Taxi Driver Online

Dear Press Cuttings Monthly Editor,

I enjoyed reading your magazine and i do mean enjoyed as i shall not bother to read it again after the unwarranted attack by Terence Flanagan branch secretary of the dictatorial and bankrupt GMB union on Peter Rose and the London Taxi Industry. Mr Flanagan showed the typical minicab drivers envy towards licenced taxi drivers by spouting lies that have denigrated your publication in the capital.
Flanagan states the London taxi drivers all vote BNP, really! how does he know that?
Flanagan claims we drive a £32,000 load of crap, well maybe, but that £32,000 load of crap can legally pick up of the streets, that is not what your £2,000 clapped out Mondeo can do, well legally that is.

Then Mr Flanagan makes the outrageous allegation that licensed London taxi drivers rent out their Badges, licenses and taxis to illegal immigrants to make money. That is a most serouse allegation that the PCO must investigate if true so will Flanagan show the proof he has if any? if not then he should make retraction in your magazine, i know Flanagan has no proof because no such thing is happening as well knows. The illegal immigrants are driving minicabs and are members of the GMB but Flanagan will no more print that as he would make a retraction, the man is a disgrace.

Regards
M Gold
Clayhall
Essex

Editors Reply...
its not for Terry to prove but maybe for M Gold to prove Terry wrong.
Press Cuttings Monthly is a medium for all peoples points of view and Mr Flanagan was putting his beliefs in print.....

That one gave me a good laugh.

I don't often subscribe to Sussex's view on unions / trade bodies, but this bloke is an outstanding example of why not to join the GMB.

No one except me, or occasionly the garage, gets any where near the driving seat on the cab.



I reckon Mr Flanagan has a bit of an envy problem, all GMB members clearly vote for Socialist, Respect or other left wing looney partys.




So the 'Black' Black Taxi drivers, the Asian Taxi drivers even the Rastafarian Taxi drivers all vote BNP?

Interesting.

The word Clown comes to mind.

I notice his command and use of English is'nt his strong point.
Heres a taste of his views if you dared to vote for the Conservative party during last months elections:



No doubt there are a few idiots contemplating voting for the BNP, well this shower HATE virtually every body and everything, they are even more contemptible than the Tory Vermin, don’t be fooled by this shower of police.


Good one Terry, diplomacy is obviously something which comes naturaly to you.

And another classic one if your unfortunate enough to live in one of these places!


Had some reaction about Blackpool, most people agree with me, It’s a khazi, some other dumps were mentioned, eg Skegness, Shoeburyness (Isle of Sheppey) Margate, and Southend on Sea more like on Mud! So you thought we were anti North Country? NOT AT ALL, perfectly OK with 2 overcoats, Flat Cap and Clogs, and you like drinking Cat’s [edited by admin].


Perhaps he should become the GMB's national ambassador?

Isle of Sheppy? Is'nt that your area Blobby???

I look forward to it.

As has been said, I'm not a fan of unions, especially the T&G, but at least with Mr T (no not him) from the GMB you know where you stand.

_________________
IDFIMH

Can someone post the text of the article the letter refers to?

_________________
Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Who knows, but I do know that most folks on the LTDA voted to sell Comcab to the Sings, most folks on Radio Taxis voted to a sell large chunk to the Yank, and most folks on Dial a Cab voted to give more work to the beloved PH.

So the stupid gene is alive and well in the London cab trade.

_________________
IDFIMH

Apparantly its in this months Taxi today, their site only has last months posted.

I gather its in response to Peter Roses column, although what he said to provoke the response is anyones guess

http://www.Press Cuttings Monthly.co.uk/

June issue Press Cuttings Monthly

Terence Flanagan Branch Sec:
GMB.

Professional Drivers Branch Column

Must say this magazine is showing a considerable improvement in Recent months however the column by Mr Rose the London black Cab driver merely repeats the same old luddite philosophy, if you haven’t done the KNOWLEDGE you shouldn’t be out there well times have moved on sunshine. Your appallingly organised cowboys cant exist in the modern world.
Lets examine your achievements you are all Forced to pay in excess of £32000 for a stone age piece of crap to work in, you are unable to organise any action against the use of this crap heap, which incidentally causes permanent physical damage to cabbies of over six foot in height and fourteen stone in weight, you are unable to meet the Cab needs of 75% of Londoners and frequently drive through your own Picket lines. The average age of drivers is above 50 years, and many of you hire out your cabs and badges to illegal immigrants to cop a few bob, most of these cretins are anti union BNP voting philistines who regularly drive past customers from the ethnic minorities, furthermore more when you need a cab to get you to the Masonic Lodge you call a mini cab rather Than use one of your own.
Yes we have a multitude of problems within our industry but we do have a proper trade union to represent us, the GMB what you and your ilk need to learn is that both of our sections of the transport infrastructure must work together against the parasites that exploit us jointly for our common good, every week I decline black cab drivers in London, membership of my branch of the GMB perhaps I need to re-evaluate that position.
Have been reading about problems on the Isle Of White and elsewhere, the local Associations lack the clout and finances to deal with their moronic licensing authorities, we have it, as will be demonstrated very shortly in Brighton. This authority has let a contract go to PHV contractors from a local but less safety conscious authority to transport the most vulnerable Members of their community on the basis of cost. This disgusting action will be challenged by the GMB and I’ve no doubt over turned , we do not support councillors to betray us watch this space!
Wrote last month about the Ford Mondeo and was perhaps a bit Unfair after I wrote that article I drove the car to Rochdale and its cruising ability in sixth gear was tremendous, but it’s a pity on this car you had to use a clutch to get there. Still a great buy if that’s your bag !for the best deals on this car contact The Taxi Centre Glasgow 0141 334 3999.
Have many messages agreeing Blackpool is a cess pit indeed a national disgrace a stinking shameful blot on our nation so avoid at all costs hopefully it will imitate Atlantis and sink into the ocean and disappear for all time.

Radio Taxi's flashed a couple of grand, strangley enough people went for it.

DAC took a BOM decision, the drivers, to their shock, never got a say in the matter.

I'm sure the stupid gene is as rife in Eastbourne as it is in London.

That must be you then Sussex.

This man holds much anger, I'll give him a couple of years, and it will be Terry Flannagan RIP.

Given the GMB is nearly bankrupt, I guess his family will have to whistle Dixie, and pay for his burial on their own.

I wonder why their nearly bankrupt? Quality shop stewards? certainly very articulate.

to find the piece Terry refers to that peter rose wrote can be found on
www.Press Cuttings Monthly.com
go to left column on home page and you'll find Press Cuttings Monthly on line
just below welcome.
click on Press Cuttings Monthly online then click on regulars and then click on peter rose and his column will come up

Thanks tm.




Interesting to compare this with the claim in the letter that Mr Flanagan said:



But 'most' isn't 'all' and I suspect the 'most' isn't wholly accurate anyway.

_________________
Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

perter rose wrote in Aprils issue

London-Wide
RELOADED

I suppose I should start my first article for Press Cuttings Monthly by telling you, dear reader a little about myself. The first thing to tell you is that I am a London Black Cab Driver and have been driving in the Capital for the last fourteen years. For all but six months of that time I have been on a Radio circuit. It was the activities of my, which at the time was a mutually owned radio circuit that first brought me into the world of, for want of a better phrase, taxi trade politics. When the elected management but forward proposals to not only to demutualise our driver owned, driver run circuit, but to introduce mini-cabs (Private Hire) onto the circuit as well. Now for some us on the circuit the introduction of mini-cabs (Private Hire) was a step to far, while others believed that it was demutualisation itself that was the issue. What followed were many months of campaigning on both sides of the divide. The Management used everything at their disposal to put forward the case for the sell off and the cars, (As you probably know London uses only propose built vehicles.) including a taxi trade paper owned by the circuit i.e. the drivers, to put forward their case, while at the same time denying those in favour of retaining our mutual status and keeping it taxi only, any column inches at all. It was around this time that a friend of mine was getting involved with a new magazine coming into the capital and suggested that I put an article forward for publication. I did so and the London-Wide column was born, the rest as they say is history. The original column ran for a little under two years and covered many topics within the taxi trade including the activities of the Capitals radio circuits. For those of you who are not aware the outcome of the debate over demutualisation was won by the management, and we demutualised around eighteen months ago.

We are now coming up to the second full Annual General Meeting of the new group, so it was with much interest that I read in last months issue of Press Cuttings Monthly, (Which had been sent to me by Tony, the Editor of Press Cuttings Monthly with a view to perhaps resurrecting London-Wide within these pages.) the article by Terry Flannigan, branch Secretary of the GMB Professional Drivers Branch, concerned a Training School for Private Hire Drivers based in the Capital, importing new recruits from Easton Europe to ultimately work for a London based mini-cab firm. This immediately rang alarm bells with me because news had just broke that my radio circuit had just opened, through one of its new private hire divisions, yes you’ve guessed it a school for mini-cab drivers! Now please don't misunderstand me, I have nothing against private hire drivers per-say, only that in my opinion they would be better off doing the Knowledge of London and becoming for want of a better word 'real' Cab Drivers. Why do I say this, because for the driver, the mini-cab trade in the Capital has always been low paid? It is the view of many in the taxi trade that Private hire in London can only survive as a profit making enterprise in London by keeping its drivers earnings low, in order to maximise the profits of the operators. If the operators had to pay its drivers comparable rate as the Capitals radio taxi drivers can expect to earn for doing the same journey, (In London taxi drivers on radio get to keep all of the metered fare.) they would in the opinions of some, soon go out of business.

Another factor which is of concern for the private hire bosses in London is what they regard as a chronic shortage of drivers in the market place since the trade became licensed; all drivers should now have to go through a new stringent Criminal Records Check (CRB) before being allowed to drive a mini-cab. This has caused mini-cab driver numbers to fall from an estimated eighty thousand unlicensed drivers to around thirty thousand licensed drivers today.

Now I say mini-cab drivers should now undergo a stringent CRB checks before taking to the roads, but it has come to my attention that these checks are perhaps not what any reasonable person might expect. When licensing first came into being a system of temporary licensing was introduced to help the Private Hire trade and the licensing authority in London, the Public Carriage bring the trade into line with the legislation. This system should have finished at the end March. However this has now been extended until the end of 2006.

The question is why. Has it been done, as some feel to accommodate the private hire proprietors, who are suffering from what they regard as a chronic driver shortage? if this is the case then surly it can't be right! It is not the job of the Public Carriage Office to look after the interests of privately owned businesses. Its job in my view is first and foremost to ensure that every driver that is working the Capitals streets whether hackney or mini-cab is a fit and proper person to do so. This after all was the main reason for mini-cab licensing in the first place. London's hackney cab drivers are required to have a Criminal Records Check every three years, when renewing their 'bills'. This in some cases is taking up to nine months! Remember this is for people renewing, not new applicants. So how on earth can the PCO justify a system of licensing which allows a private hire driver on the road after being in the country for sometimes as little as six weeks! The CRB check is only valid for the time someone has been the Country.

This issue is matter of public safety. The Mayor of London, who has overall control of the Capitals transport, is at the moment running a 'Get home safe at night' campaign. This campaign warns female travellers about the dangers of getting into unlicensed mini-cabs (touts) because of the number of rapes perpetrated by these operators. One wonders if the Mayor is aware that the PCO are still issuing these temporary licenses. Also what would some of the women’s safety groups think of this practice? My opinion is this; the practise of issuing temporary should stop as soon as possible. Private hire should stop trying to import drivers from overseas, in an effort to keep costs down and look to pay its drivers a decent rate for the job, which will encourage more people that can be checked properly into the trade and allow traditional taxis to compete, price wise on a level playing field.

Be Seeing You

Peter J Rose