age limit cut would increase pollution · cyclist blasts “shameful camden ... protecting the...

The newspaper of the Licensed

Taxi Drivers’ Association

www.ltda.co.uk @TheLTDA

#4365 February 2019

LTDA

BATTLE FOR TCR: p23CYCLIST BLASTS “SHAMEFUL CAMDEN”

p2

70% drivers deterred from buying a TXe by 12-year threat

AGE LIMIT CUT WOULD INCREASE

POLLUTION

2 TAXI |||| 5 February 2019 www.ltda.co.uk |||| @TheLTDA

TRADE

More than 70% of cabbies would be deterred from upgrading to a new clean electric cab if the mayor slashes the taxi age limit to 12 years, an LTDA survey has revealed.

The figures show that rather than improving air quality, the mayor’s proposal would have the opposite effect by delaying the switch over to electric.

It comes as the taxi manufacturer LEVC announced the shock decision to shed 70 agency workers citing challenging economic conditions.

The announcement was made just a day after Prince Charles visited the factory in Coventry (see Taxi for the Prince, page 5).

Mayor Sadiq Khan’s decision to reveal his age limit reduction plan put the brakes on an already nervous market. It is credited with wiping millions of pounds

worth of equity from the value of taxis overnight.Taxi driver Martin Taylor, of Rainham, was

considering stepping up to a TXe but has now put the plan on ice for the foreseeable future.

The 45-year-old said: “Uncertainty is the enemy of businesses! Cabbies, like every small business, have a plan, and that plan factors in the cost of a taxi. If the future equity in that business asset is unknown or unstable, they won’t invest. The second major influencer is the loss of equity in an existing vehicle. If you can’t sell an old cab, you can’t buy a new one, and with residual values dropping substantially since the consultation announcement in December, this is already happening – and for those reasons Sadiq, I’m out.”

The LTDA shared its shocking survey findings with the mayor’s air quality team ahead of the consultation launch, which expected this month.

The job cuts announcement came just 24 hours after Prince Charles visited the new factory in Ansty.

LEVC confirmed that it is streamlining the business but said it would not impact its ability to meet orders.

The company suddenly announced the departure of CEO Chris Gubbey, and his replacement Joerg Hofmann, who took the reins on February 4.

The switch led staff to fear for their jobs. One worker said: “We knew that this would be announced as soon as Prince Charles had left.”

An LEVC spokesman said: “2019 will be a challenging year for UK automotive. To prepare the business we are reducing the number of agency staff and making productivity improvements.

“We still expect demand for our premium electric taxi to continue to grow over the coming years.”

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Age Limit Cut Would Increase Pollution?Q1. How would a lowering of the taxi age limit a ect you? Q2. You previously indicated that a lowering of the age limit

would make you less likely to buy a new cab, why is this?

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Make me more likely to buy a new cab

Make me less likely to buy a new cab

Not impact my plans

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

I will not be able to a ord it as a result of the reduced

value (equity) of my existing cab

Uncertainty-I am uncertain how long any new cab would be able

to stay on the road-I was promised 15 years on my existing cab!

5 February 2019 |||| TAXI 3@TheLTDA |||| www.ltda.co.uk

TOP TRADE STORY

T fL has yet to issue the figures, but it’s believed it has received nearly 1,000 applications from fleets and

mushers to decommission their older cabs in exchange for the incentive payments which start at £10,000. The big unknown is how many of these cabs will be replaced with shiny new TXes; how many of the owners will try renting, buy a later diesel, or even retire?

What is in no doubt is that any reduction in the age limit is going to have a financial impact on virtually every cabbie whether they own or rent. Perversely, it will have the opposite effect of what is intended and impact negatively on new ZEC cab sales as the equity in existing cabs drops still further. Cabbies will be unable to afford to bridge the gap between what they sell their cab for and the £56,000 for the new model leaving them with no option but to keep running their diesel cab as long as possible. I have repeatedly explained this to everyone I have met at City Hall and will continue to do so.

The solution to helping the trade modernise and upgrade our fleet is in two parts. Firstly, it involves recognising our unique position, in that we were compelled to buy the diesel cabs we currently run and had no choice. Our fares, and thus our ability to fund new vehicles, are set by the mayor and our unique status of being the only part of London’s public transport infrastructure that is 100% wheelchair accessible and disability friendly. Secondly, hitting us with a big stick won’t work. We are individual business people, we need confidence in our market place to enable us to plan and make sound financial decisions. What is needed is more carrots in the form of more money and incentives to help us buy and run the new cleaner cabs and a vast improvement to the charging infrastructure to support thousands

more electric cabs. Most importantly we need absolute assurance that we can continue to keep London moving. This means no more half-baked traffic schemes that exclude cabbies and discriminate against our customers!

Urgent reform needed nowWhile the Government may have gone quiet again on its plans for overhauling our outdated and impractical licensing laws, MPs across Parliament have been making more and more noise. The House of Commons Transport Select Committee Chair Lilian Greenwood MP recently wrote to Taxis Minister Nusrat Ghani on this, and published her letter online. She asked when the Government will respond to the taxi and PHV Working Group’s report and if it will bring forward new legislation on regulating the trades. Back before Christmas, I spoke with the chair and asked her to press the minister on this. It’s

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V I TO TAX I REN TAL

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C ALL- 0 7 5 0 3 5 2 3 1 7 8

STEVE MCNAMARA

The trade is trying to do its bit for the environment but we’re being undermined at every turn

HALF-BAKED SCHEMES KILL CONFIDENCE

Lilian Greenwood

good to see her follow through on our behalf and show the minister that we’re not the only ones on her tail.

Typically, the minister told Lilian that a Government response will be published “shortly,” but did acknowledge that the Government has a “leading role to play” in fixing the issues our trade is facing.

Following a number of vague commitments that a Government response to the working group’s report will be published either in “due course” or “shortly”, it’s disappointing (although unsurprising) that the Department for Transport has now missed its own three-month deadline for responding to the report’s recommendations.

While we’re still waiting for a response, the APPG on Taxis (which the LTDA sponsors) is also amping up the volume. We’ve been urging MPs within the APPG to question the Government on when a response will be published and to bring in new legislation ASAP.

Just last week, APPG Taxis Chair Wes Streeting and others including Andrew Rosindell, Jim Cunningham and Julia Lopez showed their support by tabling the latest round of written questions in Parliament. They’re just as fed up as we are that this keeps getting pushed down the line and won’t lay off until the response is out.

Passengers and taxi drivers up and down the country can’t wait any longer for new licensing regulation. They’ve also started questioning the Ministry of Housing, communities and local government on this. As we know all too well, this isn’t just about transport, it’s about protecting the public and making sure what happened in Rotherham never happens again.

Once the Government’s response is finally made public, we’ll be giving the Chair of the Transport Committee a ring to discuss how they can help the APPG out in scrutinising the Government’s plans. We must ensure that nothing is watered down and we get the urgent reform we’ve all be waiting for.

Steve McNamara is the LTDA’s General Secretary

“Passengers and taxi drivers up and down the country can’t wait any longer for new licensing regulation...”


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Taxi for the PrinceENVIRONMENT

The Prince of Wales got behind the wheel of a new TXe to mark 70 years of taxi production in Coventry.

His Royal Highness was given a tour of LEVC’s Ansty facility, where new cab is made, on the outskirts of Coventry on January 28.

The heir to the throne did appear a little confused about how to start an electric taxi, pointing to a button in the middle and asking, “do you start it here?”

But it was a chance for the Prince to see how modern technology is being used to help the taxi do its bit for the environment.

Charles already has eco-friendly cars he uses in public and private, including a Jaguar I-Pace, which takes him to official engagements, and an Aston Martin DB6, which runs on bioethanol fuel.

Carl-Peter Forster, Chairman of LEVC said: “LEVC were delighted to welcome The Prince of Wales to see the UK’s first dedicated electric vehicle factory which was built following investment from Geely – particularly given his efforts to promote more sustainable living in the UK.”

As part of the visit, the Prince was

introduced to the team behind the TXe, including those who work in LEVC’s aluminium body shop, who use parts made from recycled aluminium sourced from a recently re-opened facility in Wales.

His Royal Highness’ visit coincided with the start of celebrations of 70 years of taxi production in the city and showcases Coventry’s close cultural

connection with the iconic vehicle. As part of the celebrations of this

anniversary – a new exhibition, “taxi: the history of A to B” has opened at Coventry Transport Museum, which celebrates the city’s taxi building heritage. The first electric taxis were actually built in Coventry over 110 years ago. However, it is the diesel versions of the taxi, the iconic black cab, which the

city is famous for building and was put front and centre of Coventry’s successful bid to become City of Culture 2021. These vehicles have been produced by LEVC (and its predecessor companies LTC, LTI and Carbodies) since 1948.

High Royal Highness was introduced to all of the key vehicles built by the business over the past 70 years – including the world-famous Fairway.

What a Lotto Dough!MEMBERSHIP LTDA member Antony Burrows was over the moon when he was told he had scooped £5,000 in our monthly lottery.

A cash windfall can go a long way, especially if the winter chills are making you think about your summer holiday.

All you have to do to join this month’s lucky winner is pick up the phone and ask to join – it costs just £5 each month.

Antony, of Ongar, who collected his cheque from Anthony Street at Taxi House, said: “I couldn’t believe it when I got the call – I thought it was a wind up at first. I will definitely be looking at holidays.”

One lucky LTDA member’s name is pulled out of the hat every month and scoops the jackpot.

To join, telephone 0207 286 1046 and ask for Jenny.

LTDA LOTTERY

Antony collects his cheque at Taxi House


THE MASSETT FILE

T he experimental taxi feeder rank that was put in place in Basil Street is to be removed when the trial period

comes to an end on February 8. Unfortunately, as we warned in the last

edition of TAXI there have been numerous complains made by the residents of Hans Road in respect of the unauthorised ranking that has taken place there on a daily basis.

Things got so heated on one evening that an LTDA marshal had to step in and break up a row between two drivers.

Understandably, the residents got fed up with it and began filming cabs and sending the videos to Kensington and Chelsea Council, which in turn contacted TfL.

However, it was recognised that the yellow box has helped to improve the situation at the Basil Street junction with Hans Road and Walton Place and this part of the scheme will remain in place.

It has to be said that the management of Harrods have been very supportive of the

taxi trade over the traffic issues around the store and Kensington and Chelsea council, along with TfL and the LTDA, are still committed to finding a solution that works for all.

Certainly, the trade has not been blamed for the overall chaos in and around the area, which the experimental scheme was designed to alleviate. But the one issue we were held

The Basil Street rank is in line for the chop following residents’ complaints about over-ranking

EXPERIMENTAL RANK GETS AXEDRICHARD MASSETT

MASSETT'S

CAMERA HOTSPOTS

EXMOUTH MARKET Red zoneBERKLEY STREET J/W PICCADILLY Yellow box camerasJOHN ISLIP STREET No right turn into Ponsonby TerraceFULHAM BROADWAY/BARCLAY ROAD Yellow boxCAMDEN 20mph limitWATERLOO ROAD Zig-ZagsSELFRIDGES Over rankingLUDGATE HILL Zig-ZagsCLAPHAM HIGH STREET Zig-ZagsISLINGTON 20mph limitRED ROUTES TfL is actively enforcing yellow box restrictionsTOWER BRIDGE 20 mph speed limit – average speed camerasLIMEHOUSE LINK 30mph speed limitTERMINUS PLACE Bus only left turn. TfL to issue PCNsSMITHFIELD Do not park in loading boxes, they are enforced by cameraA13 Average speed cameras in operationTHE CITY 20mph limit

HOTSPOT 1 Lime Street, EC3 — no motor vehicles

Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm

HOTSPOT 2 Bin�eld Road —24hr pedestrian zone

to account for was the practise of taxis queuing or ranking illegally in Hans Road.

The process will now be for the council to decide whether to formally scrap the experimental scheme or to take the highly unlikely decision of reinstating it. Discussions are in fact already taking place between the interested parties with a view to finding a way forward with amendments to the trial scheme, which would change the current layout of the junction and possibly reintroduce a feeder rank.

While there is sympathy for drivers trying to find ranking space around Harrods, particularly at this time of year, we can’t simply form our own ranks to the annoyance of residents and expect the council to ignore their complaints. The view of the council is that we have just moved the problem from one place to another and in the process stirred up a hornet’s nest of residents. A classic case of shooting ourselves in the foot.

Richard Massett, LTDA Chairman, and Chairman of the London Cab Ranks Committee

“We were held to account for taxis queuing illegally...


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Free Personal Trainer SessionA London taxi driver and fitness coach has teamed up with the LTDA to help his fellow cabbies shape up.

Gary Bedford has been involved with boxing for almost 40 years and knows a thing or to about health and fitness.

The cabbie of 30 years is offering an initial consultation, with a free fitness test and one-hour free training session to LTDA members.

And for the next four lessons, LTDA members get a 50% discount.

The sessions will include circuit training, cardio work, and relaxation techniques.

Gary said: “I know what a toll the stresses and strains of the job can put on the mind and body and I want to help drivers get fit and feel sharper and more confident in their daily lives and believe I have the knowledge, experience and dedication to do that. Come along for the check up and the first-class courtesy of the LTDA – what have you got to lose?”

Training is offered one to one, or in small groups, in West Thurrock on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

For an initial consultation, with a free fitness test and one-hour free training session, please contact Gary on 07811 965 176.

NEWS IN BRIEF

PEOPLE

Anyone familiar with the taxi trade will be well aware of the frequency drivers travel across London free of charge to reunite passengers with lost valuables.

Barely an edition of TAXI passes without a letter or two from grateful passengers – and they are just the ones who take the trouble to write in.

Readers more familiar with the negative stereotypes reinforced by the mainstream media could be forgiven for being unaware of the kindness of cabbies.

So, it’s not surprising that when a social media star who left her laptop, handbag and passport in a taxi was reunited with them after describing her driver on Twitter, the story went viral and even made headline news in the Mail.

Sasha Wilkins took to Twitter to describe her cab driver from details he’d told her during the journey, including a sketch – and his friend recognised him.

Wilkins, who has 103,000

followers on her Twitter account @LibertyLndnGirl, said in the post: “Oh god. I took a black cab from King’s X this evening around 1730. I’ve left my navy blue leather Cambridge Satchel Company bag in the back. Laptop etc.”

After it was spotted and shared, one user advised Wilkins to use the @BlkCab_Lost property handle, which lets people who’ve left items in black cabs alert Twitter.

And remarkably, after Wilkins posted details she remembered about her cab driver, including that he lived in Sidcup and had just a had a baby with his partner, the “Twitter miracle” happened.

A fellow cabbie recognised the details and got in touch, offering her his number and under four hours late expensive items back in her possession.

She posted: “A cabbie

on here recognised my pen portrait of his cabbie mate (who doesn’t use social), called him, and HE HAD FOUND MY BAG & LAPTOP IN HIS CAB.’

Later, she wrote: “A HUGE thank you to the amazing and extraordinary black cab community for spreading the word about my lost bag. We are truly properly blessed to have cabbies in our city @TheLTDA @BC_Lostproperty @The_LCDC.”

The story prompted others to share their own feel-good stories about positive experiences with black cab drivers.

One echoed her comments, swaying, “they’re great. Once needed to take family member with medical emergency to A&E + black cabbie refused payment saying ‘we don’t have time for all that.’”

Another added: “Yes Sasha! And not just this: every single time I take a black cab home, the driver waits to see I’ve got in the front door before driving away. It’s such a small thing, but it’s HUGE.”

Twitter Star Hails “Amazing” Cabbies


STREETS AHEAD

I n the coming weeks we will be getting a newly converted LPG powered cab to test drive at Taxi House. Drivers will be able

to come by the office to have a look and ask questions about it too.

The fuel has recently been boosted by Transport for London’s recent change of tack and the offer of grants for early LPG switchers.

Diesel is on the way out as we all know and all the talk has been about electric taxis, but with only one relatively pricey model on the market, the options for drivers are limited and are likely to remain so for some time.

The supportive noises coming from City Hall and TfL about LPG means it is now an option that could be worth investigating.

Mayor Sadiq Khan plans to make a limited number of LPG conversion grants available to Euro 5 taxi drivers. LPG grants could become open to applicants this month.

LPG – which is basically cooking fuel – helps reduce particulate matter by 99% and cut NOx by 80%, according to UK specialists Autogas Limited and means cabs would meet Euro 6 vehicle standards. This would mean all taxis would meet the current strict emission rulings, despite their age.

Currently, there are a small number of LPG taxis in London including one owned by Prince Phillip – although the less said about his driving skills the better.

There are currently two places offering LPG refit options. The Richmond Road Cab Centre which teamed up with international company Gastech, a specialist engine development company, to provide London cabbies with the option to convert their polluting diesel taxis to run on LPG in return for a five-year extension to their operating licence.

Gastech introduced Euro 6 LPG emission compliant technology to the UK’s London TX2 taxi market in 2017.

TfL approved it to operate in the Ultra-Low Emission Zone, following testing and certification through the UK Millbrook emission testing facilities, but the suggestion of grants is a significant boost.

There is also Gascab and its backer Vehicle Repowering Solutions Ltd, which have been approved to repower both TX2 and TX4 models by TfL. Gascab is CVRAS accredited which means that converted taxis will be recognised as ULEZ compliant by DVLA cameras across the country, which should aid resale value.

In the meantime, Gascab advises that there are only 21 re-powering slots remaining between now and April so if you want to benefit from the full 15+5-year benefit that switching to LPG currently provides it might be an idea to book now, before the age limit consultation period.

Conversion costs between £10,000 and

£12,000 and as things stand will get your cab an extra five years on the current 15 – 20 years in total – which TfL has said will be honoured even if the mayor’s ludicrous 12-year taxi life proposals get approved following the consultation.

LPG will not be for everyone. Older drivers with retirement in view may find them more appealing than younger ones.

Uncertainty may arise from the consultation. But even if it all goes ahead and taxi lifespans are reduced to 12 years, LPG lifespans will be 15 years – an extra three years. While this may make a significant difference, it is still cheaper than renting a £250 per week cab, coming in at around £90.

The growing popularity of LPG means a solid refuelling infrastructure is now in place. There are 150,000 vehicles running on autogas in the

The mayor is o�ering LPG conversion grants, so is it time to investigate a fuel switch?

IS LPG THE FUEL FOR YOU?ANTHONY STREET

UK, with more than 65 LPG refuelling stations inside the M25 area. As such, LPG autogas could present an additional option to ZEC, which is very young, has higher upfront costs and may not meet the needs of some drivers due to driving range and a lack of infrastructure.

The mayor had flat out rejected the idea of offering support for conversions when asked about it by taxi trade supporter and London Assembly member, Caroline Pidgeon. He said that while the carbon dioxide benefits were clear, the air quality benefits were not good enough.

However, perhaps Ms Pidgeon’s insistence paid off. She highlighted the fact the LPG could act as a stepping stone towards the mayor’s 100% emission free dream.

Helpfully, Birmingham was awarded £500,000 from the Department for Transport in 2014, which was used to convert 80 diesel taxis to use LPG. The project saw big reductions in nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate materials (PMs) levels.

The mayor, however, was insistent that he did want to dilute the drive towards zero-emission capable taxis. His U-turn in the run up to Christmas suggests a rethink, which may have been prompted by necessity, especially with the electric taxi grant being slashed and uncertainty clouding the future for many drivers.

Anyway, whether LPG is the right way for you, only you can decide, but it’s worth your consideration. If you want to know more, watch this space, as I will report back on the test drive in coming editions of TAXI.

A limited number of LPG conversion grants will be made available to drivers of eligible Euro 5 taxis. If you wish to express interest in applying for an LPG conversion grant, please email [email protected]. This will enable TfL to contact you when the application process opens later this year. An expression of interest does not constitute an application.

Anthony Street is an LTDA Executive Support Officer

“The mayor, however, was insistent that he did not want to dilute the drive towards zero-emission capable taxis...”


GRANT FUNDING A limited number of grants are available for TX4 Euro 5 taxis. Register now to secure a place in the queu.

Part of the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS) approved technology for Clean Air Zones

Fully approved by Transport for London for use in the LTI TX2 and TX4 Euro 4 and TX4 Euro 5.

The rules are changing. Register now and secure your 20 yrs of taxi licensing. ONLY 18 SLOTS LEFT until April

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15 year reminderThe London taxi 15 year age limit refers to the cab’s ‘birthday’ (in the log book) not its plate date.

For example: A cab passed when it is 14 years and 11 months old WILL be granted a further 12 months of life.

Cabs may be booked in for testing in the normal way when the plate has 28 days or less to run.

The cab can then work up to the test date. If the plates are taken off with more than 28 days to run, both the plates and the paper licence must be surrendered to one of the six NSL inspection centres in and around London.

The ‘unplated’ cab must then not be worked, and at least one week should be allowed before attempting to book the next NSL test, to allow the computerised booking system to recognise that the plates have been registered. Lost/stolen identi�erIf your identifier is lost or stolen

you must notify LTPH immediately (0343 222 4444 / tph.enquiries @tfl.gov.uk)

You may then continue working. A letter of

confirmation will be sent out to you by Transport for London, prior to a replacement identifier

being processed.

Shop a tout Anyone who sees touting or any

other form of illegal cab-related activity is urged to contact TfL with the details.

Take down the registration number and make a note of the date, time and location where incident took place.

Type “cab enforcement” into your internet search engine and follow the links to the ‘report illegal activity’ section of the TfL website.

DVLA reminderThe photo card part of the driving licence lasts for 10 years and must renewed after that period. The licence becomes invalid if it is not renewed with a current picture.

in for testing in the normal way

You may then continue working. A letter of

confirmation will be sent

being processed.


STAY IN THE KNOW

LEGAL EAGLE

O ne of the most common issues the legal team has to tackle is penalties for phone “use,” and

there’s no doubt it’s a murky area. When a driver comes to us charged

with a phone offence, I always ask this hypothetical question: “If you are driving along with one hand on the wheel and a mobile phone clamped to your ear are you guilty of breaking the law? They always answer, “yes, guilty!” And technically, as the law stands, they are wrong, believe it or not. You are only guilty of an offence if you make or receive a phone call or perform an interactive communication function, such as sending a message on Whatspp, interacting with Facebook, or surfing the internet, for example.

It shows how confusing and convoluted the law surrounding mobile phones is – which hasn’t stopped us getting fantastic results for our members. A cursory look

around the information available online reveals wildly different advice given by respectable organisations, such as the RAC and the Crown Prosecution Service.

As with many things, technology has made great leaps in recent years while the law is often a lumbering, flat-footed beast. The CPS website, for example, does not make it clear that the phone has to be held for there to be an offence.

However, a silk in the recent case of Nader Eldarf versus the Crown really had a good dig into the detail of the issue. A Harrow Crown Court judge ruled on the side of a driver, in October, and the case will come up in the future.

Eldarf was alleged by a police officer to have been driving a vehicle while using his mobile phone. The central issue was whether he was “using” the iPhone, within the meaning of the law, when he held it and touched it to change a song on the phone.

The law around using your mobile phone while driving just got clearer thanks to a recent court case

“ARE YOU BREAKING THE LAW?”CHARLOTTE COLLET

Historically, changing a radio station or even a CD was not a crime, so long as you were in control of the vehicle, which is another issue entirely.

As hard as it is for the younger

generation to comprehend, there was such a thing as a car phone, which had to be hardwired to the battery and sat in a fixed cradle. How dangerous would that be considered today?

Anyway, Eldarf was basically a test case which eventually ruled that the key words were “interactive” and “communication.” The appeal was a success because it was ruled that the driver was using an internal function of the phone and the essential purpose of the law is to deal with people using an “external communication function,” e.g. chatting on the phone or texting, while driving.

Even now this is a common argument and we often have to write to Gett for phone records, because overzealous police officers are out there looking for an easy nick, to show drivers were not communicating. The ruling in Harrow has not impacted any of our cases yet, but this precedent is likely to strengthen our hand in the future.

It isn’t, however, too far away from cases that we have managed to get positive results in recently.

In one case, a passing cyclist filmed LTDA member Chris Jones holding his phone while sat in traffic with passengers in the back. The cyclist took the footage to the police and Chris was prosecuted and defended by the LTDA in November. He had simply picked up the phone from the floor because it fallen out of the cradle. The cyclist insisted that

Chris had been using the phone, but Chris’ defence, that he was not

interacting with the phone, was accepted by the magistrates.

In another case last year, a police officer charged LTDA member Abdirahman Farah with using his phone while at the wheel. PC Fox said he had a clear

unobstructed view of the car and the screen was illuminated, and that

he witnessed our man looking down at it and tapping it.

As part of Abirahman’s defence, the LTDA managed to obtain his phone records, which showed that he was not “interacting” with it. It also backed up his claim that he was putting money in the phone case wallet which contained the phone, and that the screen lights up whenever you pick up the phone.

Magistrates found Mr Farah not guilty because they could not be sure beyond all reasonable doubt that the officer’s account was entirely accurate.

The cases pour in, and as I have said, we are having great results (see letters P17) but it is always best to be ultra-careful, or to avoid using your phone altogether while driving, except to accept jobs. Various interpretations of the law leave drivers open to prosecution. And you can always be charged with not being in control of the vehicle if that is deemed to be the case.

The only proper way to be protected is to be a member of the LTDA, which includes access to the best legal service in the business, which is demonstrated by our results – even if I do say so myself.

Charlotte Collet, LTDA solicitor

Eldarf was a test case which ruled that the key words were “interactive” and “communication.” The appeal was a success because it was ruled that the driver was using an internal function of the phone...


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Total . £30.24 Fare . £25.20

Gratuity . £5.04Date . 13.31 18/07/2016

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Gratuity . £2.92Date . 14.10 18/07/2016

Total . £102.00 Fare . £85.00

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Date . 15.14 18/07/2016

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Total . £30.24 Fare . £25.20

Gratuity . £5.04Date . 13.31 18/07/2016

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Gratuity . £2.92Date . 14.10 18/07/2016

Total . £102.00 Fare . £85.00

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Total . £40.28 Fare . £33.40

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Date . 15.14 18/07/2016

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M ore and more people are becoming affected by the lunacy of a minority of complete and utter halfwits who seem

to be at the controls in London.Council officials and regulators seem to be creating

problems that never existed before they began meddling. Once they have created said problem, they set about “fixing” it with missionary zeal, and in a manner that has always been part of their secret agenda. Or to put it simply: councils and government love stuffing everything up. Take road space for example: they shut off access and shave off huge chunks for vanity projects, which then leads to more congestion. They then must dream up more schemes to solve the newly created traffic problem, usually by dipping into our pockets and taxing us more. Of course, it solves nothing other than raising money for them to spend on these vanity projects for the likeminded few who share their ideals.

Over the past 20 years the population of London has grown massively, yet car use has held steady. In fact, London has seen a marked decline in the share of journeys by car, from 50% of all trips in 1990 to just 37% now.

I’ve been driving in London since 1986, professionally since 1994, have I felt the effects of this fall in car use? No, I haven’t, have you? Are the roads of London more heavily congested today than back then? I think we all know the answer to that; no further questions your honour.

We also know that income from the Congestion Charge has not only been stagnant for some time but has now dropped, which kind of proves the stats. Of course, there is an exception to the rule. Next month will be the anniversary to the introduction of the C-Charge – not something anyone will be celebrating with a cake and party poppers I’m sure. But back then around 4,000 minicabs entered the zone every day, now that figure has more than quadrupled to 18,000 a day.

This of course helps to justify the plan of making minicabs pay the £11.50 levy – something we all support I’m sure. But who created the problem? Who allowed minicab numbers to almost double over the last five years? Would it be the same people who will now reap the benefits of the additional income? Is it another case of create a problem, tax it, and then spend the money on a vanity project? What do you think?

Mayor Sadiq Khan has a wonderful plan called the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, I’m sure you’ve heard of it. It incorporates a snazzy catchphrase “the healthy streets

approach” and it claims that it provides the framework for putting human health and experience at the heart of planning the city.

Have you stopped laughing? Good, then I’ll continue, what a complete pile of non-ULEZ compliant excrement. How’s your “human health?” Are you more or less stressed by the working conditions you now have? I’ll bet a week’s money most of you will answer that you’re more stressed. Who’s gone home early, or not felt like coming to work at all, because of the appalling traffic conditions that these fools have created to push their agenda forward? I know I have.

Who has felt physically sick or had the headache from hell because a once simple journey has become an absolute nightmare? Again, I have.

I’m certainly not feeling the “healthy streets approach” to London life in my lungs nor in my heart, are you?

You only have to look at their fantasy vision of what London’s “healthy streets” will look like to know they’re out of their minds. They can’t see that their meddling only makes things worse – not better – and will continue to so until they stop interfering.

Paul Brennan, LTDA Executive

Our overlords claim they have a plan to save our health, but it’s not �t for toilet paper

“THIS POO ISN’T ULEZ COMPLIANT”PAUL BRENNAN


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Violent Crime Up on TubeCRIME Violent crime on the Tube network has increased by more than 43% in the last three years, according to the latest figures.

There were more than 1,980 reported incidents between November 2015 and October 2016, compared with 2,838 between November 2017 and September last year, British Transport Police data showed.

Weapons offences more than doubled from 42 to 95, while sexual offences increased from 925 to 1,047.

King’s Cross St Pancras station, one of the busiest stations on the network was found to have the highest amount of crime with 1,339 incidents over the three-year period.

They show a 25% increase in total criminal offences recorded on the entire network over the same time period, with 10,450 in 2015-16 compared with 13,101 in 2017-18.

The RMT said that the rise was down to job cuts and understaffing which it said should be reversed.

NEWS IN BRIEFUber “Ignores Plight of Women Drivers’”INTERNATIONAL

Women Uber drivers say the firm fails to protect them from predatory passengers and effectively throws “them to the wolves.”

The drivers say they frequently face sexual harassment and are menaced by stalkers but feel they have nowhere to turn for help.

Speaking to BBC news, a traumatised 44-year-old single mother, working in the US, said a passenger told her of his fantasies and propositioned her several times before later exposing himself to her.

“When I dropped him off, he told me that if I go to the right, it takes me out to the main street,” she said.

But it wasn’t the way out – it was a cul-de-sac.

“As I came back around, he was standing there with his pants down... holding himself,” she said.

She complained about him to the company but heard nothing more, not even whether the pervert was banned from using the app.

Uber told the BBC it had deactivated the man’s account – but only temporarily.

Dozens of female drivers, some who work for Uber’s US competitor Lyft, said they often felt in danger but that their issues were not prioritised or even taken seriously.

It was also reported that the “lost and found” function – where passengers can get in touch directly with drivers to recover

lost items – was being abused by predatory men. One driver said her passenger contacted her through the function but said he hadn’t lost anything but simply wanted her number. He sent her a text containing a lewd picture.

Some drivers say customers used their details to look them up on Facebook. One woman was left terrified when two men tracked her down and turned up at her house claiming to have left a mobile phone in her car.

She complained to Uber and was told the account holder would be “reminded of the community guidelines”.

Uber and Lyft said abuses of this system could – and did – lead to passengers being banned from the service.

But another driver said she reported a passenger who she caught performing a

sex act in her car, only to speak to another woman who had reported the same passenger for the same thing.

Just under 30% of drivers registered on both apps in the US are women.

Many say they get comments about their looks or get propositioned.

Most simply bite their lip for fear of getting low ratings on the app by their passengers, which could eventually lead to them being deactivated. One woman said she was given a three-star rating because her passenger said she wasn’t pretty enough.

Many women drivers who spoke to the BBC viewed harassment as inevitable in ride-share work, even though much of the reported behaviour would be deemed unacceptable in any other workplace.

Uber and Lyft said safety was a top priority, but neither shares data about customers who have been banned for serious offences.

Women offer advice to each other on handling inappropriate behaviour in Facebook groups.

Dashcams are said to be a good deterrent by some, while others said they dressed down and didn’t wear any make-up, other even wore fake wedding rings.

Many say advice from the companies before they started would be a first step because you can be approved and on the road in 45 minutes and effectively “thrown to the wolves.”

OFFER Krav Maga-nificent Free ClassWith the increasing number of cabbies being targeted by robbers, there’s never been a better time to sign up to our free Krav Maga classes for members.

Even a cursory look through recent editions of TAXI would show a shocking number incidents where cabbies have been placed in frightening situations.

With police unwilling or unable to help – it could time meet Ricky Manetta and learn the art of self-defence.

Ricky, who is himself a taxi driver, teaches the use of blocking, grappling and wrestling style moves to fend o� attackers – even those wielding weapons.

Ricky says: “The course is designed to give people con�dence to deal with threatening situations. The aim is to help drivers get out of violent or threatening situations without having to �ght.”

Hundreds of cabbies have taken the classes and have praised them as fun and con�dence building.

Krav Maga was created in the 30s to protect Czech Jews from anti-Semitic attacks. It is purely about self-defence and improving your health.

It gives drivers piece of mind to deal with situations, which can help stop them spiralling out of control, or ending with serious

injury. Not only does it o�er the chance to improve your �tness and general health, but your state of mind as well.

Some drivers have even claimed it improved their driving and many keep coming back for more.

He starts the next course at the Orwell Centre in Wapping on Monday, February 11.

It is open to any members who want to try it for the �rst time and even those who have completed the course before, but might want a refresh.

If you are an LTDA member and can commit to an eight-week course on Monday afternoons between 1-3pm, then call Taxi House on 0207 286 1046 and ask to register.


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Banks/Building Societies may not accept instructions to pay Direct Debit from some types of account.

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I understand that my application for membership of the Association must be approved by the Council of Management and that until this is confirmed I am not eligible to vote in relation to any form of Association matters. I agree that all benefits prior to approval of membership shall be at the discretion of the Council of Management. Please note: We do not provide assistance for any matters that have occurred prior to you joining LTDA.

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LTDA Application Form Oct18.indd 1 09/10/2018 10:23


PUTTING THE BOOT IN…

A t first glance your Q&A with LEVC seemed fairly positive. The company addressed some of the teething problems and discussed

solutions. What really surprised me is their ignorance of drivers needs with regard to the range on this vehicle. Yes, the cost is outrageous but what exactly to they propose to do, reduce it by £20k and refund drivers who already own one? While the current range may suit some drivers, who can charge at home on their drive and have time to spend trawling around London looking for a free changer and also the time to charge it to top up later, for many this just isn’t an option.

I want to go to work, earn my money and get home before my family are asleep. Downtime is money lost and the moment a vehicle that looks like a black cab arrives on the scene a few thousand pounds cheaper with a range 100+ LEVC will regret wasting time making broken promises about making their vehicle more affordable.

They had an opportunity to listen to drivers and make the perfect cab for London. Instead, we have an overpriced cab incapable of a full day’s work on a charge, with a boot too small for a weekend bag (yes, believe it or not we may want to go somewhere straight after a shift), a luggage bay that’ll lose fares to a Vito, which you could have taken in a TX4 and poor mirrors and a bad for hire light.

I had considered making the move from Vito to the LEVC but it’s now very clear this isn’t the taxi for me. Maybe they’ll get it right on the next attempt.

James Dobbs

SCUM!I recently read one of TfL’s updates and was

astounded at their front! They are looking for a white-woman aged 29/30 for damaging a minicab

to the tune of £1,500. Let’s hope their endeavours stretch to looking at numerous CCTV images in their possession to catch the scum who caused £5,000 worth of damage to one of our colleagues taxi the other week, but don’t hold your breath!

D Collins

DON’T LEAVE IT TOO LATE!

I would like to thank John Luckhurst and his team for their help with a matter regarding “driving whilst using a hand-held device” that I was

charged with by the police. Due to John’s meticulous attention to detail the Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court last month and the case was thrown out. If you are not a member of the LTDA I would recommend you join immediately before it’s too late.

Dave Smith

A WIN, WIN FOR ALL?I f TfL and Mayor Sadiq Khan are serious about

reducing pollution, they should allow electric cabs access to Bank junction, and Tottenham Court

Road. That way, the trade could have confidence in its own future, and there would be an immediate uptick in drivers buying the new TXe. Drivers would realise that they would be saving money and that they can get around a lot quicker. It would be a win win for TfL. Quicker conversion to electric, therefore reducing toxic emissions, plus by allowing access to Bank junction and TCR, traffic and emissions in surrounding areas would be reduced. Plus, the TXe is a beauty, and will look great on the streets of London. Clients love them and so do drivers, but drivers are scared to commit. Getting Bank junction back, plus TCR, for electric-only cabs would be a massive win for the trade.

Grant Tarbard

DINOSAURS ARE SHOWING US UP

I ’m a London cabbie and I’m getting sick and tired of people refusing fares. Recently, after coming out of the Mayfair hotel, my brother tried to get a

taxi back to Beckenham and the cabbie on the rank refused the fare. He has no right to do this as it’s a 10-mile journey and wouldn’t have took over an hour. I’m struggling to see why in kipper season you wouldn’t take a job like that. I’m pretty sure his next job would have been a local job around Mayfair, and he would have tried to broom that as well, before telling everyone the game is dead. These people are dinosaurs and are an embarrassment to our trade and should hand their badge back in and let the real cabbies take the work.

James Dobbs

EASY RUN Kingsley Hotel to Euston Station

HARD RUN Melia White House Hotel to Le Meridien Hotel

Do you have a gripe or praise? Contact us at 0207 121 0523 or email [email protected]

I want to go to work, earn my money and get home before my family are asleep...

LETTERSJUSTICE PREVAILS ONCE AGAIN

I want to express my gratitude and say thank you for the LTDA’s help with a mobile phone case, and an insurance mistake. If I had been found guilty, I would have lost my licence. Charlotte Collet, who I came to see, was a

complete professional and I can’t thank her enough for all the hard work she put into the case. It started when I got a letter for using a mobile phone whilst driving. This carries a six-point penalty and a £200 fine. After contacting the LTDA, I spoke to Charlotte, who advised me on the case.

I learned that it was a cyclist with a camera on his helmet. The footage shows the cyclist walking up Royal College Street in Camden, along a traffic jam,

looking in all the car windows. He was clearly looking to catch someone on a mobile phone. Unfortunately, he just happened to film me as my phone had fallen off the screen, when the sucker had come loose; I was picking it up. The cyclist then took the footage to the police and made a statement.

In the meantime, I received another letter saying that I had no insurance. This is because I rent my cab and my name doesn’t come up because the garage takes care of it. After trying to explain this to the police a number of times, with no luck, both charges moved to the court.

The barrister representing me was excellent, and in my eyes gave the magistrate no option but to find me not guilty on both counts.

I would like to say without the LTDA, Charlotte in particular, I really don’t know where I would be. Thank you so much for your professionalism and for making justice prevail. I would urge any driver who is not with the LTDA to join up today.

Chris Jones, Coulsdon

STAR LETTER

UBER NUISANCEI am a member of the LTDA Philip Harris (green badge 66259)

and the photograph [above] was taken in Gilhams Avenue, Sutton, showing an Uber Prius displaying the TFL roundel together with

its driver. Unfortunately, they are now becoming all too frequent visitors to our road and I am forwarding these pictures as an example of the nuisance they are causing, with the usual waste etc from them as they park up and wait for work. This was happening a year ago when a photograph of an Uber driver asleep here won me the monthly prize in LTDA’s “spot the Uber” competition however the nuisance has continued.

Philip Harris


ON THE ROAD

O ur regulator and London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, have not been winning any friends of late.

At the end of 2018 mayor was called up to explain the delay over Crossrail. This project is currently running at least a year late. The delay has caused a shortfall in Transport for London’s already underfunded budget, which is believed to have caused the mysterious disappearance of much of the £42 million that was ring-fenced to help the transition to electric taxis. Like Boris before him, the new London Mayor is losing the goodwill of cab-driving voters.

The decision to subject minicabs to the congestion charge was welcome, but that was used as Christmas wrapping to hide plans to reduce the age limit on taxis and take many cabs off the roads before their time. This would have a detrimental effect on second-hand taxi values, and simultaneously slow the move to electric

taxis. Middle-aged cabs will be kept on longer. Not many of us want to drive a 12 or 15-year-old cab, but times are hard and most of us can’t afford to buy a new taxi at £57,000 (before finance costs). If a cab can get through an MOT and a rigorous inspection, that should be enough. Look at the age of some of our buses – and they’re not all going to be zero emission until 2037!

The mayor spent a reported £3million on the New Year firework display – which was now only accessible to those who buy a ticket. I watched the fireworks on television this year. Very nice too; though part of me kept thinking of all that money going up in smoke. Was t a smokescreen to take our minds off the real issues? The mayor’s real priorities should be housing, transport and crime-prevention; not a pay-per-view firework display.

Back on the roads, the mayor is trying to change people’s on-line shopping habits, as vans delivering goods to Central London offices are causing congestion. The number of delivery vans has increased two per cent each year. An increasing number of deliveries, coupled with the rampant licensing of minicabs, has made London more congested than ever. Serious congestion reminds everyone that the mayor’s cycle superhighways are partly to blame.

The mayor’s big idea is to establish parcel collection points in suburban tube stations, supermarkets and corner shops. I’ve picked up several Amazon packages at my local Morrison’s, but only certain, smaller packages, can be sent to supermarkets. Besides, waiting around for Amazon packages has become a great tradition, particularly around Christmas. You know when a parcel has been despatched, but you don’t know when it’ll arrive. You can pay extra for same day delivery, but where’s the fun in that? The excitement comes from wondering whether to risk nipping out for five minutes knowing that a van driven by an under-paid, time-pressured driver on a zero-hour contract could arrive the

moment you close the front door behind you. Sometimes you even weigh up whether to go to work if you’re expecting something important.

I have a radical idea. Instead of home-delivery, or parcel collection hubs; units could be set up containing goods for sale. Shoppers would have no need to read through an online catalogue to find items, or to enter the sometimes difficult world of filling in payment and delivery details: all the goods would be on full view and available for immediate purchase – with cash if desired. These units could each contain goods of a certain type. I propose we call these units “shops.” Larger shops could offer a range of disparate items, each arranged in their own sections. This type of unit could perhaps be called a “department store.” Department stores and run-of-the-mill shops could be sited in areas of high-density footfall, perhaps on high streets. Joining shops could be pubs, cafes, restaurants, and banks. This could create a hive of commercial and social activity in our neglected town centres. Once all these businesses are grouped together in one area I really think the high street could take off. What could possibly go wrong?

Apart from engineering crazy road systems and arranging firework displays, what else does a mayor do? In order to research this, I went back to my 1960s childhood and downloaded an episode of Trumpton. I must admit I didn’t come up with much. The Trumpton mayor wears a tricorn hat and a gold chain of office, but his activities are vague. All I can really say is that he presides over a town with little traffic, no visible parking restrictions, and a slow pace of life. The fire station is fully-manned with an efficient and motivated workforce, and the mayor runs the show with a quiet dignity – handing out free drinks and ice cream to the townsfolk on his birthday. The town doesn’t look like a place that would be able to cope with driverless cars in the future, and there are no kamikaze cyclists tearing around or upside down Uber cars.

OK, I might need to go back to the drawing board on my visions of the high street, but at least I’ve had a go. Until next time…

Chris Ackrill is a Taxi Driver and former Knowledge Examiner

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Online shopping is causing gridlock in the city but could the solution be staring us in the face

THE FUTURE MIGHT BE IN THE PASTCHRIS ACKRILL

The mayor’s big idea is to establish parcel collection points in suburban tube stations, supermarkets and corner shops


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LTDA BENEFITS LEARN TO SAVE A LIFEThe popular life-saving �rst aid course o ered to LTDA members is back up and running for 2019.

The �rst batch of members for the year have got their certi�cates under the guidance of Paul Tippett and more courses are on the way.

Paul is an Essex based London taxi driver and quali�ed �rst aid teacher who believes passionately that all London taxi drivers should have basic life-saving skills.

Now he wants to help his fellow cabbies by teaching them �rst aid skills.

Paul said: “The courses have been a great success so far and I can’t wait to help new members gain the con�dence and knowledge of basic �rst aid that can help pre-serve life and promote recovery.”

Participants learn how to admin-istrate vital chest compressions to a heart attack victim, treat an un-conscious person, use the correct recovery position and how to save someone from choking.

The course gives cabbies the knowledge to help someone in dis-tress or danger, keeping them calm until help arrives.

Paul added: “These situations are real and to have the con�dence to help save a life is imperative. You could be the di erence between life and death.”

On completion a certi�cation of Basic First Aid will be issued along with an AFAS-LTDA window sticker to show your competence in �rst aid.

There is likely to be one course in April and two in May on dates to be con�rmed. If you are an LTDA mem-ber and can commit three hours of your time on a Friday morning or afternoon then call Taxi House on 0207 2861046 to register your interest.

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ENVIRONMENT

Construction of a controversial new 7km cycle superhighway linking Kensington Olympia, Hammersmith and Brentford Town Centre could get underway this year.

Transport for London aims to push on with the plans which had faced fierce objections from a council and even a parish priest since the first blueprint was unveiled in 2013.

The regulator believes it will make walking and cycling safer and easier and is inviting views on the revised scheme.

Kensington and Chelsea Council singlehandedly blocked TfL’s original proposal, which included a segregated bike lane along Kensington High Street in 2013, saying it would affect businesses.

A consultation on Cycle Superhighway 9 (CS9) in 2017 received more than 5,000 responses. It also attracted the anger of Parish priest Father Michael Dunne who feared it would stop parishioners getting to the church. But he appears to have seen

the light and praised TfL for listening to residents.

TfL is inviting people to have their say on new designs in two sections between:

Kew Bridge/ Kew Bridge Road (High Street Brentford to Wellesley Road)

Duke Road and Duke’s Avenue on Chiswick High Road

At Kew Bridge and throughout Kew Bridge Road there will be two-way segregated cycle lanes on the south side of Kew Bridge Road and South Circular Road.

The new consultation also proposes a second southbound traffic lane on Kew Bridge to improve the Kew Bridge junction.

At the eastern end, the cycle lane will terminate at Hammersmith and Fulham’s border with Kensington and Chelsea, which remains opposed to segregated cycle lanes along the high street.

After Kensington Olympia, cyclists heading into the city centre will have to join the main carriageway before picking up CS3 just past the Royal Albert Hall.

New Superhighway to Get Underway


GUEST COLUMN

I ’m a cyclist who supports cabbies in their objections to the proposals to ban them from Tottenham Court Road (TCR), but I do wish some taxi drivers

wouldn’t be so down on cyclists. It’s the private cars and – especially – the lethal minicabs which we should be united in opposing.

There’s room for taxis and buses and bikes on the road together, but 90% of private cars in central London aren’t needed. Camden and City Hall should be taking steps to drive them out of London.

I think cabbies and cyclists should more frequently make common cause. Over TCR I’d say our interests coincide. I find a cycle space, which is actually a shared space with just buses and taxis (professional drivers), like TCR ought to be, is sometimes safer than a “bikes only” lane with private traffic such as minicabs nearby, since they often ignore cycle lanes and even stop in them.

I travel round central London every day by bike, on foot, and sometimes by bus, and I recognise that London’s black cabs are an important component of the city’s public transport system. So, I’m outraged by Camden Council’s plan to stop taxis sharing the space with buses on Tottenham Court Road (“Road-block

cabbies” – front page, 24 January Camden New Journal (CNJ)); taxi drivers have my full support.

The CNJ reported that Cllr Adam Harrison claims taxis will still be able to go within 60 metres of University College Hospital, but I’m sure patients who can walk 70 yards can probably cope with a bus. Surely one of the points of a taxi is that it can get you right to (or from) the door. I know people with impaired mobility who’ll no longer feel able to shop in that road if they don’t have the option of hailing a cab if they need one.

Cllr Harrison – who seems destined to be known as the Chris Grayling of Camden Council – also claims that the road scheme will help with traffic flow, pollution, and cycling safety. This might be the case if the ban on private cars in Tottenham Court Road operated round the clock. But those of us who use the road all the time know perfectly well that the danger and oppressiveness of cars in the area is often at its greatest in the evening, after the congestion charge stops, so letting cars into the road then is nonsensical. With the road being two-way, there’ll no longer be space for separate lanes for buses, taxis and bikes, so it’s self-evident that Tottenham Court Road will be far more dangerous for cyclists than it is in the evenings now, and buses will be gridlocked. Also, cycle lanes in Gower

Street will just be a bit of paint on the road, providing no real protection from the two-way motor traffic being introduced there.

And if this wasn’t awful enough, what about the situation at Princes Circus, also being dug up as part of the road scheme? The tallest and most magnificent of the trees there, which has no doubt stood in front of the Shaftesbury Theatre since the venue opened over a century ago, has survived nearby world war two bombs, as well as everything that London could throw at it – including a major revamping and reversing of the roads there about 40 years ago. But it’s now being destroyed to make way for traffic, sacrificed to some Camden planner’s vanity project. Yes, there’ll be a few saplings planted to “replace” it. But every single reader of this issue of TAXI will be long dead well before any of the saplings are even half the height of the magnificent tree being unnecessarily killed off. This alone is enough to demonstrate the falsity of claims that the road changes are for environmental reasons.

Camden Council should be ashamed and as I have said we should find common cause against the plans to stop cabbies accessing the area.

Albert Beale Cycling and environmental campaigner

ALBERT BEALE

Cyclists and cabbies aren’t always the best bedfellows, but one rider believes TCR is a common cause

CYCLIST BLASTS “SHAMEFUL CAMDEN”


CRUEL LONDON

F or many years, Park Road, Richmond was home to ‘The Hole in the Wall’; a picturesque pub which closed in 2006. It faced demolition but was saved after

being purchased by Sir David Attenborough who lived next door and saw a way of preserving the building by merging it into his own home.

Sir David set about creating a wildlife-friendly garden within the former pub’s ground, but while excavations were being carried out in 2010, workmen made a gruesome discovery: a human skull.

This grim find brought a 131-year -old mystery to a close. Extensive tests confirmed the skull belonged to Julia Martha Thomas, a local woman murdered in 1879.

Twice widowed, Julia was a retired schoolteacher who’d lived a short distance from the pub at 2 Mayfield Cottages. Keen to appear respectable, she wanted to hire a servant, but each one quit due to Julia’s harsh treatment.

In January 1879, Julia hired her latest candidate: 30 year old Kate Webster. Originally from County Wexford, Ireland, Kate harboured an extremely checkered past, having been in and out of prison for theft since the age of 15. In 1867 she made her way to England via Liverpool – where, true to form,

she was jailed for stealing. Once free, she headed to London where she came up with a new ruse – renting rooms and selling everything they contained before absconding. When caught, this scheme landed Kate 18 months in Wandsworth prison. After being released from Wandsworth Kate responded to Julia Thomas’ advert, charming her way into the job. However, as with those before, Julia was highly critical of her

maid’s work, something which Kate didn’t take at all kindly to.

Inevitably, on the evening of March 2 1879, a blazing row erupted between the pair, resulting in Kate shoving her employer down a flight of stairs. As Julia lay dazed and injured, Kate gripped her throat and throttled her to death. In her confession Kate described what happened next: “I determined to do away with the body as best I could. I chopped the head

from the body with the assistance of a razor… I also used the meat saw and the carving knife to cut the body up with.”

With this grisly task complete, Kate boiled as many body parts – including organs – as she could in a copper laundry tub; a task she struggled with due to the horrendous stench it produced. The consequent mess was then stuffed into boxes and bags which she hurled into the Thames near Barnes railway bridge. To dispose of the largest trunk, Kate

enlisted the help of Robert Porter; a friend she knew from Hammersmith who apparently thought nothing unusual of lugging a mysterious container into the river.

Kate however was still burdened with Julia’s head and one intact foot. Although the foot eventually turned up on a rubbish tip in Twickenham, the head’s whereabouts remained unknown- until the excavations in Sir David Attenborough’s

property over a century later revealed that Kate had buried it beneath the pub’s stables. Kate continued to reside at 2 Mayfield Cottages for two weeks whilst pretending to be Julia and even swanned about in her victim’s clothes. The neighbours became suspicious however, and when one asked a removal man – who’d come to load up furniture Kate had sold – who he was working for, he replied “Mrs Thomas.” Kate overheard this revealing exchange and immediately fled back to Ireland. Working in conjunction, the Royal Irish Constabulary and Scotland Yard didn’t take long

to track her down. She was promptly arrested and transported back to London, with jeering crowds turning out to confront her on both sides of the Irish Sea.

Kate Webster was tried at the Old Bailey during July 1879. Found guilty, she claimed she was pregnant to avoid the death penalty; a lie which failed. She was executed at Wandsworth on July 29, 1879, with the newly introduced “long-drop;” a “humane” method of hanging which ensured instant death.

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Vehicle registration certi�cate, logbook or new keeper’s supplement (complete with bill of sale/ receipt) where vehicle is newly purchased prior to inspection

Current vehicle licence (for renewal inspections) From October 1, 2014, vehicles no longer require

a tax disc to be displayed. Vehicles can be taxed online or at a post o�ce. If a vehicle is not recorded as taxed, NSL will accept an online application/ post o�ce receipt. (information at www.gov.co.uk/dvla nomoretaxdisc)

Insurance certi�cate (not a copy) – properly a�xed in the luggage compartment

Valid MoT certi�cate (issued 13 days or less before inspection)

If vehicle is less than one year old an MoT is not required

Taximeter installation and calibration certi�cate, issued within 30 days of inspection

Exemption certi�cate (where applicable) Modi�cation approval (where applicable) Tool to release ramps Tyres – must conform to manufacturer’s

speci�cation (see table below)

VEHICLE MAKE / MODEL TYRE SIZEMercedes Vito Euro 4 195/65 R 16 100/915T or 104/102TMercedes Vito Euro 5 195/65 R 16 100/915T or 104/102TFairway (declared max speed of 130 km/h) 175 R 16 NTX1 (declared speed of 130 km/h) 175 R 16 NTXII (declared speed of 147 km/h) 175 R 16 QTXII (declared speed of 147 km/h) 175 R 16 QTX4 (declared speed of 147 km/h) 175 R 16 Q

CHECKLIST

RELICENSING AT NSL?Save yourself time and loss of work

We are always here to help our members but avoiding unnecessary �nes in the �rst place is best

PREVENTION BETTER THAN THE CURELLOYD BALDWIN

ON POINT

W e take hundreds of calls each week from drivers concerned about a range of issues: from simple parking tickets, to more serious criminal issues,

often with many fearing that they will be forced off the road. Many off the issues are easily dealt with, but more importantly, are easily avoided with a bit of forethought. I don’t want to come on like an old nag, but we all know the adage, prevention is better than the cure, and it’s true.

One of the most common penalties we are having to challenge now is drivers getting caught ignoring the no left turn into Richmond Road from Mare Street in Hackney.

This restriction is clearly sign-posted now, as you can see, and it is nigh on impossible to overturn tickets here – so don’t do it.

Another issue that is surprisingly common these days is drivers forgetting that they are no longer operating as a taxi if they fail their NSL test and do not get plated. This means that you are no longer allowed drive in the Congestion Zone without paying the £11.50 fee or to drive in bus lanes. One driver was horrified to discover this because he had been criss-crossing London in the bus lanes while using his cab as a run around, blissfully unaware that he was temporarily no longer a licensed cabbie, attracting thousands of pounds in fines. Everything is high tech and fast nowadays, as

I’m sure you are aware. As soon as you fail your test the information is sent to a database and you instantly become liable for C-Charge and bus lane penalties. Another common complaint is drivers being caught speeding in 20mph zones. These are being enforced now by cash-strapped councils – after years of being ignored. Camden and Hackney councils are particularly hot on these – so be careful out there.

On another note – if you upgrade to a new cab don’t forget to update your details, especially if you pass through the Dartford tunnel, because you can get fined if you don’t.

I know it’s easy to get into a pattern and sometimes take your eye off the ball but it’s best to concentrate and avoid getting a ticket rather than end up stressed because you got an unnecessary fine. That said, we are always here to help our members.

Beware of TXe Scammers Recently, I heard of a scam involving a new TXe. A man on a motorbike hurled himself to the floor after claiming to having been bumped by a cabbie in a new electric cab in traffic at Vauxhall Gyratory. He said he had not heard the silent cab coming up behind him and demanded £500 for it not to go through the driver’s insurance. The cabbie was worried, mainly because the cab was brand spanking new, and ended up handing over £350 to the rider, who is described as eastern European. We are certain this was a scam.

Fight NightBoxing cabbie Dean Richardson returns to the ring on Saturday, March 2, as he looks to close in on a shot at the Southern Area title this year. The light-middleweight will be in a six-round bout at York Hall, Bethnal Green, and is Richardson’s first fight since October, winning a shutout points victory and extended his record to eight wins out of eight, with five knockouts. If you would like to show your support, tickets are priced at £40 unreserved seating, £65 ringside and £100 and available on 07702 887088. Credit/debit card bookings can be made via http://bit.ly/ mft-drichardson (a booking fee applies).

Lloyd Baldwin is an LTDA Executive Support Officer


To book using your unique discount code LTDA10 call the LTDA booking hotline 0800 0355 108 or visit fredolsencruises.com/ltda

All bookings are subject to Fred. Olsen’s (FOCL) standard terms & conditions, available on our website & on request. All prices quoted under the LTDA members discount offer are exclusive to qualifying members & their travelling companions only, members must quote their discount code at time of booking. Membership discounts cannot be applied retrospectively. Bookings must be made via the booking hotline number 0800 0355 108. Proof of membership will be required at the time of booking. Offers cannot be extended to any unrelated third party, are subject to availability & may be withdrawn or amended at any time without prior notice. From time to time FOCL may run special offers which cannot be combined with this discount, including selected group travel deals. All guests booked under this scheme are requested to refrain from disclosing the fare paid whilst on board. Offer is for first-time cruisers with Fred. Olsen only. Fred. Olsen Oceans members are entitled to a 5% LTDA discount subject to the same terms & conditions, to be applied after the standard Oceans discount, where applicable. In this instance, Oceans Terms & Conditions apply. E&OE.

Bringing the world closer

The LTDA have teamed up with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines to offer an exciting new benefit for our members. As a member you will now be able to enjoy a very tempting 10% membership discount* on your first sailing with them – and that’s on top of any current offers. Existing

Fred. Olsen customers can save 5%, in addition to their 5% Loyalty Club discount.

Did you know...“The Fred. Olsen family started with a fleet of sailing ships in 1848”

“Our chairman Fred. Olsen Jnr. is the fifth generation Fred. Olsen”

“It’s a family custom for Fred. Olsen ships to begin with a B”

“Canary Wharf was named by Fred. Olsen, who formerly shipped fruit from the Canaries to London”


TAXI TALK

I n 1897 very first mechanically propelled cab in the world, arrived on the streets of London. The Bersey electric powered vehicle

was a monstrous two-seater coupe, weighing 14cwt and propelled by 40 accumulator cells and carried in a tray under the body, that could propel the cabs for around 40 miles before it had to be re-charged. They had a top speed of just 9mph, and despite replacing them the following year with a supposedly updated version, capable of a top speed of 12mph.

Walter Bersey had great hopes for his taxis and electricity, saying: “There is no apparent limit to the hopes and expectations of the electric artisans... in short [it] is the natural power which shall be the most intimate and effective of all man’s assets.”

Exhibited at a South Kensington motor show in 1896, 12 electric cabs, the Berseys first appeared on the road on 19 August 1897. When the taxis were first unveiled, they undertook the London-Brighton race. According to reports, the taxis could not complete the 60 mile journey and completed part of the race by train.

Rates were the same as horse drawn cabs. The cab could take two passengers and was fitted with electric lighting both inside and out. Each taxi was licensed by Scotland Yard under four conditions:1. each vehicle was accompanied by a driver2. drivers were capable of stopping the carriage

on demand3. the taxi could turn in a small space4. be able to climb the steepest hill in London,

Savoy HillWhen they first came out the cabbies called

them “the ‘umming birds” because of the sound they made. The Berseys didn’t last long because they kept breaking down and the cabbies refused to drive them.

In 1903 the first internal combustion-engine cab, the Prunel, appeared. Other well-known manufacturers soon followed and by the end of 1906 cab models by Vauxhall, Ford, Herald, Rational, Argyll, Unic, Brazier, Marple, Pullcar and Humber had been licensed. New Conditions of Fitness were introduced in the same year and the fate of the horse-drawn cabs was sealed. In 1903, there were over 11,000 horse-drawn cabs on the streets of London, 7,449 Hansom cabs and 3,905 Clarence four wheelers, or growlers, as they were called. Within the short space of 10 years leading up to WW1, the number of Hansom Cabs were reduced to 386 with just 1,547 growlers remaining! Despite the Hansom cab being the most popular vehicle ever used by the cab trade, its days were numbered and within a decade these wonderfully designed vehicles were broken up for firewood and sold at one shilling a bag!

The arrival of 500 Renault taxis in March 1907, operated by London General, set the

scene for a fierce debate and the company were severely criticised for “going foreign.” This was the largest single order placed at that time anywhere in the world for a motor vehicle! The two-seater Renaults were virtually the same as those working in Paris and were fitted with a two-cylinder, 8-9hp engine and three speed gear box. But the London General had invested heavily and they didn’t want to be screwed by the wily cabbies. So they refused to put their fleet of Renaults on the road until cab meters were made compulsory.

In mid-1907, The Times newspaper organised a competition to find the best meter to put into a cab – with a very nice prize for the winner. The winner turned out to be a German nobleman called Baron Von Thurn Und Taxis. He called his winning meter “a taximeter” and we have been called taxis ever since. It’s a great story, but whether it’s true or not, I don’t know!

By the end of 1907 taximeters became compulsory, so the London General’s fleet of Renaults could hit the road. A few years down the line they got hit in the pocket when the Government passed a law stating that all London cabs should be four-seaters! London General had to adapt its 500 two-seater Renault taxi fleet! Other new companies entered the market. An amazing 38 different motor manufacturers had vehicles working as taxis in London between 1903 and 1914. However, it was patently obvious that all of these different vehicles wouldn’t stand the test of time. By the outbreak of WW1 many of the companies had already gone bust. Their costs had increased annually, but without the increased taxis fares, which were

The TXe was beaten to the title of being the �rst electric cab by more than 100 years

THE FIRST ELECTRIC CABALF TOWNSEND

By the end of 1906 cab models by Vauxhall, Ford, Herald, Rational, Argyll, Unic, Brazier, Marple, Pullcar and Humber had been licensed...

controlled by Parliament, they ran out of money. In fact, taxi fares remained static from 1907 until 1920! The then Home Secretary was Winston Churchill, who flatly refused a final plea from the fleet-owners and proprietors. So, in a desperate attempt to offset their crippling costs, they took it upon themselves to demand all the extras on the meter from the cabbies. The levies put on the meter for extra passengers and luggage had always been sacrosanct to the cabbies and were an integral part of their income.

In 1912, the cabbie’s union called a strike. This bitter strike had total support from all London cabbies and the thousands of ancillary workers in the trade. This bitter strike finally came to the end later in the year when the Court of Arbitration ruled in favour of the taxi drivers. But it didn’t end there, because in January 1913, the proprietors wanted the cabbies to pay the full amount when the petrol prices rose by 70%. So, yet another strike ensued!

London cabbies have continually to express their willingness to protect their living against any unfair practices. So, it’s imperative that every new driver coming into our trade joins a trade organisation. Perhaps we should take a leaf out of our French brethren’s book, for when the Paris taxi drivers go on strike, it’s 100% walkout and not one single taxi goes to work!

RIP Dave FreemanI’m indebted to Arsenal Eddie at Heathrow for informing me – via my editor – of the sad passing of Dave Freeman. Dave worked the airport for many years and was part of the fabric at Heathrow. During my tenure out there in the ’90s, I used to talk quite regularly with Dave and found him intelligent and friendly, with a good sense of humour. I’m told that when he went through his “hippy period,” he grew his hair long and tied it at the back and was known to all and sundry as Pony-Tail Dave!

My condolences go out to all his family and friends for their loss. Dave was a lovely bloke and will be severely missed. RIP old mate.

[ABOVE, LEFT] The Bersey electric cab;

[ABOVE, RIGHT]

Dave Freeman


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W hat better way to shake off the winter chills than by meeting one of our diary spotters and being handed a £150 gift card completely free.

Our spotters love nothing more than hopping around London looking for unsuspecting LTDA members to hand goodies to.

This week they caught up with Danny O’Kane, who was delighted when our spotters surprised him with a £150 All 4 One gift card just for having his LTDA diary on show in the windscreen of his cab. All 4 One cards can be spent on a huge array of items in dozens of stores, including Debenhams, Argos,

River Island and Marks and Spencer.Danny said: “Fantastic. This will come in very handy. I never thought I would

win Diary Watch.” A short while later our spotters managed to catch up with Wayne Brabrook, who was pleased as punch when he was handed a £150 gift card simply for having his diary on display. Wayne said: “That’s great, thanks a lot. That’s made my day. ”

Each year we give away almost £8,000 to LTDA members, so the odds of coming up trumps are pretty good. Just make sure you have your LTDA membership diary on display and let us do the rest.

DIARY WATCH ALL 4 ONE BONUS FOR LTDA MEMBERS

Danny: “Fantastic.” Wayne: “Great.”


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TWO FINGERS

W hen I was a boy, I spent a lot of my spare time in those long, cold, post war times, lying on

our threadbare carpet in front of a meagre open fire, drawing maps of pretend remote tropical islands – where X marked the spot of hidden treasure – or make-belief city streets, of wide boulevards and labyrinthine alleyways.

When it came to the Knowledge, I consumed street names: Poultry and Cornhill, Crutched Friars and Crooked Usage; Bleeding Heart Yard and Ha Ha Road. Much to the chagrin of my Knowledge partner, I could study a map, write down a route in my note pad, follow the street names whilst cruising the streets on my two-stroke Mobylete, and by the time I’d transferred points and street names into my call-over book, I’d memorised the entire route. I guess it may have helped that I wasn’t married, had no financial ties and lived at home with my mum and dad. I did have a Saturday job at John Collier – “the 50-bob tailors,” that kept me in two stroke and pocket money. For the months in1966 that I ate, slept and breathed the Knowledge, I went from a garrulous “Jack the lad‘ to a pill-popping, introverted, nervous wreck.

Fast forward 50-plus years. The garrulousness may have improved, even if the Knowledge has faded somewhat. I blame the subsequent London mayors. It used to be all plain sailing when London was controlled by a county council, but the moment an appointed mayor got the chance to let his ego run riot on the metropolis the Knowledge was thrown into confusion. Out went the cute, timesaving cabbie cut throughs; like between St Paul’s, Fleet Street, Smithfields and Farringdon. Students doing the Knowledge now will never know the full-flowing luxury of Shoe Lane or the swift passage along Breams Buildings to Fetter Lane, and the scores of little side streets and cut throughs that added an additional dimension to our passengers’ cab-riding experience, but more personally satisfying, in providing an ultra-professional “Knowledge.”

Nowadays, my Knowledge is constantly being tested. Not by pointless and often massively inconvenient closures of strategic streets, plotted by seemingly sadistic planners, that’s only half my battle. I simply can’t keep up with the Monopoly effect sweeping London; new hotels, luxury and boutique popping up on almost every desirable street. The toss of the tourist dice has decimated my list of “known” hotels. Passengers

often innocently pass me a mobile with the name of a hitherto unknown hotel location. In the space of a few short hours over one Christmas day, I learned the whereabouts of two new hotels – The Indigo in Aldgate East, The Nadler in Palace Street, Westminster, and The Principal – the renamed Russell Hotel: plus Temple Avenue, a road I had no idea was no longer a through route to The Embankment. “I have got a licence, honest,” I joke, as I reset the meter and pointed the cab in the opposite direction.

Mind you, my biggest cock-up, cabwise, occured some time ago, back when the Heathrow Express offloaded its passengers down the slope on Eastbourne Avenue. There was the usual melee of passengers climbing into “wrong” cabs, and I found myself with pleasant, polite men. They settled in the back, but before I pulled away, I had to find out where they wanted to go. I slid open the driver’s partition as far as it would go, ”where to? Harold Hill,” came the reply. I’m never surprised where I’m asked to go. It’s the random nature of the job – especially from a multinational hub like Paddington’s Heathrow Express. And at 3pm, and living in Redbridge, it meant an early trip home. I checked again, just to make sure. “Harold Hill?” I repeated. There were affirmative mutterings from the passenger compartment, so I headed east towards the New Road and the A12.

The rain was torrential. It drummed on the roof; it hammered on the bonnet; it pinged against the windows, steaming up every inch of glass in the droshky. I slowly negotiated my way through the eastbound traffic in the City, through Hackney and along Cassland Road. The downpour was incessant. We drew nearer to the A12 Essex escape route. The demisters had been fighting a losing

battle since Praed Street. The wipers swished on valiantly. From the grey fug embracing the windscreen, a green road traffic sign loomed into view, like a theatre billboard displaying the forthcoming attractions... now, for your delectation and

for the foreseeable future, we are proud to announce “Colchester, Romford and very soon – Redbridge!”

My senior passenger tapped on the partition window, ”is this the way to Harrow on the Hill?” I let his question set in. I heard myself say, “pardon?” and I heard my passenger repeat his question. Ashen and appalled, I pulled over onto the hard shoulder. My apologies, and my offer of free onward transit were warmly accepted. I made my way off the motorway, joined the North Circular and eventually, despite the relentless rain, turned up outside their front door. The meter had been running from the onset of the journey. I swallowed hard. We weren’t yet on treble figures. Before I could collect my thoughts, my passengers interrupted my hesitance, ”don’t worry,” he smiled, “we’ll give you whatever is on the meter. It wasn’t your fault.”

If I’d been a cowboy, I’d have driven off into the sunset – except that the monsoon weather had followed us to Harrow. I looked up into the clouds. I’m sure I spotted a silver lining?

Misunderstandings can be embarrassing but they don’t always mean you have to eat humble pie

“TO SILVER LINING STREET CABBIE”


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Meg gives into the hype around Hamilton but wishes she’d given it a wide berth

A NEW HIT MUSICAL IS JUST HOT AIR

LICENSED TO CHAT

S ince Hamilton opened at the Victoria Palace Theatre in December 2017, I have picked up a “lorra, lorra” fares from there at chucking

out time. Some of them claimed the show was the best thing

they have ever seen, and others loathed it and complained bitterly about the production and high-ticket prices (up to £200 a head).

Hamilton, Hamilton, Hamilton… it was praised everywhere; on TV, in newspapers and on the sides of buses – so, I gave in to the hype and bought two tickets.

For the those not in the know, it’s a musical which sets American Independence to a hip hop and RnB soundtrack. Mr Meg screamed “hell no”” when I invited him to join me. He is still mentally scarred from going to see the shrieky, roller skating musical Starlight Express 20 years ago. The actors skating round and round in a circle triggered his motion sickness and had to dash out of the theatre and vomit. Now, just the word “musical” makes him retch. So, last Tuesday I took my sister to see Hamilton instead. She was thrilled-silly to get the ticket, and a fancy one at that. I’d booked two seats in a box, no less. I’m worth it.

Getting into the theatre was like cracking a bank vault. Their paperless ticketing system sounds easy, but it isn’t. Staff asked for so many forms of ID I thought they might request a urine sample, too, before we reached our seats.

Our box was wonderful. It has coats hooks and a table to arrange my sweeties on (Opal Fruits and Fruitellas) and our very own butler to fetch us over-priced drinks. Best of all we had our very own PRIVATE loo! A privee privy. That was the good news

The bad news is that the box had two other occupants. They were a couple of 30-somethings who had paid £100 each to sit in a box while Hamilton was playing live, only to ignore the show and snog themselves silly instead.

They weren’t interested in the butler, or my confectionery that I’d offered to share, because they were

all about swapping spit and sucking earlobes. And then the real drama of the night happened.

At interval time a stranger stepped into our box from the outside corridor, and before I had time to say, “who the bloody hell are you?” he had locked himself into our private loo. He wasn’t the butler, he was just a cheeky sod.

He stepped into our PRIVATE loo at 9.07pm and stepped out at 9.15pm and he didn’t even have the good grace to close the toilet door before nipping out of our box quick smart.

Readers, if the Butler had come back to take an order at 9.16pm I would have asked for a gas mask. The stench the bloke left behind was completely unbreathable. I ended up using my Opal Fruits family size bag as a make-do oxygen mask.

And as for the show, I didn’t understand the lyrics which were sung so fast that it reminded me of when I used to wind my cassette player forward and songs sounded like they were being sung by Pinky and Perky. I didn’t understand the story and the set was static which added to my sense of er, boredom.

More drama and romance went on in my box with Mr Dump and Run and the couple next to me trying to love bite themselves into extinction, than happened on the stage

One word to sum up the show? Shamilton.

MUSHER MEG

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15 year reminderThe London taxi 15 year age limit refers to the cab’s ‘birthday’ (in the log book) not its plate date.

For example: A cab passed when it is 14 years and 11 months old WILL be granted a further 12 months of life.

Cabs may be booked in for testing in the normal way when the plate has 28 days or less to run.

The cab can then work up to the test date. If the plates are taken off with more than 28 days to run, both the plates and the paper licence must be surrendered to one of the six NSL inspection centres in and around London.

The ‘unplated’ cab must then not be worked, and at least one week should be allowed before attempting to book the next NSL test, to allow the computerised booking system to recognise that the plates have been registered. Lost/stolen identi�erIf your identifier is lost or stolen

you must notify LTPH immediately (0343 222 4444 / tph.enquiries

@tfl.gov.uk)You may then continue

working. A letter of confirmation will be sent out to you by Transport for London, prior to a replacement identifier

being processed.


other form of illegal cab-related activity is urged to contact TfL with the details.

Take down the registration number and make a note of the date, time and location where incident took place.

Type “cab enforcement” into your internet search engine and follow the links to the ‘report illegal activity’ section of the TfL website.

DVLA reminderThe photo card part of the driving licence lasts for 10 years and must renewed after that period. The licence becomes invalid if it is not renewed with a current picture.

Cabs may be booked in for

working. A letter of

replacement identifier being processed.

Shop a tout

STAY IN THE KNOW

MONEY MATTERS

B rits are collectively wasting an estimated £1.55bn a year by choosing pay monthly mobile contracts instead of cheaper SIM-only

deals. Mobile users are forking out an average of £92

extra each year if they opt for a phone with a contract instead of buying a handset and airtime tariff separately, according to comparison website HandsetExpert. It reckons two-thirds (65%) of pay monthly customers could save money by switching to a SIM-only deal.

As the name suggests, with a SIM-only phone tariff you just get a SIM card and provide your own handset. The SIM card, or “subscriber identity module”, stores data such as your mobile phone number and address book contact information. It allows you to easily transport your phone number and contacts to a new phone simply by removing the card from one phone and inserting it into another.

Pay monthly mobile contracts include a SIM and a handset, which can usually be upgraded to the latest model every 12 or 18 months, depending on the terms of your contract. By offering SIM-only deals, networks don’t have to cover the cost of

new handsets so they can offer cheaper deals.If you want to switch from a pay monthly contract

to a SIM-only it’s important to check that you’re out of your minimum contract term. If you’re not, your network will probably want you to pay off the rest of the term – which is unlikely to be cost effective.

You can search for the best SIM-only deal on a comparison site such as HandsetExpert.com, Broadbandchoices.co.uk or Moneysupermarket.com. There are several deals on the market for £5 a month or less. For example, ID offers 1GB of 4G data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts for £5 a month, while rival GiffGaff will give you 500Mb of 4G data, 150 minutes and 500 texts for the same price. Both deals only require a 30-day commitment.

If you want more data and are willing to commit to a 12-month contract, Plusnet offers its broadband customers a SIM-only deal with 2.5GB of data, and unlimited texts and minutes, for £7.50 a month. Alternatively, Virgin Mobile offers 6GB data, 1,500 mins and unlimited texts for £9 a month on a 12-month contract. You can apply for these deals online and the SIM will be sent to you in the post.

SIM-only deals are also available on a pay-as-you-go basis. Once you have bought a SIM card, you’ll need to top-up your credit, after which you’ll pay set prices for calls and messages.

If switching to a SIM-only deal involves changing networks and you want to keep your existing mobile number, you’ll need to ask your current provider for a “porting authorisation code” or PAC. The chances are, your network will try and persuade you to stay but Ofcom rules state your provider must hand over your PAC code if you ask for it, and it has to be issued to you immediately over the phone or within two hours in a text message.

You’ve got 30 days to give the PAC code to your new network from the date it was issued to you –otherwise it’ll expire. Your new network will transfer your number from your old one, and let you know when it’s done.

When it comes to a handset to put your new SIM in, you have the choice of using one you already own or buying a new one. Any existing handset will need to be “unlocked” so that it accepts SIMs from rival networks. You can normally do this via your network or by visiting a phone shop, which may charge a small fee.

If you’re buying a new or even second-hand phone, make sure you shop around. GiffGaff offers unlocked handsets from all the major phone manufacturers. Carphone Warehouse, Mobiles.co.uk and Mobilephonesdirect.co.uk are also worth checking out.

Phone users can save bundles of cash by buying a mobile and getting separate contract

SLASH YOUR MOBILE BILL EASILYEMMA LUNN


THE BIG ONE!The membership of the LTDA is 40 times greater

than some other driver organisations!

To learn more about LTDA benefits and current joining offerscall: 020 7286 1046 or visit www.ltda.co.uk

HERE’S WHY...

BADGESAFE SCHEME

The LTDA retains experienced barristers with specialist knowledge of the London cab trade. Normally when drivers accumulate 12 points on their licence they receive an automatic 6 month ban, but in the case of LTDA members over 90% of those represented by our barristers receive a ban of just 1 month or in most cases no ban whatsoever.

EXPERTISE = SUCCESS

The LTDA’s in-house lawyers are proud of their unrivalled record of court triumphs; in fact the rate of acquittals for members defended in court by the LTDA is 4 times higher than the national average. This unparalleled level of success is due entirely to the expertise acquired by the LTDA over many years of specialising in cab related legal matters.

YOUR FUTURE

The LTDA remains the only trade body resolutely opposed to the computerisation of the Knowledge of London testing system. (No to the quickie Knowledge campaign).

INLAND REVENUE ASSISTANCE AND ADVICE

Many drivers and accountants refer to the LTDA for specialist advice on Inland Revenue investigations. (Free to members).

SICKNESS AND ACCIDENT PROTECTION

When trouble strikes it’s comforting to know that you’ve got the strength of the LTDA around you. (Additional subscription payable).

LTDA HOLIDAY CLUB

Many members have saved thousands of pounds by taking advantage of special offers and prices (members only).

WIN £5,000 EVERY MONTH IN THE LTDA LOTTERY

12 big prizes every year, but you have to be in it to win it (members only £5 per entry).

ACCESS TO ‘SIMPLY HEALTH’

Great value health care from the LTDA. The Association pioneered this scheme in the taxi trade and it still offers the cheapest rates. (Special rates for LTDA members only).

HEATHROW OFFICE AND REPRESENTATION

Call in to the LTDA office at Heathrow, first door on the right in the canteen block. The LTDA’s representatives will give you a warm welcome. (Open to all).

WELFARE DEPARTMENT

LTDA officers make home visits to members who are in severe distress or with special needs and authorise contingency payments where appropriate.

RANKS AND HIGHWAYS REPRESENTATION

The LTDA has negotiated taxi access to most bus lanes and leads the way negotiating on issues that affect you, the licensed taxi driver.

GENERAL ADVICE

If you are new to the trade and you don’t know your `roader’ from your `legal’, give us a call. We’re always here to help. (Tel: 020 7286 1046 - non members are welcome to call).

24 HOUR TOUT LINE

Seen a tout in action? Take the details and phone them in, we will do the rest. (Tel: 020 7266 4769).

HEALTH AND SPORTS PROMOTION

We regularly run promotions with leading health and sports companies resulting in big savings to members.

LEISURE DISCOUNTS

Huge savings on weekend breaks at fine hotels and holiday centres. You will not believe these prices! (Members only).

VEHICLE MANUFACTURERSContinually representing members’ interests in disputes with vehicle manufacturers and suppliers.AUTHORITIES AND MEDIAThe LTDA is the largest and most respected driver organisation in the trade. We lead the way when negotiating with the Government, GLA, TfL, Police, Mayor’s Office, Heathrow, Rail Authorities, Local Councils and when dealing with all sections of the media.MEDICAL ASSISTANCEMany cab drivers are discovering to their cost that their licences are at risk due to the TfL’s interpretation of the new DVLA Group 2 Medical Standards. The LTDA has successfully challenged many decisions by the TfL to revoke members’ licences on medical grounds.FANTASTIC VALUELTDA subscriptions have not increased for 14 years! It costs just 4 quid a week to join the trade’s biggest organisation and 3 quid of that is tax deductible! (Payable monthly).

The LTDA legal service is the only trade scheme which

defends members for ALL alleged offences (traffic,

hackney or criminal), anytime, anywhere in the UK. Non members are advised to

check carefully the exceptions and exclusions contained

or imposed by other legal protection schemes circulating in our trade.

CAUTION


Get in touchTo see your advertisement in the leading magazine for London taxi drivers, contact us today:

GET NOTICED WITHYOUR ADVERT HERE!

[email protected]

01727 739 196

Jack Green


C omplete our crossword puzzle and be in with a chance to win £50! Send your entry to: Crossword 436, Taxi, Taxi House, 11 Woodfield Road, W9 2BA before March 6. The first name out of the proverbial hat wins the cash!

DOWN: 1 Flowing (4)

2 Icon (6)

3 Howl (7)

4 Location (5)

5 Chilly superhero (6)

6 Lengthen (8)

12 Landed gentry (8)

14 Watch (7)

16 Baptism witness (6)

18 In cyberspace (6)

19 Medic (5)

22 Duct (4)

ACROSS: 7 Discontinued exam (1, 5)

8 Witches laugh (6)

9 Departure (4)

10 Pain relief ointment (8)

11 Cause to absorb water (7)

13 Relation (2, 3)

15 Wedding dance (5)

17 Stomach (7)

20 Desert ridge (4, 4)

21 Existence (4)

23 Soldiers (6)

24 Wine like (6)

CROSSWORD #436

PUZZLER

PRIZE CROSSWORD

PUZZLER

SUDOKU

Have a go at this medium level Sudoku puzzle. Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1-9 just once

Just for fun...

Puzzles © 2018 Puzzler Media Ltd.www.puzzler.com

OVERHEARD

S ome people love to go to the cinema. Others go to the cinema to love. Last week I was in a cinema watching

a torrid love scene for half an hour before I realised, I was facing the wrong way. Movie morals have certainly changed in recent years. I can still remember when a cowboy film was considered obscene if the horse wasn’t wearing a saddle. It seems, for a girl to get into movies she must either know somebody or have some body. To come out on top she has to come out on top. One film producer told the young actress, “no, you won’t be required to take your clothes off. You won’t be wearing any to start with.” They even fired one actress for being late for the undress rehearsal. What a film that turned out to be! The sign on the cinema’s marquee read, “now showing – everything.” It had so many nude scenes the critics awarded it four stares. It was so pornographic, prostitutes used it for training. Today the censor makes that many cuts he has to use a styptic pencil. Bob Hope summed it up by claiming, “they’re now doing on screen things I wouldn’t even do behind one.” Gratuitous bad language is another

problem. For instance, The Wolf of Wall Street used the f-word 506 times. It even beat the record set by a man assembling furniture from IKEA. Film lengths can be annoying too. I sat through one that ran for three and a half hours. That’s twice as long as the star’s four marriages. It had a happy ending. Everyone was happy when it ended. Have you noticed that every few years they change the actor playing James Bond? One day they may even change the plot

too. Bollywood’s now making more films that Hollywood. Their

latest is an Indian version of High Noon. It’s an

eastern western. The Arabs are at it too. They’ve just made “The Man in The Iron Mosque.” In Vietnam they’re making “Saigon With The Wind.”

And in China, “The House Of Woks.” I

used to watch a lot of TV till it got inundated

with cops and robbers shows. Looks like, what passes for

entertainment on TV is a crime. Many new TV series are a mixture of good and bad news. The bad news is they don’t last long. That’s also the good news. This could well send me back to listening to radio again. Right now, the only thing I get on my radio is dust. I spend most of my time tinkering with my tablet. Everybody’s doing it. It’s no wonder this place we live in is called Planet of the Apps.

—Brad Ashton

ACROSS: 7 Retake, 8 Tremor, 9 Stag, 10 Stopcock, 11 Lantern, 13 Snare, 15 Drill, 17 Scissor, 20 Statuary, 21 Ours, 23 Linnet, 24 Ink-jet

DOWN: 1 Bent, 2 Maggot, 3 Measure, 4 Ethos, 5 Beacon, 6 Concerto, 12 Airstrip, 14 Acrylic, 16 Litany, 18 Spooky, 19 Batty, 22 Reel

WINNER: ISSUE 434 — M Taylor, Rainham


UNITE IN THEFIGHT!

United Trade Action Group Ltd

‘UTAG’ has been formed to

manage the legal process and

action against Westminster

Magistrates Court, Transport for

London and Uber. We are in the

process of raising funds to pay for

these legal challenges to save the

Licensed Taxi. On 2nd November

2018, we were granted a judicial

review by Hon Justice Walker,

but there is much more to do.

WE NEED EACH AND EVERY DRIVER TO CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THE LEGAL BATTLES.YOUR SUPPORT IS ESSENTIAL.

www.uTAG.LONDONPlease join the fight and donate here. It’s now or never.

UTAG is a reference to United Trade Action Group Ltd

WHO ARE UTAG?

UTAG is a unified collaboration between Drivers

& Supplying stakeholders of the Taxi Trade.


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A selection of our numerous Distribution Points

A1 Taxis, Melody Lane, Highbury, N5 Abacus Accounts, Southbrook Road, Lee, SE12 Astral Café, Regency Place, SW1 Bubbles Car Wash, E2 C & S Taxis, Dunbridge Street, E2 Cabsurance, Seven Kings Camber�eld Taxi Services Computer Cab, Mitre Way, W12 Coney Allen, Dunbridge Street, E1 CP Beehive Service Station, Beehive Lane, Gants Hill Cricklewood Carriers, Cricklewood Dial A Cab, City Road, N1 Edgware Station Rank Euston Station Rank G & L Taxis, Crayford Road, N7 Globe Transmissions, Cudworth Street, E1 The Ham, Brentford Heathrow Airport Canteen Hexagon Garage, Lukin Street, E1 Jet Garage, Clipstone Street, W1 Knowledge Centre, Caledonian Road KPM, Hemming Street, E1 London City Airport Canteen LP Motors, Dunbridge Street, E2 Martin Cordell, E3 and Stanmore Paddington Station Rank Putney Bridge Taxis, The Arches, Putney Bridge Station, SW6 Richmond Road Taxi Centre, E8 Safewise Supermarket, Harrow South Bank Service Station, Great Su�olk Street, SE1 TAXI HOUSE, W9 Taxi & Private Hire, Blackfriars Rd, SE1 Temple Place Shelter Tent Street Taxi Centre, E2 Turbo Accessories, Three Colts Lane, E2 Waterloo Station Wimbledon Station Rank WizAnn Knowledge School, Watts Grove, E3

LTDA

TREATING PROSTATECANCER QUESTIONS

& ANSWERSFor a FREE copy of this booklet please contact us at the address below.

This booklet has two aims:• to help you become better

informed about prostate cancer and its treatment.

• to guide you in the decisions you will make about your care with your doctor.

It cannot replace talking toyour GP or hospital doctor.

If you can help us by raising funds for our research or to make a donationplease contact us at the address below.

Your support is vital!

Treating

prostate cancerQuestions and answers

p pros reatT

state tingg

t e p canc

prost

an Questions

certate

sanswernd

e

Prostate Cancer Research Centre • 67 Riding House Street • London • W1W 7EJ Tel: 020 7679 9366 • email [email protected] • www.prostate-cancer-research.org.uk

Prostate Quarter Page 111mmx 141mm:Prostate A4 ad 15/10/2012 16:22 Page 1Published by LTDATaxi House 11 Wood�eld Road,London W9 2BAT: 020 7286 1046 | www.ltda.co.uk

@TheLTDA

Managing EditorSteve Still T: 0207 121 0523E: [email protected] Massett File Richard MassettInternational News Wim FaberTwo Fingers Al FrescoTaxi Talk Alf TownsendOverheard Brad AshtonLicensed to Chat Musher Meg

Produced byCentury One Publishing LtdAlban Row,27-31 Verulam RoadSt Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 4DG.T: 01727 893 894, F: 01727 893 895E: [email protected]

Advertising Sales ExecutiveJack Green T: 01727 739 196E: [email protected]

Advertising Sales ManagerJonny KnightE: [email protected]

Art EditorAlan Booth

Advert CoordinatorCaitlyn Hobbs

Printed byManson Group, St Albans

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means electronic, mechanical or by photocopying without prior permission of the publishers. The views and opinions expressed in this publication may not necessarily be those of the publishers. Please note that the last day for inclusion of Classified lineage adver-tisements is five working days prior to publication. No liability is accepted by the publisher should adver-tisements not appear in the requested issue(s). While the publisher will take every care to ensure ac-curacy, no liability can be accepted for loss or dam-age resulting from errors.

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l TXIIs/TX4s, ROMFORD based, from £175pw, 24-hour backup, own garage, body shop, 01708 347288/07715 512263

l TX4s FROM 200PW. NO ADS. Full back up with spare cab. E1 garage. Phone 0207 481 2584

l TX4s FOR RENT FROM £180PW no ads, clean very well-maintained fleet, 24-hour backup, pay in bank, call 07970 722751. Barking based garage.

CABS FOR SALEl TX4 GOLD 10 PLATE. FSH. 84,000miles. Immaculate condition. £12,500ono. 07930 847636

l TX4 EURO 5 16 PLATE. 81,000miles. Good clean condition and FSH. £20,000. 07701 069985

l TWO STORM GREY VITOS FOR sale. 2014 & 2012. 1 years plate. £22,000 & £17,000. With or without drivers not fleet cabs. Privately owned. John 07956 354671

l TX4 12 REG EURO 5. Black Elegance. Well maintained. FSH. 1 owner. Retiring. Plated until March. 91,600miles. £15,500ono. Beckenham. 077599 43138

l TX4 ELEGANCE. 15 REG. Storm Grey. FSH. 143,000miles. Like new condition throughout. This is a nice 1 owner well looked after and carefully driven cab. £19,500 07984 304008

l 63 PLATE VITO, VERY GOOD condition low mileage 12 months plate £21,500. 07956 211478

l 2006 TXII. PLATED UNTIL July 19. With meter. Livery until July. Good condition. £4,500. 07787 778694

l 2011 VITO EURO 5. VERY LOW mileage and excellent condition. Plated. £15,950 07956 211478

CABS WANTED l ALL TXIs & RETIRING TXIIs wanted, instant decision - cash paid. Tel: 07973 335739 or 01253 407500

l AAA- CABS WANTED, ANY year, any condition, top prices paid 013 2266 9081/07836 250222

l GOOD, CLEAN TXIs & TXIIs wanted, top prices paid, quick viewing, North London based, Graham- 07435 [email protected]

l ALL CABS WANTED. WE come to you. Any condition quick decision. Instant cash paid. 07763 699767

l ALL CABS WANTED, WE come to you, top prices paid, cash/ bank transfer, instant decision, finance settled, non-runners or sell & rent back, call 07956 317300

l CABS URGENTLY WANTED, Any condition, cash same day, sell and rent back. Call Roy 07448 132226

DRIVERS WANTEDl FRIENDLY/RELIABLE DRIVER wanted – TX4 (2010), no adverts, full back-up, 195p/week. For details call 07966 199657

l NIGHT DRIVER WANTED. Vito. Clean, well maintained. 6pm-6am. Changeover Orpington. £120pw. Dave 07909 041449


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