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Disappointing end to a magnificent
demo? I spent several hours at the February 5 demo having walked from Whitcomb Street to Trafalgar Square, along The Mall, Constitution Hill and down Grosvenor Place before turning round and doing the same journey in reverse. Along the route I spoke to many DaC drivers, every one of them proud at the way the trade had supported the demo, with just a handful that preferred to work instead. Every single one of them said that they were there to complain about at least one of three gripes. The main one concerned the minicab rank that no one thinks is being used as Westminster Council or the PCO’s Ed Thompson tells us it is – as a waiting area for minicabs booked around the corner. The drivers all referred to it as a minicab rank, because that’s exactly what it is. Others were there to protest about the onslaught of PCNs we are getting. Certainly Dial-a-Cab drivers know all about those, with huge total sums being spent by DaC who pay them for drivers who are on account trips at the time. And what about parking attendants and CCTV cameras by the toilets at Horseferry Road? A disgrace or what? A third gripe referred to the PCO / TfL’s one strike and you’re out and the fact that licensed taxi drivers were being grouped together with unsavoury PH drivers who were losing their licenses for touting offences. Call Sign has long campaigned for the two licensed groups to be treated as separate units and not as Ed Thompson recently described us as "75,000 licensed drivers." Early last year, the PCO apologised to this mag after we complained that numbers losing their licenses for offences should be separated, because the totals given rarely included any taxi drivers, yet the innocent bystander would assume around a 50 – 50 split. Prior to the demo, all the trade papers including Call Sign’s February issue, gave details of what the demo was about and how it would work with those three items forming the main reason for it. No one mentioned that taxi drivers were "seeking a moratorium on new licences" because of the lack of passenger demand? As Addison Lee get close to becoming the largest London radio circuit and are said to have ordered another 1000 black Ford Galaxies to increase and update their fleet – and no doubt these won’t need rear wiper blades - a moratorium would be great! Let’s also take away the licenses of 5000 drivers over 50 so that the other 19500 can be a bit busier! Sorry LTDA, I’ve always believed that you are the best trade organisation of all, but telling The Times that we were also there to get a moratorium on licenses was being deceitful to the drivers that gave up two hours of their day. Yes, it is very quiet, but putting a block on new licensed taxi drivers when the opposition are expanding dramatically, is wrong. Also speaking of the demo, I was equally disappointed to see |
 the RMT there with what I’ve been told is their new Taxis London Branch. While around 8000 drivers belong to a trade organisation, another new entry into the market place is hardly going to increase that – let alone one led by the ultra militant Bob Crow. It paints a picture to the public that could rebound badly on us – even though the PCO wouldn’t know what had hit them! PCO refunds Fare increase |
Well done TAXI Call Sign has never been afraid to criticise the trade press if we believe they are wrong, so by the same token I’d like to offer deserved praise to TAXI Editor Stuart Pessok on the article in his issue of 25 February. Several reporters were sent out to test the WestOne "rank" at Whitcomb Street and what they found fully justifies the drive-in of three weeks earlier. As we pointed out 2 months ago, if PH cars are on view to the public for an extended period of time, then they are no longer waiting, but ranking. Now TAXI have proved beyond doubt that these cars are not just waiting for a Marshal to bring round their passenger from the theatre booking stall – unless the Marshal is rather jittery on his feet as in one case a car was timed as having been there for almost three hours, whilst another had the comparatively short "wait" of 92 minutes! On top of that, all we tend to hear is how they are cheaper than us – well when they go into accounts they do undercut us – but minicabs working for cash have never really been cheaper. One TAXI journalist ordered a cab to go to Euston, whilst a second on another day "booked" one to Victoria. In a licensed taxi, both trips went under £9, whereas with WestOne they were both priced and paid for in advance at £20. Over to you Westminster Council, the moral "guardians" of London’s safety! And once again, well done TAXI… Evening
Standard and satnavs Alan Fisher |
