Following the recent scare concerning Toyota accelerator
pedals sticking and their recall,
 Dial-a-Cab
driver Eddie Lambert (V27) has written in his official
capacity as Chair of the RMT London taxi branch to the
Director of Taxis and PH at TfL, John Mason.In the letter, Eddie asked that TfL/PCO issue a stop notice to all PHVs that are effected by the safety recall notices "...that several manufactures, including Toyota, are issuing. We would expect that TfL/PCO carry this out in the same manner they did with the TX4 fire issue. That is all vehicles affected by this issue and are licensed by the PCO as PHVs, are taken off the road until the owners are able to produce a certificate from the manufactures franchised and registered factory service agents showing the necessary work has been carried out to ensure the problem has been removed from said vehicle." Eddie, together with RMT secretary David Vidgen and Vice Chair John Kennedy, added in the letter that as with the TX4, that this was a matter of safety for both the travelling public in the affected vehicles and other vehicles close to them and of course the public in general. Via a press release from TfL, |
Toyota brake sticking scare... PCO REFUSE TO TAKE PH OFF THE ROAD |
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John Mason said that given current
information, TfL did not believe it to be appropriate or necessary
to place a stop notice on affected models, but that it was
imperative that anyone using the affected models as private hire
vehicles were aware of the issue and took appropriate action. Mr
Mason added that TfL/PCO would continue to monitor the situation
closely and take further action if necessary. Mr Mason’s statement went on to "strongly recommend all drivers /owners of private hire vehicles licensed by TfL to either make contact with your local Toyota dealership or the Toyota Customer Relations line." Call Sign has to ask how many PH drivers get to see press releases compared to the taxi trade, where most read a trade paper? Offering advice to PH drivers with Toyotas, TfL add: "Drivers will not suddenly find that they have a sticking accelerator. It may become heavier to press or shudder. If the accelerator does stick when driving you should press firmly on the brake – instead of pumping it, put the car into neutral and pull over when safe." The press release ends by saying (in bold): "Should you experience any of these conditions, you are advised not to operate your vehicle until it has been checked by a qualified Toyota technician at a Toyota approved service centre." |
It would appear to be the height
of prejudice against the London taxi trade should private hire –
with what seems to be a far wider "safety" outbreak - are allowed to
carry on driving these vehicles. The incident that brought the matter to light occurred last August when California Highway Patrol Officer, Mark Saylor and his family, were on their way to their daughter’s soccer practice. They were driving a Lexus ES 350 – which is made by Toyota. Millions were shocked when a phone recording from one of the passengers in the car was played on media outlets. It said the car was going at 125mph with the accelerator pedal stuck down. The voice then added that they were headed towards a busy intersection but could not stop. They were then heard praying before the line went dead. That crash sparked a recall of over 4million Toyota and Lexus vehicles throughout the US. In a totally separate development, Toyota’s Prius is being recalled to repair a software programme for the anti-lock braking system designed to prevent skidding. All of the hybrids manufactured before January have the fault. Several PH companies use this green car. This magazine would ask Mr Mason to think again, because if just one private hire vehicle out of the many Toyotas crash due to the accelerator pedal sticking or their brakes locking, repercussions for the PCO would be enormous... |
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