National Campaign Save Taxis & Private Hire from unregulated Uber with TFL Public Inquiry

There Are Three Types Of Lies. Lies, Damn Lies And Statistics ....................By Semtex.

It was way back in 1970 that I left school as a fifteen year old. My sixteenth birthday was in July during the school summer holiday. Three weeks after my sixteenth birthday in 1970, I had taken the Oath to serve our Queen, and was on my way to Pirbright, to start the gruelling and soul breaking training programme to become a Queen's Guardsman.

Many people do not realise that these highly trained front line troops, are not just National ornaments who stand outside Palaces wearing Bearskins. These five Footguard and two mounted Cavalry Household Division Regiments, are also feared front line Infantry battalions, and are more often than not deployed along with support from The Parachute Regiment and Royal Marines within minutes of Home Office request, to troubled countries all around the world.

By the time I had joined the army, I had had literally no experience with girls. Two years further on at almost eighteen, I was none the more experienced either. Also, by that stage of my life, and with the effects of the extreme physical training, I was strong, incredibly physically fit, six foot three and built like an outside toilet. I could confidently take care of myself with no problems at all.

In spite of these attributes, there was still one thing missing though..............I still had had no luck let alone opportunity, to find myself a girlfriend.

Now bearing in mind that Taxileaks has a wide readership and worldwide respect, I will refrain from being too graphic in what followed.

That said,  you don't need to have too broad  an imagination to understand that this strong, young, super fit, strapping Guardsman...........had certain feelings and natural testosterone fuelled desires. Although I was shy and not at all confident with the young ladies, that didn't mean to say that I didn't want to meet one, and my Englishman's red blood was gushing around my body like a fire tender pump.

To make matters worse, I didn't drink or smoke (and still don't) two favourably social habits  that probably would have enhanced my quest and chances of meeting people, in the little time that I had off from training.  As I had no desire to start smoking or ruin my physique with dreaded alcohol, I decided to pursue a different approach to my target.

Littered around the barrack rooms back at base, and in keeping with all male dominated establishments, were many issues of men's magazines. You all know the ones. And amidst the glossy pages of one of these recreational necessities was an advert for an incredibly beautiful woman. I looked at the picture of her, and even fully clothed she looked stunning. What was even more incredible for me though, was that she was advertising her 'services' for a fee. One of her 'services' was what she described as 'a real girlfriend experience'. 

Now was certainly not the time to put my naivety and virginal chastity underneath the microscope. This deal seemed perfect. Now, as you can imagine, I had saved a few quid up in the couple of years of my initial training, so money wasn't an object. It was my confidence and experience that I lacked. I didn't know what to do, what to say, let alone what to do when push come to shove, pardon the expression.

I slept  on the idea for a while, and realising that unless something changed in my private life pretty quickly I would probably go through life a unconfident, unfulfilled virgin.

Glancing once more at the glossy photo shoot of this brunette goddess in fine French lace and silk lingerie prompted me to go to the barracks phone box, and make the call for an 'appointment' to meet my new girlfriend.

Although more nervous than I had ever been on anything  that the famous Guards training schedule could throw at me, I jumped on the train at Brookwood in Surrey, to make my way to my new temporary first girlfriend's house in London's Sussex Gardens.

Clean shaven, well dressed, groomed and drenched in Brut aftershave, I plucked up the bravado and rang on the bell.

A young Filipino girl answered the door and I announced that I come to see  Priscilla.

Smiling and bidding me in, she offered me a seat in a beautiful Chintz chair overlooking the gardens at Paddington.

I heard the young lady say that Steve was in the lounge to meet Priscilla. Still nervous and visibly shaking I heard the unmistakeable click click of high heeled stilettos heading towards the lounge. This is it, I remember thinking. At last I can become a real man. Mentally reminiscing the glossy photos of this womanly vision, I realised that I was seconds away from real love. I hope I didn't blow it, I hope I knew what to do, I hope she would fall in love with me and maybe we would marry, I hope...................."Good evening, Steve, how lovely to meet you."

My facial expression must have surely exposed my utter amazement. "What's wrong darling, have you never seen a real woman before?"

There standing in front of me, was not my first love as I had so repeatedly dreamed about, and most certainly not the same flawless, curvy, feminine cast of perfection that I had drooled over countless times on the photos..............but mate, this 'thing' that was just about to embezzle seventy five quid from me looked like Lenny McLean with a dress on !

I remember my head being in a haze. She offered me a drink and as she walked over to the drinks cabinet, I took off out of that house making Usain Bolt look like Douglas Bader ! The poor Filipino  girl went over like a skittle, along with about four pictures hanging on the wall as I came out of that door like an England International Prop. And I doubt many people have made it up the entire length of Sussex Gardens, as fast as I did on that summer's day in the seventies.

I can hear our readers saying, all very entertaining, but this is Taxileaks, how is that story anything to do with the London Cab Trade. I will tell you. Regular readers of my stuff always know I eventually get to the point, and here it comes.

 I learnt a lot about life on that visit to Sussex Gardens. But the main thing I learnt...................... was that, sometimes things are not as good as they are made to appear.

I was looking at the Transport For London website today. If you haven't already done so, do me a favour and take a look at it. Full of absolute twaddle. Without doubt, whoever designed it and worked on the pie charts, graphics and list of projections achievements and goals...........did a fantastic job of it. Whatever the website technicians company charged them, it was worth every penny.

If I WASN'T a London Cab Driver and was sitting in say Japan, thinking about coming to work for TFL in London, I would be absolutely over the moon with excitement, just as I was over the moon with excitement waiting to meet Priscilla.

However, I AM a London Taxi driver, and I DO know better and DO know what is happening on our capital's roads and streets. And me and my mates and ordinary Londoner's know only too well, that the well designed, colourful glossy photos and projections on TFL's website......................are as deceptive, dishonest, misleading and as delusional, as the very ones  I had hoped would rid me of my virginity stigma and frustration, all those years ago.

Notwitstanding, and also very similar to the Sussex Gardens rendezvous, Transport For London have become a very seedy, murky, sleazy organisation haven't they ?

Taxileaks have only today published a report stating that TFL themselves use Uber in their day to day business for traveling to and fro London.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not implying that TFL are doing anything illegal by using Uber to drive them about. But its a bit off isn't it ? London has a taxi service who are repeated winners of World Taxi Industry Awards, and yet their own Government Regulators choose to use an inferior dubious, controversial, foreign and morally questionable company.

That said, the two are perfectly matched aren't they. TFL & Uber go hand in hand to me. They are both untrustworthy, they both punch above their weight, they are both deceptive and they both exist day to day up to their necks in controversy. They are both too, run at the top by people both past and present, who I wouldn't trust with my Oystercard slippers or silk kimono. Know what I mean ?

Have a look at Uber and TFL's websites and glossy photos though, and you will get an image of desire and satisfaction, just like I had of the pictures of Priscilla !

I don't mean to be unprofessional or disrespectful, but Mayor Khan has started off pretty useless hasn't he ?

I predict he will go into the history books as just another 'grey' bloke. Just like Obama. Barack didn't really do anything of any outstanding achievement did he ? Just filled in a period of time until somebody comes along with half an idea, and cashes in on the back of a nonentity like Mayor Khan. John Major was the same. I've met him several times. A lovely man. Warm, sincere and humorous, but achieve much professionally ? Not really.

To be fair to myself, I warned well before the election that Khan would do nothing for London, let alone our trade. His brief appears to get the best deal for Muslims, Human Rights and the difficulties of Islam. Nothing wrong with that at all my learned friend, and all very commendable, except that London is at gridlock out there at present, Sir, and people are dying because of toxic poisoning. Look after your own by all means, but the London Mayor seems to be extremely complacent in many matters of extreme importance outside his own priorities, as far as the ORDINARY Londoner is concerned. 

That very same imaginary Japanese student that I mentioned earlier who was bursting with excitement at starting with such a monolithic, renowned organisation, would be devastated when he or she come to London and the reality doesn't match the website ! 

Since Transport For London were appointed by The Greater London Authority almost seventeen years ago, the global image of our once Great English Capital has been ravaged, raped and pulverised.

Look back at any old film footage of our City in the 50's and 60's. You will see an image of decency, honour, bowler hatted gentlemen, London Taxi Cabs and Big Ben. London Red Buses with uniformed drivers and conductors, professionally trained and wearing starched white collars and smart ties.

Now look at the state of it. Corruption at the very pinnacle of Hierarchy, Government and Law & Order.  A Transport Regulator  themselves officially using a controversial American company based in Holland with questionable operating models and mysterious licensing criteria. A City Regulator who are convinced that cheap, cheap, and cheaper still is of benefit to travelling Londoners, despite the appalling safety record of mini cab operator Uber, and despite having one of the most safest and professional Taxi Trades on the planet at their disposal. 

A Bus Service whose safety record has never ever been as woefully abhorrent.  Buses slung around London's roads by inexperienced foreign Nationals, dangerously driving these huge specialist commercial vehicles dressed like rappers and totally aloof of what is happening on the road around them.

Pollution is at a dangerous level, killing people and causing irreparable damage to everyone who ventures or works in our capital.

It is people and Organisations such as Transport For London who are everything that are bad, sad, seedy and cheap for our once Great City. Their mere existence is artificial, unprofessional and clear to everyone who works or travels to London...............Its just not working. TFL's logo and catchy phrase that " Every Journey matters" is quite frankly utter bollox. Every journey does indeed matter, but despite the glossy website, despite the optimistic pie charts, despite the ludicrously deceptive claims and projections..............TFL are making every journey 100 times worse ! That is not my opinion. It is a fact.

40% of the £11 Billion going through TFL's hands are derived from fares. That alone is all the information you need to know as to why they want shot of us. We are nicking their Revenue, and they don't like it.

In my dreams, I have a little scenario that I often play in my mind to myself. A Foreign student as excited as could be about working in our fantastic London, lands at Heathrow. It is a young woman. She is about 23. She is so impressed at TFL's website and talk of Opportunity, Overall Objectives, Delivering More For Less, Every Journey Matters, Educating, Inspiring and Opportunity, Dedicated To Customer Service, Performance Indicators, Reducing Nitrogen Dioxide Achievements, Plans and Promises and loads more nonsensical meaningless shite.

 I pick her up at Heathrow, and drive her blindfolded to City Hall. Once there, she is invited to watch TFL Promotional videos, look at charts, shake hands and listen to the spiel.

And now for the best part ! After all this, and just as our young student lady is almost bursting with admiration, excitement and respect at how amazing London is and how incredibly efficient Transport For London are, I take off her blindfold, lead her to my cab, drive her from City Hall into the West End in my Taxi, and as I do so, pay particular attention to the look on her face.

44 years previously in London's Sussex Gardens, I was sitting on a beautiful Chintz chair in the lounge of a plush apartment. I had seen the glossy photos, and I had read the inviting spiel. However, the vision of reality was about to contort my face into involuntary muscular spasms of shock, horror and disappointment. I often wonder what my face actually did look like as Pricilla appeared around the door. 

In my dream though, I need wonder no longer. For our Foreign student in the back of my cab is showing me.

And I know exactly how she feels !

Be Lucky All.

8829 Semtex.

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Biker architect ‘killed by bus driver who couldn’t see him’

On the same day the head of surface transport lectures a conference on road safety, one of his bus drivers appeared in court, accused of killing a principal architect at Network Rail, while driving carelessly and “without due care and attention” in the morning rush hour.

The idea of banning the safest vehicle on the road & allowing Leon's big red killing machines access to Bank Junction holds less credibility by the day.

A leading London architect was killed when a bus driver pulled into the path of his motorbike despite being unable to see the road ahead, a court heard.

Nathan Quintyne, 25, is accused of killing Nicholas Shaw, 57, a principal architect at Network Rail, while driving carelessly and “without due care and attention” in the morning rush hour.

Mr Shaw, who lived in Nunhead with his wife Gill, was heading to work on February 10, 2015, when the collision took place.

He was a principal architect for the recent redesign of London Bridge station and worked as a design manager for the extension of the Jubilee line to Stratford in the Nineties.

CCTV footage played at Inner London crown court shows Quintyne overtaking a parked scaffolding lorry immediately after a van and pulling into the lane of oncoming Mr Shaw, in Willowbrook Road, Peckham.

As a result, the court heard, the architect had about 1.5 seconds to react and sharply applied his front brake, locking his front wheel and launching him head-on into the front-right of the bus. A post-mortem examination found he died the next day of multiple injuries.

The court was told Quintyne, driving a Go-Ahead No 63 double-decker, could not have seen the victim on his BMW R100 as the stationary van in front also waiting to overtake was blocking his view.

He denies his driving was careless. But Robin Sellers, prosecuting, told the court: “He couldn’t see the motorcycle because he decided to do his overtaking manoeuvre when he shouldn’t have done.

"What he should have done is waited [behind the scaffolding truck] until he could see.

“The presence of the bus caused Mr Shaw to have to take evasive action. The reaction he inevitably took was to brake, which locked the wheel up and caused him to part company with the motorcycle.

"He came unseated, the motorcycle went straight along the road into a lamppost and Mr Shaw impacted with the front of the double-decker.”

Mr Sellers told the court Quintyne admitted not seeing Mr Shaw before pulling out when radioing his base station immediately after the crash and to police who spoke with him at the scene. 

However, this changed one month later in a police interview, the prosecutor said, when Quintyne told officers he could see ahead and thought “there was plenty of room” to overtake the lorry. 

The CCTV shows Mr Shaw lying in the road as cyclists and other drivers come to his aid after the crash at 9.15am.

Pc Stephen Cash, a Met specialist, told the court Mr Shaw had been in an “appropriate” position on his side of the road and that it was “not unreasonable” for him to brake as he did.

He estimated he was travelling at an average of 12mph and a maximum of 16mph. The limit there is 20mph.

He said Mr Shaw was forced to decide whether to “steer or brake”. He said: “With the movements of the bus, he was given no more than 1.5 seconds to do something about it.

"He’s decided to brake and brake very hard and lost control of the motorcycle, but in summary he didn’t really have enough time.”

He said Mr Shaw had right of way as the lorry was parked on Quintyne’s side of the road and that most people react to such hazards within 1.5 to two seconds. Quintyne, of Peckham, denies one count of causing death by careless driving. The trial continues.

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Some a Thing Else You Won't See On TV Or Read About In The Media... From A FaceBook Post by Dean Thomas

The London Taxi homeless sandwich run went very well tonight, everything went and not a drop off coffee and tea left.

Big thank you to a couple of cabbies that came down tonight with bags off clothes ,Steve and Gary respect guys.

Big thank you to Eat who provide all the food and drink and their amazing staff who help out after a long day off work, and more good news is another homeless person could have full time employment at Eat.

Plus a happy go luck guy called paul who has been homeless for three years is on his way to Newcastle tonight to pick up the keys for his new flat tomorrow at 2pm.

We wish paul all the best in his new home.

This event takes place every Monday,  in Agar Street outside charring Cross Police Station from around 7pm. 

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TfL Using Uber Fo Business Travel, While Mike Brown Refuses To Answer Question From MP... by Jim Thomas

News broke yesterday that the UPHD Union had made a freedom of information request and found TfL to be Using Uber for Business travel. 

Taxi leaks would like to know, how it's possible, that Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is after all the overall head of TfL, allows staff to use a foreign company which is registered offshore, pays what little tax it does pay in Holland, is at the centre of an employment tribunal and disregards many of the legislated private hire regulations, while we have reputable private hire companies who pay their fare share of tax and VAT. 

WHY ARE TFL USING UBER? 

What's been used as an incentive to entice TfL staff, to use this scandalous company for business travel and just how long has this been going on. 

Did it start before or after managing director of surface transport  Leon Daniels lied to the GLA transport committee, about Uber's nonexistent on/off insurance policies?

Before or after he lied about Uber having a landline?

Did it start before or after TfL employed a top QC to show that Uber's phone wasn't a Taxi meter?

 

We ask these questions after the UPHD  Freedom Of Information Request was published on all forms of social media yesterday. 

This again is more evidence of a bias connection between Uber and TfL, coming in the wake of damning emails published in the Badge Taxi newspaper, between TfL's Managing Director of Surface Transport Leon Daniels and Uber's Executive Jo Bertram, where it was explained that Uber should not make public certain statements which showed they were actually operating in contravention of the Private Hire Act 1998. 

In a poll conducted by Taxi Leaks 64% of drivers who answered, said they thought Leon Daniels would be first Director to be sacked,  plus an online petition has also been set up actually calling for this TfL executive to be fired. 

But then again TfL totally believe they are above any regulation bought in by parliamentary legislation, they've changed and relaxed many reg's to suit certain stakeholders at the cost to the licensed Taxi trade for many years. 

More recently -on the 15th of October 2016- my own MP wrote to Mike Brown over the delayed publication of the private hire related rape and sexual assault statistics. To this day MP Gareth Thomas,  still hasn't received a formal reply from the Commissioner.

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PETITION : VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN LEON DANIELS.

Leon Daniels has in his capacity as Managing Director of surface transport, approved and introduced measures that have brought Londons capital to a standstill, increasing congestion, increasing pollution, costing business and citizens millions of pounds. 

He has mislead the GLA transport committee by stating on record that Private Hire drivers do not need full time hire and reward insurance policies, that they can purchase "On-Off" Hire and reward insurance (infering that it is not necessary for TfL as the regulator to ensure all Private Hire Vehicles are continually insured correctly) The MIB confirmed no such policy exists.

Leon Daniels stated publicly on record in the media that Uber were not using a taximeter to conduct business and then subsequently appointed a QC (Martin Chamberlain) to uphold his view by failing to make the case properly.

He was questioned by the GLA transport committee on record why TfL hadn't insisted that Uber have a manned telephone line as per the 1998 Private Hire act requires, to which he attempted to obfuscate the issue by telling the GLA committee that the wording of the act is vague and only means that an operator is required to have a land line telephone on the day the license is applied for.

Leon Daniels has now been found to have been in communication with Uber via email assisting Uber UK to word their PR and advertising or complaints responses so as to mislead the public and further blur the lines between Private Hire and Hackney Carriage and hence place public safety at risk.

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The Independent Taxi Alliance (ITA) prove the future is happening now! ...by Sean Palu Day.

I hope you have all recovered from an unprecedented week long protest.  I will expand on the merits of the ITA demo and its significance in next weeks post but the one thing that struck me was, how well connected we have become.  

How empowering did it make us feel?  And significantly, how much stronger does connectivity and subsequent synchronicity make us? I would say, immeasurably.  I had imagined a time when infrastructure, our workspace, our office, was increasingly withdrawn from use.  So much so, it would feel like we were part of a monopoly board game, tripping around, invariably landing on every square that has someone else's stock. Not any more, and used wisely, can benefit the whole trade.  Any decision that impedes the service that we offer is injurious and should be firmly contested every time. 

R

With that in mind, every so often, TAXIAPP will endeavour to inform the cab trade about what is happening in the world of ‘tech”.  Now, with lthat comes a disclaimer, I am not an authority on tech, in fact, even techies have a problem predicting where tech is heading, so don't hold it against me, and if you happen to fall across any relevant info feel free to share it with us, and/or pen an article yourself.

That being said, and this is important, I don't believe we are being fully informed by TFL about that which they do, or should, know about.  At a time when the surface transport director has been circling around bus franchises giving talks and sharing information regarding the potential disruption to their industry, and what to do about it, he has never once attempted to address the cab trade, or offer a perspective, a plan or any information of any kind.  It is therefore up to us to inform and empower ourselves. 

Here goes, you may have read reports recently that TFL are expanding their operational ‘responsibilities’ beyond the Met District and surrounding counties, and wondered what that is about?  Not unlike some states in the USA, TFL are looking to change transportation mobility (and safety) by integrating advanced, wireless communication technologies into both the transportation infrastructure and vehicles. The purpose of this is to process and share data that can prevent vehicle collisions, keep traffic moving and reduce environmental impacts. 

But for us there is a greater concern and it is one we need to think about very seriously.  Coordinating traffic signals, giving signal priority to certain lanes, electronic information signs and variable speed limit signs are all part of the burgeoning ‘eco’ transport industry.  Also significant is the ability to automatically distribute real-time congestion data to control centres.  It is understood that traffic will enable mobility through “packed to capacity’  infrastructure (offers a possible explanation for inactivity re: congestion) 

Instead of a bunch of independent systems on the local, national or even global level, they are looking to further develop a transportation network that works like the internet, where everything is connected, but also open for standards based communication, which reduces costs massively and creates value for everyone involved in managing traffic.  It is vital that we are included within this new ‘eco-transport system.  This isn't something that's specific to the taxi trade, but something that everyone will have to be a part of.

Until now, the Corporate ride-share apps, including the established taxi apps, have enjoyed a distinct advantage over the taxi trade as far as being technologically linked goes.  The  ultra viral use of prevailing technology has enabled them to almost take ownership of our work.  That advantage however, as the ITA proved this week, could be very short lived.  Not only are we getting organised, but we even have the potential to beat the tech ‘wizards’ at their own game.  Now wouldn't that be truly something!

Once again, thank you all for your continued support during this bleak time of year. 

I'll see you out there on the mean streets or at the next demo.  TAXIAPP UK

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