Taxi Driver Online

They have to find their own way. What do you think should happen? I did this with a group of women at Ascot this year. I left them there.

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Grandad,

Smashing turnout great day well done too all, keep it up!

If they caused the problem that's understandable but if they didn't then it's not right. I've charged people up front but usually because I don't trust them to pay at the end of the journey. If you only have enough to pay one taxi fare and the driver gets a gob on and throws you out you're stuffed if you've already paid. I'm not saying it's completely wrong I was merely commenting on it because Martin Low had said it was all about getting people home safely. I was curuios on the whole as to whether these minicabs are as safe as HC's. When you read the article & the feedback you can see people commenting that they are harassed to get into minicabs

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

London Taxi Drivers Blockade Center in Cab Dispute (Update1)


Feb. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Black-taxi drivers blocked roads off central London’s Trafalgar Square in a dispute over rival “mini- cabs.”

All roads leading to Trafalgar Square were clogged with the iconic black cabs, snarling traffic in mid-afternoon. Taxis packed the Mall, leading to Buckingham Palace, and parked in Whitehall, a road that houses government departments and has access to Downing Street, the office and residence of Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Traffic was moving slowly on Westminster Bridge, around Parliament Square and on the Embankment.

The action, organized by the London Taxi Drivers Association Ltd., the London Cab Drivers Club and the Unite union, was against Westminster Council’s sanctioning of a mini-cab stand off Leicester Square, according to a leaflet from the groups. Mini- cab companies use regular cars and their drivers aren’t subject to the strict training rules for black-taxi drivers. In London, where mini-cabs must be licensed, they have to be reserved and can’t seek business on the street.

“They are letting private-hire vehicles form ranks so they can pick up trade off the streets,” said Mark Swift, 45, a black-taxi driver for three years. “This is the thin end of the wedge. If this succeeds, they’ll rank-up in train stations, airports, everywhere.”

Swift said it took him more than four years to get his taxi- driver qualifications, during which he drove 36,000 miles (58,000 kilometers) on a scooter while familiarizing himself with London’s streets in training known as “the Knowledge.”

Changing the Rules

Westminster Council said it has no intention of changing the rules to allow any cabs except black taxis to form ranks and pick up customers on the street.

“People go to the ticket booth in Leicester Square, pay for their cab in advance and are escorted to the street where they get in the mini-cab,” council spokeswoman Jenny Legg said in a telephone interview.

“Sometimes people pay for their ticket and the mini-cab gets to the pick-up point before them, then it looks like it’s waiting,” she said.

The pilot project is intended to stop unlicensed mini-cabs from illegally touting for business, Legg added.

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Oh well that explains it all they're not ranking up their just waiting for them that's slow to get there, you think

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Well that was an interesting day.

First of all my many thanks to the majority of the trade who continued to work throughout the protest, nice to see you're concerned.

The Radio coverage was superb on LBC 97.3, they practically devoted the entire day to the topic, and thanks to Ratz from the publicity dept for getting Mr Whale out into the cold, it was appreciated mate.

Secondly, and I'm still trying to take this in, my thanks to TP Flanagan of the GMB who was interviewed live on air offering his support of our demo, and agreeing the operation in Whitcomb Street constitutes a rank.


Thirdly, thanks to John Griffen from Addison Lee who also took time to come on air for an interview, and (in a round about way) also agreed the Council and the PCO had cocked this arrangement up.

So it seems to have been a success, although the day’s message seems to have been lost a bit, as it wasn’t just about W1 Cars 'rank', there were other issues over WCC that the media seems to have overlooked.

overlooked.

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

And this:

Since when did Taxis have tracks to run on?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stormcab/3256284356/

I thought all the cab drivers that called the radio put thier point accross very well, terry flanagan though..............................

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stressed controller!!!

Leave 'Brother Flanaguff' alone, he's our new spokesperson.

So the demo started to wind up at half three, and it took me about 30 minutes to get from Leicester Square back up to the Harrow Road, and you're home posting this at 4.30pm?

Thats good going to Buckinghamshire CSP, do you own a helicopter?

I was'nt far wrong though, was I?

Maybe that sums the London black cab trade up, or at least many of them.

i.e. Getting support from the minicab trade, whilst many, if not most of them, just carry on working.

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IDFIMH

Well a few thousand out

But i agree, there was still only 1/3 of the trade present trying to improve their working conditions as well as that of the other 2/3 who for whatever reason decided to either not attend or carried on working. I know for some guys it would be very difficult to attend as they have to pick up childen from schools etc but there were a great many who chose to continue working! For those guys i have very little time, i put myself out at personal cost as did so many others...........WHY COULDN'T THEY ?

No, just a better driver than you . Where we where on Constitution Hill, we wound it about 3.20pm, hardly takes driving the speed of Lewis Hamilton does it, 1hour and 10 mins, 20 miles...eh

I'm glad you made the decision to be part of the drive-in however even if there where untold ****'s on parade