Taxi Driver Online

Minicab drivers demand equality

HUNDREDS of minicab drivers have met to demand equal rights with black cab drivers to stop on red routes. Licensed minicab drivers say it is becoming impossible to deliver the traditional door-to-door service that passengers expect because, unlike black cab drivers, they are fined for stopping on red routes to pick up and drop off their customers.

Brian Curtis,68, who has a lung condition and must travel everywhere with an oxygen cylinder, is one of the many who rely on mini-cabs. He said: "Where I live there is a restriction which means the cabs are not supposed to wait. But if they didn't wait I would be a prisoner in my own home. "I am not just thinking of myself. There are many people in the same situation."

Campaign co-ordinator and former minicab driver David Beck, of Streatham Hill, organised a meeting of more than 400 drivers in central London on Tuesday calling for a change in the law. Among the politicians at the meeting was North Southwark and Bermondsey MP Simon Hughes.

Mr Beck, who runs minicab firm Page Transport, said: "A lot of our passengers are vulnerable or old and we are in a situation where the driver is in a dilemma. "He either he has to think of himself and drop his passenger off a long way from their house,or think of his passenger and risk a fine. "Ninety-nine times out of a hundred he will think of the passenger and risk the £100 fine."

He said licensed minicabs were part of the London transport system and, like buses, black cabs and trains, should be given rights in law to reflect that. Ola Oshundahunsi, 46, who has been a minicab driver in South London for 10 years,is backing the campaign. He has already had one fine this week.

But he is expecting another to fall through the door soon because he picked up an 87-year-old partially blind woman and had to drop her outside her house on a red route in Streatham. He said: "There is no argument you can give in that situation that would be justified. "At night you pick ladies up who are vulnerable - that is why they are taking a cab. You can't drop them off five minutes from their door. I will probably get a fine for that but what can I do?"

A TfL spokesman said: "Transport for London recognises the invaluable service provided by London's private hire trade,which provides a reliable and flexible travel option throughout the capital.

"TfL is currently exploring how to allow private hire vehicles to pick up and set down passengers on red routes, in a way that does not interfere with the effective operation of those routes. "We are working with representatives from the industry to bring about these changes which will see a further improvement in public transport in London."

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Happy to be legit.

TFL must not be talking to Wolfie then ................... he'd be demanding, educating, organising and irritating them ............ not working with them.

B. Lucky

BTW I agree that the same exemptions should be allowed to PH.

Dunno how they'd react to being included in the DDA though

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"Here's a simple solution. If you don't want to pay more for a premium service then wait in the queue, problem solved".
Skull on TDO

TF pi$$ed on his chips.

seems dead silly that lonodon ph can use our bus lanes
but cant use they own.

Wonder why he can't use a hac?

I think the trouble with that is once you have London minicabs which are not really clearly marked as taxis stopping on red routes how do you then ensure that non taxis don't use this as an excuse to do the same and defeat the object of the system hackney carriages are much easier to identify and thus are easier to police

Because the hack trade in London gave up on anything outside the city many moons ago.

If it wasn't for the then mini-cab trade, people wouldn't have had a service of any kind.

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IDFIMH

The same way as the congestion charge.

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IDFIMH

Really? that bad is it.

You will soon learn, Sussex, from Eastbourne knows little about the London trade, apart from the fact we earn twice as much as an Eastbourne driver does.

Oh, and a little about a ten hour trip to reach Kings Cross, which would probably still better his London counterparts attempt's at the journey.

ALL of London has Taxi coverage, be it suburban, all London, or radio circuit drivers.

Erm? How many??

Try about 90, and thats out of a potential 30'000.




Given that red routes (which all have loading / stopping facilities) are all A class roads which form the arterial routes into London, how many residential properties are on them? about 1-2% of the total?
So its hardly desecrating their general business.



Oh God, could they have found a more hopeless case to highlight?

I suppose Brian has cancer as well, one leg and lost his cat last week?
How many free rides will he receive for this snipet to the press?
Nice to see he's 'not just thinking of himself', what a martyr.



Oh! and another one, don't they pick up the sympathy cases down there?
I suppose this one's cat got run over by a nasty Licensed Taxi the week before?
If she's blind she can use a Taxicard, then her Taxi can stop and start from outside her house.
Problem solved.




Loading bays.

Easy, innit?

Wheres the interview with Terry gone?

Old dear Mr GBC, that meeting has really upset you.

As for the numbers, well it could have been 1 person, it could have been 1001, but it doesn't really matter?

What does is the outcome, and the outcome will be what they are fighting for.

As for numbers of drivers attending meetings, anyone in this trade knows it's always p*** poor. I wonder how many people attend the LTDA AGM, out of their thousands of members?

The outcome defines the success of a campaign, not how many pints or pork pies were eaten.

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IDFIMH

Welbeck motors had a similar meeting back in the early 1960's, did that 'upset' the Taxi trade or have any impact?

You know the answer.

If the Taxi trade had a meeting on an issue with such importance to the trade as they did last week, believe me there would be more than 0.5% of the trade would turn up.
It was'nt an AGM or a recall of conference, it was a meeting organised in an attempt, albeit I think their dreaming, to get access to Bus Lanes and better rights to stop on Red Routes.

For the record I have no problems with them stopping to let passengers of on Red Routes, but you can't be sat waiting on a passenger for 10 minutes blocking the route, Taxi's cannot do it so why should Minicabs?
They seem to hold a belief it's only them who receive camera generated PCN's, that's not the case, ask any day man who drives a Taxi in London.

Speak for yourself.

I'm not sure anyone has asked for that.

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IDFIMH

Well the truth of the matter is PH will get all it asks for.The deal has already been DONE.The leaders of HC know this and are just making the appropriate noises for the PHILISTINES.The meeting was a milestone for the industry and clearly demonstrated that when we organise we will be succesfull.The GMB is determined to repeat this success nationwide.Brighton and Newcastle topping the list at the moment.Why not read again the thread an open invite from the GMB.
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.