Letter to Editor From Lee Ward : Making A Stand, Part 2

If I had more time, I would write a shorter article, but to get everything I want into a short article is beyond my writing skills, so I apologise in advance.

Let’s recap from my last post, where I explained that TfL are between a rock and a hard place in dealing with Taxify, and as you know they have forced them to stop operating which, in my opinion is a knee jerk reaction, and one that’s showing the cracks in TfL from the pressure that they are under…

ok then, have a cheer or two for that….

 Feel better now? I thought you might…

Now how can TfL order Taxify to cease trading when they in fact do no different from Uber as shown in the table;

Now we know Taxify have stated that they operate within from the following statement, but it has a tone of ‘we do no different to Uber’ (highlighted by myself for ease of reference).

Taxify has now issued a statement saying it has “done everything in its power to comply with the local regulations, but is faced by aggression from TfL.” It says that running Taxify as a technology platform directing bookings to City Drive Services registered drivers is “completely compliant within the existing UK law, and is a common practice.” 

TfL has revoked the license held by City Drive Services

I guess TfL didn’t like two Genie’s popping out of the bottle so threw one back in, and I cannot see how they can now renew Ubers license later this month, not with this, the London Assembly voting against it and Sadiq Khan saying he wouldn’t let his daughters travel alone in a minicab (a bit harsh on the genuine minicab drivers, but they will always be tarred with the same brush as Uber while Uber is around I am afraid).

Perhaps for the first time in many months, I actually think that Uber will not be relicensed and the court case can finally begin, hopefully with the best Barristers and a judge that has common sense in abundance.

Now about that crack that showing in TfL, well, we heard of the very imminent departure of one Leon Daniels, not unlike how Travis Kalanick left Uber earlier this year, perhaps Daniels will be investigated the same as Kalanick is, now that would be a nice little turn up for the books, wouldn’t it?

And then we have the 13,000 Uber drivers who have incorrect DBS Certificates, I say Uber because the company Onfido was used by Uber for its ‘Ignition Scheme’ where they assist drivers in obtaining a TfL (or other area’s) license as soon as possible.

For TfL to give these drivers 28 days to acquire a new DBS is beyond me, regardless of who is at fault for this diabolical situation. At the end of the day, the DBS is possibly the biggest part in the application process of deciding who is ‘fit and proper’ to drive the public around. 

What’s next, a driver cannot show a driving license that is valid so they can have 28 days to find one? 

So how did the trade in London get into this mess that they are in?

Well, I will give my two penneth on what I think caused this situation from talking to various people and reading everything I can on the matter.

And my conclusion is, Uber played a game of chess while the Orgs were playing Tic-Tac-Toe.

OK, someone just walked over my grave, I felt the shiver like Miami felt Hurricane Irma today.

I will elaborate, so hang on before you all look north and put two fingers up.

Let’s look at that game of chess that Uber played first.

In 2013 they employed Jo Bertram, who had previously worked for McKinsey & Co. and Accenture, both companies specialise in ensuring that companies work smoothly with Governments across the world.

They employed Racheal Whetstone in 2015, a very well-known public relations executive, someone who for the past 10 years had worked with Google, and no doubt had previous correspondence with George Osbourne when he was dealing with the Google TAX issue.

She was the God Parent to David Cameron’s child, who sadly passed away (hate Cameron, but the child was innocent).

Cameron and Osbourne both told Boris Johnson to back off legislating Uber.

In 2014 along came Tom Elvidge, previously with Accenture and also Goldman Sachs.

Also in 2015 Fred Jones joined Uber, who was a Director at Accenture when Jo Bertram was there and specialised in strategic engagements for FTSE 100 clients and large Government Departments.

You can fill in the blanks about how this network of people got together, either before or after they joined Uber, who knows, but the game of chess was, I must admit, very well played.

Now, while this was going on, the Orgs did…. Erm, well, I can’t find anything really apart from the Taxi Meter bit. Tic-Tac-Toe a futile game where even children soon learn that it ends in a draw, a bit harsh? Maybe.

The Orgs have had plenty of quality information from various people across the trade who have happily supplied their work to the Orgs to take up and run with, but instead, because they didn’t come up with it themselves, they doctored it to make it their own argument and in doing so totally got it wrong, why fix something that isn’t broken or try and reinvent the wheel? Baffles me.

Instead of working together, sharing information and trying to make a joint effort to close down Uber, Uber sat back and giggled watching the Orgs fight amongst themselves, talk about Divide & Conquer masterclass.

There has been enough ammunition supplied to fire a Gatling gun, but no one pulled the trigger and that’s lead to apathy, apathy from people thinking of joining an Org and apathy from members of an Org. Despondency has set in where in reality, right now, drivers should be being constantly updated with information and called to arms like Rottweilers on a short leash with its prey in sight.

But no, nothing, nadda…

The Orgs are so busy not letting the other Orgs know what they are planning or doing that they don’t tell their members what they are planning or doing either, so the members are left in limbo and all that energy that should be being built up with less than 3 weeks before Uber are or are not licensed instead leaves those Rottweilers more like Pugs with their faces so long while sat on a rank.

Hey I may be completely wrong and everyone has signed up to a NDA Like TfL and Uber, if I am, then I apologise now. If I am not, remember I am a Yorkshire man, I say what I like and I like what I bloody well say.

Every area marked on this map has a serious issue with cross border hiring, it’s no surprise that Uber are licensed in every one of these areas.

Cross border hiring, or the Triple License Rule is the result of the Deregulation Act 2015 so people say, and personally, I think they have the argument wrong.

Before 2015 an Operator could sub-contract a booking to any other Operator within the same area, the Deregulation Act allowed them to Sub-Contract a booking to an Operator outside of their area, but its been twisted to the Operators advantage. 

Bookings taken inside area A by Operator A are being sub-contracted to Operator B that’s licensed in area B to cover the booking that’s actually in Area A…confused? Look at the map that should help.

Now the only thing that the Deregulation Act did was support companies to grow, at the expense of the drivers. Saturation was soon to follow with companies realising that they could get an Operators license in the area next to theirs, or further afield and use software to use the drivers from that area (usually the easiest to get licensed and no actual work for the drivers) to saturate the local market. It was all radio rent for the owners, longer between jobs for the drivers.

This, along with Uber and other companies, using the Triple License loophole, where provided the driver, Operator and Vehicle were all licensed by one area then that driver can work anywhere in the country, again something that the legitimate drivers object against.

I say legitimate because these drivers, who are the victims to all of this, have gone through all the necessary obligations to be licensed to drive in the area that they wish to work, not circumvented these requirements and gone for the easy route to get on the road.

It’s not only the companies to blame here, far from it, some authorities have jumped on the money maker, Wolverhampton as an example where they have licensed 6395 drivers up to August this year which is up from 927 in 2013. I think they were giving TfL a run for their money on the bragging rights for revenue stream.

These two issues, the Deregulation Act and Cross Border Hiring have caused massive saturation across the country, no different to the saturation in London itself as percentages go.

The trade cannot continue in this way, or the drivers.

We have waited on the Orgs and Unions, and nothing has happened.

We have waited on our Councillors and MP’s, and nothing has happened.

We have waited on our Local Licensing Authorities, and nothing has happened.

The only thing that has happened is drivers are working longer, losing families, homes and vehicles. Apathy if not depression has set in, reports of suicide have been heard, please, any driver out there that contemplates this, reach out, talk to someone, this is not the way out of trouble.

So, do we wait longer, do we lose more and do we feed apathy?

Or, do we make a stand, a national one.

Taxi drivers and Legitimate Private Hire drivers, for once in history, standing shoulder to shoulder to say enough is enough.

I don’t want any Org or Union to step forward here, but I would like them all to tell their members that they support it.

If you are a member or not, now is your time, now is your opportunity to make that stand.

Every City (or anywhere that is suffering) in this country protests, all on the same day.

It just needs one person in each area to rally the troops, no matter how many or few. Inform the local police and news outlets, give the public notice of what you are doing and why.

Let’s turn everyone’s heads, let people know. Let the authorities know.

They rely on our apathy and lack of unity, let’s show them what we are capable of.

Let’s MAKE A STAND.

If this fails, I have nothing more to give…. My time in this trade will come to an end.

Your friend, colleague and supporter…

 

Wardy

 

 

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