Mobile Phones
There can't be many cab drivers that now do not have mobile
cellular telephones. Some have stood out and said "no thank
you," but the majority can frequently be seen chatting away. If you
are one of the many who are regularly seen with their right arm resting on
the driver's window, a mobile phone sitting firmly in their palm and being
pressed firmly against the ear, then be warned: The Metropolitan Police
are now pulling over anyone - including taxi drivers - who are seen doing
it.
While it's true that the offence doesn't carry any penalty
points, there is a £30 on-the-spot fixed penalty fine that will make a
hefty dent in your days takings. The police will now ticket you every time
they see you with a phone being used while driving (including at traffic
lights).
What if you were unfortunate enough to be involved in an
accident that wasn't really your fault, but a witness claimed that you
were on the phone and not concentrating? It could well affect the outcome
of a claim bearing in mind that times and dates of calls can easily be
checked.
There are many types of hands-free kits available and you can
buy one for twenty quid or less. Is it worth a £30 fine? I know at least
three cab drivers - one of them very well known within the trade - that
now regret their non-use of a hands-free kit. No, it isn't worth it...
Petitions, The LTB And All That Stuff
Let me make one thing clear; the London Cab Drivers Club (LCDC) are
perfectly entitled to campaign against the London Taxi Board (LTB), but
those who wish to disagree must not be spoken of in the derogatory terms
that the LCDC newspaper, The Badge, constantly uses against them. It may
not be rude, but it certainly is demeaning to those who have the right to
disagree with the petition.
It doesn't bother me what The Badge says about me, neither do
I give a fig what those few vociferous drivers on the Internet taxi group
who seem to bring my name up with monotonous regularity whenever I say
anything about the LTB, say about me. I have the skin of a rhinoceros and
it just bounces off, but the way various contributors to The Badge talk
down about anyone who doesn't agree with their petition is a real disgrace
and reminds me of the steamroller effect. Browbeat
people for long enough and they may capitulate for the sake of some
peace.
While I'm sure that most members of the LCDC are just regular
guys who want to improve the trade (at least one of them writes for Call
Sign), some with the power of the press behind them seem to occasionally
abuse that power. The person with responsibility for the petition (John
Paul Pace) is 100% behind it, yet is happy to discuss the pros and cons
(sorry if that means the Internet group will have a dig at you now JP).
However, not all his compatriots are like that and will jump at anyone who
dares to disagree with the petition.
Anyone involved within the trade press has that power to some
degree - and I include myself - but I hope that I do not abuse it. Call
Sign contains views of all shades, but more importantly, no one gets abuse
because they disagree with me. Of course I can and do give as good as I
get, but I maintain the right of everyone to give their view providing it
is done in a proper way.
I can understand why LCDC Chairman Alan Fleming asks the
question in The Badge after claiming that the LTB have been making
decisions for many years: "...If the LTB are so wonderful, can
anybody from this wonderful group tell me why we still get only £1.40 on
the clock and why the price of a new cab has spiralled up to
£30,000?"
Whilst I cannot answer the question, neither do I believe it
to be correct that the LTB have been around for many years. The LCDC were
around much earlier and for all their bluster, they were good at having
'bundles' with minicabs (which admittedly I remember watching with some
glee), but they hardly changed the meter or price of a new cab.
The LTDA have been in 'charge' of fare increases for years
prior to anyone even thinking about the LTB, what change did they make?
The T&G have been around longest of all and the same applies to them.
As for SPLT, what possible point could their existence make other than
causing even more division?
Mr Fleming calls for new links between the above four groups and goes on
to say how we should realise that we cannot wipe out forty years of
complacency overnight. Well Mr Fleming, who was in charge during those forty
years, because the LTB have only been around for the last few years? Who was
it that "had their chance and made an absolute mess of the trade?"
It couldn't have been the LTB because they haven't been around long enough.
And Mr But-a-Boy Brian, you may well find it "...quite
astonishing to find a few drivers that still do not fully grasp the fact
that they are being used like soldier ants to collect money to line the
pockets of just a few hangers-on" and you may well believe that
"you and me, the drivers of this great money making LTB machine"
are going to save the trade, but I'd appreciate it if you left me out of
your sums until I make my own mind up and at this moment, the LTB seem a
better bet as the devil we know. Both the LTDA and T&G, and for a
shorter period the LCDC, have proved time and time again over the years that
they are hopeless when it comes to working with each other. I have no reason
to suppose that they can do it any better now.
What those of you reading this and articles is other
periodicals must do is to make up your own minds. Many of you may have
signed the petition because the guy in front did it. Many of you may have
signed because you believe it to be true. Fine, but when I was asked to sign
it, the guy with the petition just asked me "...why should those *****
who make the cabs have any say in our future?" There was no attempt to
explain policy differences, just the emotive statement about the
manufacturers. The second time I was asked, he just asked if I had signed
the anti-LTB petition yet? That was it! If I have been asked twice, I can't
help but wonder how many drivers have signed it several times, thereby
making it worthless anyway? I hope that isn't the case because democracy is
important, but it has also to be of some use - and I'm not sure if that is
the case here...
And...
I would like to wish all Call Sign readers the very best over the
holiday period. Whether your holiday is Christmas or Chanukah, may it be a
peaceful one leading to a wonderful New Year.
