http://www.romfordrecorder.co.uk/news/keith-prince-am-more-regulation-needed-for-private-minicabs-1-5187551The black cab trade – a big employer within my constituency – has come under increasing pressures over recent years with the growth of popular private hire apps like Uber.
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If our cabbies are going to compete with private hire drivers, they must be allowed to do so on a level playing field.
I recently met again with Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA) to look at ways in which this can be achieved.
With depleting numbers of people signing up to take The Knowledge, we could be in danger of losing these iconic vehicles in London. One way of preventing this is increasing regulation in the private hire trade.
There are tremendous costs in the rigorous process of becoming a black cabbie that can be skipped through the private hire route. If these taxis are to be treated equally on our roads, there must be a closure in that disparity.
I will continue to work hard for our black cab trade to ensure their livelihoods remain sustainable and they can compete fairly.