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MAQS Transport for London issued a consultation document earlier this year regarding the Mayors Air Quality Strategy (MAQS). There were also a series of meetings at the PCO with the trade in order to gauge their opinion. I think it’s probably safe to say that the Mayor would like a ten-year-old age limit on taxis in London by 2012; however, the trade believe this should be a fifteen-year age limit by 2012. How can anyone possibly argue against the taxis in London being newer and greener while emitting less particulates into the atmosphere? No one could, but it is how you arrive there that is important. I believe that the trade at the moment could not afford the ten year rule and all driver organisations are adamant that it should be fifteen years. However, as you might expect, all the three radio circuits in London would like a newer greener fleet to help us compete with the competition. I also know that many members on Dial-a-Cab believe the fleet should be newer and greener. These are the members that invest in new vehicles and who believe that older cabs on the fleet are letting the side down by making the taxi trade less attractive in comparison to the Private Hire industry. Running a radio circuit, I also subscribe to that theory along with both ComCab and the Radio Taxis Group. Of course, what I believe to be right and what the trade can actually afford in the short term are two different things. What I find irritating is that the trade is only allowed to buy one of two prescribed vehicles, whereas the minicab industry can purchase whatever they desire. The authorities then come back to us and state the vehicles we were told to purchase are dirty and they need to be replaced by newer greener vehicles. If that is |
 the case, then TfL should introduce a scrappage scheme for the trade. After all, the Olympics in 2012 are going to cost approximately £10billion and unless the Mayor improves the air quality in London, Europe is going to fine him £300m and at this moment in time, London has already exceeded its quota of emissions for the current year. In fact it was exceeded in the first six months! The LTDA approached all the major interests in the taxi industry - barring the RMT - to see if we could arrive at a joint decision. I believe the story is elsewhere in this issue of Call Sign. As I explained earlier, the radio circuit’s interest is slightly different to those of the driver organisations, but here was the opportunity to present a united front to the authorities. This is probably the first time we have done that since 1997, some thirteen years ago. Consequently, the circuits had a meeting and we decided to agree the joint proposal on the grounds the trade could not afford the Mayor’s proposal at the present time. Consequently the Radio Circuits, LMCPA, LTDA, Unite, LCDC and even the Manufacturers assembled at Dial-a-Cab House to sign the document that was to be presented to TfL. I just hope this is the forerunner for all the trade to work together in the future, something I believe is vitally important. What must be remembered here is that the radio circuits - and particularly both taxi manufacturers - signed this |
document for the sake of trade unity,
something I believe to be commendable. After all, if the Mayor introduces
the ten-year rule from 2012, which he could well do, then the manufacturers
would obviously sell more vehicles. As I stated earlier, all the trade organisations were present at Dial-a-Cab House for the signing, the only exception being the LCDC. Although they had signed the document, their Chairman would not do so in the company of some of those present at the official signing. It isn’t particularly gratifying to know that one of the trade’s driver organisations has a Chairman of such immense stature, that when events are not going exactly as he wants them to, he just picks his ball up and goes home! Interests of the trade at heart? Not from where I’m sitting...
August again However, even if that does happen, it will still be a quiet month with the schools closing for their summer break, so hopefully some of you younger members will be taking the children on holiday, thereby al least missing a week or two of August. For all you older members that do not go away in August due to inflated prices and lots of children everywhere (I know you have done all that), I wish you a good month... Brian Rice |
