TfL treating taxi
drivers as mugs?
If you read this and the next item, you
could be forgiven for thinking that this
is Call Sign’s bash the
PCO day! We have never been ashamed to
admit our support for the PCO believing
that it was their administration of the
licensed taxi trade – however unpopular
– that differentiated us from the
opposition. However, that support never
continued over to Transport for London
with the problem being that the PCO and
TFL are now one.
As an example, you will read in this issue that vehicle licensing (ie
passing overhauled cabs) has now been
transferred from Penton Street to three
different SGS passing stations in the
north, south and west of London.
Soon after the announcement that SGS were to take over the passing
element from the PCO was originally
made, came the "suggestion" of a
mid-year mini-overhaul as well,
something the trade has come out as
being against. We were asked for our
views, much as a parent asks their child
if they are tired? The kid’s response is
irrelevant – it means they are going to
bed! So it was with us. What do you
think of the idea? Tough, you’re getting
it anyway.
But just to make sure, suddenly a report is leaked to the
Evening Standard (7 Feb), which
claims that 50% of all licensed taxis
going for their pass are rejected. Not
only that, but a spokesperson for the
TfL’s London Transport Assembly
Committee, Geoff Pope, comes out to tell
Londoners how disgusting it is that out
taxis are in such bad nick and that
"…given this failure rate, six monthly
tests are long overdue."
A typical piece of TfL connivance. Ok, so we apparently can’t do
much about it, but please Mr Pope, even
if you are speaking for his highness the
Mayor of Cuba – sorry London – don’t
treat us like mugs. You know as well as
we how high the standard of London’s
taxis are – much higher than the
standard of TfL lackeys dragged out for
the occasional quote to save Mr
Livingstone dirtying his hands further!
He wants us to have the same number of
vehicle examinations as private hire –
one every six months – but no doubt
doesn’t know how to overrule our
resentment of the suggestion. Hence the
report in the Standard, but not sent out
to the trade press. Why is that? It
isn’t too difficult to see why the trade
press have become reluctant to publish
TfL / PCO press releases…
Metrocabs emission
strategy – April Fools Day comes early?
Call Sign
supported the PCO recently when their
emission testing results came under
attack by a trade organisation. We stick
by that support; however, we have to
wonder whether April Fools Day has come
early at Penton Street when it comes to
the long-awaited Euro 3 taxi
|
emissions strategy for
Metrocabs?
In common with the rest of the trade press, we have been sent
(another) PCO press release that is
supposed to "assist" Metrocab owners
comply with the Mayor’s emission
strategy and reach Euro 3. Unless we
have read it incorrectly – and there are
not too many ways of reading it – then
that "solution" is for them to have a
Nissan engine conversion fitted with the
STT Emtec CleanCab system. The PCO’s
long-awaited answer for Metrocab owners
will then serve a duel-purpose; not only
will it make the owners of Metrocab
Series I, Series II and Series III taxis
Euro 3 compliant, but it will probably
bankrupt them at the same time.
Call Sign asked a respected east end garage owner for his
views. His first word was "crazy!" He
went on to query why the PCO would pass
an engine that then needs to be
converted with an emissions system? And
cost? He estimated that with fitting and
VAT, you could be looking at £6 – 7000.
"And that," he added, "would write the
cab off if it were accident repairs."
We have waited a long time for the PCO / EST answer to the Metrocab
problem. Surely this wasn’t the best
they could come up with? We aren’t
experts, but we have two answers for the
PCO.
Firstly, ask the Mayor to cancel his proposed Cuba celebration in
2009 to "cheer" 50 years of Castro
dictatorship that will cost Londoners
around £2million. Instead, ask him to
use that money to buy new Nissan engines
+ emission system for all the affected
Metrocab owners. A fixed charge of £250
per cab in return sounds fair.
Our second answer is to provide all Metrocab owners with a non-stop
supply of the Power Pill. That won’t do
quite as much as a conversion, but it
will greatly assist until such time as
the cabs are ready to come off the road
permanently – perhaps a 15 year maximum
lifespan would be fair in the
circumstances. After all, most of the
affected vehicles are closer to the end
of their working lives than the
beginning and natural wastage in this
case sounds reasonable.
Call Sign will take a bet with anyone. The Nissan engine +
emission system will come across
problems as soon as it is fitted. It was
brilliant in the Fairway, but just
wasn’t designed for a Metrocab…
The situation is ludicrous and the PCO have turned Metrocab owners
into laughing stocks. If this is the
best they can come up with, |
then they should hang
their heads in shame…
Cabtivate drivers
"ripped off?"
Several Dial-a-Cab drivers are currently
locked in four-year finance agreement to
pay for the no-longer-working Cabtivate
TV equipment that has been left to rot
in their cabs. The TV advertising
company are now in liquidation with
drivers wondering why they signed up to
agreements for in-excess of £3000 when
it seemed glaringly obvious that the
equipment + fitting came to nothing like
that?
Sadly, whatever the reason, these drivers now have to pay £104 a
month for four years with absolutely
nothing in return (they were originally
told they would get around £192 a month
back). Yet none of those drivers signing
for the system asked why they just
couldn’t take the difference of £88 each
month without having to sign those 4
years away?
It seems that no other connotation can be put onto the whole
episode other than the drivers were
ripped off. It becomes even worse when
you realise that Cabtivate’s It seems
CabtivaqtCaCcfinance director had
resigned on December 4, yet screens were
still being installed into cabs later
that month!
Is there an answer?
According to a solicitor Call Sign
spoke to, the chances aren’t very good
that any money will come back and the
only answer we can think of is for those
drivers concerned, to go down to
Cabvision at KPM, explain the
situation and ask nicely if they can
have one of their screens that cost the
driver absolutely nothing and pay you
not much less than the Cabtivate drivers
were promised after parting with £3100.
That, at least, would help with their
finance agreement debt.
And to the drivers who signed up – two of whom Call Sign
spoke to and who seem like genuinely
nice guys – keep away from financial
agreements promising the earth without
first checking out what it is you are
buying. Peter DaCosta at KPM had showed
that it needn’t cost the driver a penny,
yet you all signed up for £3100. Come on
guys…
AGM
Well, another
AGM has come and gone. Call Sign
estimates that there were around 110
drivers in the hall of whom 40 hadn’t
yet voted via postal ballot. As usual,
several drivers tried to insist that
attending should be made compulsory,
with one suggesting a possible EGM to
decide. But sadly, it is patently
obvious that the vast majority don’t
want to attend and no one can force them
to. That is a sad indictment of drivers
who are quick to say they own the
Society, but who don’t want to put
anything back into it…
Alan Fisher
callsignmag@aol.com |
