Taxi Driver Online

Mini Cabs In Bus Lanes

GMB CALL ON BORIS JOHNSON TO MAKE CLEAR WHERE HE STANDS ON ADDISON LEE BOSS CALL FOR MINI CAB DRIVERS TO BREAK THE LAW USING BUS LANES

Unless Mr Griffin rescinds his call TfL should look again at whether he is a fit person to hold a license to run a mini cab company says GMB

The Professional Drivers Branch of the GMB union, who have thousands of drivers and control room staff in membership is calling on Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London to make clear where he stands on the call by Addison Lee boss John Griffin, who has donated £250,000 to the Conservative Party, for London mini cab drivers to break the law by driving in bus lanes.

Last week the Addison Lee boss told his 3,500 mini cab drivers that the company will indemnify them in respect of fines and other liabilities if they follow his advice and break the law. Two dozen Addison Lee drivers have already been issued penalty notices for using the bus lanes.

Transport for London TfL has re-issued the following notice to all licensed PHV (mini cab) drivers in London making clear what the law is on driving in bus lanes:

“Under current regulations, driving a PHV in a Bus Lane, during the hours when the Bus Lane is operative (and other than to pick up and set down passengers) is a criminal offence for which PHV drivers may be personally prosecuted. Those regulations remain valid until and unless there is a court order suspending their effect. There has been no such court order. This means that, as a PHV driver, you must not drive in Bus Lanes other than to pick up and set down passengers.

If you do so, you will be committing a criminal offence and you will be personally liable to prosecution, irrespective of any indemnity which anyone else may purport to give.

TfL has power to suspend or revoke a PHV operator’s or driver’s licence if it is no longer satisfied that the licence holder is fit to hold such a licence.


Please take note that:

o drivers who repeatedly contravene traffic regulations, including by intentionally driving in Bus Lanes, other than to pick up or set down passengers, may be considered unfit to hold a PHV driver’s licence; and

o operators who encourage such conduct may be considered unfit to hold a PHV operator’s licence. “

Mr Terence Flanagan the secretary of the GMB Professional Drivers Branch said, "Mr Griffin may come across as a benevolent philanthropist appearing on television shows like secret millionaire.

However, Mr Griffin is far from that. He is a big fish in an industry dogged by bogus self-employment practises, coupled with the bullying of drivers and a host of other sharp practises which deprive many drivers of their hard earned income while enriching the likes of Mr Griffin who is then able to donate money to the Tory Party.

Drivers need to work long hours just to make a living. There is no sick pay, no holiday pay and no pension entitlement. These are the people who provide Addison Lee with their £170 million a year turnover.

Earlier this week Mr Griffin made statements encouraging drivers to risk getting their licenses revoked by driving in bus lanes. Under the London Taxi and Private Hire Board Regulations zero tolerance policy any driver in the private hire industry caught touting for work has their licence automatically revoked if they are caught. Since talk is cheap, I doubt if Mr Griffin will pay for drivers lost income when they lose their licenses.

After the disgraceful behaviour of Mr Griffin this week and his activities in relation to touting for work we want the Mayor of London Boris Johnson to make clear where he stands on this call for mass law breaking in the interest of Addison Lee making even more money. Unless Mr Griffin rescinds his call TfL should look again at whether he is a fit person to hold a license to run a mini cab company.”

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

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

Does that mean Ell Tell can come back on here now??

Have to say, Terry's right.

Lay down your lives (licenses) for King John, be a martyr for a millionaire who'll replace you with another immigrant the day you use your ph license.

Hail King Griffin.

Funny how Terry didn't state his position regarding PH access to bus lanes though

I think Terry's position on bus lanes is well known.......he wants minicabs in.

CC

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

My guess is, as a minicab rep, he supports it in principle, but by going down the correct route through the courts, not making up the laws as John Griffin has chosen to do.

It's a bit if a gamble though, TFL will never let anything hinder their prize bus fleet, so if Griffin is successful and TFL ban everything from the lanes, then it's going to cost everyone a lot of business as 25000 taxis compete in the normal heavily congested lanes.

Why go by minicab or taxi when the bus gets you there quicker and cheaper!
Even fixed ph prices are no good if you're unable to go anywhere.

London traffic survives on a knife edge for most of the day, 25000 taxis using stretches of road that have bus lanes will just increase the chaos to breaking point.

Indeed, which is why it sticks out a mile that he didn't say that in his statement. But clearly that wouldn't 'fit the narrative' in this case.

Negotiate.....and other words ending in 'tate were Terry's buzzwords weren't they?

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

Organise, educate, agitate.

I think 'negotiate' was a bit too touchy-feely for Tez

Actually they were always in capitals:

ORGANISE, EDUCATE, AGITATE.

pmsl.....maybe....I remember him telling me about the power of the gmb in negotiations, I also remember him him calling me a c*nt too though

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

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

STATEMENT FROM BORIS

A spokesman for Boris Johnson’s re-election campaign said:

“Unite has today asked a number of questions of Boris Johnson regarding Addison Lee, the answers to all of which are very straightforward.

“They have asked whether he will condemn the company’s actions to which the answer is yes, just as he already has. They have asked whether he has received any money from Addison Lee for his re-election campaign. The answer to that is no – in contrast of course to the money Ken Livingstone has received from Unite. Their next question on whether he will return any donations is therefore not applicable.

“They have also asked what he will do about minicabs using bus lanes, to which the answer is that he will continue to oppose it with all the powers he has as Mayor, for as long as he remains Mayor. Finally, they have asked him to promise not to cave in to Addison Lee which he has never had any intention of doing.

“John Griffin’s actions are irresponsible and unacceptable, and Boris Johnson does not agree with his comments on cycling.”

I think things are hotting up it's looking more and more like

Griffin vs entire population of the UK

I have to say though that the TV news crews don't seem to be picking up on this and once they do well this could become quite a big news story

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

He seems to have united a lot of people into thinking he's a bit of a c*nt tbh.

CC

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