Taxi drivers announce fresh protest and vow to ramp up central London blockades 'until TfL acts' The cabbies' trade association behind last month's taxi protest in Oxford Street has vowed to ramp up its blockades of central London unless TfL acts over a damning GLA report.
The report, Future Proof, warns TfL is "woefully inadequate" as a regulator and enforcer and urged it to "get to grips with the basics".
TfL claims it has already considered the report and is acting on its recommendations.
It comes as the United Cabbies Group announced a second day of action later this month, in which a projected 2,500 taxis will blockade the TfL head office in Victoria for 90 minutes.
The figure is based on the number the UCG claims turned up for last month's Oxford Street protest - but the numbers are heavily disputed by TfL, who say about a tenth of that a took part.
Len Martin, chairman of the group, told the Standard: "We're going to keep on ramping it up. We've got a bigger one planned already.
"It's just going to escalate if they don't act on this. It's going to grow. I don't think they realise each time it will gain momentum."
TfL hit back, with surface transport chief Garrett Emmerson urging the drivers to reconsider and telling the Standard: "The previous protest, on Oxford Street, achieved nothing."
Mr Martin said thousands of cabbies will drive slowly between Windsor House - TfL's HQ - and Victoria Station on May 26 from 2pm, effectively shutting off the area to traffic.
Among the taxi drivers' gripes are:
- Unlicensed "pedicabs" carrying passengers without insurance or regulation;
- Unregulated minicab booking offices they say are "being taken over by organised crime syndicates";
- Illegal touting by minicabs, who are only allowed to pick up people by pre-arranged appointment;
- What they say are inadequate background checks on some minicab drivers.
"Serious doubts have been expressed about whether TfL has the appetite, and capability, to oversee these industries effectively," writes transport committee chair Caroline Pidgeon in the report's foreword.
Last year a mass protest took place in Trafalgar Square as about 5,000 cab drivers ground traffic to a halt on a “go-slow” demo in a dispute with TfL over their regulation of Uber.
But it backfired as the number of subscribers to Uber rose by 850 per cent the day after the protest as more people became aware of it.
"It sounds like I'm being a troublemaker," said Mr Martin. "I'm really not - I have to protect the 350-year-old taxi trade and I find myself in this position.
"Sir Peter Hendy and more have been hauled over the coals by the GLA for what's called the 'woeful performance' of TfL as a regulator. In terms of everything they do for taxi and private hire trade, they are so inadequate.
"We're going to highlight this GLA report. The survival of the taxi and legitimate private hire trade depends on these 19 recommendations."
TfL fiercely denied it had ignored the report, and dismissed the UCG as a "small group of taxi drivers outside the main, recognised trade bodies".
Mr Emmerson said: "TfL responded to the Future Proof report in February and made clear it had carefully considered the report.
"Of the 19 recommendations contained in the report, 13 were planned or already underway. The remaining recommendations are in hand with specific implementation dates provided in our response to the committee, with the exception of one recommendation that is a matter for government.
"The capital’s taxi licensing and regulatory process is the envy of the world. Customer satisfaction rates are high and our robust enforcement work with police colleagues continues to bear down on touting and bogus cabs.
"As a result, the proportion of people being approached by touts at night time in London has reduced from 66 per cent in 2003 down to only 15 per cent today and the number of cab-related sexual offences has reduced by 38 per cent over the same period."
source:
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/t ... 45608.html
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