Call Sign February 2005 - Page 17 - CALL SIGN SPEAKS TO MIKE GAPES MP

With so many Dial-a-Cab drivers living in the Ilford South constituency, Call Sign thought it prudent to give them a closer look at the taxi views of their Member of Parliament, Mike Gapes.
Mike, a Labour MP since 1992, was re-elected in 1997 and then took the seat yet again at the last General Election in 2001. He has been a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Select Committees in addition to serving as Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Northern Ireland office. He is currently the chairperson of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy…

Call Sign: Will you be standing again for Ilford South and do you know when the next election date will be? We promise not to tell any one…!
Mike Gapes: I certainly intend standing again. The date? Sadly I know no more than you, although many seem to think it will be next May.

CS: What do you think about Licensed Taxis?
MG: I am a big supporter of them and consider them to be without doubt, the providers of the finest taxi service in the world.

CS: Do you know much about the Licensed Taxi trade?
MG: I think it’s fair to say that you couldn’t be the sitting MP for Ilford South without knowing a substantial amount. In fact I used to have a very good friend who drove a Taxi in the area. Sadly Gerry Allen died several years ago, but there was very little he didn’t know about the trade, including how to take a cab to pieces and put it back together! I also get Taxi drivers coming to my regular surgeries.

CS: London’s Taxi drivers can

CALL SIGN SPEAKS TO MIKE GAPES MP

Mike Gapes

now legally refuse to accept a
passenger in his or her Taxi if they
are smoking. Do you have any views on the subject?
MG: I was involved in the original
Bill to set up the GLA and at that time we tried to get a ban on smoking in Taxis. It wasn’t pursued because we believed that it would come in under the-then
soon-to-be announced transport legislation. It was talked about with regard to drivers being given the option of saying yes or no to their own passengers and I believed that most drivers would say no to smoking as it tends to make the cab smelly and messy. It never actually happened that way, but I support the ban if that is what the Taxi industry wants.

CS: You obviously know about the current licensing of what we used to call minicabs and which are now referred to as Private Hire. Do you consider this to be a good or bad way forward?
MG: We are obviously not talking about touts here, so yes, I believe that licensing is the way forward. PH are obviously a fact of life whether you like them or not, so surely giving the licensing authority the chance to rid London of the rust buckets and everything else about minicabs that was so distasteful must be a good thing. In their industry, anything could exist whereas in yours it can’t. So yes,

licensing makes sense and there is
room for both sections doing their own jobs. My only concern is that licensing doesn’t create a third tier – one filled with touts driving old bangers.

CS: The Knowledge can take up to 4 years at present. Do you think that is too long?
MG: I believe that 4 years is too long. London Taxis are famous for their amazing knowledge when it comes to finding their way around and it’s obviously the KoL that gives them that ability. But even licensed Taxi drivers sometimes need to look at their maps and together with all the new Sat Nav systems now available, surely that 4 years could be cut so that Taxi drivers are still required to do the Knowledge, but not for such a long period.

CS: Do you support the 2012 Olympics coming to London?
MG: I support the British bid, which includes bringing the Olympics to Stratford. In addition to providing many jobs, it will regenerate old brownfield land and help bring investment in to transport and the economy. It will also bring a sense of pride and passion into our great City. I will work with the Government to do all I can to bring the 2012 Games to London.

CS: Thank you…

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