Totally Failing London's Night Tube, Close To Collapse... Say RMT.

The RMT is claiming that the night tube service on the Piccadilly line is in crisis with only a third of the trains currently operational and passengers having to wait up to an hour.

The tube union say the problem is due to a lack of trained train operators available to run the service. They say that they have been informed that one weekend this month there were only seven trains running on the line instead of the scheduled 22. The RMT understands that the problems could continue until Christmas. 

The union says the situation is raising safety concerns for their members who have to deal with angry and sometimes intoxicated passengers who have experienced extended delays.

They claim that the lack of drivers is not down to sickness or industrial action but London Underground’s lack of planning in getting enough drivers trained in time and that the issue has been further exacerbated by management’s reluctance to fully take on board a number of concerns raised by the RMT.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said, “Tube bosses need to send out a clear signal that they are addressing the driver shortage issues which have reduced the Night Tube on the Piccadilly Line to chaos.

“London Underground also need to urgently address the major safety and customer service issues arising from the Piccadilly Line Night Tube crisis that they have created.

“Instead of dismissing some of the key points raised by our safety reps , LUL needs to listen to the concerns of its workers and implement an urgent solution so that Night Tube trains and stations are staffed and run safely and customers get the service they were promised.”

We have asked TfL for a comment on the situation but have yet to reply

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Taxis In Barcelona, Reported To Be Giving People Free Lifts To Safe Areas.

The whole world is grieving again, as tonight, horrific pictures fill our TV screens. Once again we are seeing unfortunate people being killed by another heinous, preplanned terrorist attack, in the Las Ramblas area in Barcelona. 

A Spanish newspaper has said the attack was definitely terrorist related, one suspect had been arrested and is in custody,  another is alleged to have been shot and killed in a shootout with Catalan police. Breaking news on Sky at 8pm, say another suspect may well have been arrested!

Police have said 13 have died with over 50 seriously injured. 

Once again are seeing Taxi drivers, stepping up to the mark, offering the terrified public trapped in the chaos, rides to a safe area free of charge. 

The London Taxi trade look towards our brother and sister Taxi drivers tonight in Barcelona. 

We salute you all.

Our thoughts and our hearts are with you. 

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Conservative MP, Charlie Elphicke Says Bank Junction Cameras Are Fleecing Motorists.

A Conservative MP has accused the City of London Corporation's decision to ban all vehicles other than bicycles and buses at Bank Junction as being motivated more by a desire to raise money through fining motorists who ignore it, rather than being due to safety concerns.

The local authority that governs the Square Mile began an 18-month trial of the ban, which applies from 7am to 7pm on Mondays to Fridays, in May this year.

The move was welcomed by cycling campaigners, who had lobbied for safety improvements at the junction since the death there of 26-year-old Ying Tao in 2015, when she was crushed by a lorry as she rode to work.

While the City of London Corporation initially sent warning letters to motorists caught flouting the ban, in June it began fining them, with vehicle registrations captured using seven cameras equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (APNR) technology around the junction.

Nevertheless, large numbers of motorists are continuing to drive through Bank Junction outside the permitted hours.

The Daily Star reports that an average of 1,498 drivers were fined each day between 7 June and 17 July, according to a Freedom of Information request.

With a fixed penalty notice of £130 being issued to transgressors, total fines during that period were almost £200,000 a day.

The newspaper extrapolates that to being equivalent to almost £50 million a year – although that figure, equivalent to around 375,000 individual fines, seems to assume that drivers would not change their behaviour after being caught the first time.

Charlie Elphicke, Conservative MP for Dover, told the Daily Star: “The cameras on this junction are fleecing motorists for £200,000 a day.

“Many people would say this looks like a case of revenue-raising rather than anything to do with traffic safety.

“Cameras are simply there to raise revenue cause big resentment and are incredibly unfair,” he added

Source : Road.CC 

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Russell Square Incident : The Case Of The Disappearing PHV Registration.

Footage emerged  yesterday on Facebook, showing a minicab driver, desperately trying to drive away after causing a collision. The alleged TfL registered private hire car was seen by witnesses to reversed into a Taxi.

The vehicle sporting TfL licence roundels, drove off at speed almost running over the two Taxi drivers trying to cut off the escape. 

Earlier yesterday,Taxi Leaks carried out a registration search on the Transport for London's PHV license checker website and found that the silver Peugeot FE12LZS had a TfL licence disc number 410629

But later in the evening, when we checked against, the Peugeot had been mysteriously removed from the website, even though it was only licences just over 4weeks ago. 

As the incident has been reported to both TfL and the Met Police, we would assume that after viewing the footage, TfL immediately revoked vehicles license.

So credit where credits due and well done to TfL (if this is the case).

We now await the fun and games!

Was it an Uber driver?

Did he have the App switch on?

Does he have insurance?

Was that switched on?

Was the driver, a licensed PHV driver?

Will we ever find out???

 

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#UBERGATE : Sexual Assaults Increase As TfL Registered Uber Cars Flooding Into Southampton.

Calls have been made for all taxis to carry officially-approved markings to prevent passengers becoming victims of crime.

It follows an incident in which a woman is alleged to have been sexually assaulted and dumped near the M27 motorway after getting into what she thought was a taxi.

The local Taxi union says people are becoming used to getting into unmarked taxis because of all the Uber vehicles that are “flooding” into Southampton.

Taxi driver Perry McMillan, chairman of the Southampton cab association, said Uber vehicles licensed by Southampton City Council, had to carry clear markings but those from other areas often displayed nothing but a small disc in the back windscreen, issued by Transport for London. 

Some of the Ubers were from the New Forestwhile others travelled into the city from as far afield as Basingstoke but most are from London, he said.

Southampton taxi drivers have held talks with New Forest District Council and are also planning to raise the issue with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

Mr McMillan has spoken out following an alleged incident involving a woman in Bedford Place, Southampton, last month.

He criticised some of the advice issued by police at the time. Officers said people should book a taxi in advance instead of flagging one down in the street and should always sit behind the driver.

Mr McMillan stressed that people were legally entitled to hail a proper taxi in the street.

“Drivers face increasing pressure from out-of-town Uber cars flooding our city. 

Being hailed in the street helps both them and passengers in a hurry. They get to their destination safely - and all Southampton licensed cabs are fitted with CCTV.”

Police investigating the alleged incident in Bedford Place have charged a 57-year-old Southampton man with kidnap and sexual assault.

Source : Southern Daily Echo 

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Bank Junction Update : It's Never a Been About The Safety, It's All About The Money

Please Support Fellow Taxi Driver Stripped Of Licence For Criticising TfL.

Weʼre raising £2,500 to London Taxi Driver, Sean Stockings who had his license revoked 3 months ago by TFL. Please donate 2 help him cover his bills for this period.

IT COULD BE YOU NEXT!

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Thank you all for taking a few minutes to read about Sean Stockings and the appalling treatment he has suffered at the hands of TFL and Leon Daniels in particular. 

Sean is a Licensed London Taxi Driver with a young family and a super kind heart. Sean cares. Sean cares about bus and tram crashes and Sean cares about pedestrians being run over. Sean cares about how TFL are dealing with UBER and PH ranking outside stations, bus stops and residential streets. He cares about the huge rise in Road Traffic Accidents and the increase in congestion and pollution. He cares about the free for all wild west mentality on our streets. 

Sean is just like YOU, he is PROUD of his job and profession and what it stands for.

Sean has had his licence revoked...this didn't happen immediately, only when TFL failed to provide proper disclosure, forcing Sean's legal representative to send a letter before action on Sean's behalf...this is why The LCDC, are fighting hard to ensure that Sean does not lose his badge.

If Sean had done anything wrong, we would not be asking for your help. So what did Sean do?

On the 17th November 2016, whilst walking to a personal engagement Sean happened upon Leon Daniels, Mike Brown and Vernon Everitt (and others) out for the evening celebrating who knows what on the Eve of the Ladbroke Grove bus crash (when 14 people were injured, some seriously) just over a week after the most deadliest Tram crash since 1917 (7 fatalities and 58 persons injured). The glasses and plates on the outside table suggesting that they had been drinking wine and eating good food - perhaps outside a table chosen so these businessmen could smoke expensive cigars (looking for all the world to be enjoying their expense accounts in the type of posh restaurants that cab drivers cannot afford).

Sean could not understand why TFL with its track record would be celebrating that night. Sean would be first to accept that approaching them hasn't turned out to be his best idea ever - but exactly what did he do? Many of you have seen the video and are surprised that TFL have come down so harshly on Sean, when all he done was take the opportunity to ask Leon Daniels about his track record. Yes he was emphatic but sometimes you have to be when trying to get answers to important questions. As Leon Daniels smirked and Mike Brown looked down, Sean asked the questions you might also liked to have asked these people, who many feel have for the last 5 years slowly but surely destroyed the trade.

Well what happened next? Well within a month he had his licence revoked, without a disclosure. Those who have seen the clip will note that Sean was not abusive, so what has caused such an offence? Who determined Sean was not fit and proper and why? TFL tried to get the Police involved - they refused to arrest Sean (he committed no offence). Then a thorough investigation took place (with no input from Sean). Sean was permanently revoked over 3 months ago and been unable to work since.

There is much more to Sean's story and the involvement of others at TFL, that we simply do not have room here to fully explain in greater detail.

Please support Sean in this difficult time for him, his partner and young family.

Many thanks,

The London Cab Drivers Club

To donate, please click on this link:

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See full story and letter from TfL in this edition of the badge. 

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