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With the cab trade’s first major
demo for several years and Call Sign’s Editor planning
to cover it on foot, the weather was showing little sympathy with
what felt like frozen drizzle slowing soaking our man! But by 1.20
in the afternoon and the meeting point of Trafalgar Square in sight
(he began at Whitcomb Street), the rain had stopped while messages
from Brian Rice appeared on driver’s terminals saying that
DaC supported the demo. Alan decided to walk along The Mall rather than the streets where reporters were laying in wait for photo opportunities. By 1.40, the queue of cabs had reached Marlborough Gate and it looked as though the demo was doomed. It was hardly what you’d call a huge hold-up, but he kept going and by the time he arrived at St James Palace the taxi queue looked to have reached at least Buckingham Palace. Arriving at the Palace, it didn’t take long to see that the end of the queue had now reached Hyde Park Corner and by the time he’d crawled up Constitution Hill – even spotting a few drivers practicing their golf swing and a friendly soccer match - and then down Grosvenor Place, it was obvious that there wasn’t anywhere that wasn’t totally snarled up. At 3.15, DaC driver Peter Bond (L67), who was the Unite Union marshal, phoned Alan to pass on the message that the demo was over and drivers could return to work. He was now back in Constitution Hill and as the Editor passed the word, it seemed 1000 cabs had suddenly u-turned and put their lights on! Unfortunately they were heading into the jam at Hyde Park Corner that they had created! No one moaned and all leaned on their hooters to celebrate a job well done. It should also be mentioned how co-operative the police were. Call Sign’s Ed grabbed a few of our drivers on his marathon walk. Mickey Tarbuck (L41): "I’m here because we have to defend our jobs. If we don’t make a stand now, minicabs will be getting waiting areas all over that will eventually become ranks." |
DaC at the Demo… |
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Pat Keith (G01): "I support the aim of stopping minicab ranks,
but I’m also here to show my feelings about the way we’re treated by
councils who take any opportunity to slap a £60 parking ticket on
us, even Westminster’s own TaxiCard trips! Yet you see the same
minicabs in Soho day after day and they obviously aren’t getting
ticketed or they wouldn’t return." Larry Miller (S35): If we let the Whitcomb Street minicab rank carry on, we’ll see them springing up everywhere each Friday and Saturday evening. It’s got to stop now." Seamus Clyne (B69): "I’m not against minicabs, providing they stick to their job answering radio calls. But giving them ranks would be catastrophic for our trade and we have to fight it." Rob James (O45): "I’ve heard that Whitcomb Street isn’t really a rank, but if a bunch of minicabs queuing up isn’t a rank, what the hell is it?" Martin Wilding (V28): "Minicabs say we have a franchise on all the stations, but if they did the Knowledge they’d be allowed to ply for hire in stations as well. I’m also irritated at the number of PCNs we get for doing our job." John Nicholson (E13): "The size of this demo shows how solid the taxi trade is. The queue starts at Trafalgar Square, yet I’m sitting with my engine off half way up Constitution Hill!" |
