Taxi Driver Online

As i understand it, the rear signage of a PH vehicle in London must take up no more than 33% of the rear window top to bottom but can stretch across 100% from left to right.

Why am i seeing Addison Lee vehicles with their signage taking up approx 50% of the rear screen top to bottom ? Also, why are they not getting stop notices for not having their rear wipers fixed to their vehicles ? If you look at most AL vehicles now that have signage the wiper has been removed and only the spindle remains.........once again one law for them, another for us!

For many chaps here; both outside London and indeed some London cabbies it may seem i'm making a point out of nothing but for that i make no apology! The rules are there to be adhered to, we break them we pay the price by way of stop notices; one of my mates taxis recently got a stop notice for failing to display the correct insurance certificate regardless of the fact that the vehicle was insured but he was in the wrong and it should have been displayed! An inconvienient trip to SGS soon got the matter resolved. Another guy i know got a stop notice a few years back for displaying the wrong time on his clock, worn steering wheel and having unauthorised advertising on the rear of his tax disk holder!! I kid you not, he still has a copy of the stop note in a frame in his office.

My point is, and it's one that Ed Thompson himself reinforced in his letter to us regarding touting is that if it's to be a level playing field with no unfair advantage to either trade then why is this company allowed to flaunt so many of the regulations put in place by the licensing authority ? Is it because they are a multi million pound company and in the end money talks ? Is that why we as a trade are on the whole ignored when it comes to having some of our demands met but yet see the PCO/TfL bend over backwards to assist PH companies ?

I guess i've made my point and got it off my chest, time to shrug my shoulders once again and say oh well!!

From my experiences of SGS they're pretty equal when passing Taxis or Minicabs.

If the signs are wrong, the vehicles won't be licensed.

We're talking about Addison Lee here, I really can't see John Griffen applying illegal signage to over 2000 people carriers, I'm sure his legal team will have checked the rules before going ahead with such a large fitting.

Have we considered if the decals on the rear tailgate form part of the rear window signage, or form part of the bodywork? I think theres more to it than simply 'illegal signage'.

i was under the impression the signage was ONLY allowed on the rear window and NOT on the rear tailgate.

I don't dispute that 'SGS aren't unfair, indeed i find them very approachable and fair to deal with compared to the PCO who seemed to change the rules like the weather, but i still fail to see how AL can just remove the rear wiper to suit their signage. As for AL not doing anything illegal, they don't seem to do much to stop their drivers touting And yes, i have seen that for myself.

I was down at the venue in Battersea Park on Friday night in one of my limos. I watched the taxis coming and going for a while and I did notice a car with addison Lee signs going around. Whilst taxis were there he just kept going around but when there were no taxis, he pulled up near the doorgot a fare. Now for all I know the fare could have been booked but then why would he have been cruising around the carpark?

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Grandad,

SGS do as they are told by TFL.
Me thinks the man doth protest too much, springs to mind.

Why dont you get hold of one of your mates and measure it and give us the dimensions. Should settle the argument once and for all. The rules are laid out quite clearly in Press release 16/08


acabbie.
I have sent an email to Ed Thompson when these signs first appeared but like Bob Oddie he hasn't replied yet. Still it did take three months to get an acknowledgement when myself and three other drivers reported a few touts at the bus stops in Victoria.
I think it is safe to say that your right, there is one rule for them and one rule for us.

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Does he realy exist or is he a figment of his own avitar

www.ltcpr.blogspot.com/

www.theandersonshelter.blogspot.com/

http://www.thelondondailynews.com/

I'm sure mr GBC will be able to give you a detailed defence of his collegue in Battersea park he knows everything about the way these drivers opperate.

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Does he realy exist or is he a figment of his own avitar

www.ltcpr.blogspot.com/

www.theandersonshelter.blogspot.com/

http://www.thelondondailynews.com/

I think a more lenient flexibility is given to the PH side of the trade cos the gov want them bought in from the cold.

Only a few years ago there were no controls and anything went. Times will change, but not fast enough, it would appear, for many members of the cab trade.

But what is better to rant about, illegal signage or unlicensed drivers raping lone girls?

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IDFIMH

Not having a rear wash/wipe is irevellant, its not a requirement for the SGS/PCO test.

Any sinage must be submitted to the PCO for approval.

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stressed controller!!!

Rambo,regarding windscreen wipers being removed.
not sure how it works with minicabs but as far as a taxi is concerned,if it was on it when it was built,it must be on the vehicle to comply with the license....
I got a ruck at a roadside check 2 weeks ago ,because I had removed the ashtrays from the interior of the cab as i was fed up with tissues and sandwich wrappers being stuffed in them.
I was told by the c.o. that they have to remain in the cab.

i know one guy failed his overhaul because one of the ashtrays had been broken the night before his inspection (not with SGS), again it was cited that they must be present!

I have had correspondence back from Ed Thompson, he's normally very good and generally replies back within a week.............if you're not getting replies Thomas, i'd suggest trying again.

acabbie ,it goes to prove once again,one rule for them,one rule for us.
But i`m sure GBC will say that it`s ok,we are just being paranoid.

No, it's a different set of rules for us.
As usual, a taxi driver getting it wrong when it comes to PHV's.
We have to have 2 MOT's a year, and, as far as i'm aware, your mid term inspection has been dropped.
As you said taxicabman, your NOT sure how it works with minicab's, yet it does'nt stop you moaning about us.

Maybe you should have a go at the PCO for being TO strict with taxis.

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stressed controller!!!

You forget, TaxiCABman is yet another alter ego of Mr A who posts under various guises.

The TaxiCABman log on is the 'none too bright, a tad illiterate and a bit slow' character.

It won't be long until the LondonJim log in is mobilised once again, that’s the 'angry, take no hostages, the worlds due me a living' character.

Then of course we can't forget the Thomasthetaxi log in, the mature keyboard warrior who can't make his mind up if he's a member of the LCDC, the LTDA or the TGWU, depending what day of the week it is.

Of course no post under the Thomasthetaxi log on would be complete without a mention of Bob Oddie or Peter Hendy.

I find it hilarious, great entertainment value.

Can I suggest you contact SGS Mr Acabbie, as they're the one's who are passing them on a daily basis with this particular signage.

I suspect if it didn’t fall within the guidelines, they would have taken action by now.

Nope your wrong again, as usual.
The signs are fitted after the vans are presented to SGS. When they go up for their MOT the sign is removed and the Wash Wipe refitted.
Just ask your colleagues. We have a Addi Lee driver, Who is on the knowledge comes in the oak while he has his van washed.
Surprising what they will tell you.
Apparently they have loads of these liveries left over from before they were banned. Addi Lee are using them up. The new one that was passed by SGS fits on the inside of the vehicle but cant be seen with tinted windows.
This is proof that the PCO's and TOCU have no interest in policing these mini cabs.

_________________
Does he realy exist or is he a figment of his own avitar

www.ltcpr.blogspot.com/

www.theandersonshelter.blogspot.com/

http://www.thelondondailynews.com/