Taxi Driver Online

I don't know, I'm not in the NTA.

A wise move, but my point was that out of, say, 100,000 licensed taxi drivers in the UK, I would bet that less than 1% of them voted for the current leader of the National Taxi Association.

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IDFIMH

The operative word.

WTF has the NTA got to do with this thread?

I personally think I should be in charge, but then I would insist on a committee of 2 with 1 always absent

CC

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

If any of you were to follow a hack down the M4 youd see most of them pump out a 40ft plume of crap.These vehicles are of course are worshipped by the people FORCED to use them .The pollution from these monstrosities has to be seen to be believed.I reckon the new TX will after awhile be as bad as the old ones,pervesly this might enable the hacks to escape from the monolopy that currently so grossly exploits them.The PHV fleet is of course cleaner because we have achieved freedom of choice,that took negotiating,something the hacks on this issue seem incapable of.
ORGANISE EDUCATE AGITATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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The views expressed by this contributor do not neccesarily reflect the policys of The GMB Nationally or of the GMB London Region.

No smoke from my premium Taxi Terry, and next year we will all be up to the Euro3 standard, will your Minicabs be the same?



Driven many have you?




Yep, Vauxhall Astra's, Rover Metro's, Ford Fiesta's, what a great choice of vehicle, especialy for the disabled.



Like your driver shields?

GMB, do you really want ken back in power?. What has he done for london?, bugger all as far as i'm concerned.
Just because you have always been a labour/union supporter, it does not mean you have to agree with everything they do.

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stressed controller!!!

Rambo yes WE want ken back done nothing,
1 exemption from congestion zone,and now extending it WONDERFULL
2Reformed PCO no longer refuge for tainted plod or Freemasons.
3Assisted ME inwriting too all phv in London
4Recommends to all drivers join appropriate unions
5 has stopped PCO issuing temp permits from 31dec 2006!
6Supports our claims for access to bus lanes and for parity with hacks re red routes.
7Supports our demands for the PCO to police working time regulations within chaueffeur industry.
8He meets with us and is responsive to our concerns about proprietors who abuse their workforce,like YOURS ABUSES YOU,is in favour of such specimens having their licences revoked.
9has increased night rates for hacks
10has forced them to clean up the polluting vehicles
11has given school children bus passes
If you judge him merely on his attitude to our industry he has a record to be proud of.
We will do everything within our power to ensure his re-election!!!!!

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The views expressed by this contributor do not neccesarily reflect the policys of The GMB Nationally or of the GMB London Region.

Oh good, so now everyone that lives in West london can drive around the whole of the congestion zone as they're paying anyway.

We can all have the same gridlock we used to enjoy for free.



Your making yourself look daft again.



Where do they say that then Terry? I can't seem to find any evidence of that one?



Don't you find it funny that when he meets with the more powerful, more listened to, better funded Licensed Taxi lobby, we get the opposite story?

Perhaps he's taking you on a trip Terry?



That will be popular with the self employed drivers Terry, you cutting their wages.



. . . and pushed crime on the Buses up by 40% in the last quarter.



The Tossers attitude stinks towards everthing and anything with an engine unless its a Bus or a visiting genocide master from South America.

The intelligent members of the London public who did'nt vote last time, will be out in greater numbers next time around, I predict another independant, such as Nick Ferrari or James Whale.

Extending the congestion zone-perhaps if he sorted out all the bloody roadworks we would not have congestion, and stop mucking about with the traffic lights.
Stopped the PCO issueing temporary permits-that's a good thing, but I think that was already in the london private hire act.
Access to bus lanes-if he is as wonderful as you say, why not do it NOW.
Children getting free bus passes-only because they were not paying anyway!!!. by making bus travel free for children he gave in to them.
Cleaning up polluting vehciles-they already met the EURO standard, he brought in the EURO standard for 2011? early, I wonder if the buses have to meet the same standard?.
Remember, this is the same man who called a jewish reporter a **** concentration camp guard, can you imagine if I said that, he would have gone mad!!, double standards.

Now this may shock you GMB, but I respect red ken, you know why, he has his beliefs and defends them, I don't agree with them, but repect him because he defends them.

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stressed controller!!!

Rambo Road works Ken has succesfully lobbied Govt for legislation enabling him too have control over roadworks,and to fine £5000 a day if they over stay.At the moment ANY service provider can dig up ANY road without notification at any timre and stay as long as they like.Legislation comes soon.
i think weve dealt with Mail issue.
Access to bus lanes requires legislation and alteration of road signs,this takes time,if you are at meeting on 21st you will get current update,im sure it will happen.
Temp permits could have been extended trade up to present time vigourously lobbying for further extension,it wont happen dec31st is it.
Messing about with traffic lights dont anything about it.
Cant believe your commants on school children perhaps you could elaborate.
3 years ago Ken wrote to all PHV drivers recommendimg they join an appropriate union in that envolope was a GMB mem form.
Nick Ferrari or WHO want a BET
Buses will have to meet emission standards.
Genocide master from South America?????????????????????
Rambo hope you make it on 21st
ORGANISE EDUCATE AGITATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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The views expressed by this contributor do not neccesarily reflect the policys of The GMB Nationally or of the GMB London Region.

regular english classes I presume?

CC

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

GMB, I will try to come on the 21st, but am controlling that night, will try and swap.
Children and buses, what I meant was that they were avoiding the fare anyway, by giving them free travel it makes an illegal problem legal.
If buses will have to meet emission standards, why not now?, the black cabs have to, could it be that perhaps ken is getting a bung from the bus companie's?.
Road works?, I hope he gets what he is saying, I would be the first to congratulate him.
Traffic lights, I am convinced that the timings have been changed to cause more congestion, perhaps GBC could give his opinion on this.
I feel that ken's agenda is to make driving in london so bad that people just give up.
I must admit I am not to sure what powers he has, but what I would like to see is a sensible debate about london traffic. There should be people from the police/fire service/ambulance/taxi/phv/couriers/post office/haulage etc etc sitting around a table disscussing the traffic problems in london.

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stressed controller!!!

Rambo if you make 21st would like to meet
Buses to meet emissions now i dont know,back handers ridiculous.
School children bus passes must be an asset particularly to hard up parents,if many were bilking no need now surely an advantage.
Road works hes on the case.
Traffic lights dont know my members have not contacted me on this
No doubt if public transport is to be succesfull [and that includes us]the private motorist will have to make way,and why not?
The gla and TFL meet with all the organisations you mention and CONSULT on policy,of course the Unions play a major part in that,unfortunately non unionised industries dont carry as much clout as those that are.The meeting on 21st is hopefully the first illustration of what an unified industry can create and achieve.More and more proprietors are beginning to realise that we the GMB exist to improve the industry,destroying any industry loses membership,we dont do it!!!!!

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The views expressed by this contributor do not neccesarily reflect the policys of The GMB Nationally or of the GMB London Region.

From the BBC.

Ken Livingstone stood in the foyer of Havana's Hotel Nacional on Monday morning betraying no signs of the public relations disaster on his hands.

He was seen laughing and joking with his team of four officials as he waited to be taken on a tour of Havana's beautiful old quarter.

But he heard late the previous night that his Venezuelan plans had gone up in smoke.

An advance party of the mayor's officials, sent to Venezuela's capital Caracas to finalise arrangements, found itself unable to pin Venezuelan officials down to any kind of itinerary.

Worst of all President Hugo Chavez - in the middle of a frenetic presidential election campaign - could not make much time in his diary after all to see "his new best friend" from London.

Time constraints

The mayor's officials talked of "time constraints". In fact, it seemed not much more than a handshake and a brief meeting was being offered. It's possible that not even that would be arranged for sure.

One of the problems was President Chavez and his officials have been away at a conference in Uruguay.

Mr Livingstone played host to Chavez when he visited London earlier this year and hoped to be feted in similar style.

But it rapidly became clear that was not possible.

Just a couple of days before, the mayor had been buzzing with the news that he had been invited to address the Venezuelan National Assembly.


The mayor said the Cuba trip had been useful

"I imagine there will be some references to the US imperialism," he joked with one official.

Instead he is now facing the prospect of searching questions from the London Assembly about a globe-trotting escape which has ended - according to his critics - in extreme embarrassment.

The advance briefing from the mayor's office had been that the trip would see a major agreement signed.

Subsidised Venezuelan oil would be given to London, not directly, but through a scheme which targeted financial help for London's poor - most likely in the form of assistance with bus and Tube fares.

Kenezuela trip

In return, London would share its expertise on transport and waste and planning with officials from one of the most chaotic cities on the planet.

But with President Chavez's political opponents beginning to sniff an opportunity, it may suddenly have dawned that offering cheap oil to one of the richest, developed and industrialised countries in the world might not go down well in the middle of an election campaign in the "teeming barrios" of Caracas, where his political fate will be decided.

The collapse of the "Kenezuela" trip follows controversy about the first leg of this Latin American tour, a visit to Cuba which he had done nothing to publicise beforehand.

When BBC London heard he was staying in the capital Havana for longer than he had planned to stay in Caracas, the mayor found himself in a position almost impossible to defend