Taxi #451

LTDA The newspaper of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association www.ltda.co.uk @TheLTDA #451 3 September 2019

CITY HALL: p5

WILL THE MAYOR STAND UP TO UBER?

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TELL SADIQ THE REAL COST OF LTDA The new spaper of the Lice Taxi Driv nsed Associatiers’ on www.ltda .co.uk @TheLTD A #449 6 August 2019

TRADE: p2

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TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

Minicab Pervert Attacks Women

LTDA

POLICE A “predatory” minicab driver is at large in London, according to Scotland Yard, which issued a warning after three women were sexually assaulted.

The driver struck three times after picking up lone females in the west of the city.

Officers are urging women to only use minicabs that they have specifically booked when travelling home alone, following the three separate incidents in Merton and Wandsworth.

The attacks involved an alleged minicab driver operating in the areas of Clapham and Putney who approaches lone females late at night.

When the victim is in the vehicle the driver stops the car and assaults her.

The first incident took place in Battersea Rise on Saturday, August 3, at 1.15am. The second and third took place in Putney High Street on Sunday, August 11, at 12.10am and Sunday, August 18, at 2.47am.

Detective Inspector Joanne Flynn, of the South West Command Unit’s CID, said: “We are following a number of lines of enquiry; however, it is important that we make women aware that this predatory man is out there.

“Although none of the victims sustained serious injuries, they were, understandably, traumatised by

@TheLTDA

AGM

the incidents.

“The vehicle may or may not be a genuine minicab. Please ensure that you only get into cabs that you have personally booked and if possible, don’t travel home alone.”

Figures previously released by Transport for London showed that no charges of sexual assault or rape were made against taxi drivers in London.

The LTDA AGM will be held at 10am on Friday, October 4, at Woburn House in Tavistock Square, WC1

They revealed that allegations of rape against private hire drivers increased by 13.3%. Allegations of other sexual offences dropped by 4.6% on the previous year.

The figures related to incidents recorded by the Met during 2017 when there were 162 incidents, 34 of rape and 128 relating to other sexual offences.

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3 September 2019 |||| TAXI

3

Uber’s licence is up for renewal and we must tell the mayor it’s not a fit and proper operator

STEVE MCNAMARA

TELL SADIQ THE #REALCOSTOFUBER

TOP TRADE STORY

T

his week we re-booted our campaign #RealCostOfUber to call on the mayor to refuse Uber another licence after its probationary licence expires at the end of this month. You may recall that we first ran this campaign last summer when Uber appealed the Mayor’s decision to strip the firm of its fiveyear licence on grounds of blatant disregard for passenger safety and TfL regulations.

It will be no surprise to you all that after Uber grovelled and Westminster Magistrates’ Court ruled that the firm should be granted a 15-month probationary licence, Uber has continued to skirt its responsibilities and let Londoners down.

In the past year alone, Uber has contravened the terms of its probationary licence by allowing drivers to pick up passengers in London without hire and reward insurance. It has been investigated by HMRC for dodging £1 billion in unpaid tax. It has continued to operate in areas in which councils have explicitly said its drivers are not welcome, including areas in Essex. It was even fined £285,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office for failing to prevent the breach of 2.7 million UK users’ data back in 2016.

These are just a few examples of Uber failing to operate in a fit and proper manner, and there are hundreds of other incidents that we see and hear about on a daily basis.

This is why we’re calling on the Mayor Sadiq Khan to make the right decision and refuse to grant Uber another London licence. We need as many people as possible to write to the mayor as he returns to City Hall next week. Please visit the website www.realcostofuber.com to sign the letter and share it far and wide.

In the run up to the decision, Uber is ramping up its PR gimmicks in an effort to prove it deserves another short-term licence. This time the firm is trying to show it takes passenger safety seriously with its latest #SafetyNeverStops campaign, which showcases DBS checked drivers

and five-star ratings.

In practice, we know that Uber doesn’t take passenger safety seriously in the slightest. Twitter blew up in Uber’s face last week when a driver in Glasgow took a female passenger down the wrong side of the motorway and refused to take her home until she threatened to call the police.

Uber refused to believe this had happened and credited her account with a pathetic £5, in what was described as a good will gesture.

At the end of the day, examples like this show that the firm has no genuine regard for passenger safety and wants nothing more than to pour its time and energy into diversifying its offer so that it can stop haemorrhaging money through cutprice PHV journeys.

“We need as many people as possible to write to Mayor Sadiq Khan as he returns to City Hall next Westminster Over at Downing Street, Boris announced that the Government will bring forward a new week” See your advertisement here TAXI is the membership magazine for the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA).

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legislative programme for MPs’ approval in the second week of October after ending the current parliamentary session. The PM has said that this programme will focus on Brexit and other domestic areas including infrastructure and criminal justice.

We’ve been waiting nearly a year now to see the Government legislate on new taxi and PHV licensing laws. We haven’t seen our bill explicitly announced yet, so we’ll keep the pressure up on the Government to make sure it’s included in the Queen’s speech. I’ll be sitting down with All Party Parliamentary Group on Taxis Chairman, Wes Streeting MP, as an urgent priority to ensure we exploit every avenue we have to get this moving. u

Steve McNamara is the LTDA’s General Secretary

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TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

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@TheLTDA

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3 September 2019 |||| TAXI

Will the London Mayor Stand Up to Uber?

CITY HALL

track record which is standing up to the big boys, and they are boys, and make The mayor hinted that he will stand up sure everyone plays by the rules whether to Uber at its licence renewal this month you’re a big business or whether you’re and called on the Government to legally a small business and I don’t care how define the terms plying for hire and pre- many lawyers you employ or how big booked. your PR budget.”

Sadiq Khan said that he had a strong Uber appealed TfL’s decision to track record taking on the “big boys,” revoke its licence, and won a 15-month no matter the size of their PR budget, probationary licence, which runs out in what was a clear reference to the this month. minicab giant during an interview on The company admitted that its the LBC radio station. behaviour had been unacceptable but It comes weeks after the company was claimed to have changed. However, it’s fined for no insurance and failing to £28,000 no insurance fine appeared to keep accurate records, and ahead of an show that was still not a fit and proper expected decision on whether to renew operator. its temporary licence.

The minicab company wants a five The London mayor, who revoked year license to operate but is expected to Uber’s licence in 2017, told the show’s get an extension or a shorter one, of less host James O’Brien that everyone must than two years. play by the rules if they want to operate The mayor has also urged the in the capital.

Government to “clearly define” plying He said: “It would be inappropriate for hire and pre-booked in order to for me during a time we’re considering remove any uncertainty for the trade the application from any operator to and its regulators. comment on it and give a running Khan stated that a clearly defined commentary.” definition of plying for hire and ‘preBut, he added: “You will know my booked’ would remove any ambiguity

Nicholas collects his cheque at Taxi House

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Nicholas, of Welwyn Garden City, who collected his cheque from Richard Massett at Taxi House, said: “I couldn’t believe it – I thought it was a prank at first. I don’t have any plans for it yet, perhaps we will take a holiday though.”

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and help provide enhanced clarity for drivers, operators, regulators and passengers.

Khan, responded to a question on the subject from London Assembly Member, David Kurten.

He expressed disappointment that the Government had not pushed on with creating the statutory definitions.

The mayor said: “Alongside TfL, I have repeatedly called for a statutory definition of ‘plying for hire’ and ‘pre-booked’ services to remove any ambiguity and clearly define the difference between taxi and private hire services. A statutory definition would also provide greater clarity for licensees, regulators and users of those services.

“The Department for Transportcommissioned Taxi and Private Hire Task and Finish Group report, written by the Independent Chair Professor Mohammed Abdel-Haq, also highlighted the need for statutory definitions.

“It is disappointing that the Government is not taking this forward and I urge them to think again. I welcome the support of the Assembly in lobbying Government on this matter.”

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NEWS IN BRIEF Cycleway 4 Ahead of Schedule Work will begin on the next section of Cycleway 4 in Greenwich ahead of schedule, the mayor has said.

Construction of the Creek Road part will start later this year - instead of April 2020 as originally planned.

Once complete, Cycleway 4 will add 10km of segregated cycle route to London’s network. New pedestrian crossings are to be installed in an effort to improve safety for foot-traffic.

The first sections of Cycleway 4 started in July, and construction is currently taking place to create 3.6km of segregated Cycleway along Tooley Street and Jamaica Road. Work is also underway on a complete overhaul of Rotherhithe roundabout, which is included in the Safer Junctions programme, to create segregated cycle lanes around it. This section is set to be complete by spring next year.

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www.ltda.co.uk ||||

TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

@TheLTDA

Is the cab trade at last about to see some much needed competition in the new taxi market?

THE CAB YOU DRIVE

NEW CABS ON THE HORIZON?

WORD ON THE STREET

W

ith the Nissan Dynamo being licensed by Transport for London and Mercedes edging towards its own electric cab, drivers may at last get a choice of taxi.

Mercedes has launched the first pure EV people carrier, the EQV. It’s extremely likely that the next generation EV Vito, will use the same running gear.

The good news is it looks great and has a predicted range of 252 miles between charges.

This will probably equate to something like 190-200 miles real world range when working as a cab. That should be more than enough for most cabbies. The bad news is likely to be the price, as the EQV starts at £62,000.

The standard Vito will almost certainly be cheaper, but the rear wheel steer, partition and cab fit out will have to be added to the base price. With the previous Euro VI diesel 114 Vito. The base auto price was around £33,000, with the final converted cab retailing at £47,000. Which means that if the EV Vito comes to market at only £45,000, and even if the conversion costs are the same it still puts it north of £60,000.

It was first unveiled in concept form at this year’s Geneva motor show.

The EQV is powered by a single 201bhp electric motor that draws power from a 90kWh battery mounted along the floor. The EQV has a range of 252 miles according to the official WLTP test – 49 miles less than the Tesla Model X large SUV. Where the Tesla has room for seven on board, however, the EQV has space for eight.

The power stored in a 90kWh lithium ion battery pack mounted under the floor for

enhanced dynamics and maximum interior space. It can be charged from 10% capacity to 80% in less than 45 minutes.

Power is sent through a fixed-gear transmission to a front-mounted electric motor producing 201bhp and 267lb ft – enough to propel the 3500kg EV to a 99mph top speed.

Nissan Dynamo Good to Go

The much delayed Nissan Dynamo has finally become the first 100% electric and emission free taxi to get the go ahead to start operating in London by Transport for London.

The taxi has now been registered with transport regulators. It could finally mean cab drivers have a choice for the first time since new diesel cabs were banned in January 2018.

The Dynamo will be built in Coventry and is based on the Nissan eNV200 Evalia.

It is slightly smaller than TXe with the space to carry five passengers rather than six.

It could prove to be Marmite in the trade, with some drivers saying it is too van like and lacks the traditional style. Others love it, and the price is likely to be a big draw too, coming in at around £47,995 after government subsidies.

Dynamo says it will cost less than £30 per week on electricity, which would easily make it the most cost-effective taxi in the UK, another draw for drivers You can view the cab at the London dealership in Colindale, NW9, and even take it for a spin.

It is thought that the first orders will start to be delivered early next year. The trade needs some competition, and the sooner Mercedes and Nissan are both in the market the better.

Sweet Deal for Sherbet “The Taxi company Sherbet has announced the Dynamo purchase of 125 new TXes worth over has finally £7million.

The first 50 cabs, all manufactured in the become to UK were delivered earlier in August, with remaining 75 entering service in the next first 100% the few months. This takes the size of Sherbet’s electric fleet up to 225 and is another step towards the aim of expanding its fleet to over 1,000 and vehicles over the next three years.

Asher Moses, company CEO, said: “At emission Sherbet London we are proud to play our free taxi part in decarbonising London’s roads, and to get the this is the next step we are taking to help cleaning London’s air. We are delighted to be go ahead able to expand our amazing taxi fleet with yet more high-quality electric vehicles from to start LEVC, and look forward to being able to operating put more of these on London’s streets in the months.” in London” coming LEVC says the TXe has prevented over 6,800 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere and saved taxi drivers nearly £4 million in fuel.

@TheLTDA

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NEWS IN BRIEF BP rolls out ultra-fast charging BP Chargemaster has installed its first 150kW ultra-fast electric vehicle (EV) chargers on the forecourt of one of its fuelling stations near Heathrow.

The new 150kW chargers will provide ultra-fast charging for electric vehicles.

Two of them are now in place at BP’s retail site at Cranford near Heathrow airport.

They are the first in a planned rollout of 400 ultra-fast chargers at BP sites across the UK by the end of 2021.

Tout Banned A minicab driver has been fined and banned from driving for a month for plying for hire and no insurance, the Met said.

The unnamed minicab driver was caught red-handed accepting a booking without an operator’s licence.

The driver was ordered to pay a total fine of £1,300, along with an £80 victim surcharge.

A spokesperson from the Metropolitan Roads and Transport broke the news as part of its Cabs Unit operation in the capital.

3 September 2019 |||| TAXI

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Did Uber Benefit from “Data Theft”?

INTERNATIONAL A self-driving car engineer has been charged with 33 counts of theft and attempted theft of trade secrets from Google before going to work for Uber.

The case against Anthony Levandowski is the latest development in an intellectual property feud between Google and the app company.

Levandowski worked on autonomous vehicles for nearly a decade before selling a self-driving start-up to Uber for a reported $680m in August 2016.

He allegedly downloaded approximately 14,000 files from Google and transferred them to his personal laptop in the months before his exit, which was after he had begun discussions with executives at Uber.

The files included “critical engineering information” about hardware for selfdriving cars and circuit board plans for helping cars to “see.”

Uber and Google’s self-driving car spinoff, Waymo, reached a settlement in a civil lawsuit over the dispute in February 2018, four days into the trial.

Uber agreed to pay Waymo approximately $245m but the judge allowed prosecutors to start a criminal investigation in May 2017.

US attorney David Anderson said in a statement announcing the charges, that “all of us have the right to change jobs.

None of us has the right to fill our pockets on the way out the door. Theft is not innovation.”

Levandowski, who has pleaded not guilty, could be jailed for 10 years and fined $250,000 if convicted of the offences.

The engineer joined Google in 2007 and initially worked on Street View before joining one of the company’s notorious “moon-shot” projects: teaching a car to drive itself.

Levandowski remained with that team, which was later spun off as Waymo, until January 2016, when he resigned from Google without giving notice. He then announced a new start-up, Otto, which said it was building self-driving technology for trucks.

Uber’s acquisition of Otto in August 2016 was initially hailed as a coup

FARE ENOUGH

which would help the company become profitable.

However, things turned sour when Uber launched an unpermitted trial of self-driving cars in San Francisco in December 2016. On the first day of the pilot, Uber’s cars were observed running red lights on at least two occasions. After a week of reports of traffic violations and escalating threats from state regulators.

Uber eventually agreed to take the cars off the city streets.

Waymo filed its lawsuit in February 2017 over the alleged theft of the 14,000 confidential files. Levandowski invoked his fifth amendment right against selfincrimination during the civil case. Uber fired him in the following May over his failure to comply with a court order requiring him to turn over documents.

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TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

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@TheLTDA

Trying to find an open police station that accepts lost property seems like an unending nightmare

ANTHONY STREET

DROPPING OFF LOST PROPERTY IS HELL

STREETS AHEAD

stations, which are only open 9 to 5, or not on weekends, are not accepting lost property, as they don’t have storage facilities, or the ability to forward it to the LPO. don’t know about you but when I find someone’s I’ve doubled checked again with LPO Baker Street and phone or other valuables in the back of my cab, I get there has been no change in police policy and under the that sinking feeling. I know that I’m going to spend cab legislation it’s still clear that property needs to be half a day circling London, growing increasingly irate as deposited at a police station or the LPO within 24 hours, I get turned away, ignored or find myself with a parking or as soon as practicable. ticket. As I’m sure many of you are aware police stations My feeling is that if you go to one of the major police are either closed permanently or only opened for about 20 stations which is open 24/7, such as the one in Colindale, minutes each day. you will be okay, but the smaller ones are making up their If you do find one that’s open, and can find somewhere and claim ignorance, but it’s not worth it. We have had own rules or have been directed to turn valuables away by to park, the indifference of the officers, or as is more to defend drivers wrongly accused of stealing property Met police management. likely, members of the public, that man the front desk, because they have become so frustrated with the system I have raised this issue with the top dogs at the Met is something to behold. These blank faced drones are so and given up. and have asked for some clarity, as the drivers I speak to infuriating it makes you want to grab them by the lapels As always, the Baker Street Lost Property Office is are genuinely confused and Baker Street hours are not and shout, “look you! I’ve driven halfway across London the best bet because even if you do find an open police that helpful if you are a night driver. trying to a find a police station that’s open, and circled station, quite often the staff will tell you that they no Anyway, the Lost Property Office in Baker Street is the streets for 30 minutes trying to find somewhere to longer accept items. open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4pm, and drivers are park and if you think I’m leaving here with this phone I had heard that it was now the rule that police stations more than welcome to deposit any items they discover in you’ve got another thing coming”, before shoving the refused to accept lost property, so I tested the water the back of their cabs during those hours. They are asked object into their sweaty palm and storming off. But it recently. I went into Savile Row nick and they said that to ring the bell next to the large grey shutter opposite wouldn’t work. They are the police after all and getting they would accept items. Not only that but they are also Melcombe Street on Baker Street’s north side. u funny with them just results in trouble.

24/7, but these things change pretty quickly. It would be Anthony Street is an LTDA It’s a pain, but lost property must be handed in, usually a good idea to phone ahead, but I doubt anyone would Executive Support Officer within 24 hours. I can understand the urge to dump it answer. I understand that some of the smaller police

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MASSETT'S CAMERA HOTSPOTS EXMOUTH MARKET Red zone BERKLEY STREET J/W PICCADILLY Yellow box cameras JOHN ISLIP STREET No right turn into Ponsonby Terrace FULHAM BROADWAY/BARCLAY ROAD Yellow box CAMDEN 20mph limit SELFRIDGES Over ranking LUDGATE HILL Zig-Zags ISLINGTON 20mph limit RED ROUTES TfL is actively enforcing yellow box restrictions TOWER BRIDGE 20 mph speed limit – average speed cameras LIMEHOUSE LINK 30mph speed limit SMITHFIELD Do not park in loading boxes, they are enforced by camera A13 Average speed cameras in operation THE CITY 20mph limit KILLICK STREET Pedestrian zone WESTMINSTER PARK PLAZA No right turn into Addington Street VERNON PLACE No left turn into Southampton Row

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TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

@TheLTDA

Sometimes you just have a bad day but that doesn’t mean you should lose your licence

CHARLOTTE COLLETT

“IS GUILT THE END OF THE LINE?

LEGALLY SPEAKING

S

peeding is an issue that comes up here quite often, as I’m sure you can imagine. Many drivers face being banned under the totting up rules, but even if you are guilty it doesn’t have to mean the end of the road, if you have the right legal advice that is.

Sometimes, if a driver faces a motoring offence it’s best just to hold up your hands and say, “okay guv, you got me bang to rights,” especially if there’s video evidence of said incident.

But it might be the case that there was a reason that you committed the offence that was out of your control.

A “special reasons” argument can apply to all sorts of motoring cases and can result in avoiding the usual sentence for the offence. It can help someone avoid a driving disqualification or points being endorsed on their licence for speeding and can keep them on the road when facing a ban. It doesn’t take individual circumstances, such as hardship or the lack thereof, or the impact that a sentence would have on the driver, into account.

Commonly heard special reasons for drink drive

offences are things such as spiked drinks, shortness of distance and genuine emergencies. For driving without insurance cases, it is perhaps when someone was led to believe they were insured when they were not.

The special reason must be connected to the incident. Thus, there must be a reason (such as a medical emergency) which provides a justification for the illegal actions of the person in question.

In a recent case, a member pleaded guilty to speeding but we successfully argued that it was a medical emergency, which led to him not getting any penalty points. Three more would have led to a ban in this driver’s case.

In our member’s case, he argued that he travelled at 36mph in a 30 zone because there was an emergency vehicle close by and he needed to clear the path for it, also that he was on the brow of a hill, and there was nowhere safe for him to pull over.

The legal definition of a special reason is an extenuating issue that is not a defence in law. The arguments are often complex and involve a hearing similar to a trial where evidence will be called and witnesses cross-examined.

Some arguments, such as those involving laced drinks in a drink-drive case require expert evidence from a scientist.

Special reasons are not the same as claims for exceptional hardship, which I have written about before, but which is effectively a plea for mercy because a ban, for example, would have a detrimental effect on a sick family member. It is similar in that it is a two-stage test where the court must first decide whether special reasons apply before secondly deciding whether to exercise their discretion in favour of the defendant. If the court does agree that special reasons exist, it does not always follow that it will not impose the disqualification or penalty points associated with the offence.

As with all our cases, it is best if you get in touch with us as soon as you are contacted about an alleged offence. That way we can get to work on your case immediately, giving you the best chance of a successful result. u

Charlotte Collett is an LTDA solicitor Editor’s Note The LTDA’s legal cover and access to or in-house solicitors and barristers is free of charge to all members for any matter that threatens your licence. If you are not a member call 0208 286 1046 to join today.

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Vehicle registration certificate, logbook or new keeper’s supplement (complete with bill of sale/ receipt) where vehicle is newly purchased prior to inspection

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Current vehicle licence (for renewal inspections)

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From October 1, 2014, vehicles no longer require a tax disc to be displayed. Vehicles can be taxed online or at a post office. If a vehicle is not recorded as taxed, NSL will accept an online application/ post office receipt. (information at www.gov.co.uk/ dvla nomoretaxdisc)



Insurance certificate (not a copy) – properly affixed in the luggage compartment

VEHICLE MAKE / MODEL



Valid MoT certificate (issued 13 days or less before inspection)



If vehicle is less than one year old an MoT is not required

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Taximeter installation and calibration certificate, issued within 30 days of inspection

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Exemption certificate (where applicable)

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Modification approval (where applicable)

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Tool to release ramps

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Tyres – must conform to manufacturer’s specification (see table below)

TYRE SIZE

Mercedes Vito Euro 4

195/65 R 16 100/915T or 104/102T

Mercedes Vito Euro 5

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TX1 (declared speed of 130 km/h)

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TXII (declared speed of 147 km/h)

175 R 16 Q

TXII (declared speed of 147 km/h)

175 R 16 Q

TX4 (declared speed of 147 km/h)

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3 September 2019 |||| TAXI

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TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

@TheLTDA

Being a cabbie can sometimes be a risky business, so keep your wits about out there

DON’T BECOME A MURDER STATISTIC

LLOYD BALDWIN

ON POINT

since the incident, no one from victims’ support, nor from the force to take the CCTV footage from his cab.

He said: “It shook me up, and I didn’t work for a couple of days afterwards. I didn’t know what to do, whether to stay in the cab or to get out but you get a rush of blood. I tried to confront them but if it happened again, I would stay in the taxi. My passenger was in a terrible state. I’m disgusted that the police haven’t contacted me once in the two weeks since it happened, even though I’ve called them twice. It feels like London’s become the Wild West.”

This incident is frightening and reminds me of the last couple of years when taxi drivers were regularly targeted by gangs in Lisson Grove, but the police did nothing.

I will raise this issue with them again but be careful out there. If you encounter this type of situation, I suggest locking your doors and staying in your cab; you don’t want to end up another statistic.

I

s London lawless? I don’t think so, but it sometimes feels like it when people are attacked and the police response is to shrug and do nothing.

I recently spoke to a member who was set upon by a group of six young thugs in central London in broad daylight and the lack of reaction is disheartening to say the least.

The gang essentially blocked the road on their bikes, which prompted William Boyd to drive around them.

Unfortunately, this appears to have infuriated the teenage yobs who gave chase. When the cabbie was forced to stop because of the traffic, they set about kicking the cab and making threatening remarks and gestures.

This was a deeply distressing incident, both for our member and his disabled passenger. The 63-year-old at one stage got out of his TX4 to confront the yobs, at least one of which was armed with a metal bar, and was forced to defend himself by swinging his passenger’s walking stick to keep them at bay. He eventually returned to his cab and managed to escape.

There are no bobbies around these days, which means gangs like this can act with impunity. Worse than that though is that not once has an officer contacted William

Beware the Hub Cap Thieves

There appears to be a gang of thieves stealing hub caps from TXes. However, they didn’t count on a tenacious cabbie who managed to use his initiative to recover the stolen goods – again, with no thanks to the police.

At the chargepoint in Christchurch Avenue, Kilburn, our member discovered his £300 hub caps had been pinched.

He noted the details of a van and its driver, who was parked nearby and called the police.

When they failed to turn up, our intrepid member approached the suspected culprit when he spotted the van later and managed get his hub caps returned.

Fantastic work. However, keep your wits about if you are anywhere near Kilburn and make sure you hide any valuables out of sight too.

Richardson Gets Title Shot

London taxi driver and professional boxer, Dean Richardson, gets a chance to win his first professional belt on September 28. Richardson, from Ruislip, will fight Nathan Graham for the super-welterweight Southern Area title at York Hall in Bethnal Green.

The fight will be the first real step up in the 24-year old’s career. The more experienced Graham, who holds a 20-9 record, is looking to reclaim the belt which he held in 2013.

Tickets are £40, unreserved seating, and £65 ringside. They are available on 07702 887088.

Credit/debit card purchases can be made at http://bit.ly/mft-drichardson. u

Lloyd Baldwin is an LTDA Executive Support Officer

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3 September 2019 |||| TAXI

15

News, view and updates for suburban drivers from in and around Greater London

STEVE HOWARD

VIEWS FROM THE SUBURBS

SUBURBAN ROUNDUP

I

thought it might be useful to raise a couple of points which everybody seems to ignore.

One of my biggest bugbears is drivers failing to move up on the ranks. It seems like a minor issue to some I’m sure but there are serious consequences surrounding it. Getting ranks appointed is quite a lengthy process.

TfL and I attend many meetings with local councils, and some of their issues about us relate to spaces not being used i.e. vehicles being left unattended and cabs not moving up, which is often at times when we are asking for more ranks. Move up and then rabbit, don’t create problems. Likewise, don’t ignore the new rules about idling, they will start to enforce it properly and you stand to be hit with a fine, so be warned.

Sector 3

GET AROUND TOWN

Lewisham

Enfield

1

Barnet Harrow

9

2

Haringey

Redbridge

Waltham Forest

Havering

Brent

Hillingdon

Newham

8

Barking & Dagenham

Ealing

Greenwich Hounslow

7

3 Bexley

Sector 4

Lewisham Richmond upon Thames Kingston upon Thames

Bromley

Merton

6 Sutton

5 Bromley Croydon

4

Sector 2 Stratford

The Broadway rank is having problems with vehicles illegally parking and obstructions from delivery bikes. The council has been asked to increase parking warden patrols and has said it will investigate. A camera car has been in use.

Please continue to take photos of offenders and send them to us. It’s vital that we continue to use this rank, despite the difficulties.

Newham Council is proposing changes to local roads around High Street North and Browning Road, including banning taxis from using the railway bridge along with other traffic. However, after strong representations from the LTDA, the council has now exempted taxis from the ban. They are also planning an experimental closure of Rixsen Road bridge, but this time cabs were included in the list of permitted vehicles from the outset. Redbridge site visits have taken place at Snaresbrook and Redbridge stations to appoint new taxi ranks.

The rank at Newbury Park is to be remarked.

Crossrail construction is still dragging on, with Balfour Road rank continuing to be obstructed by street works. Ilford station is due to be

Lewisham Council, like many other authorities, is planning to alter the market area. The aim is to make the space safer for pedestrians. It is intending to remove one cab rank space in Lewis Grove to facilitate room for a pedestrian crossing. We are assured that several additional spaces will be provided on the feeder rank. The planners are aware that taxis need access to the market area, especially to pick up disabled passengers. Hopefully this will be implemented in the final plans due to be published in January 2020 —Vick Moore

1. Haringey, Enfield & Waltham Forest Declan Egar 2. Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Newham and Redbridge Andrew Kavanagh (Branch Chairman) 3. Bexley, Lewisham & Greenwich Vic Moore & Tony Ellis 4. Bromley Tony Manzi

5. Croydon Ronnie Ward 6. Sutton & Merton Kieran Brady 7. Hounslow, Richmond & Kingston-on-Thames Steve Howard 8. Ealing & Hillingdon Gary Scrannel 9. Brent, Harrow & Barnet Kevin Annand

rebuilt, starting in November. This will cause major obstructions! As the Crossrail works come to an end around Seven Kings, two ranks will soon be available – Seven Kings Road and Cameron Road (which will be useful when the new hotel opens). The rank at Gidea Park station is now open. Unfortunately, there are problems with residents using it to drop people off and minicabs stopping there because it’s right next to their controller’s office. This is not allowed, and we have had support from TfL Enforcement and the council, both of which are trying to stop them and keep the area clear.

Please use this rank, as it’s in a prime position and I expect an increase in usage once the “Crossrail effect” finally kicks in.

The Eastern Road rank has been subject to major road works, and a section about halfway along it is currently closed. This has impacted taxi access at what is one of the busiest ranks in our sector. We were able to agree access for taxis into Eastern Road via the contractors work site, which was a help.

Another set of works will start at the end of August. This may not be quite so disruptive to taxis.

Please sign up to the sector WhatsApp group for regular updates and information.

Please text your badge number, sector and mobile numbers to 07710567040.

—Andy Kavanagh

I have had two meetings with TfL and the perspective local sponsors of a new rank at West Wickham. Things are looking good at the moment. Unfortunately, not so for Chelsfield station as Bromley Council want to install a pay and display area, rather than a taxi rank. I will, however, keep pushing ahead, trying to get a rank in place for at least two cabs. I am waiting for a response from traffic enforcement, following a meeting with Bromley Council, on the congestion in both Widmore Road and Elmstead Lane which is caused by parking on both sides of the road.

These are both bus routes and the problem could easily be solved with double yellow lines.

We are still working on getting a new rank at Bromley North station. I will keep you updated as and when more detail arises.

—Tony Manzi

Don’t ignore the new rules about Sector 5 idling, East Croydon Station they will The LTDA supplies newspaper boxes so that all drivers get the chance of receiving start to a copy of the fortnightly edition of TAXI, enforce it in order to keep everybody up to date. We have had complaints about it being left in a properly state and many stations ban the use of these boxes altogether. Please stop idiots using it and you as a rubbish dump, or the station will stop us stand having it.

—Ronnie Ward to be hit Just remember, “keep those doors locked.” with a (BKH). u fine, so be Steve Howard Suburban Branch Secretary and COM member warned.”

16

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TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

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To join, call Paula today on 020 7286 1046 or email paula@ltda.co.uk Alternatively, call in at Taxi House and pick up an application form or download it from: www.ltda.co.uk POLICY CONDITIONS: Claims for Back/Depression related illnesses have a reduced benefit of £90 per week. 14 day deferment period before claim payments start. Maximum period for which weekly benefit is payable to 26 weeks. The age limit for joining Platinum is 49 years and for the Gold is 54 years. You are covered up to your 65th Birthday. (subject to terms & conditions).

@TheLTDA

|||| www.ltda.co.uk

3 September 2019 |||| TAXI

17

Russian taxi use is booming but are the apps making it impossible to make a living?

WIM FABER

ENSLAVED

BY THE APPS?

INTERNATIONAL

E

very year a small but vocal group of Russian taxi drivers and operators take the opportunity of the annual Eurasian taxi conference MEFT in Moscow to (loudly) put their complaints to the politically mighty in the Russian transport world. This time, thanks to the conference’s interpretation into English, everyone could follow their gripes.

At the opening session they stand at the front, armed with one or two banners, just behind the large battery of cameras (which promptly swing around as the banners are unfolded) and forcefully shout their misgivings at the large panel of political hotshots. Similar shouting matches take place at other sessions, particularly the driver-oriented ones such as, “are drivers slaves?”

Toothless new law

The boom in taxi-use is caused by the (mainly home-made) apps but they cripple drivers. Meanwhile the Russian taxi trade is waiting for proper taxi regulation. There is no proper legal framework. Five years were spent discussing the first proposals, which last year crashed in Russian parliament.

Now there is a new concept. However, insiders say key elements essential to the trade (such as proper regulation, the role of the driver and the position of taxi companies and taxi-apps) are ignored by new proposals. The same insiders expect the essentially toothless new law to make it through parliament next year.

Around 1900 the Russian taxi industry developed this taxi meter which was powered by…. compressed air

The conference in Moscow was well attended by trade representatives from around the globe

their trade illegally or with a tenuous connection to an app.

or three drivers – obviously look-alikes.

Some extra enforcement may be needed.

The quality of the vehicles can hardly be to blame for these accidents, because Moscow regulates its trade strictly and through subsidies encourages operators to renew their fleet. The average age of Moscow taxis is now 2,5 years – it’s probably the youngest taxi fleet in the world.

Taxi accidents in Moscow jump 25%

It may be a bit early to see the booming Russian taxi sector as a shining example, but it surely isn’t backward. What is striking is that taxi conferences in Russia (this one attracted around 1,100 people, the next one in Sochi, in October, will be just as big) attract more and more foreign visitors. The Russian operators and drivers value talking to their colleagues, but colleagues are also eager to learn from international experience.

They also develop high-tech products for their trade. This time, apart from the usual array of Kia, Lada, Skoda, VW and other vehicles (all yellow, in Moscow Booming taxi business taxi colours - no purpose-built vehicles Russia’s taxi sector has really boomed in Russia), there were two autonomous over the past years. The introduction of vehicles. Although, apart from the vehicle apps like Yandex Taxi (Russia’s Google), spaces, the exhibition seems rather small Uber (now majority-owned by Yandex), for a country the size of Russia, there Vezet (a cheap app, popular with locals, were several stands with IT-material and just bought by Yandex), City Mobil advanced medical equipment. That is (suddenly very active and owned by the because taxi companies are obliged by law Russian postal service) plus others, resulted to check drivers before and sometimes in the merciless squeeze of taxi drivers. after shifts, mainly for blood pressure, Commissions of 25% or more and very low alcohol and drugs. Every ‘taxi park’ (taxi taxi fares squeezed incomes considerably. company) has a fulltime qualified nurse So, they either squeeze more out of the who sits in a separate office. passenger (as happened to me at Moscow Yet, despite these preventative airport when my Yandex-driver refused to measures, in the past year the number of open the locked doors of his cab unless I taxi accidents in Moscow has shot up by gave him a fiver), or they get the passenger a staggering 25%. After the conference it to cancel the app-trip and ask for payment was headline news on Russian television. in cash. Inventiveness is Russia’s taxi Alcohol and drugs certainly play a trade’s second nature, as most Russians part, but as 90% of Moscow drivers hail with a car in the past (and still today) from the ‘former Soviet republics’ (CIShave happily played taxi. In Soviet times countries) and have not received proper it was common to offer one’s neighbour driver training in a big city environment, a (paid) lift. Most taxi operators can only that might be a cause of the rise. Often, guess at the numbers of taxi drivers plying one driving licence is shared between two

London: a new permit for Uber?

MEFT attracted quite a few international attendees and speakers. Visa problems meant many didn’t make it. In fact, the international session nearly collapsed under the weight of its 10 speakers, from Vietnam, Latvia, Belgium/The Netherlands and Germany.

Whereas the Latvian regulator reported that the private hire sector in his country – app-driven - is booming and the number of taxis is dropping fast.

Reports from London highlighted the rise of the electric taxi in London and the Congestion Charge zone in which the private hire sector pays £25 on entry.

There was a discussion whether Uber will be granted a new operational licence when the old one expires this month.

Many in the audience agreed that Uber is not a fit and proper operator for London. The last time licence renewal came up, the app promised to improve and behave. “But what are they saying this time? We will now really, really, really behave properly?”

Gregor Beiner of Taxi.eu also focused on electric taxis – he is a Munich taxi operator with Jags as e-cabs - and on the international cooperation that Taxi. eu - independently of the booking system with which a taxi company works - tries to get off the ground. The lack of global

Not the AK47…. The Kalashnikov company developed an electric taxi based on a military vehicle (the bigger vehicle).

cooperation and the weak representation of the trade internationally, hurts the industry.

This time MEFT fulfilled its Eurasian promise: there was an extensive delegation from Vietnam. The development of MaiLinh into the largest taxi, tour and travel company in the country was impressive.

“Nothing left for the driver”

It was remarkable that the huge Chinese app Didi Chuxing also came to the taxi conference. “We come here to learn,” they laughed diplomatically when I asked if they were on a spying mission. Thanks to an agreement with Yandex Taxi, they may only operate on the Russian market from next year.

Some sessions ended in sharp discussions between the panel members and drivers. A CFO of a taxi park, a taxi company, gave a clear calculation of the costs and revenues of her business – driven by the extremely low taxi fares all over the country. The conclusion: there’s nothing left for the driver - whether he or she were employed by the company or whether they work for the company as self-employed driver.

There are many Russian taxi operators who are serious about their profession.

Their companies are often only the intermediate station between drivers and an app. I travelled to Tula (200.000 inhabitants), 200km from Moscow, the arms and samovar (an ornamented water heater) capital of the world, where two serious operators work with limited means to improve the local taxi service.

Their 70 cabs are face an army of “many thousands” of illegal and app-cabs, yet they manage to eke out a living. More on that next time. u

18

www.ltda.co.uk ||||

TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

@TheLTDA

Mixed messages from officials leave everyone unsure about what to do with their cars

CHRIS ACKRILL

ON THE ROAD

TO DRIVE OR NOT TO DRIVE…

E

very day I get the feeling we’re notso subtly being discouraged from using petrol and diesel vehicles.

However, I nearly choked on my Rice Krispies when a talking head on BBC Breakfast News complained that cars are sat parked up doing nothing 98% of the time. I thought we were meant to leave them at home and cycle to work?

Transport for London has got itself into a difficult position. Its officials have zealously taken on the green agenda, but little of it is a real attempt to improve air quality. It’s cost TfL – and the London taxpayer – a fortune re-directing, re-paving, and re-kerbing roads, and installing new traffic lights and road signs.

Much of the recent road re-modelling is all about keeping the buses moving. TfL’s precious buses can now use Tottenham Court Road to go south, while everyone else queues behind buses going north since they’ve taken two lanes out. It’s the same with Baker Street and Gloucester

Place: these two roads worked reasonably well until they made them two-way and cut the lanes. The ban on motor vehicles around Bank Junction is nothing more than a cynical ploy to improve bus times, while pursuing a very lucrative cash from cameras agenda.

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There seems to be more traffic, but there’s actually less. The number of motor vehicles in London has reduced, but those of us forced to drive here are kettled into fewer streets, crawling behind buses or belching out fumes while stationary.

No-one can get around, and in many cases that includes the buses, which TfL is trying to protect.

That figure of 98% of cars being inactive is alarmingly high, but don’t worry, Transport for London can help to utilise that neglected Prius on your driveway. Its remedy is to licence them all as minicabs. Even if you’re not living or working in London, TfL is happy to licence you so you can work in Wolverhampton or Brighton. Keep those wheels rolling! Minicab drivers don’t just use the Toyota Prius, of course. If you have a BMW you can earn shedloads of money, I’ve seen the ads!

It makes a mockery of regulator’s green agenda but getting all those under-used cars on the road raises a lot of money through private hire driver and operator licensing; plus, the Congestion Charge that private hire drivers now have to pay.

Maybe the idea was always to tempt people into applying for PH licences, then hit them hard? Local authorities make a lot of money through parking and box junction fines, and using all those enforcement cameras to catch people out with complex road layouts, and complex rules involving times of operation – or the enigmatic “Access Only” rule (of course,

I want access!). I think we can use Queen Victoria Street and go through Bank Junction while Cannon Street is closed, but I don’t think we can use it in reverse, even though Cannon Street westbound is closed too. I recently read in TAXI that a motorist is fined every minute in the City’s Square Mile.

Transport for London has spent a lot of money paying taxi drivers to de-license their cabs, in the hope that they’re sold up north and become someone else’s problem.

They want to bring in a shorter licence period so any London cab will have a working life of only 12 years. No, I don’t want to drive a 12-year-old cab either, but the shortage of cabs to buy or rent has already started with the de-licensing scheme and will surely get a lot worse.

I worked out that my cab is used little over 20% of the time. I thought of delicensing it, but there’s still no affordable cab available to buy, and there’s a shortage of cabs to rent. Maybe we should all be thinking of renting our cabs out when we’re not using them? We could see a return to the tradition of drivers doublingup: one driver using the cab in the daytime, and another using it at night. I noted that the 2,500th electric taxi rolled off the production line, but I doubt new TXe owners will be able to afford to have their sixty-grand cabs sitting around doing nothing.

So, they don’t want us driving, and they don’t want us not driving. A lot of people make a lot of money out of motorists: a diverse selection of folk working to different agendas. Some want us to keep buying cars as it’s good for the economy, while others tax us to an inch of our lives, and fine and charge us for driving where they don’t want us to go.

The Government is still making money from the exorbitant taxing of petrol and diesel, but it will surely want to find other ways to make up the funds when electric vehicles become more popular. All interested parties lose money when our vehicles are laid up on the driveway.

PS: Cycles probably aren’t being ridden 98% of the time so beware a campaign in the near future. u

Chris Ackrill is a taxi driver and former Knowledge examiner

“Even if you’re not living or working in London, TfL is happy to licence you so you can work in Wolverhampton or Brighton. Keep those wheels rolling! ”

@TheLTDA

|||| www.ltda.co.uk

3 September 2019 |||| TAXI

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TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

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3 September 2019 |||| TAXI

21

The mayor wants to rid the roads of deaths and serious injuries; here’s my plan for an easy win

PAUL BRENNAN

TOP RANK

DISABLING BOOKING APPS WILL SAVE LIVES

M

ayor Khan has a plan to see all deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads become a thing of the past by 2041. As ideas go, it is fantastic. I 100% agree with it, who wouldn’t? My only criticism is that 2041 is far too far away; that’s another 20 years off. In that time there will be far too many deaths or serious injuries on London’s streets that could and should have been prevented.

Things appear to be getting worse too.

If any of you were asked, do you think driving standards in London have deteriorated in recent years, I’m sure you would all simply reply, hell yes! Not a single day goes by when I don’t see a completely idiotic and dangerous piece of driving. And I certainly don’t go a week without seeing one car slam or shunt into the back of another. I myself have been rear ended twice this year and on both occasions the reason for the incident was the same. The other driver was either looking at or interacting with their mobile phone, rather than concentrating on the fact they were at the wheel of a lethal weapon.

It is prompting voices in all corners of the political spectrum to get louder and more forceful in their warnings to motorists about the dangers of interacting with their phones while driving, and quite

rightly so. The last edition of TAXI even carried a story about MPs and ministers stating that hands free phone use is just as bad as actually holding a handset in your hand and should be outlawed. It is a debate that is set to run for a while.

However, there is have an extremely zealous police officer who likes to patrol the Kings Cross and St Pancras ranks trying to catch out cabbies touching their phones; I guess it’s an easy nick.

Yet police officers, councillors, licensing authorities, and ministers, along with our beloved “Vision Zero” mayor, sit ideally by whilst thousands upon thousands of drivers interact dangerously with their phones, every single minute of every single hour of every single day of the week.

I can see it, I’m sure you can, but why can’t they?

Some people excuse what is essentially the turning of a blind eye to dangerous behaviour by saying it’s too hard to catch everyone, but this is rubbish. In fact, many thousands of the culprits have a round yellow sticker in their front and back windows, often referred to as the “roundel of death and destruction.” This highlights their details quite nicely, in case any of the powers that be find it difficult to read a number plate.

Incredibly, these vehicles are mostly driven by (not all, but that’s a story for another day) people who are licensed by some of those previously mentioned above. I am of course talking about private hire drivers and

their reliance on apps on their phones, whether it’s for using Google maps or their preferred booking app. I do, of course, use that term ‘booking’ very loosely.

The technology already exists that could prevent a driver interacting with their phone whilst moving. I’m sure many of you would have experienced

your own phone asking, “are you driving?” or asking you to confirm that you aren’t, before allowing you to access certain features. It seems to me the easiest of wins, and a sure-fire way of preventing drivers interacting with their phones and thereby taking their eye off the road, is to have these booking apps disabled whilst the vehicle is in motion? That one simple move will, without question, help to make Vision Zero a reality and one that is delivered a lot sooner than 2041.

It’s time for those with the power to enforce change, to do just that. It should be made a condition of being licensed that all these apps have a feature which disables receiving any communication whilst that vehicle is in motion. Then, once that is in place, it will be time to get on with capping PH numbers and defining plying for hire and what a pre booking is. u

Paul Brennan, LTDA Executive

AGE LIMIT CONFUSION As you all know, TfL intends to lower the age limit of Euro 3,4,&5 Taxis from 15 years to 12 years.

This will be done by having a maximum operating age for taxis that decreases over the next four years. These will come into play on November 1 each year. So, Friday, November 1 2019, it will be 15 years, decreasing to 14 years on November 1 2020 14, 13 years on November 1 2021, until finally November 1, 2022, it will reach and remain at 12 years. To try and put that in simple terms, between November 1, 2019, and October 31, 2020, to be eligible to licence your taxi you must do so before it reaches its 14th birthday; that’s pretty straight forward, right? Well yes and no. Many drivers with taxis first registered between 2005-2009 are having difficulty in agreeing on what date they need to get their

final license. I’ve asked several people at TfL to produce a simple chart that will clearly show a driver on a month by month basis when they will need to present their cab for its final plate. Unfortunately, while all those contacted have been helpful, TfL has still not produced definitive guidance.

Worse still, we are seeing examples of drivers receiving two very different answers from the regulator when asked the very simple question “when does my cab come off the road?” This is not acceptable. TfL needs to get its act together ASAP and let drivers be in no doubt whatsoever the appropriate date. If you are unsure when your cab comes off the road, email TfL on: TPHenquiries@nslservices.co.uk or LTPHContractsTeam@tfl.gov. uk and ask for clarification.

22

TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

Feel wonder first hand

Members go free Book online to save at westminster-abbey.org

www.ltda.co.uk ||||

@TheLTDA

@TheLTDA

|||| www.ltda.co.uk

3 September 2019 |||| TAXI

23

New Taxi Campaign Launches Advertising

NEWS IN BRIEF

MEDIA

Victoria Coach Station Plans Scrapped

An award-winning not for profit taxi organisation has launched its latest ad campaign in London.

London Taxi PR (LTPR) celebrates 365 years of hailing a cabs with its latest promotion.

All Hail the Street Hail is now live across major billboard advertisement locations throughout London.

The campaign appears initially for one month at 24 prime central London digital billboard locations, with the assistance of digital media out of home advertising company, London Lites.

The advert will appear on a select number of London Taxi rooftop displays.

Lee Sheppard, of London Taxi PR, said: “The new campaign celebrates 365 years of the traditional hailing of cabs from the street. It also includes some subtle messaging such as, “Mobile Data not Required,” and includes a reminder that ALL London taxis accept all major credit cards as well.

“With the increased usage and licensing of apps to hail taxis, it was felt that the general public needed a reminder of not only how long the traditional London Taxi has been serving and transporting

customers in London, but also just how easy and simple it is to hail a cab, rather than use your mobile phone.”

Since its foundation in 2015 by Lee, London Taxi PR has undertaken a series of targeted media campaigns, which all

promote the benefits, advantages and safety of using the iconic London taxi to a wider audience.

LTPR was crowned Best Transport PR Agency 2018 – London, in the Business Excellence Awards organised by Acquisition International (AI) magazine.

All the campaigns and the publicity generated by the company has been funded by London taxi drivers, as well as supportive companies and organisations, many of whom have signed up to donate to the cause on a monthly basis, indicating how passionate they all are about their industry and the cause.

A previous campaign promoted The Knowledge as a career, highlighting the diversity within the profession and that the job is open to all, regardless of their gender or ethnicity.

For more information on London Taxi PR and its campaigns, please visit their website http://londontaxipr.com

Controversial plans to move Victoria Coach Station from its historic home have been dropped after being met with objections.

The proposal was floated by Transport for London last year which said it was reviewing the future of the 87-year-old hub.

The regulator has had a change of heart and plans to remodel the 3.3 acre station site serving 1,200 UK destinations and 400 foreign cities instead.

Around a quarter of a million coaches depart or arrive at the station every year.

TfL said it is looking for sites for potential “satellite” stations away from the centre of the capital to relieve pressure from Victoria.

Coaches using Victoria must meet higher emissions standards from October 2020 or be hit with a £100 daily fine.

24

TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

www.ltda.co.uk ||||

@TheLTDA

@TheLTDA

|||| www.ltda.co.uk

3 September 2019 |||| TAXI

LETTERS TAXIS DRIVERS ARE FANTASTIC

STAR LETTER would not take a penny. My husband is 83 and has dementia – he’d gone off before I could catch him. I was only five minutes behind him. Previous times he wandered off he’d only gone about half a mile but this time he managed to get into town.

He somehow manged to get from Beckenham

I

wanted to contact TAXI because a kind cab driver brought my husband back after he went wandering on Monday, August 19, at 6.45pm. The driver brought him back from Liverpool Street to Beckenham and

THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS

(I now have all the dashcam and CCTV footage, which proves otherwise) and secondly, another black cab driver who witnessed the incident, decided to drive off. So much for us all sticking together.

Name and address supplied

I

passed my final exam today. I would like to thank the LTDA for representing me at my reconsideration hearing. I would have been devastated if I would have lost the hearing – Barney was brilliant.

If you are not a member, join today. If there is anything, I could ever do for the association I would be honoured to assist. Thank you all for your support at a very difficult period in my life.

John Mouzouros

THE BLACK CAB FAMILY?

DO YOU KNOW THIS CABBIE?

25

Junction to Victoria. The police were notified and were looking for him too. I don’t know how he did it but it appeared that no one asked him any questions at the station or checked his ticket or anything.

I just wanted to say thank you so much to the driver. It was incredibly kind of him to help. It’s really appreciated. I’m so please that people do this kind of thing in this day and age. Black cab drivers are fantastic.u Wendy Zapico

couldn´t possibly have known unless he was a fanatical admirer.

I would like to get in contact with him to show him the video, and I wonder if you could help me with that.

My email address is mattkri@simnet.is Matthias

I

I

recently had an accident. Another black cab driver ran a red light and we crashed. Two things disappointed me more than the accident: first, the butter boy who ran the red, immediately said to me that his light was green

Black Taxi

n January of 2013 a friend of mine celebrated a birthday in London. What she didn´t know was her family and I had prepared a surprise visit in the restaurant where we were dining. She had no idea they were in London.

The family arrived by taxi and told the cabbie (pictured, right) about my friend. He offered go in ahead of them and act as her admirer from the days when she was an Olympic swimmer. I had no idea that he was coming but had asked my wife to film the family´s surprise arrival, and she soon began filming the cabbie who showed up, with lots of inside information he

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TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

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27

Something must be done about the hire bikes blocking the streets to buggies and wheelchairs

ALF TOWNSEND

DROWNING IN A SEA OF CYCLES

TAXI TALK

him kindly for calling me and thought to myself that selling books is not the end of the story – it’s getting the feedback!

I

don’t know what it’s like in your manor, but up here in leafy Hampstead, there is a plethora of gaudily-coloured bikes on the pavements of all the major side roads – now they are even dumped in the village centre! They’re all painted in bright shades of green, red and yellow. I’ve been checking them out recently to find out what’s going on and discovered that the lime green bikes are owned by a firm called MOBIKE, while the proliferation of red and yellow bikes are owned by OFO. Our nemesis Uber is using all the red cycles to advertise its name again!

Apparently, the present number of 1,150 bikes in London is only the beginning of this scheme. Providers are planning to increase that to a staggering 150,000! Southwark Council has already agreed to take in 200 of OFO’s yellow bikes and the Greater Manchester town of Stockport is to take 2,000 MOBIKE’s, while many other towns already have their own fleets of free, floating bikes.

According to the stats, the hire firms are expanding fleets in 250 cities across 21 countries!

They are all electric bikes and the instructions on the frames tell you where to put your pound – and away you go. But they are often carelessly abandoned, willynilly, wherever the journey comes to an end! They must have some sort of tracking device back at head office otherwise they would be losing all their bikes for £1.

These things are creating a mess on the streets of London, clogging up pavements and blocking the paths to buggies and wheelchairs. They are often left at the top of steps, or by recycling bins. The vast tracks of greenery on Hampstead Heath and Parliament Hill make for a decent dumping ground! Call me a dummy if you will, but I can’t for the life of me see where the profits are in this massive project, is it simply the money received from advertising?

I thought the advent of Boris Bikes many moons ago was bad enough, but at least they had docking stations. Something needs to be done as this situation deteriorates, because I can foresee some nasty accidents in the future.

Getting Snookered

do you know him?” Terry grinned and said, “Do I know him, he’s been my best mate for over 50 years, ever since we first played football for 20 years for the trade’s angling group, MOCATRA. We then played rubbish golf together for the next 30 years!” “But,” said Terry with a smile, “he’s a bit of a plonker!” The cabbie said he was a real fan of mine. He said my column was always interesting, fresh and humorous. He reckoned he had read all my books as well. “So,” he says to Terry, “Tell Alf to put this in his next column that a fan of his gave his best mate a free ride!” That’s £12 quid Tel towards the fuel for picking me up for golf once a week!

Friendly Calls

I got a phone call recently from a guy called Dave, who told me I didn’t know him and that he wasn’t connected to the cab trade. He said he had done RAF National Service a couple of years after me and wanted to tell me how much he had enjoyed reading my book, Bad Lads, RAF National Service Remembered.

He said, nearly all the experiences I had written about, he had also experienced, even down to the corporal in charge of the Nissen Huts who ran a scam with the new intakes. He sorted out a jack the lad who was popular with all the guys, that was me of course, and told me about raffling his old dad’s watch. The eventual winner was called into the corporal’s room and The Fame Game offered just one pound because he had not My old mate Terry, a fellow retired cabbie, sold enough tickets. I had a quiet word related a story about getting a cab recently with the corporal afterwards and told him from The Vic to “Padders” with his wife. to be very careful with me in the future, As he got into the cab, he noticed a copy otherwise I’ll blow the whistle on him! of TAXI on the luggage floor and said in Dave told me that he was an East a sarcastic voice, ‘You don’t read The Alf End jack the lad and had been sorted Townsend column, do you?’ The cabbie out by his corporal to sell the tickets. replied, “That’s the very first page I read, But after he had tumbled the scam,

he burst into the corporal’s room, got him by the scruff of the neck and threatened to break him in two! Dave said he had enjoyed the book so much, it made him want to cry! I thanked

There’s been a rumour circulating around our Bushey Hall Golf Club that it’s going to close this October for one year. Apparently, they are going to build an apartment block in the members’ car park – plus re-build the lovely old clubhouse.

The latest info is that it’s now going to close for two years because archaeologists, with all their various detectors, have discovered a possible ancient site on the 16th hole and are going to dig it all up. So, what does one do after paying cheap membership for many years? Pay the going rate, or just a green fee a couple of times a week at a local club, which isn’t cheap!

Old Fold Manor in Barnet was our regular stamping ground in the 60 for seven shillings and sixpence. Now it’s 25 quid! Maybe I’ll try snooker! u

28

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TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

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3 September 2019 |||| TAXI

29

Squeezing extra mileage out of the electric cab is a piece of cake once you know

JOE LE TAXI

ADVENTURES IN THE TXE

ELECTRIC DREAMS

A

s the TXe becomes a regular sight on our streets I have started to notice a few have have been personalised. I have never been one for chrome bumpers or Gucci type bolt on accessories, and certainly not personalised number plates. Brace yourself though because, I have invested in weather strips for the front windows. The last of the big spenders – that’s one of the printable names my wife calls me.

If you haven’t seen them, they are just like the ones that were fitted to the TX4s.

It means I can have the window open and not get soaked by rainwater running off the roof and onto me. I also think they enhance the styling of the cab in a subtle way.

I have to say that the TXe has proved extremely popular with people from the middle east who, as we know, like to visit London at this time of year.

The boot might be rubbish but the

spacious passenger compartment proves ample for a family with bags of shopping.

The extra seat can also be taken out and doubles as handy space for creating more space for storing purchases.

It’s funny what people comment on too, one family expressed a liking for the carpet.

I have also found that some people love that fact they can charge their phone in the

cab and I have had more than person tip me because the facility has literally “saved their bacon,” and they could make an essential call. Another passenger even told me to wait and keep the meter running while he added 10 minutes of charge to his phone. The modern world eh? What on earth did people do before the invention of the

mobile phone?

I like to chat with other TXe drivers to see if there are other undiscovered secrets I can reveal. My fellow cabbies are the greatest source of information on the cab.

Having spent 20 minutes talking to one early adopter recently, I’m now able to eke out another five-10 miles out of the battery on one longish journey I do once a week. The secret is to run the cab in pure EV mode until the battery is almost depleted and then to switch to smart mode. By coasting as much as possible (I never realised how many hills there are on the M1) and keeping a constant 60mph for every 30-35 miles I can put another five miles back onto the battery. Once it shows eight miles of range I switch back to pure and repeat the process, quite apart from the fuel savings, I find this “miser watch,” as my wife calls it, keeps me entertained! u

‘Joe le Taxi’ is the driver of a new electric TXe

STAY IN THE KNOW 15 year reminder

The London taxi 15 year age limit refers to the cab’s ‘birthday’ (in the log book) not its plate date.

For example: A cab passed when it is 14 years and 11 months old WILL be granted a further 12 months of life.

Cabs may be booked in for testing in the normal way when the plate has 28 days or less to run.

The cab can then work up to the test date. If the plates are taken off with more than 28 days to run, both the plates and the paper licence must be surrendered to one of the six NSL inspection centres in and around London.

The ‘unplated’ cab must then not be worked, and at least one week should be allowed before attempting to book the next NSL test, to allow the computerised booking system to recognise that the plates have been registered.

Lost/stolen identifier If your identifier is lost or stolen

you must notify LTPH immediately (0343 222 4444 / tph.enquiries @tfl.gov.uk) You may then continue working. A letter of confirmation will be sent out to you by Transport for London, prior to a replacement identifier being processed.

Shop a tout

Anyone who sees touting or any other form of illegal cab-related activity is urged to contact TfL with the details.

Take down the registration number and make a note of the date, time and location where incident took place.

Type “cab enforcement” into your internet search engine and follow the links to the ‘report illegal activity’ section of the TfL website.

DVLA reminder

The photo card part of the driving licence lasts for 10 years and must renewed after that period. The licence becomes invalid if it is not renewed with a current picture.

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“Pollution Linked to Mental Disorders” HEALTH Residents who spend their childhood in areas with high air pollution are more likely to later develop mental disorders, research suggests.

Links to between air pollution and conditions ranging from asthma to dementia and various types of cancer have been highlighted in recent studies But there are now signs it takes its toll on mental health as well, according to a study published this year.

Children in the most polluted areas of London were more likely to suffer from depression by the age of 18 than those growing up in cleaner areas, it is thought.

There is also increased risk of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and personality disorders, researchers in the US and Denmark found.

Dr Ioannis Bakolis, an expert in biostatistics from King’s College London, said the study added to previous evidence of a possible link between air pollution and mental health disorders.

“While causation cannot be proved, this work suggests substantial morbidity from mental disorders could be avoided with improved air quality,” he said.

Bakolis added there was already evidence that air pollution hurts many other aspects of health, adding that measures such as car-free zones in cities

should be given attention.

The work was carried out because genetics did not fully explain why some people experienced these conditions.

There are several explanations as to how mental health is affected by air pollution, pointing to animal studies that had proposed one route could be that it triggered inflammation in the respiratory tract that then led to inflammation across the body, including the brain.

Another suggestion was that air pollutants travelled from the nose to the

brain where they accumulated, causing inflammation and damage.

The findings do not prove that air pollution drives the development of these conditions, while the analyses don’t take into account the influence of family history of psychiatric problems or bullying.

A second study, published in the Journal of Investigative Medicine, has revealed a link between long-term exposure to traffic fumes and age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) – one of the leading causes of vision problems in older people.

31

NEWS IN BRIEF

“Scrap the Thames Tunnel,” expert says A pollution expert has criticised Mayor Sadiq Khan for ploughing ahead with the £1 billion Silvertown Tunnel link.

Professor Frank Kelly, of King’s College London, is one of more than 40 experts and activists who have signed a letter urging the mayor to scrap the project Kelly’s previous research was used to support the introduction of the £12.50-a-day Ultra-Low Emission Zone.

Campaigners, including schools and nearby councils, say the tunnel is ill-judged and will lead to increased pollution and urge the mayor to fix the problems at Blackwall instead.

The mayor insists the route, linking the Greenwich Peninsula and Silvertown, is needed to ease congestion around the existing tunnel.

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TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

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33

A woman discovers her cheating lover in the arms of another and meets a grisly end

ROBERT LORDAN

THE BUTCHER OF CHARLOTTE STREET

CRUEL LONDON

A

lthough the Blitz of WWII is well documented, fewer people are aware that London also suffered air raids during WWI. These attacks - the first of which occurred on May 31, 1915 were mainly conducted by huge Zeppelin airships, which loomed over the capital with impunity until Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson succeeded in shooting one down over the Hertfordshire village of Cuffley in 1916.

As the war progressed however, the Germans began to assault London with much faster aircraft called Gotha Bombers. In the autumn of 1917, one of these raids sparked a gruesome murder.

Frenchman, Louis Voison, was a middle-aged butcher who plied his trade at Smithfield and resided in the basement of 101 Charlotte Street (on the site now occupied by the Astor College student accommodation). A stocky fellow with a thick black moustache and plenty of Gallic charm, Louis was something of a ladies’ man and was in a relationship with a 32-year-old Belgian woman named Emilliene Gerard.

On the night of October 31, 1917, German bombers unleashed one of the heaviest raids of the Great War. As the bombs rained down and explosions rocked the city, Emilliene hurried to Louis’ Charlotte Street flat to seek comfort and refuge.

Upon arrival however, she found her lover cavorting with another woman named Berthe Roche; a 38-year-old widow who’d lost her husband in the Battle of the Somme. A ferocious row erupted, during which it’s believed Louis gripped Emilliene whilst Berthe savagely beat her with a poker. The pair then completed the deed by choking Emilliene to death. Due to the chaos of the bombs and fires raging nearby, nobody appears to have heard the murder being committed.

Now faced with a corpse, Louis’ butchery skills came into play. He chopped Emilliene’s body into pieces, which were bundled up in sacks and meatpacking paper. The head and hands were kept hidden at Charlotte Street, other bits were transferred to Berthe’s home on Munster Square and the remainder were dumped on Regent Square.

On the morning of November 2, a cleaner, known locally as Jack the Sweeper spotted one of the Regent Square packages. Upon investigating the mysterious sack, he discovered it contained a woman’s arms and torso.

Once police were alerted and a second parcel was then found hidden on Regent Square. This one contained Emilliene’s legs, along with items of clothing and a scrap of paper, upon which the poorly spelt phrase “Blodie Belgiam” was scrawled. Also present was a laundry mark, which led investigators directly to Berthe’s Munster Square flat - where a portrait of Louis held pride of place above the mantlepiece. It didn’t take long for detectives to track down Louis’ Charlotte Street address, which they found to be splattered in blood.

It appeared that the Blodie Belgiam note had been created by Louis in order to make the crime look politically motivated and thus throw police off the scent. Unfortunately for Louis though, his grasp of English was poor and when he was asked to write the phrase down, he repeated the same spelling mistakes word-for-word, giving himself away.

Louis was remanded in Brixton prison and tried alongside Berthe at the Old Bailey in January 1918. During the proceedings, Berthe became increasingly hysterical and regularly hurled verbal abuse at Louis. At one point, the Frenchman attempted to calm his lover by reaching for her hand, but when he did so Berthe struck back and “clawed at him like an animal.”

Their defence was weak. Berthe claimed she’d never met Emilliene in her life and Louis said the blood came from a calf he’d butchered. It took the jury just 15 minutes to find Louis guilty of murder and, when sentencing him to death, the judge addressed Louis in French. He was executed at Pentonville on March 2, 1918.

Although found not guilty of murder, Berthe faced a second trial in which she was accused of being an accessory to the crime. For this, she was found guilty and sentenced to seven years in prison.

Once incarcerated however, Berthe’s mental health declined sharply and she was transferred to an insane asylum, where she died soon after on March 22, 1919. u

“Due to the chaos of the bombs and fires raging nearby, nobody appears to have heard the murder being committed”

Louis and Berthe murdered his lover in cold bold

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34

TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

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3 September 2019

|||| TAXI

35

Dozy wedding guests who can’t read or fill out a form get right up Meg’s nose

MUSHER MEG

BRIDES AND PREJUDICE

LICENSED TO CHAT

plate on the day of the wedding(s)? Uncle Dan ticked all the boxes, and wrote, “urgent - green peppers, cooked or uncooked, repeat on me.” s we have two Mini Megs limbering up to Aunty Mary didn’t tick any of the boxes, so walk down the aisle very soon there has she must be bringing a packed lunch. She also been a lot of wed-min to be sorted this helpfully told us that she has a nasty fungal month. infection in her left armpit.

Top of the agenda is who is coming. Both brides It wasn’t just the oldies who were incapable have invited 80 people to join them on their big of choosing an option. One of my daughter’s day. Invites have been sent out and RSVP cards friends, who has a PhD, crossed out all the options enclosed, along with a stamped addressed envelope. and wrote “strictly flexitarian” in capital letters.

But, my word these guests are dozy. Some have Translate that. called asking for the return address, completely The real sport began when the brides asked their ignoring the SAE. Others paid another 65p for a guests if they had any special dietary requirements. first-class stamp and stuck it along the first-class The answers made me triple check whether it was April Fool’s Day. One stamp that was already on the envelope. Others chap claimed his special dietary requirement have texted or emailed asking the date of the was…drum roll…brownies. Another wrote wedding that was on the invitation in one-inch “big portions.” high type.

Eggs featured a lot in the special And, oh my days: the dietary requirements request has revealed an IQ in single figures among dietary requirements section. Nothing as straightforward as I do/don’t eat them. many of our family and friends.

Oh no. One woman advised that she will Each guest was asked to tick a box for the reluctantly eat eggs, but only pullet eggs. following options: meat or fish or vegetarian or Pullet eggs are laid by hens aged one year old vegan. Simples, right? or less. Honestly, I thought she was pulleting Some people understood the question – do you my leg. want a meat/fish/vegetarian dinner to be on your

A

TX4 10 plates to TX4 65 plates from £210 to £275 Euro 6 from £270 £275 17 plate vitos from

“Aunt Mary didn’t tick any of the boxes, so she must be bringing a packed lunch”

My all-star favourite dietary egg request was for FART EGGS. I admit I laughed so hard I piddled, just a little, when I read this. It’s a type of pullet egg. The young hens in their first attempts at laying often produce eggs without a yolk that are known as fart eggs. Beneficial for diners with high cholesterol, apparently.

The chappie who referenced fart eggs…. guess what? His special dietary requirement was not that he did want them, but that he didn’t!

One woman wrote in her special dietary requirements box “no alcohol for Jack.” Jack is her husband. For herself, she wrote “penicillin.”

I think she meant no penicillin.

It wasn’t just the food questions that got people thinking. The invitation stated “carriages at 1am” which is wedding speak for clear out by 1am. One relative, who is known for being particularly stingy, asked if we could order him a black taxi home, and not an Uber. Whilst I completely agree with his excellent transport choice, I sent him the details for Gett and told him to enjoy using it.

Do I think planning a wedding is hard work and frustrating? I do. u

36

www.ltda.co.uk ||||

TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

Krav Maga-nificent Free Classes

NEWS IN BRIEF Assembly Steps up Heathrow Opposition

MEMBER OFFERS There’s still time to sign up for the LTDA’s popular free Krav Maga classes for members, which help drivers learn how to protect themselves and shape up.

Our long-running self-defence course has boosted the confidence to hundreds of drivers by teaching them how to deal with confrontation.

Ricky Manetta, who is himself a taxi driver, teaches the use of blocking, grappling and wrestling style moves to fend off attackers – even those wielding weapons.

Ricky says: “The course is designed to give people confidence to deal with threatening situations. The aim is to help drivers get out of violent situations without having to fight.”

Hundreds of cabbies have taken the classes and have praised them as fun and confidence building.”

Violent crime in London is rising and police resources are stretched, so there’s never been a better time to sign up.

Krav Maga was created in the 30s to

protect Czech Jews from anti-Semitic attacks and is designed for self-defence.

Not only does it offer the chance to improve your fitness and general health, but your state of mind as well.

Some drivers have even claimed it improved their driving and many keep coming back for more.

Ricky starts the next course at the Orwell Centre in Wapping on Monday, September 16.

@TheLTDA

It is open to any members who want to try it for the first time and even those who have completed the course before but fancy a refresh.

If you are an LTDA member and can commit to an eight-week course on Monday afternoons between 1-3pm, then call Taxi House on 0207 286 1046 and ask to register.

Drivers are requested to bring their own boxing gloves if at all possible.

A website outlining five reasons why the controversial expansion of Heathrow is a bad idea has been set up by the London Assembly.

The assembly is urging Boris Johnson’s Government to rethink plans to build a third runway at Heathrow.

The Prime Minister has previously opposed the plan saying he would lie down in front of the diggers.

However, he has not commented on the proposals since taking the top job.

The assembly has posted a series of tweets criticising both the decision to expand the country’s biggest airport and the “complicated” consultation on developing the plans, which is open until 13 September.

It has also run a poll to determine the thoughts of Londoners, with 62% of the 3,791 respondents saying they were against the proposals.

The website is headed “five reasons why the expansion of Heathrow is the wrong move for London.” Increased noise and air pollution are cited as some of the reasons for opposing it.

It also says there will be more pollution from cars and that there will be increased carbon emissions.

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1

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PRIZE CROSSWORD omplete our crossword puzzle and be in with a chance to win £50! Send your entry to: Crossword 451, Taxi, Taxi House, 11 Woodfield Road, W9 2BA before October 8. The first name out of the proverbial hat wins the cash! u

ACROSS:

DOWN:

1 Kill (4)

1 Deduct (8)

3 Heated debate (3, 5)

2 Around an axis (5)

9 Regiment (7)

4 Early computer network (6)

10 Stringed instrument (5)

5 High temperature (5)

11 Antique (5)

6 Italian dumplings (7)

12 Improve (6)

7 Conjunction (4)

14 Vegetable (6)

8 Cup dish (6)

16 Self-centeredness (6)

13 Fortify (8)

19 Cheap hotel (6)

15 Large cat (7)

21 Extremist (5)

17 Dirty (6)

24 Dust colour (5)

18 Blue laundry powder (6)

25 Integral (7)

20 Article (5)

26 The skill of teaching (8)

22 Test (5)

27 Additional (4)

23 Hop (4)

PUZZLER SUDOKU Just for fun...

5 x 5 2 7 3 4 1 x 8 9 x 9 1 5 6 1 7 9 4 6 9 7 8 5 2 Puzzles © 2018 Puzzler Media Ltd.www.puzzler.com

|||| TAXI

3 September 2019

Have a go at this medium level Sudoku puzzle.

Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1-9 just once

6 9 5 5 6 x x x 7 3 8 9 2 6 5 8 2 1

3

4

5

6

39

7

8

9

11

10

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

CROSSWORD #451

WINNER: ISSUE 449 — John Stanton, Wimbledon Park ACROSS:

DOWN:

7 Ground, 8 Teaser, 9 Bowl, 10

1 Troops, 2 Cull, 3 Admirer, 4 Utter,

Identity, 11 Escapee, 13 Arena, 15

5 Bacteria, 6 Pectin, 12 Anecdote,

Steed, 17 Lunatic, 20 Trade-off, 21

14 Buffalo, 16 Torpor, 18 Instil, 19

Nest, 22 Goatee, 23 Live in

Hotel, 21 Nave

OVERHEARD

M

y doctor gave me just six months. I said, “to live?” He said, “no. To wait for an appointment.” He said, for exercise I ought to play 18 holes every day. So, I bought a harmonica. I tried going private, but it’s so expensive. I had a sinus problem.

They made me pay through the nose. They drained both my sinuses and bank account at the same time. Private doctors charge £100 per visit. More if you’re ill. I asked one doctor what I’d get for £50. He said, “two aspirins and a ticket to Lourdes.” And they’re not even real Aspirins, they’re placebos.

I got my revenge, I paid him in monopoly money.

Nowadays, what most doctors do is recommend you to a specialist. They like to have an accomplice. I told the specialist that after I get up in the morning, for half an hour I feel dizzy. Could he advise something?

He said, “yes. Get up half hour later.” Statistics show that private patients spend an average of £2,000 a year on doctors for their health.

And you can see it working, because there are so many healthy doctors. I think psychiatrists are the worst. I went to one who brought back things I didn’t remember, for a fee I’ll never forget. He told me my problems were in my genes. They were passed down from my father.

So, I told him to send dad the bill. The medics

I hate most are dentists. They terrify me. I even take a valium to sit in a waiting room.

They always say it won’t hurt a bit, which is true. It hurts a lot. I should have guessed what I was in for when, instead of putting cotton wool in my mouth, he put it in his ears. He did give me an injection though. Just to numb the area around my wallet. It was what they call open-wallet surgery. He spotted two £50 notes there and said, “they will have to come out for a start.” What he did was fill the small cavity in my mouth and leave a huge one in my bank account. I told him charging £100 to pull one tooth is extortionate.

After all, it only takes a few seconds. He said, “if you prefer, I can pull it out more slowly.” But what I do enjoy is watching my wife at the dentist. She has her mouth open for half an hour without saying anything.

The NHS is in financial trouble and planning major cutbacks. They’re considering taking people’s pulse with an egg timer.

Having all their stethoscopes on a party line.

And even charging patients to rent the bed pans. The shortage of doctors might even lead to self service operations. The one thing they certainly ought to improve is the hospital meals. More and more patients are opting for intravenous feeding, so they don’t have to taste the food. I’ll leave the last word on doctors to Jackie Mason who says, “there’s a good reason doctors wear those rubber gloves. It’s to avoid leaving fingerprints.” u —Brad Ashton

40

www.ltda.co.uk ||||

TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

@TheLTDA

APPLICATION FORM Name Address Postcode Telephone

Mobile

Email

Twitter

Date of Birth

Badge No.

Badge colour (Please state whether green or yellow)

Year badge obtained

Suburban badge sector numbers Have you ever been a member of the LTDA before? (please tick)

Yes

No

Do you currently have points on your DVLA driving license? (please tick)

Yes

No

If Yes how many points do you have?

Please tick if you DO NOT wish to receive information from the LTDA and other related organisations in the future?  I understand that my application for membership of the Association must be approved by the Council of Management and that until this is confirmed I am not eligible to vote in relation to any form of Association matters. I agree that all benefits prior to approval of membership shall be at the discretion of the Council of Management.

Please note: We do not provide assistance for any matters that have occurred prior to you joining LTDA. Signed

Date

LTDA Basic Direct Debit Instructions Instructions to your Bank/Building Society to pay Direct Debits: Please complete parts 1 to 5 to instruct your branch to make direct payments from your account. Then return the form to the LTDA, FREEPOST, (PAM 2005), London W9 2BR

Originator’s Identification No. 9 1 4 4 2 8

For Office use only 1 Please write the name and full postal address of your branch in the box (left) 2 Name of account holder

To the Manager of

3 Account number 4 Bank Sort Code

Address

Banks/Building Societies may not accept instructions to pay Direct Debit from some types of account.

5 Signature(s) Date This guarantee should be detached and retained by the payer

The Direct Debit Guarantee • This Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits.

• If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit LTDA will notify you (10 working days) in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request LTDA to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request.

• If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by LTDA, or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society.

- If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when LTDA asks you to.

• You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify us.

LTDA Application Form Oct18.indd 1

09/10/2018 10:23

@TheLTDA

|||| www.ltda.co.uk

3 September 2019

|||| TAXI

Meet the LTDA legal team Driving a taxi for many hours of the day in one of the world’s most congested cities is a challenging task. Cabbies often fall victim to complaints and false accusations from police, passengers and other road users (especially cyclists and PHV drivers). When these events arise it’s comforting for LTDA members to know that they have the immediate support of the best specialist in-house legal team in the business. The success rate of the LTDA Legal Team is second to none. In fact, according to Criminal Justice Statistics, LTDA members defended by our team are FOUR times more likely than the national average to be acquitted of allegations made against them.

John Luckhurst Senior Partner

Charlotte Collet Solicitor Advocate

Tom Poulson

I joined the LTDA when I first got my badge and it turned out to be the best thing I ever did. Due to an unfortunate set of circumstances I ended up getting my licence revoked by TfL. I turned to John Luckhurst, one of the LTDA’s legal eagles, for assistance. John went to great lengths to prepare a detailed appeal against TfL’s decision and briefed a brilliant barrister to represent me in court. The appeal was successful and saved my livelihood. LTDA subscriptions are only four quid a week, which is less than a pint, and three pounds can be claimed against tax. I can’t believe that every cabbie in town is not a member.

“FOUR times more likely than the NATIONAL average to get an acquittal” Ken Jackson The LTDA’s solicitors and support team, could not have been more helpful when I first informed them that an allegation had been made against me. The LTDA was quick to check all the CCTV cameras in the area and arrange for plans of the location to be drawn up.

Witness statements were also obtained and Mr Demidecki was successful in getting the Crown Prosecution Service to drop the case against me. Thanks LTDA - an all-round brilliant service!

Farouk Merdjane

I was involved in an accident whilst driving my cab in Shepherd’s Bush. I wasn’t too worried about it because I was confident that it wasn’t my fault and the insurance would sort it out.

A short while later I received a summons for driving without due care and attention. I had no witnesses to help me, but the other driver had produced “independent” witnesses out of thin air! I quickly contacted the LTDA’s legal department and they immediately visited the scene of the incident and arranged for professional photographs to be recorded. I later appeared before magistrates at Lavender Hill Court, where the LTDA barrister tied the witnesses up in knots and demonstrated they could not have seen what they said they had.

Thank you, LTDA legal department; you gave me an excellent service.

Paul Baxter I was filled with confidence the very first time I contacted the LTDA’s legal team and as it turned out, I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

They did a great job in sorting out my problem with TfL. They’ve got to be the best in the business!

“LTDA subscriptions cost less than four quid a week”

41

42

www.ltda.co.uk ||||

TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

LTDA

A selection of our numerous

Distribution Points

u A1 Taxis, Melody Lane, Highbury, N5 u Abacus Accounts, Southbrook Road, Lee, SE12 u Astral CafĂŠ, Regency Place, SW1 u Bubbles Car Wash, E2 u C & S Taxis, Dunbridge Street, E2 u Cabsurance, Seven Kings u Camberfield Taxi Services u Computer Cab, Mitre Way, W12 u Coney Allen, Dunbridge Street, E1 u CP Beehive Service Station, Beehive Lane, Gants Hill u Cricklewood Carriers, Cricklewood u Dial A Cab, City Road, N1 u Edgware Station Rank u Euston Station Rank u G & L Taxis, Crayford Road, N7 u Globe Transmissions, Cudworth Street, E1 u The Ham, Brentford u Heathrow Airport Canteen u Hexagon Garage, Lukin Street, E1 u Jet Garage, Clipstone Street, W1 u Knowledge Centre, Caledonian Road u KPM, Hemming Street, E1 u London City Airport Canteen u LP Motors, Dunbridge Street, E2 u Martin Cordell, E3 and Stanmore u Paddington Station Rank u Putney Bridge Taxis, The Arches, Putney Bridge Station, SW6 u Richmond Road Taxi Centre, E8 u Safewise Supermarket, Harrow u South Bank Service Station, Great Suffolk Street, SE1 u TAXI HOUSE, W9 u Taxi & Private Hire, Blackfriars Rd, SE1 u Temple Place Shelter u Tent Street Taxi Centre, E2 u Turbo Accessories, Three Colts Lane, E2 u Waterloo Station u Wimbledon Station Rank u WizAnn Knowledge School, Watts Grove, E3

Published by LTDA Taxi House 11 Woodfield Road, London W9 2BA T: 020 7286 1046 | www.ltda.co.uk @TheLTDA Managing Editor Steve Still T: 0207 121 0523 E: editor@ltda.co.uk The Massett File Richard Massett International News Wim Faber Two Fingers Al Fresco Taxi Talk Alf Townsend Overheard Brad Ashton Licensed to Chat Musher Meg Produced by Century One Publishing Ltd Alban Row,27-31 Verulam Road St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 4DG. T: 01727 893 894, F: 01727 893 895 E: enquiries@centuryonepublishing.uk www.centuryonepublishing.uk Advertising Sales Executive Jack Green T: 01727 739 196 E: jack@centuryonepublishing.uk Art Editor Alan Booth Advert Coordinator Caitlyn Hobbs Printed by Manson Group, St Albans

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means electronic, mechanical or by photocopying without prior permission of the publishers. The views and opinions expressed in this publication may not necessarily be those of the publishers. Please note that the last day for inclusion of Classified lineage advertisements is five working days prior to publication. No liability is accepted by the publisher should advertisements not appear in the requested issue(s). While the publisher will take every care to ensure accuracy, no liability can be accepted for loss or damage resulting from errors.

@TheLTDA

Prostate Quarter Page 111mmx 141mm:Prostate A4 ad 15/10/2012 16:22 Page 1

TREATING PROSTATE CANCER QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

For a FREE copy of this booklet please contact us at the address below.

This booklet has two aims: • to help you become better informed about prostate cancer and its treatment. • to guide you in the decisions you will make about your care with your doctor.

g t ng atitin rea T Tre

e t te prosta r e c n ca nd and Questions an

erss answer

It cannot replace talking to your GP or hospital doctor.

If you can help us by raising funds for our research or to make a donation please contact us at the address below.

Your support is vital!

Prostate Cancer Research Centre • 67 Riding House Street • London • W1W 7EJ Tel: 020 7679 9366 • email info@prostate-cancer-research.org.uk • www.prostate-cancer-research.org.uk

@TheLTDA

|||| www.ltda.co.uk

3 September 2019 |||| TAXI

43

ARTWORK FOR YOUR APPROVAL 44

www.ltda.co.uk ||||

TAXI |||| 3 17September September2019 2019

Century One Publishing Ltd. Alban Row, 27-31 Verulam Road, St. Albans, AL3 4DG T. 01727 893 894 F. 01727 893 895 www.centuryonepublishing.ltd.uk

CLASSIFIED

ACCOUNTANTS

Please note that the image below is not necessarily actual size. The final press ready version will be emailed to you for your records and future use on approval of artwork.

Tax Returns • Qualified Accountants specialising in the taxi trade • Yearly accounts and tax returns • Online submission to Inland Revenue • Based in Kingston Upon Thames

CABS FOR RENT

Brown’s Taxis

07957 465423

CABS TO RENT

e16-taxirentals.co.uk

(Mitcham Based) From £216 From +VAT

£199

Tel: 0208 5499 541 8A Endeavour House 2 Cambridge Road Kingston Upon Thames, KT1 3JU

53 plate to 19 plate

24-Hour AA Recovery • Spare cab available • Electric Cabs Available

Call Danny on

0203 673 4819

@TheLTDA

TX4s TO RENT Ascott's maintained.

Pay by cash/bank/online.

Mercs also available

or (M) 07956 463040

G&H_Eighth_366.qxp_Layout 1 11/04/2016 15:02 Page 1 CABS FORNEWRENT

G&H TAXIS FLEET RENTAL Established 1993 Est

25

years

518 KING STREET, OFF BRUCE GROVE, TOTTENHAM N17 8AW

BEAT THE RECESSION! TX4's for HIRE Fuel-Saving LPG Taxis from £185 per week

OVERHAULS SERVICING BODYWORK PAY IN AT ANY BARCLAYS BANK 24 HOUR RAC BACKUP

CALL US NOW 07946 110815 / 020 8885 1844 WEB: www.gandhtaxis.comEMAIL: gandhtaxisfleet@aol.com

CABS FOR RENT Should you require any amendments to the artwork above please indicate them clearly on this page and return this form by email or fax (in the first instance) within 2 working days. Failure to return this form will signal acceptance.

You will receive a single round of amends and a further proof to sign off for print. If further changes are required this may incurr an additional production charge of £20 for each additional proof sent.

MAGAZINE: LTDA Taxi ISSUE: 231

NAME:

WE WANT YOUR USED CAB

SIGNATURE: Inflated prices on certain TX4 models*

SIZE: Sixteenth page

Get your valuation at www.levc.com/valuemytaxi or call LEVC Brewery Road today on 0203 912 6214

ARTWORK CHARGE: n/a SECTION: Classified

*Terms and conditions apply, please see levc.com for full details

DESIGNER: Sarah Astington

DATE:

EMAIL: copy@centuryonepublishing.ltd.uk

APPROVED FOR PRINT

PHONE: 01727 739 189

AMENDS TO BE MADE

CABS FOR RENT

GAP INSURANCE

PURCHASED A NEW TAXI? AVOID ANY POTENTIAL SHORTFALL IN YOUR FINANCE FOLLOWING A TOTAL LOSS CLAIM

0208 597 2622 CABSURANCE AUTHORISED & REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY

TAXI

AD FREE

TX4 & NEW TX4 EURO 6’S FOR RENT LOOKING TO SAVE MONEY? cabs also wanted to buy with or without finance

CALL: 07738 162 518

Please tick one box thank you

@TheLTDA

|||| www.ltda.co.uk

3 September 2019 |||| TAXI

45

CLASSIFIED

SERVICES & REPAIRS

DRIVER APPS

BOOK YOUR CLASSIFIED AD BOOKING DEADLINE 10TH SEPTEMBER 2019

See your advertisement here TAXI is the membership magazine for the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA).

It is circulated to 15,000 taxi drivers in London every fortnight.

The LTDA is the definitive voice of and for London cab drivers and is responsible for ensuring best practise in the trade, making sure its members’ voices are heard and serving members with the back up and support they need.

Get in touch To see your advertisement in the leading magazine for black cab drivers in London contact us today: Jack Green Jack@centuryonepublishing.uk 01727 739 196

46

www.ltda.co.uk ||||

TAXI |||| 3 September 2019

@TheLTDA

LINAGE ACCOUNTANTS

● ALL VITOs TO RENT. STARTING FROM £220PW. 07956 211478

● CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS specialising in the taxi trade. ● TX4s/TXEs EAST LONDON/ Accounts and tax returns £312inc Essex Based From £200pw.

VAT. Call 0208 360 1446 24hr Back-up. Own garage/ bodyshop. 077155 12263 & 01708 347288

AIR CONDITIONING

● MOBILE AUTO AIR conditioning service and repair for taxis, Telephone Nick on 07785 900006 7 days

CABS FOR RENT ● VNK MOTORS -TXIIs & TX4s for rent, from £185pw - £245pw.

Full back up, Caledonia Road, North London area, breakdown service, overhauls, running repairs & body work. 0207 700 1045 or 07951 661430 – Nick.

Looking for a taxi mechanic.

● TX4s FOR HIRE, NO ADS, FULL backup, RAC cover, 07980 288333 ● TX4 TO SHARE. PICK UP 6.30pm. Wimbledon area, SW19. £120pw. Some earlier starts.

07850 344953

CABS WANTED ● CABS URGENTLY WANTED, Any condition, cash same day, sell and rent back. Call Roy 07305 160361

● GOOD, CLEAN TXIs & TXIIs wanted, top prices paid, quick viewing, North London based, Graham- 07435 562759 oldlondontaxis@yahoo.co.uk ● ALL DE-LICENSED TXIIS/TX4s wanted. Instant decision, cash paid.

We come to you. Tel: 07973 335739 or 01253 407500 ● GOOD QUALITY de-commissioned & Euro 6 TX4s required. Top prices guaranteed.

07787 513629 ● ALL CABS WANTED, WE come to you, top prices paid, cash/ bank transfer, instant decision, finance settled, non-runners or sell & rent back, Taxis available to rent. call 07956 317300 ● ALL CABS WANTED. WE come to you. Any condition quick decision. Instant cash paid.

07763 699767

● ALL LONDON TX4S WANTED, Euro 4, 5, & 6. Immediate payment. Finance, Lease, and HP settled. We collect. No fuss.

07428 545400

CABS FOR SALE ● 2015/15 TX4 ELEGANCE, Finished in black. 131,000 miles with full service history. 1 owner from new, 12 months plate, Excellent condition. £24,995.

07811 777888 ● TXE 19 PLATE, SELLING DUE to medical reasons, 4,000 miles, 3 years servicing and 5 years manufactures warranty £55,000 call Malcolm 07961 421626 ● 15 PLATE VITO FOR SALE, 120,000 miles, full service history, £22,000. Call Seb 07810648648

PLACE YOUR LINAGE BY WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 11TH FOR TAXI 452 UP TO 15 WORDS: £35

UP TO 25 WORDS: £45 UP TO 35 WORDS: £55

CALL JACK ON 01727 739 196

@TheLTDA

|||| www.ltda.co.uk

3 September 2019

|||| TAXI

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TAXI

TAXI

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