The Badge - December 2022 / January 2023

WE

ANSWERS FROM TfL OVER

Once again, we have another explosive edition.

Opposite on page 3 we have written to Helen Chapman at TfL expressing our deep concerns for the future ‘of our industry After last months financial report from LEVC where they posted an £118m pre tax loss and a loss of 140 jobs, we are asking TfL what contingency plans they have (if any) if LEVC were to follow the same path as the now defunct Dynamo taxi? (see page 11)

On pages 4 5 we have a damning article highlighting the shambolic situation regarding the “Independent” Appeal Panel that is in place for TPH drivers who are attending Palaestra for a reconsideration hearing Once again TfL have been less than forthcoming regarding the changes to procedure with this process just as they have been with the newly installed Driver policy

Whilst on the subject of the new Driver Policy, it is incredible that since its “inception” in December

FUTURE

2021 the trade Orgs have still not attended any meetings to clarify this new policy and we now have a meeting in January 2023 for us to discuss the draconian effects of this policy

The manner in which TfL are treating our industry quite frankly is nothing short of a disgrace and it is high time this attitude changes

Finally on a brighter note, I know money is a bit tight, but if you could maybe donate just one fare in your cab for the Atlantic Rowers (see page 12 13) on their massive journey it would be fantastic, another amazing charity event from these amazing cabbies.

Gofundme: cabbiesdoatlanticrow

Finally, I would like to wish everyone a Very Happy Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year

LCDC WRITE TO TFL BOSS OVER SUPPLY RISK

Helen Chapman

Director of Licensing, Regulation & Charging

Transport for London

5 Endeavour Square London E20 1JN Grant Davis, Chairman, London Cab Drivers’ Club

Unit A301.3, Tower Bridge Business Complex 100 Clements Road London SE16 4DG

Dear Helen,

I am writing to you because of our serious concerns regarding taxi vehicle supply in London, specifically to ask for your views on whether any manufacturer can sustain a business that meets all TfL’s Condition of Fitness requirements, including disabled access, the turning circle and the safety division.

When ULEZ conditions for London’s taxis were being discussed with London’s taxi trade back in 2014/5 I recall TfL promising us a range of compliant alternatives: there were 5 players who were keen LEVC (LTI then), Metrocab, Nissan, Mercedes and even a Turkish supplier In the end only two emerged, the LEVC TXe and Dynamo’s Nissan NV200 Now Dynamo has gone into liquidation and we have been told there is no prospect of a Mercedes Vito, we are left in a monopoly situation with one supplier and that supplier is looking very vulnerable My concern is that ultimately no taxi supplier can afford to meet all of TfL’s CoF and hope to make any money out of it

Make no mistake, the TXe is a good product and well liked by many of our members who have taken out LEVC’s PCP deal LEVC has invested over £184 million making a taxi that London’s taxi drivers can appreciate However, it is a very expensive taxi and yet the company that makes it is losing a fortune The latest set of accounts show that cumulative losses are over £430 million That means they have lost around £50,000 for every taxi sold Even worse, the sales of the van derivative, which is supposed to be the key to success, have been woefully low Two very experienced motor industry chief executives have had a go at making the business profitable, both have failed and left How can you give us confidence that LEVC’s owners, Geely, will continue to sustain these losses? More so, when you consider that Geely’s share price has halved in the past year and net profitability is down 35% how long will they be prepared to prop up its ailing business in Ansty when the core business is also suffering?

The prospects for LEVC and the taxi trade must inevitably worsen because of the confluence of other factors coming into play

In November 2020, when the Covid crisis was at its peak and there was little work for drivers, there were 22,370 green/yellow badge drivers in London Yet, two years later, when the streets are much busier, the number of drivers has declined by 13% to only 18,670 Fewer drivers will ultimately mean fewer taxis purchased

The cost of buying a new taxi has increased by more than 50% in a matter of 4 years The last of the TX4’s were sold at just over £40,000, whereas the latest TXe’s will cost a driver more than £66,000 and that’s net of the OZEV grant support And if £66,000 is the cost of a plug in hybrid taxi now, how much more will a fully electric taxi cost to meet the mayor’s ambitions?

And, of course, that’s before the huge increase we’ve seen in interest rates A taxi that was only costing £40,000 a few years ago would attract interest costs of £8,000 on a 5 year HP deal at 4% per annum, whereas a £66,000 taxi at 6% today will cost £19,800 in interest charges That’s on HP, the interest rate on a PCP will cost a lot more currently just under £25,000 because you’re financing the whole amount for the total 5 year term not on the reducing balance The annual tariff review certainly doesn’t overcome these increases How long do your colleagues at OZEV tell you that the grant support continue on the TXe? Will the limit be set at 9,000 vehicles? There are probably about 7,000 TXe’s that have already received grant support including out of town taxis So, not far to go Moreover could the government consider early removal of the grant because the TXe only claims a WLTP zero capable mileage of 64 miles compared to OZEV’s published requirement for 70 miles? Once removed, the plug in hybrid TXe price will increase to around £74,000

What could be done to lessen the risk to TfL and the taxi trade from a monopoly and a single, perhaps vulnerable supplier?

Our belief is that you and your colleagues at TfL should undertake a full review of the Conditions of Fitness relating to vehicle specification TfL should be making it more attractive for alternative low volume vehicle manufacturers to take OEM electric vehicle products and turn them into London taxis Whilst maintaining and perhaps enhancing the standards for accessibility and safety (the division), TfL should again review the need for the limiting turning circle requirement Achieving the turning circle (or rather not achieving it) was the reason for the demise of the Mercedes Vito Taxi, a perfectly good taxi that was plagued with rear wheel steer mechanical problems and a system that put an extra £10,000 on the cost of the vehicle, and it was hardly ever used Even the Police consider 180 degree turns in busy streets in London unsafe, so why cling on to a feature that is out dated and potentially dangerous?

Sometimes we don’t recognise a crash or a market collapse that is about to happen, but it happens all the same Then we wonder what could have been done to avoid the problems that caused the collapse At LCDC we believe there is every reason to assume there is an increasing likelihood of a taxi vehicle problem, with both supply and demand issues building up to a possible crash All we are asking TfL is to consider how it can adjust its requirements, to maintain the best standards but reduce the barriers to entry and enable more fully electric taxis to enter the London market

I look forward to hearing your views and response

Kindest regards

Grant Davis

Transport for London’s sham Independent ROUGH

I recently attended TfL with a member for a reconsideration hearing concerning his licencethese were normally carried out under TfL’s own guidelines:

“TfL has a legal obligation to arrange a reconsideration hearing in person affording an aggrieved taxi applicant / licence holder the opportunity to present their case The hearing is conducted by an officer within TfL who is independent from licensing decision makers ”

In the past these reconsideration hearings were only ever chaired by either, Roy Ellis (former Head of the PCO, may he RIP) or Mr Sandie Kennedy, both of whom were independent of TfL and had a wealth of experience regarding the Licensed London taxi industry which was in keeping with TfL’s own guidelines

These men listened to those involved directly and were able to assess important matters such as their credibility and also their genuine remorse They also provided a determination based upon what they had heard at the hearing they would in their summary give advice to the Head of Licensing and provide sound reasons why they had come to the conclusion that they had In many cases matters which Sandie Kennedy had raised were quoted directly at the higher Courts

You can therefore imagine my dismay when appearing

with my member recently to find the so called “Independent Appeal Panel” was now jointly chaired by Mr Nathan Rodd and Claire Farkas These are the people who introduced themselves (and signed the paperwork) as Investigator / Prosecutor! These are not independent from the licensing decision makers, they are prosecutors so how can they also be the Judge? These also aren’t people with any legal qualifications or experience in sitting as Judge and jury!

Everything has now changed and not for the better Nathan and Claire simply tell the drivers why they are at the hearing (outlining the prosecution case) and whilst a driver can answer questions put to them by the prosecutors, it is only a short summary of their answers (as determined relevant by these prosecutors) that get sent to Head of Licensing for a final determination What experience do they even have to summarise representations made by taxi drivers?

The irony to me is that in the part of the form where Roy Ellis and Sandie Kennedy would often fight for drivers to be able to keep their licence, Claire and Nathan just set out very briefly (and some might say badly!) what has been said at the hearing

Then (and this is the bit which blows my mind) Mr Anthony Adye (Head of Licensing), who hasn’t heard a single word that has been said, makes the final determination about punishment.

How can a hearing before Prosecutors and Investigators (who are now investigators, prosecutors and judge and jury) also be in charge of all the information provided to the ultimate decision maker, the Head of Licensing?

How can TfL have the gall to suggest that this is an “IAP” as they say on the paperwork there is nothing independent about these hearings and to come at a time when new policy means that drivers are fighting to

Appeals Panel (IAP) for TPH drivers... JUSTICE

keep their badge is a travesty!

Why was the trade not informed and consulted upon the changes? When was the system changed? Who implemented these changes?

What do TfL think? That we are all stupid? That we wouldn’t notice?

How has “Independence” been left out of an “Independent Appeal Panel”?

I hear that one of the excuses for this change is that TfL could not find any

operators and providers” No other group at TfL, not even those who fail to pay for their tickets, have to put up with such stringent and unfair interpretation of the law

If “Vision Zero” means that all driving offences are an insult to Transport for London, then EVERYONE (from the Mayor down) needs to be treated the same way

All those who work at TfL and for TfL should have their jobs on the line this will include staff, bus drivers, managers, tube drivers, etc

bodies to “independently” chair these hearings this simply does not wash with the LCDC

The Penalty Fare Appeals Policy, (which hears appeals for fare evasion on TfL service) has no such problems, as they state:

“The panel comprises three persons of suitable standing and relevant expertise for the task who are wholly independent from TfL, its subsidiaries, contractors,

If a secretary gets totted can she keep her job?

If a Manager speaks on a mobile phone is he sacked? Why is it always the self employed drivers who are told they cannot work?

Why is our IAP not only not independent but an opportunity for the prosecutors to make a final determination and take away our badges maybe the important question is what should be done about it?

Number of people cycling in England falls a year after £2bn plan

Boris Johnson’s “cycling revolution” has so far failed to build on the gains made during the pandemic, as the proportion of people cycling at least once a week has fallen to its lowest recorded level in England

As local councils have removed dedicated cycle lanes after the pandemic, the number of people cycling for leisure and the number of younger people cycling has dropped Sarah Mitchell, chief executive of UK cycling charity Cycling UK, issued a plea for proper cycling infrastructure, arguing that “the short term benefit is that people will be able to keep making those essential journeys to work, to school, to the shops by bike The long term benefits will be improvements to the nation’s health, economy and environment ”

In 2020, the prime minister launched a £2bn plan to boost cycling and walking rates, aiming to “build on the significant increase in the number of people cycling during the pandemic”

But figures released by the Department for Transport show just 9 1% of people cycled at least once a week for any purpose between

November 2020 and November 2021 down from 11 6% during the 12 months ending November 2020, and 11 2% the year before, with cycling rates falling to their lowest recorded levels just one year on from the announcement

Only 13 1% of adults cycled at least once a month in the year to November 2021 the lowest recorded rate since the survey began in 2015 16

Separate statistics from the National Travel Survey found that in 2021, the number of cycle trips per person decreased by 27% compared with 2020, and were also down 7% compared with 2019 The number of car journeys was up 4% compared with 2020, but still 23% lower than in 2019, while public transport trips were up 19% on 2020 but down 45% compared with 2019

Rapid estimates from the DfT based on mobile phone data show that despite a poor 2021, the number of cycling trips has since risen in 2022 though remain lower than their 2020 peak This rise has mainly happened on weekdays, suggesting commuters may be turning to their bikes as the cost of living

crisis starts to bite More than half of local authorities in England saw a decrease in the proportion of people cycling at least once a week in the year to the end of November 2021 compared with pre pandemic rates Four in five council areas saw levels fall compared with the Covid fuelled cycling boom of 2019 2020

Cambridge remains England’s cycling capital, despite seeing a 12 6 point drop in the proportion of people cycling once a week compared with before the pandemic the largest drop in the country At the other end of the scale,

Islington in London saw a seven point increase in weekly cyclists

The drop in cyclists is mainly down to a fall in those cycling for leisure Just 6% of people cycled for leisure once a week in November 2020 to November 2021, down from 8 5% during the first year of the pandemic The proportion of people cycling for travel fell from 5.1% to 4.6%.

Young people have also seen levels drop, with the group aged 16 24 falling more than any other age group.

Mitchell said: “The pandemic

proved more people would cycle particularly women and children if it felt safe for them to do so It’s sadly no surprise that last year those cycling levels dropped, as some short sighted councils began pulling out the protected lanes which kept people safe and traffic levels rose again

“Both national and local governments need to learn last year’s lessons and focus on the new crisis: cost of living More people are turning to cycling for shorter journeys to help make ends meet, but they need the safety that dedicated cycle lanes bring ”

A DfT spokesperson said: “Government is investing a record £2bn over this parliament to enable more walking, wheeling and cycling through better infrastructure, cycle training and active travel prescriptions

“Though cycling levels have returned from the exceptional levels we saw during the pandemic, we remain fully confident our investment will enable many more people to choose walking and cycling for everyday journeys by 2030 ”

Should ‘evidence’ be procured from the public?

Below is a picture of Mr Mike Van Erp, known to many as “Cycling Mikey” Van Erp is a Dutch youtuber who uses his mobile phone.

Van Erp is a Dutch national who grew up in Zimbabwe, his father, whilst riding a motorcycle was hit and killed by a drunk driver He moved to the UK in 1998 to pursue a career in I T but is now a professional carer and has been known to be a roller skating instructor

However, he seems to be spending most of hs time cycling around the capital as a self appointed traffic

enforcement officer and proudly boasts that he has reported 1,000 drivers, leading to 800 successful prosecutions in the last four years

What we at the LCDC would like to know is what sort of society are we living in where a foreign national spends a vast amount of his time trying to antagonise and hopefully get the police to prosecute ordinary members of the public who are just trying to make a living?

We also would like to question how the Metropolitan Police are comfortable to accept and

prosecute

so called “evidence” from

be procured from TfL bus lane cameras or Met Police cameras, but another to use evidence from a member of the public whom it has been alleged goes out of his way to antagonise other road users

It is starting to feel like we are living in the kind of society that existed before the fall of the Berlin Wall, where people were encouraged by the authorities to spy on their fellow citizens

If we keep going down this road, I believe we run the danger of ending up living in a Fascist state

individuals, with

Van Erp It is one thing for evidence to

Courtesy of The Guardian

U L E Z t o b e e x p a n d e d a c r o s s w h o l e

o f G r e a t e r L o n d o n f r o m A u g u s t

London’s ultra low emission zone will be expanded across the entire capital from next August, a move that the mayor said would bring cleaner air to 5 million more residents

Drivers of older, polluting cars will have to pay £12 50 a day to use their vehicle across Greater London from 29 August 2023

An improved £110m scrappage scheme will be introduced to help vulnerable people and small businesses, and there will be more buses in the suburbs

The mayor, Sadiq Khan, announced the start date after a summer consultation on the scheme It has been welcomed by green groups, clean air campaigners and some businesses, although Conservatives have opposed the charge and said most people in outer boroughs do not want it

Khan said the capital’s toxic air, and the climate emergency, made it a public health imperative, and that revenue raised would go into public transport

Announcing the decision at Bonus Pastor school in Lewisham, an area with dangerously poor air quality, Khan said: “The latest evidence shows that air pollution is making us sick from cradle to the grave Londoners are developing life changing illnesses such as cancer, lung disease, dementia and asthma And it’s especially dangerous for children ”

He said the zone, which was expanded from the heart of the city to boroughs within the north and south circular roads last October, had been “transformational”, reducing harmful pollution levels by almost a half in central London “Expanding the Ulez London wide will mean 5 million more people will be able to breathe cleaner air and live healthier lives,” he said

Khan said the rising cost of living was a major consideration and that the

£110m scrappage scheme would help people who most needed it to scrap or retrofit non compliant vehicles

Alex Williams, Transport for London’s chief customer and

strategy officer, said the scheme would offer “unparalleled support”, extending the grace period for some types of vehicles and groups, including disabled people, and offering more free

bus passes

He said it would be “complemented by significant improvements to the outer London bus network, making public transport a more attractive alternative to the car”

While London has struggled financially, TfL and the mayor say the Ulez expansion is designed to get the most polluting vehicles off the road rather than to raise revenue, with compliance now at 94%

About 15% of vehicles driving in outer London boroughs would currently be liable for the charge 160,000 cars and 42,000 vans entering the zone daily, according to TfL estimates

Rosamund Adoo Kissi Debrah, a clean air campaigner whose daughter Ella died of respiratory diseases partly caused by pollution, said it was a “step in the right direction” She said: “When we had the inquest, we got the experts in Ella’s case to give some recommendations and all of them agreed Ulez expansion was something that needed to

be done to clean up the air in London Clean air should be a human right ”

Muniya Barua, the deputy chief executive at BusinessLDN, welcomed the move but said the mayor and TfL’s next step should be to accelerate plans for a smarter road pricing scheme. “With congestion costing the economy over £5bn a year and a 27% reduction in car miles required to hit our net zero targets, this has to be a priority ”

Conservatives in the Greater London Assembly condemned the move and warned it could still be stopped by a legal challenge, with about 60% of respondents to the consultation opposed to the expansion

Nick Rogers, the GLA Conservatives’ transport spokesperson, said: “Now is not the time to hammer Londoners with a £12 50 daily cost of living charge Residents have made their views very clear to the mayor: they do not want the Ulez expansion ”

Courtesy of The Guardian

The future is

DYNAMO GOES INTO LIQUIDATION WITH FEARS OVER TAXI SUPPLIER RESILIENCE

Here are the insolvency details for Dynamo and the official notice below

The Liquidator is Brett Lee Barton of BLB Advisory He was appointed by the creditors on 3rd November

Little wonder the business

went into liquidation The balance sheet at the end of last year showed net liabilities of £1 9 million, a fourfold increase on the previous year

2022 must have got worse with the drying up of supply of Nissan NV200’s and little else to sell

L O N D O N C A B B I E S T O R O W A C R O S S

A T L A N T I C F O R T H R E E C H A R I T I E S

Hi , Please have a look at this as it's something we want YOU TO BE PART OF !

We are aiming to do something very special, to SAVE LIVES and raise money for charity and we are willing to go to extreme lengths to achieve this!

In 2021 one of our

teammates, a fellow London Taxi driver suffered a debilitating stroke He had been part of our fundraising Cabbiesdokilimanjaro team from the start Our aim was to go from “ Fat Cabbies “ to “Fit Fundraising Cabbies”

We achieved this goal by successfully summiting Kilimanjaro in 2019 and then in 2022 climbing Mount Meru

+ Kilimanjaro back to back, while raising over £25000 for charity Our friend, who is very shy, had to step back from the team due to health problems and he then suffered exactly what we were all trying to avoid a huge stroke A year after the stroke he is in an ICU Unit and our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as he slowly recovers

We are determined to get the TAKE STEPS TO AVOID A STROKE message out to as many people as we can, while raising money for charity and we think ROWING THE ATLANTIC will turn some heads

We will be rowing the boat depicted in the video, we know the boat can do it, but can we?

We estimate it will take us about 60 days, rowing 2 hours on 2 hours off, 24 hours a day This is what we are prepared to do but we need some help from company sponsors to make this happen

We anticipate our challenge will be covered on TV, radio, print and online, as there has been much media interest in our previous challenges As we are all currant working London Taxi drivers and all drive LEVC Taxis we have already been using the icon to get our message out to the public

We are the only boat in the @AtlanticDash that will be able to send pictures, video, or messages 24 hrs a day, so as the race progresses everyone will be able to see and hear our progress, trials, and tribulations We sincerely hope our row will

help to spread the message about healthier lifestyles saving lives

If you would like to find out more please have a look at the attached Sponsor Pack It will only take a minute to look at how you can make a difference!

Thank you!

We are at a more advanced stage now ! We have purchased the special food we will need to survive, loaded it onto the boat which is currently being shipped to Lanzarote It had to be done like this because we are due to arrive in Lanzarote on 15th for boat scrutineering, seminars and night practice rows Having spent the money we have raised and put £100’s of our own money and time into to this we desperately need more sponsorship to carry on Our charities are banking on us our trade is counting on us, we just need a bit of help please! We only have this one shot!

Thank you for your consideration

Daren Parr

cabbiesdoatlanticrow@gmail com londonkabbie@hotmail co uk

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LEGAL COVER

Our fantastic team of City Of London based solicitors and barristers, experts in Hackney Carriage and road traffic law

COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS

As a member of the LCDC, we will deal with any complaint that has been made against you by members of the public

Also we will attend the LTPH with you on any personal appeals that would affect your licence

HEATHROW AIRPORT REPRESENTATION

With our reps at the airport working

hard on the trade’s behalf for a fairer, and more safer future at Heathrow RANKS AND HIGHWAYS

The LCDC attend the Joint Ranks committee, working hard for more ranks and more access for the taxi trade in London

CAB TRADE ADVICE

All members can call the office for any information or up to the date news on any trade related subject

TRADE’S FUTURE

The Club worked tirelessly in bringing in the green & yellow identifiers to the taxi trade

And are always working hard to protect our future

CAB TRADE REPRESENTATION

We are working hard to work with members of the GLA and also politicians to fight our corner against TFL and was a major influence in the recent “ future proof” document

UBERLAND

I’ve been reading a book about Uber, called “Uberland.* The author is an ethnographer and so is mostly focused on Uber as an employer in the USA; also the research ends in 2017. However, it still has relevance to what has gone on here and in other places, with much current even today

SAFETY ISSUES

There is nothing new in the book but I’ve taken a couple of snippets because the penny still hasn’t dropped with TfL and the Mayor, far less central government

The author tells a story of a driver that had a commute of 1 5 hours into NYC so would spend days at a time on the car, rather than commute back and forth On one occasion he was woken by a job offer for a pick up at JFK airport He then “passed out” and remembered nothing until a call from the passenger woke him, asking where he was? He then proceeded to work

Uber drivers are under pressure to accept fare offers or risk being temporarily suspended or removed from the app Drivers use multi apps and when they accept a non Uber fare, they hurry to log out before getting a job offer In doing so the author has ridden in cars where the driver’s attention has been so affected that they miss speed limit signs, red lights, etc We’ve all seen worse than that here where they actually hit the signs rather than miss them; not to mention the odd pedestrian, cyclist, etc

I don’t know if these practices continue today, but suspect that they do we now know part of the reason why they are such bad drivers, especially when you add in the 3 or 4 phones on the dash and having to follow a satnav

Speaking of satnavs, I have seen and heard, like you, the sometimes silly routes Uber drivers are told to take by the satnav Now I know why Uber use drivers and customers to gather data for them on routes and in areas where they have insufficient data So, to get this data they will send driver and customer on a sub optimal route The customer pays for Uber to gather data

THE MODUS OPERANDI

Critics of disruptive technologies, of which Uber is one, sum up the way these operate as “”move fast, break things and don’t ask permission ” The thing they break most often is the law and regulations Uber try to mask illegality as innovation Too often, they get away with it as well, hoodwinking the authorities

Uber hoodwink the public in a consistent way across the world When they first move in, as often as not they

Walker on the march...

operate illegally They gain support from users and other groups/organizations For example, they may appeal to an anti racism group by claims that they are “creating employment”, especially among immigrant communities, even though they resist being called an employer to avoid employment legislation.

At the same time, their not so neutral algorithm allows customers to discriminate against minorities in a way employment legislation would never

their autonomous operation out of California to Arizona, where they didn’t need a licence until one of their cars killed a pedestrian crossing the road. So, they move in under the guise of being part of the “sharing economy” rather than an outfit that exploits everything and everyone it comes into contact with. They come into a city like London, offer the drivers good rates and incentives to join as “partners” While keeping price to the customer artificially low to stimulate demand, they keep adding drivers in order to get response times down to unsustainable levels Then once they have saturated the market, they increase rates to customers and reduce driver rates At the same time, drivers see not only the return but also the number of job offers fall They are quite innovative about the way they increase customer charges They have introduced a system whereby the customer sees a different end price to that the driver sees so that they can clip some of the drivers earnings They also operate FPs In this case, customers that live in an affluent area will be asked for a higher fare than a customer making the reverse journey from a less affluent area They will also charge a FP based against the data they have gathered on a customer to assess what they are willing to pay Drivers’ tips have been changed into “service charges” by the time the driver is invoiced, transferring the tips from driver to operator

real cars

Uber are shameless in their law breaking Even their fellow tech predators are not safe. Uber stole trade secrets from Waymo, Google’s autonomous car arm, while supposedly working with them in partnership They stole a whole team of people working on autonomous tech from a university that they were partnering with When a customer alleged rape against an Uber driver, Uber obtained the woman’s medical records without permission

When trying to gain a licence in Chicago, Uber gave a presentation to show that they could help ID stalkers They used customer data to ID what they called “rides of glory” Basically, they used customer data to establish that 30 NY Uber users were using the cars to rendezvous with a “one night stand”

A journalist, Sara Lacey, was threatened that if she did not stop writing derogatory articles about Uber, they would “enteratin” the idea of a smear campaign against her and her family Nice people!

ROUND AND ROUND WE GO

Since 2014, Uber have undermined London’s traditional taxi and PH industries They have wrecked demand for the traditional PH trade, with unsustainable and unfair pricing

allow If a customer continually gives a low rating to a specific driver, eventually that driver will not be assigned to that customer or another with a similar profile He could be being marked low because he is black or she is a lesbian, etc Next they create crises that generate lawsuits that they then try to use mis classification to win cases, such as claiming that drivers are consumers of Uber, rather than employees of Uber This, after claiming to create employment opportunities in order to get their foot in the door

By this time, either they win their case or threaten to, and often do, pack up their operations and move on, leaving local councils and authorities to sort out the mess they leave behind.

An example of this was California whose state welcomed Uber with open arms and they shared a love in until the state wanted to licence the autonomous cars Uber were running in San Francisco Uber decided themselves that the law didn’t apply to them and carried on running the cars without a licence When pushed, they cleared

ABOVE THE LAW

Where to start? When Uber began operating illegally in Montreal, and their drivers fell foul of enforcement officers, Uber paid their fines; paid impoundment fees and supplied replacement cars; paid legal fees, telling drivers to keep on working in Montreal

Speaking of enforcement officers, I was already aware, as we all were, of the existence of “phantom cars” on customers’ app screens I have always thought, and often it has been, to hoodwink customers into thinking there were more cars available in an area than there actually were What I didn’t know was that these are used as decoys For example, when Uber were operating illegally in New Jersey, enforcement officers downloaded the app to identify where there were numbers of Uber cars operating illegally So,Uber generated phantom cars in areas of low demand in order to lure the officers away from areas where there were numbers of

While they have also affected our demand, they have helped devastate out supply Who is going to take 4 5years to do the KOL when they can become a pseudo taxi driver in a few weeks by obtaining PH licence from a “lucky dip” bag of sweeties and then drive a car with satnav and App What with Covid and the law cases that Uber have lost, TPH had a real chance to rectify the current situation They could have taken a harder line with Uber and allow proper PH to compete They should have taken steps to speed up (not water down) the KOL, made it harder to obtain a PH driver licence and rein in the way Apps are used to encourage more entrants into the KOL

Well, they’ve made their decision and it’s a kick in the nuts for you and me They have driven down our fleet numbers to a shadow of what it was ten years ago, while KOL entrants have all but dried up At the same time, they are rushing through 500+ new PH driver licences every week so that Uber can re establish their response times and gum up the streets of Central London with double parked and cruising cars Did I day Gum? Should I have said bung?

Have a good Christmas everybody and a Happy New Year

*Uberland, how algorithms are rewriting the rules of work; Alex Rosenblat; University of California Press;2018

Poppy Cabs turn out in force to help war veterans travel

As on every Remembrance Sunday, London taxi drivers, young and old gave up them time to show veterans just how much they appreciated the enormous sacrifices which were made

The provided a free service at mainline stations and designated pick up spots in Central London to help them reach Whitehall and other areas

Taxi driver Steve Scott said: "Our small offering pales into insignificance against the huge debt we, owe these guys and girls who gave up so much for the freedom we take for granted"

With vintage taxis also working the ranks it was a truly magical sight to behold and with the aid of marshals assisting the aged Vets, once again the London taxi trade

did itself proud

We know coverage of Remembrance Sunday is a global event and it is wonderful that the trade is seen by everyone around the world acting in such a kind and respectful manner

“Well done to everyone who took part and especially Mike Hughes for all his tireless work with Poppycabs ”

ITS THE LISSON GREEN MOB MARK TWO

Received this message on WhatsApp: “Be careful around Barbican city hotel…Drivers getting their cabs broken into whilst in Fish Central or Kennedy's, this hotel has had its signs removed as it is now housing assylum seekers from France

Low traffic neighbourhoods in the area are getting targeted and broken into”

City office staff workers are also being assaulted and robbed

If you use the two watering holes in the City, please make sure you take all your valuables with you

Welcome to Khans London This is a problem that is about to escalate all over London as more hotels are seconded onto the scheme, supported by Sadiq Khan and certain London councils

Hoteliers are to be paid millions of pounds to sack all their full time staff, and import crime into residential areas

Worst of all, advice given about phoning the police is also a joke

We have documented evidence from drivers who have been attacked which states, after an unacceptable 20 minute wait to speak to a police operator, they are told “sorry, there’s no units in the area to attend”

Well done Sadiq !!!!! Not only have you gridlocked most of London, you’ve filled it full of no go areas

As a trade, we have all been affected by Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) restriction, implemented by certain councils around London

Also, we have seen a number of restrictions bought in during the pandemic that we were told would be temporary Spurred on by the cycling lobby and the mayors transport team,

many of these restriction are still in place plus some, we are informed, have become permanent

Although this has caused a tremendous increase in congestion and in turn, has bought added pollution to streets bordering the restriction, councils have openly lied saying that pollution and congestion is down

Businesses have suffered with many closed for good, buss journey times have slowed down but worst of all, emergency service vehicles such as Ambulances and Fire Appliances have also been badly affected

Residents in north London boroughs demanded consultations and the councils obliged with surveys

Then recently, the news broke that Islington council had admitted to publishing false statistics about pollution and traffic displacement

On Tuesday 21st November, we saw a council (Haringey) refusing to consult fully with residents of their Borough at an arranged meeting

Many residents complained they were stopped from attending, by police who blocked access to the area Those who were lucky enough to get inside were told that the councillors weren’t going to come out and face then

The councillors were spirited away by a back door leaving the residents only able to speak amongst themselves

No accountability, no transparency= No Democracy

Haringey Labour have sided with privileged few, the self important pressure groups, rather than the majority of real people in Haringey

There is currently a co ordinated and well funded effort to force all traffic onto main roads, in particular A roads and boundary roads, in a deluded belief that people will get fed up and the traffic will eventually evaporate In reality however, the effect is an actual massive

escalation of pollution on those already worse off.

Also on social media, there was a shocking smear by former LibDem councillor Clive Carter, who called the residents "Anti

LTN zealots" He went on to say that "too many are given to vandalism, and intimidation "

It’s an old saying: You can fool all the people some of the time

You can fool some of the people all the time But you can’t fool all the people, all the time

We now know why councils have lied saying that traffic is lighter on LT and perimeter roads!

The traffic counting wires do not count vehicles moving at 10mph and slower where traffic is almost stationary most of the day, the surveys show that traffic has mostly dissipated, when in fact, most of the day it’s gridlocked Reports that emergency vehicles are stuck in the gridlock are completely ignored

If you want to keep an eye on what’s going on, please follow @ediz1975 on Twitter

Ediz posted on Twitter: When Enfield Council counted traffic on overspill roads from LTNs, its equipment could'nt record vehicles going less than 10k/mh. So, as he explains, the actual amount of traffic on many of these roads was significantly more than the data showed

Have a listen https://shortest link/8WVu

Below is a link to the video that Islington council managed to get removed from YouTube It concerns a consultation meeting where ordinary residents of the Borough of Islington, weren’t informed

Residents who heard about the meeting through word of mouth, turned up, but were turned away again by the police.

This is Islington brand of democracy Democracy for the privileged few.

See video: https://shortest link/8WVN

The police appeared to be quite aggressive, unlike the way they treated the stop oil protesters, where people who’d glued themselves to the road where offered refreshments

Perhaps at the next demo, we should turn up with tubes of super glue!

Drovo (formerly Adverttu) is an on car advertising solution, proudly built in the UK, operating in England and Scotland since 2018. This year, Drovo also entered black cab advertising space with campaigns for both TX4s and TXEs.

Drovo offers several types of wrapping, the most popular being Superside wrap and Full wrap Campaign duration starts from just 1 month commitment, and goes to a year and beyond

We always pay our drivers fairly, compensate wrapping time, and offer several wrapping locations.

Drovo launched several black cabs campaign this year, for brands like Paco Rabanne, Deliciously Ella, Boundary Outlet and Global X

Sadiq Khan’s kamikaze war on motorists is an unforgivable act of fiscal recklessness

If ever there was any doubt that London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s green crusade is little more than a load of hot air, how about this: during a six year stint in City Hall, characterised by constant lecturing of Londoners about the need to go green, Khan and his team have racked up more than 360,000 air miles on jetsetting official trips, according to analysis from The Sun newspaper

That’s enough to fly around the world 14 times, or travel to the moon and around it 18 times, while belching out nearly 200 tonnes of carbon

Khan’s foreign escapades even include a recent 14,000 mile round trip to Buenos Aires, accompanied by five members of staff, to address a climate change summit touted as a "hybrid in person and virtual event" It is estimated that the journey produced roughly three tons of carbon dioxide per passenger more than the average car produces in an entire year in Britain

No wonder, then, that Londoners are foaming with rage at the latest salvo from Khan in his kamikaze war on motorists an expansion of the £12 50 a day ultra low emission zone (Ulez) charge to outer London boroughs. It’s not just the rank double standards that sticks in the craw, however It’s that the mayor’s crusade is short sighted, terribly misguided and horrendously ill timed There is also a sneaking suspicion that climate change is something of a red herring when really it’s all just a big money making ruse to prop up Transport for London, left bankrupt on Khan’s watch When it comes to reducing

the number of car journeys taken in the capital, Khan has long favoured the stick over the carrot with decidedly unconvincing results, too

During the pandemic, the mayor introduced a series of supposedly “temporary” changes to the hated Congestion Charge in a bid to “ensure the capital’s recovery from the pandemic is not restricted by cars and congestion”, but like most temporary taxes it has proven to be a largely permanent measure

Though the charge was returned to its pre pandemic weekday hours of 7am 6pm, motorists still have to pay £15, as opposed to the pre Covid price of £11 50, and it continues to be enforced at weekends

The decision to retain the £15 C charge was taken on the basis that it should result in a risible 4pc reduction in car mileage in the zone and despite evidence showing that its effectiveness has been extremely mixed

Although the number of private cars fell after the introduction of the charge nearly 20 years ago, they

have simply been replaced by other vehicles such as Uber cars and Amazon delivery vans, in a city where road space has shrunk as a result of major construction work and Khan’s obsession with building new cycle highways

The major’s introduction of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods across the capital has proven similarly divisive, with equally inconclusive results Though proponents of LTNs believe that they can be useful in tackling climate change, reducing car usage, and increasing the number of cyclists, they too have come with unforeseen consequences

In the 10 inner London boroughs that introduced LTNs or equivalent schemes during the pandemic, increases in car use have been greater than in boroughs that did not, according to figures from the Department for Transport But an extension of the Ulez threatens to be the most draconian and damaging yet A daily £12 50 charge is little more than a tax on the poorest of society because it penalises those who cannot afford to upgrade to a

newer, cleaner model that escapes the levy

And for anyone who drives into the zone regularly, the cost would add up to a staggering £3,200 annually, at a time when many families are already reeling from spiralling mortgage, energy, food and fuel bills

To say that many households won’t be able to afford the charges is an understatement Yet the majority of those that will be hit by the scheme will be police officers, firefighters and NHS staff, trying to get to work, as well as an army of tradesmen for whom public transport is simply not an option

Khan has said his campaign is driven by the belief that the Government has a responsibility to build “a greener country” in the shadow of Covid 19 That’s perfectly reasonable who wouldn’t want our children to breathe cleaner air, or the environmental benefits that come with it?

But asking hardworking families to carry the bulk of the financial burden in the eye of a cost of living storm, too is an unforgivable act

of fiscal recklessness, bordering on class warfare

What’s more, it appears to be based on the flawed assumption that driving is somehow a luxury for most people. For many of those living in outer London, it is a necessity, whether for getting around or for work

Estimates put the proportion of those in the capital that rely on their cars for work and travel at around 30pc The revelation that Khan ploughed ahead with the expansion of Ulez despite 60pc of respondents to a public consultation opposing it will do little to quell concerns about a hidden agenda In outer London, 70pc of residents were against the idea and 80pc of workers were opposed

Ditto his backing for a “Singapore style” network of toll roads that campaigners say will mean electric vehicles are taxed just as heavily as petrol and diesel ones It is further proof if any were needed that Khan is waging an ideological war on cars

Courtesy of The Daily Telegraph

Going against public opposition to a Ulez expansion will do little to quell concerns about a hidden agenda

www.ltda.co.uk

Five great fights we want to see in 2023

Lightweight stars Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia announced on Thursday that they intend to fight one another this coming spring if they win interim fights and Davis overcomes legal issues, giving fans one of the most compelling possible matchups in the sport.

That proves that best vs best can be more than just a slogan. And it gets us thinking about more mouth watering potential matchups as we near a new year

Here are five fights we want to see and two we don’t in 2023

Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr.

Don’t hold your breath This might be the best possible matchup in boxing, two unbeaten, experienced welterweights and top pound for pounders in a 50 50 fight It could be the biggest 147 pound clash

since Floyd Mayweather Manny Pacquiao in 2015 Alas, they haven’t been able to come to terms and the window to a deal appears to be closing It would be a travesty if this fight never

happens

Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk Boxing fans long for a single heavyweight champion This matchup would produce one. The unbeaten Fury has been the dominant big man over the past half decade, including two knockouts of Deontay Wilder. The talented Usyk, the former undisputed 200 pound champ, is coming off consecutive victories over once feared Anthony Joshua Fury and Usyk aren’t close to a deal but the

public demand is strong

Canelo Alvarez vs. David Benavidez

Alvarez seems determined to avenge his upset loss to 175 pound titleholder Dmitry Bivol but that’s not the most compelling fight for him Benavidez is an unbeaten, fiery former titleholder who is Alvarez’s weight (168 pounds) and has a style that is more exciting than that of Bivol Another good option for Alvarez is Jermall Charlo, the unbeaten 160 pound titleholder who seems poised to move up in weight

Naoya Inoue vs Stephen Fulton

Inoue might be the best fighter in the world pound for pound, with a lethal combination of ability and knockout power And there is no obvious threat at or near the 118 pound champ’s weight

The only exception might be the unbeaten Fulton, a 122 pound titleholder with uncommon skill Inoue is the more complete fighter but he’d have to move up in weight, which could be the equalizer