chief economist Graham Cookson told the Sunday Times that congestion in London has grown more in the last four years than the company believed it would grow in the 17 years between 2013 and 2030.
The gridlock has been blamed on the rise of internet shopping being delivered by white vans, segregated cycle lanes and an increase in the number of mini-cabs.
Data from Inrix, taken from 18 urban areas in the UK over four years, showed that building thecycle superhighway at Elephant and Castle had caused average speeds on nearby roads to slow by more than two mph.
Garrett Emmerson, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer for Surface Transport, said: “There are a number of factors behind the levels of congestion. London’s success means that we are seeing rising levels of construction traffic, private hire vehicles and internet deliveries, alongside the essential work to improve the safety of our roads.
“We are making the most efficient use of our limited space by encouraging walking, cycling, public transport and essential traffic, and will continue to do this to ensure our roads benefit all Londoners.”
Islington Council is threatening to sue transport chiefs over the “last-minute” announcement Holloway Road will be closed for three months from next week.
The town hall was left in the dark about the Upper Holloway bridge work, which is set to cause complete chaos for the thousands of commuters who use the road every day.
Transport for London (TfL) was slammed for its “astonishing incompetence” by council leader Cllr Richard Watts, who said his staff were not consulted about the closure.
And Cllr Claudia Webbe, Islington’s own transport boss said she was dismayed at the “short-notice and unplanned” closure.
The Upper Holloway bridge is being replaced so the Gospel Oak to Barking London Overground line can be electrified – a project that has already closed the station until February. Work began in 2014 and has already caused problems, but the latest disruption will leave drivers, cyclists and bus users all diverted along Tufnell Park Road and Junction Road.
Rush hour traffic on Upper Holloway bridge
TfL says work to transfer underground pipes and cables from the old bridge to another specially-made bridge has proved problematic because of their “complex layout, poor condition and a leaking water main”.
But Cllr Webbe was having none of it. She said: “This section of Holloway Road will be closed in at least one direction for nearly three months, including over half term, Christmas and New Year.
“It seems TfL underestimated the work needed, and claim there is no other choice but this last-minute arrangement, which will affect the lives of countless residents and businesses in Islington and far beyond. I have asked the council to consider our options, including legal, while challenging TfL to minimise the extent and scale of the disruption.”
Work will take place between Fairbridge Road and Wedmore Gardens. Bus routes 17, 43, 263, 271 and N41 will all be diverted but pedestrians won’t be affected.
Nick Fairholme, TfL’s director of surface works, said bosses were doing all they could to minimise the disruption and apologised for any delays.
The road will be closed to all southbound traffic from October 21 until January 16. It will be closed northbound between October 21 and October 31; over the weekends of November 18 to 21; November 25 to 28; and from Christmas Eve until January 16. A journey planner has been created at tfl.gov.uk/upper-holloway-bridge.
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A freeze on the number of black cabs allowed to operate in Northampton could be imposed by the council if a survey shows there are enough, or too many, taxis in the town.
The borough council will decide next week whether to employ a consultant company to carry out an ‘unmet demand survey’ to ‘determine if capping the number of licensed hackney vehicles for Northampton would be reasonable’.
This comes after the ‘Hackney trade association’ requested for the local authority to place a restriction on the number of hackney vehicle licences that are issued.
If the idea of a survey is approved – as has been recommended – the council will then spend the next month contacting independent survey companies.
In January or February, the survey will then take place, before a report is given to the council in March or April 2017, which will then by presented to the licensing committee – with recommendations – in March or April 2017.
Over 300 irate Taxi drivers, turned out to protest over the inaction from TfL over the latest scandalous news revealed in an undercover operation by the Sun newspaper, that Private hire drivers have been buying their medical passes from bent doctors.
TfL admit there could be thousands of such cases, but refuse to take any action against the drivers who have been given medical passes by the doctors involved.
At a meeting with the regulator yesterday, the chairman of the LCDC Grant Davis, was told TfL intend to take no action over the bought medicals and will leave the public at risk to getting into a car with possible schizophrenics or epileptics.
TfL say they will wait until the drivers licenses run out after 3 years, then ask them to take new medicals.
TfL are still refusing to publish the latest minicab sexual assault(including rapes) statistics ask for by freedom of information request by a member of the Mayfair Mob.
We recently had statistics released by the Met Police, but these results only covered 6 of the 32 London Boroughs.
This just isn’t good enough, surely the public deserve better protection. Another sign that TfL are bending over backwards to facilitate this company.
We need a public inquiry into TfL
And we need it now.
Well done to all the drivers who took time off work to take part in today’s protest.
Business chiefs are demanding a dramatic rethink of how traffic is managed on London’s roads as the capital approaches mega-city status.
The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that all options should be on the table if the capital’s clogged streets are to cope with the expanding population.
These include a rethink of permanent segregated cycle lanes and the congestion charge, which the LCCI claimed might not be as effective as originally planned.
In its submission to the London Assembly transport committee’s congestion inquiry, the business group called on Mayor Sadiq Khan to come up with “new and innovative” ideas to keep the city moving.
Roads in the capital have been getting steadily busier and more congested over the past two years, following a long period of relative stability.
Traffic speeds are falling and journey times are getting longer, increasing pollution and bringing an economic cost to London, which is forecast to have a mega-city population of more than 10 million by 2029.
LCCI chief Colin Stanbridge said: “I recognise that some of these measures won’t be immediately palatable to some groups. But we have made too many decisions because something seems like a nice idea, the easier route, or the most environmentally friendly idea without really thinking through the consequences.
Cycle safety video from Government shows lorry dangerously overtaking cyclist
“Whilst a number of initiatives, such as retiming and consolidation, have an important role to play in reducing congestion, they can only provide part of the solution.
“We need to be radical, to look at whether outdated rules still serve a purpose and to build infrastructure that isn’t just a stop-gap solution.”
Proposals include looking again at the cycle superhighway scheme — a move that would be unpopular with cyclists —and at whether semi-segregated lanes during peak hours would work better than lanes remaining part of the permanent infrastructure.
The business group also raised the possibility that the C-charge — brought in by former mayor Ken Livingstone in 2003 — had reached the end of its effective life.
It cited David Begg, Professor of Economics at Imperial College, who claimed the charge had achieved its initial objective of cutting traffic volumes in the congestion zone by 20 per cent, but this had since been “more than cancelled out” as road space shrank in central London through road works, cycle superhighways, growth in delivery vehicles and private hire.
The submission said: “Transport for London should re-evaluate the purpose of the congestion charge — whether economic or environmental — in order to assess whether it’s achieving its aim of reducing congestion in the capital.”
Other proposals included consolidating more deliveries, maximising the use of the river to move goods and passengers, and moving as many business deliveries as possible from the 7am to 11am morning peak.
Transport committee chair Caroline Pidgeon said: “It is clear that something needs to be done to tackle congestion, that’s why we’re looking at everything from deliveries to road pricing to the impact of more minicabs on our streets. The status quo is not an option if London is to keep moving and growing.”
Transport experts believe the rise in vehicles in London without a corresponding increase in road space is at the heart of the problem.
Many streets have closed for roadworks or to make space for pedestrian areas or cycle superhighways.
Our friends Uber today assured the public they are in fact paying all its taxes due in the UK. This comes after heavy criticism over its multi-national arrangements.
Uber London Ltd have published accounts showing the UK’s company’s turnover increased to £23m last year and paid £411k tax on a total profit of £1.8m.
However, accounts for Uber’s hub in Amsterdam showed commission from drivers in London and other UK cities heavily increasing.
The UK turnover submitted in their accounts equates to less than £4K per each of their 25k drivers. Barely enough to cover four months of Prius rental fees. The £23m turnover also means an average £2.30 is spent annually by each of their alleged 1m sized customer database.
A spokesperson from the tech come transport app refused claims that it was channelling incomethrough Holland to avoid UK taxes. A spokesman said via The Evening Standard: “While we recorded a profit here (in the UK) last year, globally we make a loss as we are a young company that is still expanding and investing heavily.
“The vast majority of the revenue generated by our technology goes straight into the pockets of drivers who use our app and so stays in the local economy.”
The tax set up has however caused concerns.
Labour MEP and tax campaigner Anneliese Dodds said: “Compared to the way you pay for ordinary taxis, this kind of structure is ridiculous.”
Meg Hillier, chairman of the Commons public accounts committee also added: “The more transparency about what profits are made and taxes are due, the better.”
A massive demonstration by Taxi drivers against Uber and the unfair help the Portuguese government have been giving to Uber.
Thousands of Portuguese cab drivers blocked access to Lisbon international airport on Monday to protest government plans to regulate alternative ride-hailing services like Uber, and vowed to maintain their blockade until their demands are met.
Travelers arriving in Lisbon queued for hours to buy metro tickets to the city center as protesters kept competitors from U.S.-based Uber and its Spanish rival Cabify from getting to the airport, attacking those who tried to pick up or drop off passengers with stones. Several cars were badly damaged.
At one point, protesters scuffled with police, who used tear gas, fired blanks and arrested three taxi drivers.
Violence subsided when representatives of the drivers’ unions were summoned for talks with Environment Minister Joao Pedro Fernandes.
But Carlos Ramos, head of the Portuguese Taxi Federation, told reporters after the meeting all the unions got from the government was “a fistful of nothing” and said protesters will not leave the area of the airport.
The minister said that although the meeting was productive, “deep divergences remained” over cab drivers’ demands to impose limits on the number of cars not identified as cabs, which would give taxis an upper hand. He would not say when and if a next meeting would be scheduled.
After a court in June overturned a previous ruling that had banned Uber in Portugal, Prime Minister Antonio Costa has said he wants to regulate the app-based services, introducing compulsory training for drivers, shorter than that required for normal taxis, and making them pay insurance for passengers.
Taxi Leaks has also been sent this communication
Just to let you all know that in my home country, Portugal, today its happening a major demonstration by the taxi trade in Lisbon against our biggest enemy and the government for allowing them into the market.
This started early in the morning, there has been a lot of violence against the police and also uber cars (not incentivising violence in any way ).
The outcome my friends is that the government had arranged an emergency meeting with the taxi trade.
Hopefully good news shall arise from that meeting.
………………………………………….
Editorial Comment:
Is this what TfL want to see on the streets on London?
The Bullshit mayor said on LBC he would run Uber out of town and revoke their licence should they committed any contravention.
We’ve had contravention after contravention and the evidence is piling up. The Bullshit mayor has done nothing.
A static demo has been called for Thursday outside 230 Blackfriars Road starting at 12:30pm, just found the corner from the Bulkshit mayor’s office. Let’s hope he comes along to explain himself to us Taxi drivers.
Another mass 4 hour “Ply For Hire” has been called by another group for Monday 17th
Our trade is now at breaking point and the time for waiting is over.
Rush hour traffic on Upper Holloway bridge
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