Taxi Driver Online

TFL in conjunction with the PCO and Westminster Council Have finally licensed the first ever Private hire/Minicab rank in central London's West End.
http://theandersonshelter.blogspot.com/ ... teeth.html

At the end of the day licensed PH need to sit somewhere, alas they can't appear and disappear via a Star Trek transporter.

The issue is whether punters approach and engage drivers without first getting the job booked. If that happens then clearly it's illegal.

But if they go to the booking agent first, then no law is broken IMO.

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IDFIMH

Well there is enough of you to block them in , even close a few roads off at rush hour you could even bring London to a stand still a bridge or 2 to far LOL
Monday mornings and Friday afternoons would be good

nice idea skippy and i'd be one of the few to actually attend such a meet up but there would be oh so many others who would use that as a great excuse to swell their coffers............sadly we suffer from a lack of organisation and willingness to actually do something that could, and no doubt will at some point in the future be detrimental to our trade.

The LTDA will put a stop to this. They're well in with Boris.

As Sussex says, and I'm hardly 'Mr Minicab fan', if the minicab office or satellite office is located in the middle of Leicester Square then the cars (worth at least £343 collectively) need to wait somewhere.

I guess the company has asked for an area in which to wait so as not to attract unnecessary fines from Westminster’s 24 hour traffic wardens.

If Memory serves me correctly this firm had their drivers parked up in Charing Cross Road, but the Police moved them on for obstruction.

You say it's 'licensed' by TFL? I'm not sure TFL has anything to do with the set up of this Mr A, they may license the cars and drivers and operator, but they don't have anything to do with organising of the parked of cars. The road and Bus Stop belongs to Westminster.

The toilets in Horseferry Road are still open, I'm not sure where you get 'closed' from?

We even have an official 3 cab rest rank by the Astral, and a further 5 spaces in the Taxi park opposite.

That would mean every Minicab office in London is wrong then as they too have vehicles from that office parked outside.

Unpalatable as it may be, if the operation is lawful, even God would have trouble shutting it down.

Satellite offices are lawful under current legislation, end of.

Perhaps if more drivers had bothered to work nights instead of scurrying home at 3pm as its getting dark, we wouldn’t have any of the above in the first place?

Reap what you (we) sew.

How would any one tell the difforence?

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Grandad,

Nice soundbyte but a tad simplistic mate.

I have many friends who work days because they have to, some but not all would rather work nights because of the ease of getting around, the fact there is less stress and the punters are generally better natured but because of family life or other commitments they work days. One friend worked nights for over 20 years until he was the victim of a very violent assault where he ended up with a bread knife around his throat, needless to say that was enough to stop his night shifts.

The PH guys do need to park somewhere and this seems more like they have been given an authorisation as opposed to a licence but yet again we see the PCO/TfL bending backwards to help these guys along but yet seem equally lapse in their commitment to help us with the day to day running of our business: cameras on ATM's, fines for waiting etc.

Perhaps a better move would have been to have them parked up away from a tourist hotspot such as Leicester Square and instead put them in one of the parks where there is less chance of them being approached by the public as i'm sure it will ultimately be seen by the public as an easy place to get a cab home and with the continual lack of enforcement by the powers that be it's no doubt going to become a tasty hotspot for the PH chaps to get an easy ride.

TFL Have Licensed the use of the bus stand to subcontractors and have also signed the traffic order that was granted by Westminster council. TFL have charged the two company's involved a fee for this license that's how they are involved.
I got my info from two police officers who gave me a full explanation of this situation. They had been dispatched to make sure the Licensed Taxi trade do not hassel these mini cabs.

As for the toilets, I was reporting on the story included in the new Taxi Mag. so if its wrong its down to them.

I have written to John Thomas and offered him the chance to make a statement on these new ranks. It will be interesting to see if he indeed reply's.
I know I'm not a Member of the LTDA but this issue affects everyone.
We don't expect the drivers outside London to understand the implications of these actions, but this is serious. Along the same lines as Gotla introducing the first Mini Cabs in England and could be the start of a "Modernisation" of the Taxi and mini cab Laws that will see us swallowed up.
GBC don't shoot the messenger, Look closer at the message. Or have you made enough to retire already?

First of many then. Doesn't seem like there's going to be much opposition to it.

Your so right Sandy
I am amazed at the attitude of the younger drivers in the trade, they have no spirit for a fight. Or just no backbone.
I worry about the future of the trade being left in their hands.
They will not do anything until the scabs have touted the last job off the street.
All you ever get from them is " Well I still take my money".
Well soon, they wont be taking their money, but it will be to late to fight back!

I dropped a job in Shaftesbury Ave last week, just as the theatres were turning out. There must have been 10-15 jobs within 100 yards yet not an empty cab in sight. This would not have been the case a few years ago. If you were empty top of Gower St say, you might nip down there. They won't do it now.

Reason ? I think a lot of drivers have given up on the Soho/Leicester Sq area as to much aggrovation. Traffic/rickshaws/roadworks. Have you seen the scrum in Old Compton St when the Prince Edward's is chucking out ?? Easier for some to point the cab in another direction.

I think youve always had that short "burst" from the theatre's from about 10.00pm to 10.45pm whatever the economic situation but your right about the mess that bit (and other areas) of the west end is....total nightmare.

GBC regarding the toilets in horseferry road,you have obviously not read this weeks edition of the cheap holidays and days out magazine.
Congratulations to john thomas ,on his 20th.anniversary of getting cheap holidays at warners.