Is TfL Compliance's Biased Harassment Of Black Cabs, Resulting In PH Free For All Around City Airport ?

Neighbours around the City Airport fear they will be living in a ghetto, unless minicab drivers using their streets as a toilet and unofficial pick up point change their anti-social behaviour.

People living in Newland Street and adjoining roads have complained of feeling unsafe with up to 20 or more cars queueing along the half mile route as they wait for pick ups at neighbouring London City Airport.

We are seeing the same behaviour in Newland Street that we saw around Heathrow, with Private Hire drivers urinating and defalcating in residence front gardens.  

Paula Black, who has lived in nearby Sheldrake Close for more than 20 years reported seeing drivers littering and relieving themselves in the street. She said: “It doesn’t feel nice anymore. This is the worst we’ve seen it. 

“It’s a lack of respect for the people who live here whether they’re older people or children. It’s like we don’t matter,” the 49-year-old added.

Hurkhan Ahmed, 28, who has lived in nearby Winifred Street all his life, said: “Kids run between these cars. The drivers park so close to a bend, a blind spot for drivers. Any drivers coming down the road will only see someone crossing at the very last moment. I had to emergency stop because of some of the cab drivers’ parking.”

Grandmother Elaine Bullard, 61, who also lives in Sheldrake Close and claims to have seen a driver urinating up a wall near her home, said: “I’m not knocking the airport. It’s the drivers themselves not being respectful.”

Tony, a local yellow badge Taxi driver said: "Where the hell are compliance, I'll tell you where, they're at the airport terminal given Licensed Black Cab Drivers Badge and Bill checks, checking for the heinous crime of having unofficial signage and generally harassing Taxi drivers. They arrive do their checks on Black Cabs and then leave, completely ignoring the minicabs sofa ding filth and disease around the area."

According to Hurkhan, drivers are using the streets around the hub to avoid paying charges while waiting for pick ups at the short stay car park.

Acknowledging the neighbours’ concerns, a spokeswoman for London City said the airport had written to minicab firms in the area to advise them of “appropriate behaviour”, but admitted it does not employ minicab drivers or have regulatory rights over them.

She added: “We have been liaising with the London Borough of Newham over the issue and believe their proposed controlled parking zone for the Royal Docks area is the best solution.

“We have been fully supportive of the implementation of such a system, which we understand is due to be introduced this year.” 

A spokesman for firm Addison Lee said: “We have been made aware in the past of concerns from residents about drivers using Newland Street for waiting.

“We deal with incidents on a case by case basis, working with residents to identify vehicles so we can speak to the driver and ask them to move on.

“We will continue to use our driver communication channels to instruct drivers not to wait in Newland Street, and will monitor the area with our quality assessors who will routinely visit this and other streets around the airport.”

An Uber spokesman added: “We take any reports of antisocial behaviour very seriously, and what has been alleged is clearly unacceptable.

“Whilst this issue is not confined to Uber, we would urge residents to report such behaviour so we can take the appropriate action.”

A council spokeswoman said enforcement officers have been monitoring the area and have issued four penalty notices to date following complaints. (Four penalty notices....is this a joke? If it were black cabs, the council traffic wardens would have run out of penalty notice books by now)

She added: “We are in contact with the various minicab companies to look at long term sustainable solutions.”

The council have also said they can now issue warnings banning drivers from neighbourhoods around the airport with community protection notices issued to any who return and a £100 fine if they breach the terms of the notice for a third time. (So why haven't they been doing this...4 penalty notices)

“We hope this action will deter mini-cabs from negatively affecting the quality of life of our residents,” she said.

Meanwhile the council noted a consultation over Residents Parking Zones continues with people living in the area urged to contribute to make sure measures are introduced to “best impact on the issues that matter to them”. 

However, the council spokeswoman said: “As London City Airport do not allow minicabs to use the official taxi rank, the issues caused by minicabs congregating in residential streets is likely to remain, unless the RPZ is in effect during the Airport’s core operating hours. 

Editorial Comment :

It should be up to the residents and local council to sort out this situation. This lays squarely at TfL's feet, as it is their policy of dishing out 600 PH licensing every week that has caused the problem at London's Airports. Plus the fact, their compliance teams have been ordered not to involve themselves with the problems away from the Taxi rank. 

A note to the council spokeswoman: Its not the City Airport who do not allow minicabs to use the official Taxi rank, it's Government legislation. Taxi ranks are for Taxis. Minicabs can only pick up pre-booked jobs....that's the law. A law that at present TfL are ignoring. Another example of the woefully inadequacies of our biased licensing authority who come down heavy handed on the licensed Taxi trade. 

TfL hold the key to a perfect solution to this problem, but according to compliance officers at the airport, orders come down their chain of command to leave PH alone.

 Top officials on TfL surface transport, are a disgrace to the office the hold. 

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An Uber driver who bought a £37,000 Mercedes explains why he's not earning as much as he thought he would. No don't laugh 😂😂😂

An Uber driver has complained he's losing money on the service after being forced to take cheaper fares.

Glasgow driver David Dunn told a parliamentary select committee on Monday that he paid £37,000 for his Mercedes E-Class to drive on Uber Exec.

Uber Exec rides are targeted at business passengers and can cost almost double the standard Uber X fare. To justify the higher fare, drivers need to drive more expensive vehicles like Mercedes and Audis.

But Dunn said just 5% of his rides were Uber Exec passengers, forcing him to pick up cheaper Uber X fares.

Now, he said, he's stuck with the more expensive car, the associated costs, and not enough income. He added that after taxes and costs, he didn't earn minimum wage.

"I find myself running about with an E-Class doing jobs for £2.25 – that's unheard of," he said. "Black cabs charge £6 or £7."

Dunn added Uber won't negotiate with him on its 25% commission, and adds that he can't refuse cheaper jobs. "If I refuse a job three times, they penalise you and switch you off."

A second, London-based Uber Exec driver, Syed Khalil, added that he had to work 40 to 50 hours a week to break even, and up to 90 to make a profit.

He said he had spent around £40,000 on an E-Class, which he was repaying in instalments. He said Uber charged him 27% commission.

"I have to pay £350 [a month] for car instalments, and you must pay £150 for private insurance, you must have that," he said. "Before you start the ignition and have one passenger, it's costing at least £500 a month. That's a fixed cost."

Khalil said he didn't earn minimum wage either and added that most drivers he knew relied on benefits for additional support.

Dunn said it was "very expensive" to work for the platform, and that a flood of new drivers restricted his earnings.

He said: "It's not great. It's got to the stage where it's very expensive for us to work.

"The number of drivers are restricting what you earned before. It's a great platform, no doubt. [But] it's the most expensive booking service for any driver. It's expensive for us, and cheap for the public."

Uber bottled it and wasn't represented at the committee, although it did put forward one driver with a more positive story.

London-based driver Steven Rowe said Uber drivers who complained "should get full-time employment" if they wanted added job security.

When it came to paying off the costs of private car hire insurance, he added that he "drives carefully".

Rowe isn't paid additional fees by Uber, but a quick Google search on his name shows that he often appears in the news making positive comments about the company.

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Bromsgrove Councillor Slams District Council's Decision To Refuse Policy Making Taxis Wheelchair Accessible

A BROMSGROVE councillor has slammed the district council’s decision to refuse a policy making all taxis in the town wheelchair accessible.

Following a year-long consultation members of the council’s Licensing Committee decided there was no evidence to make all licensed taxis across the district wheelchair accessible.

Instead the committee decided the 13 already wheelchair accessible taxis (seven Hackney Carriages and six private hire vehicles) be promoted more prominently.

Coun Christine McDonald, who represents Rubery South, said Bromsgrove District Council ‘needed to bring itself into the 21st century’ and ‘remove such unwanted needless discrimination against the disabled.’

“I was embarrassed to be a member of Bromsgrove District Council when it refused a policy to ensure all New Hackney Cabs would over a ten year period become wheelchair accessible.

“It is absolutely deplorable that a council condones such discrimination against the disabled.

“While neighbouring authorities have all brought in policies that all New Hackney Cabs have to be wheelchair accessible, Bromsgrove has refused to do the same.

“This is clear discrimination and I am sure if one of the councillors used a wheelchair it would be a different story.

“Anyone using a wheelchair knows how difficult it is in Bromsgrove to get hold of a taxi that is wheelchair compliant.”

Committee Chairman Coun Rita Dent, said: “While the outcome was that members were not satisfied there was sufficient evidence to support amending the council’s policy the outcome to promote the right taxis to meet our residents’ needs was really positive.

“We are now planning our promotional campaign

Meanwhile, back in TfL's London....

QUESTION TO BARONESS GREY-THOMPSON DBE AND DR ALICE MAYNARD CBE :

Dear Tanni and Alice, please tell us how this lady is going to access the Bank Junction when the Taxi exclusion kicks in ?

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State Of The Trade : TfL's Non Compliance And Harassment Agenda

We've decided to suspend the daily compliance statistics as you can't report on negative action.

The idea of this daily report was to try to show that the new wave of compliance officers were doing a sterling job, but unfortunately driver observations have revelled the opposite to be true. 

Of all the sightings, mainly during the days, it seems the army of COs only concentrate on Licensed Taxis. The main bone of contention appears to be over ranking and the forming of unauthorised standings. Yet these new recruits seem to be oblivious of Private Hire cars, forming illegal ranks, waiting in restricted areas and touting (illegally plying for trade). 

When approached by drivers asking why they are not enforcing compliance towards Private Hire drivers, the COs answer they haven't been told to, or they've only been ordered to deal with Licensed Taxis. 

This whole issue has become quite a disgrace as its obvious TfL are harassing and purposely picking on a Taxi Drivers. 

Most new recruits are badly trained, do not have a grasp of Hackney carriage legislation and are only concentrating on certain contraventions of Taxi drivers. Point in question was illustrated in a PR video on the Londonist blog, that showed compliance officer, telling a licensed taxi driver to remove a sticker from his rear window. Reason given was it was blocking his rear view.

Taxi Leaks recently enquired about the blocking of rear views by the badly sited Credit Card a Readers. We were informed that on vehicles that have two wing mirrors fitted....it is not a legal requirement to have a clear rear view from a centrally fitted mirror. They sited a delivery van as an example. 

Surely, if it's good enough to block the rear vision with a credit card reader, then a transparent Union membership sticker, should also be fine. Just more proof of TfLs agenda of harassment. 

We saw this basis agenda last year when top brass including Garrett Emmerson  and Helen Chapman went out with operation neon officers accompanied by Steve McNamara (LTDA), Grant Davis(LCDC), Peter Rose(Unite) and Eddie Nestor from BBC radio. Members of the group were touted in soho but no action was taken against the touts. 

None of the trade representatives made official complaints about the incident.

Sadly our representative orgs appear to be more interested in having a cosy relationship with TfL rather than truly representing their membership. Demos and trade media have become all about recruitment, hence the rise of the driver lead Independent Taxi Alliance. 

There has been much talk about the drivers -nearly half the trade- who refuse to subscribe to any org or union....but can you blame them. 

What have trade orgs won for the trade over the passed decade....I can't think of one victory.

All meetings with TfL appear to be in-camera with no minutes taken and very few reports making it into trade media. 

Perhaps the time is right for a driver revolt.

It is now blatantly obvious that TfL are behind the trades exclusion from the Bank Junction on the premise that it will speed up bus journey times. The resulting congestion to the surrounding area has not been taken into consideration at the the talks held with ITA, mediated by the RMT, City planners were unable to produce any data to support their claims. 

We are informed that the industrial action will go ahead at the Bank Junction daily from March 1st. 

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History is a great teacher if you're willing to learn from it, sadly I don't think we have... By Harry Wall.

The Olympics should have been enough to drive home the true intentions of our regulatory body but, for some reason, we chose to ignore it. That was the big one for me, the most clear, defining moment in TFLs history that should have unified our trade and launched us into battle there and then. And I was screaming about it at the time but few people listened, instead the majority opted for burying their heads in the sand, as usual.

We never learn from our mistakes. 

We never seem to understand the magnitude of what's facing us, how it will affect us or the human cost of our ignorance. We're one month into 2017 with Uber's new license looming in the air and still, to my knowledge, none of the orgs have met to formulate a plan or strategy with which to fight it. 

I find this shocking and I'm obviously not alone or the ITA wouldn't have been able to call demos like they have.

 

Five cab trade orgs and not one of them can see what's needed and does it, that's why we now have the ITA in the first place.

Damaging news breaks on a near regular basis but it's become so commonplace it's accepted as the norm, that's how far we've gone. Where we should use such news to our advantage we don't bother. It's the effect of years of lies, deceit, bullshit, treachery and betrayal has had on our once noble profession which is so deep seated it seems as though it's engrained in the fabric of the trade now.

A brilliant piece of work in Taxileaks on Friday 3rd Feb by our colleague Lee Ward highlighted the ease with which the establishment manoeuver themselves through spats with those nasty common people who try to use the law to win their case. It's called delegated legislation and "allows the Government to make changes to a law without the need to push through a new Act of Parliament." Read the article and learn something, Lee explains how easy it is to ruin an industry without getting your hands dirty and it's all legal.

That's how they'll tailor make Uber's new license, everything will fit just nicely.

Brilliant work by Lee Ward on Taxi Leaks.

There are 3 words I'd like you all to consider.

The fist one is malfeasance which is defined as :

"The will and intentional action that injures a party".

The issuing of Ubers license has caused nothing but hardship and a sharp drop in our living standards, also as recently reported we now have evidence of depression and attempted suicides brought on directly by TFL.

The irony being if any of us call the Samaritans we're calling an organisation run by a lady who's married to Graham Craig, Commercial Development manager at TFL.

You couldn't make it up!

Secondly, nonfeasance which is defined as :

"Failure to act where action is required."

We can all testify to an unquestionable lack of compliance leading to a near total lawless London in terms of Taxi and Private Hire.

Third, misfeasance which is defined as :

"The willfully inappropriate action or intentionality incorrect action or advice."

I sat behind Leon Daniels when he told City Hall that Uber had a landline knowing full well they didn't. I also heard him say Uber had on/off insurance which we all know doesn't exist.

These three alone should be enough to end our torment but it seems even blatant lies, deceit and bullshit isn't sufficient.

We had the treachery of the Olympics where all the work went to PH even though we helped sell it and now it's widely thought Mac and Slease have betrayed us by working with TFL to feather their own nests.

 

Any pennies dropping yet?

This is a fight we have to fight on our own.

It has to be driver led from now on and I urge all of you to consider the ITA as our only option for direct action from now on.

I've made it plain I've no faith in any org, even my own.

We have to face facts and accept they can't do what we want them to, for whatever reason, it doesn't matter. This is now a make or break situation with drastic action needed and it has to be completely mercenary with an unwavering intent on ruining anyone who stands in our way, our families depend on it. 

Those in TFL have no regard for any of us, the human cost of their actions is irrelevant to them and we should afford them the same attitude from this day forward. Forget those who've swore blind they'll help us then disappeared, they've done so for a reason. 

We can't afford to waste any more time meeting people, we should have started 2017 by bringing London to a standstill as a statement of intent but we missed the opportunity, again. But we can still make a huge statement week in and week out by causing as much hardship to TFL as possible. Look what happened when the RMT threatened to paralise the tube network for two days, TFL caved to the point of getting the action postponed. When you have that kind of power you get results. 

We have the same power but we just don't realise it, but TFL do and that's why they're so keen to intimidate us with threats of revoking our licenses at the first opportunity.

Horrible, vile, corporate whores, all of them.

Fear and capitulation is a choice, don't choose it.

Fight back starting March 1st.

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Hero taxi driver stops woman jumping from Lambeth Bridge

A hero black cab driver has told how he risked his life by clinging on to a woman who was trying to jump from a London bridge.

Steve Teague described how he leaned over the side of Lambeth Bridge, grabbing hold of the distressed woman’s arm, while another bystander clutched the cabbie’s belt to stop him being pulled over the edge.

The 50-year-old, along with two other members of the public, stayed with the lady and held her back until police could arrive and take her to safety.

Mr Teague told the Standard he was driving home to Bickley when another vehicle pulled up sharply in front of him and ran over to the side of the bridge on Friday evening.

He said he saw a struggling woman on a ledge. She was being held back by a man who was pleading with her not to jump.

He said: “I jumped over the top of the bridge so I was off my feet. There was a guy behind me who was hanging on to the back of my trousers to stop me going over.

“I was hanging over the top of the bridge reaching over to the girl.

"I managed to get hold of her wrist while she was trying to fight off the other guy.

“I was telling her to stand up but she was really struggling. She was adamant she was going to throw herself off.”

The cab driver told the struggling woman: “You’re not going anywhere, there’s no way I’m letting you go, it’s not going to happen.”

Mr Teague said the “real hero” turned up seconds later, a man in a business suit and tie who climbed over to get a better grip of the woman. 

The three men then worked together, each getting hold of each other to stay steady until the emergency services could arrive.

He said: “Without a second thought, he went over and tried to calm her down. We were all holding on to each other.

“I was saying to the guy behind me ‘don’t let me go, if one goes we’ll all go.”

The cabbie said it felt like they were holding on for around 15 minutes, but in reality the police arrived after around five, turning up alongside the RNLI and fire brigade.

She was rescued and taken to a place of safety, while a shaking Mr Teague drove home, feeling “a bit emotional”.

The cabbie, who has been operating in the capital for 17 years, was given a hero’s reception and a round of applause by other taxi drivers at a café in Victoria station at the weekend.

And it is not the first time he has saved a life, jumping in a Kent river to help a drowning eight-year-old three years ago.

But he told the Standard: “I’ve said to the other drivers we’d all do the same. 

“I’m just glad I was there. It was the right place, right time I think. You’d hope everybody would do it."

The London Fire Brigade confirmed they were called to Lambeth Bridge at 8.43pm on Friday to assist the Met Police.

Lambeth Borough Commander Richard Wood said: “I would like to thank everyone who assisted in the rescue of a distressed young woman from Lambeth Bridge.

“Several members of the public showed remarkable courage, risking their own safety to save her as she came perilously close to falling.

“The London Fire Brigade and my own officers also did an exceptional job in difficult circumstances.”

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.

Source : Evening Standard. 

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More Good News : Uber has pulled out of Taiwan amidst regulatory battle

A few months after Taiwanese regulators moved to give Uber the boot, the US-based ride-hailing giant has shut down its service in the country effective February 10.

In a blog post calling the move a “pause”, Uber accused the Taiwanese government of moving “further and further away from embracing innovation and setting the stage for a 21st century transportation policy”.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications will update with their statement soon.

Uber and the Taiwanese government have had a confrontational relationship for at least half a year, but disagreements peaked in December when parliament voted to raised fines against unlicensed services.

A driver that is punished could face a maximum fine of US$790,000, making it the world’s steepest fine. Uber pays for its driver’s fines and according to The Straits Times has racked up TWD1.1 billion (US$35.4 million) in the month-plus since the legislation went into effect.

Also Read: Taiwan moves to boot out Uber and also UberEATS

In the blog post, the company hinted that the decision to press pause could be a negotiation tactic:

“In the face of this impasse, we must create a new path forward. Today, we are announcing our intention to pause our Taiwan service starting Friday 10th February. We hope that pressing pause will reset the conversation and inspire President Tsai to take action.”

Uber is fairly popular in Taiwan, and it will be worth watching how the public responds when the service is officially pulled.

There is one model for how a city that integrated — and then pulled — Uber from society adapts. In Austin, Texas, the ride-hailing service went ‘underground’, with organic FaceBook groups replacing the service. Other companies, more willing to adapt to local regulations, also jumped in to fill the void.

Also Read: [Updated] It gets worse: Taiwan is latest country to try and give Uber the boot

Uber operates in four cities across Taiwan and claims to have completed over 15 million rides in the country.

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