FOR TFL, SEE FIFA

MY ENEMY'S ENEMY

Next week most proactive, concerned Taxi drivers will be taking part in a demonstration.
A demonstration called by the United Cabbies Group.
They are calling for the removal of Leon Daniels.

No one believes the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan will see our protest and sack Daniels. It does not happen like that.
Khan will most likely decide he will not be dictated to, on whom he hires and fires, by a bunch of militant cabbies.
But like most protests, it is a statement.

To be honest, Khan will probably be unaware of our or any protest, unless he happens by.
The media no longer cover anything detrimental or damaging to the government.
One hundred and twenty five thousand 'Anti Austerity' marchers protested in London two months back. Not a flicker anywhere about it.
For real news, we have to rely upon foreign media outlets.

Taxi drivers are demonstrating because TfL is a corrupt and inept authority, who are deregulating the Taxi trade by means of starvation.
Leon Daniels has been caught lying to the toothless Greater London Authority on numerous occasions.
What have they done about it?

We Londoners are calling for an independent Public Enquiry.
Daniels is the Sepp Blatter of TfL. Transport for London needs to be cleared out, FIFA style.
How can we ask for a fair crack of the whip, from a man who will do everything in his power to cover up his culpability?
Garrett Emmerson will be just as evasive and opaque.

Unfortunately the spineless trade organisations and unions are more concerned with placating our new Mayor, than serving their members.
Hiding behind weak arguments, they chose not to represent their members on this demo.
This infighting does more harm to our trade than has ever been achieved against our enemies.
What has this trade come to when the members are not asked, but told what to do?
Are members merely cash-cows, whose sole aim is to financially prop up their organisation?
Is it not time you had a say in which direction you take?
Maybe your organisation is relying upon your apathy?
Think long and hard about the fifteen or twenty pounds you pay them every month. What have they achieved so far?
What are they doing, in your name?

A TIME FOR UNITY

TIME FOR THE TAIL TO WAG THE DOG.

Last week I wrote how my friend Danny Hussey, had to call in the help of his Union, after being told he had to stop working and wait of eighteen weeks for his License, after TfL had cocked up.
Thankfully the RMT stepped in and saved the day.
But he left a TfLTPH Licensing Office full of taxi drivers in the same sinking boat, trying to get their licenses, so they can go to work and look after their families.

Danny had his DBS. In fact he had two years left on his DBS. But was forced to apply and pay again for another one.
Let us not forget, we are Licensed Taxi Drivers; renewing our Bill does not mean we cease to be Taxi drivers. It is just a fee -we still have the Knowledge, passed the advanced driving test, and deemed medically fit.
If any of us got into any serious trouble, the police would have already informed TfL.

Disgraceful letter from TfLTPH

So why are our Orgs/Unions refusing to demo on the 8th June?
Are they pleased with TfL's performance?
Are they so scared of upsetting the new Mayor, that they would sacrifice their members to the corrupt dealings of TfL, in order to ensure they have a place at his table?
Is the Mayor so intolerant and vindictive, that the Orgs/Unions have to cower in his presence?
I listened to a lot of crap about Sadiq Khan during the Mayoral election; none of the lies and criticisms levied against him claimed he was an ogre.

What is your Org or Union doing about the fact that Private Hire are being allowed to work, even when their DBS has not been cleared?
What direct action are they taking?
Do not let them fob you off with news about other stuff they are 'looking into'. They can whistle and ride; ask ... no, demand that they do something about this situation now!

Whilst some of us will be protesting on the 8th June against a tyrannical, anti Taxi regime at Windsor House, our Orgs and Unions will be playing petty tit-for-tat politics with each other, as Rome burns.

If your Org or Union 'told' you not to attend the demo, they are not democratic, but dictatorial.
I will not let an Org or Union decide for me. I am a freethinking adult, who will decide for myself. I am a Taxi driver first and foremost.
You will always have my support. And I will always have your back.

CAN'T STOP, WON'T STOP

CAN'T DEMO BECAUSE OF YOUR MORTGAGE?

HOW WILL YOU PAY, WITH NO JOB?

There is a UCG demo on 8th June, between 2pm and 4pm, Victoria Street and Windsor House.

It is a protest to highlight the corrupt state of Transport for London to a wider audience; with a call for Leon Daniels to go.

It is not aimed at the new Mayor. How could it be? His seat is not yet warm.

I am not a UCG member.

I understand the insignificance of replacing one corrupt official with another.

But the public, whose support we want, need to be informed of our struggle.

The whole of TfL needs to be reviewed.

London needs a Public Enquiry, looking into TfL's unhealthy relationship with rich disruptive organisations, from management level up to Johnson, Osborne and Cameron.

My union, the RMT do not support the demo. They also believe that Daniels will not be sacked, but promoted; re Hendy.

I personally do not care if Daniels is beatified.

This is not a tit for tat vendetta against Daniels. It is a public statement that we believe Leon Daniels is not fit to serve in his existing position.

Officially the RMT feels it deflects from real issues.

I believe this is an issue that needs public airing.

The LTDA do everything to undermine the UCG and any other trade organisation.

They did the same last time out, with an 'all fur coat and no knickers' lobby come photo opportunity at Parliament, the day before a demo.

The LTDA and TfL are too cosy. So cosy in fact it is hard to discern one from the other.

The LTDA boast about their relationship with MPs and officials. Look where that got us.

We are in this state because of the LTDA's cosy, ineffectual relationship with MPs and officials.

The LTDA are poodles.

Unite are more like a political party than a union. I am still waiting for that grand conjuring trick they and Tom Watson promised us, a year ago.

Luckily I did not hold my breath.

This lack of urgency, and my feeling that the Taxi Branch seemed to be of no real significance to the largest union in the land, were my main reasons for leaving.

The LCDC are more a taxi newspaper than a taxi movement.

They released embarrassing emails between Daniels and Jo Bertrum, showing collusion between TfLTPH and Uber. But the readership of The Badge are only cab drivers.

It is the public who need to be informed.

The LCDC supply the bullets for others to fire, but are nowhere to be seen, for fear of upsetting the new Mayor or anyone else they might photobomb to raise their profile.

A refusal to 'out' Daniels in public, by Orgs who refused to sit at the same table as him, smacks of grandstanding.

This demo will not inconvenience the public too much. It is occurring during a convenient time the Metropolitan Police agreed was not overly disruptive.

TfL hierarchy must be rolling in the aisles watching this division.

Whenever we need to show unity, an enemy within throws a spanner.

If we die, it will be due to Machiavellian ambition and driver apathy.

I for one will be on that demo calling for Daniels's head. And why not? He conspired to take ours.

I will also be calling for a public enquiry, and highlighting how the rape and sexual assault of vulnerable Londoners, by TfL Licensed Private Hire drivers, has gone through the roof, on Daniels's watch.

So if you need an excuse not to attend, you can always use that old chestnut "My Org told me not to.", that is your perogative, your conscience.

If you work during the demo, any Taxi demo, then you are crossing a picket line. And you know what that makes you.

LOST IN TRANSIT

THE BUCK STOPS HERE

Early last week one of my best friends, Danny Hussey, was swooped on by around ten Compliance Officers, in Tooley Street.

They claimed his Cab Driver License was over a year out of date.

Although my mate had received his DBS in March 2015, his Cab License refused to turn up, even though his wife sent four written requests.

To be fair to all parties concerned, he had moved address.

It seemed obvious that my friend had filled in all the correct forms and sent them to the correct address, with all the correct details, because he had been issued with a DBS.

But according to Transport for London, "You will have to go through the whole process again. Including a new medical and new DBS.

Believe me I am not one hundred, but two hundred percent sure you are looking at, at least eighteen weeks before you can work again."

Who can afford four or five months out of work?

TfL were unwilling to accept any responsibility for this cock-up.

And Danny was told he had to stop work immediately.

I rallied the troops and was preparing for a mass demo outside Palestra House everyday until Danny's license was reissued.

After all, the license is just a fee. Danny was still a legitimate Taxi Driver; considering he has passed the Knowledge, passed his advanced driving test, passed his medical, and still had two years left on his current DBS. We felt he was being treated harshly.

Surely, we thought, TfL could give him a temporary license/cover note?

But it seems red tape in Palestra House is made of the unbreakable and unimaginative kind, when it is applied to Taxis.

Luckily Danny is a member of a union. He contacted the RMT, and they started negotiating on his behalf immediately.

More and more it looked like TfL were not going to budge.

More and more it looked like a long drawn out war of daily demonstrations on the horizon.

Why do TfL assume that every Taxi driver is up to no good?

No one, it seems, is given the benefit of the doubt from Palestra House - even those like Danny, with an unblemished record.

To cut a long story short, the RMT negotiated a temporary license for Danny, with the proviso that he also renews his DBS. Don't ask me why.

At least they accepted his medial certificate was still valid.

Post negotiations, this story takes a different turn; highlighting the human side of TfL.

Danny is dyslexic. So when he arrived at the TfLTPH licensing office the next day, he was met by a friendly and extremely patient TfL officer, named Minette. She helped Danny through the whole process.

Other members of staff, like Jessie, went out of their way to make Danny feel relaxed, and defused a potentially stressful situation.

Danny told me of the chaos he witnessed, where drivers in similar situations to his, obviously burdened by financial hardship, were pleading with staff for their licenses, so they could just simply go to work.

I will not betray details, but suffice to say Danny wished he had some spare cash to give one particular driver, whose story was heartbreaking.

This is the day to day routine for counter staff at TfLTPH; dealing with drivers under extreme stress, caused by inept clerks and inconsiderate bosses, who delegate the sharp end of the stick down to them.

Danny could not speak highly enough of Lewis Norton, Branch Secretary of the RMT, for turning eighteen weeks into two days.

I refuse to compromise this story by promoting one Union or Org above another. Needless to say, if you do not belong to any Union or Org, get your head out of the sand and your finger out of your arse, and join one now, before you are forced to take a long and unexpected holiday.

You do not want to find yourself up against a stubborn and unaccountable TfL, without some form of backing.

Be lucky.

Footnote from Taxi Leaks editor: 

There is no need for any driver to lose work under these conditions:

 a) You have your DBS back and it's clear.

 b) You have completed and submitted your application:

See Transport Act 1985 section 17 (7)

These are the words of Leon Daniels, who was speaking on behalf of Sir Peter Hendy, appertaining to the Transport Act.  

"Where we are provided with a complete application, including the results of the DBS check and any other necessary information, but have not yet made a licensing decision before the old one expires, the existing licence will remain in force until a decision is made in accordance with section 17(7). In these circumstances, a driver will not be issued with, nor require, a temporary licence pending a decision being made on their application. 

Please note that contrary to the comment in your email, section 17 of the Transport Act 1985 only applies to London taxi driver and vehicle licences, not London private hire vehicle driver licences.

Kind regards

Leon Daniels | Managing Director  

Transport for London | Surface Transport | Palestra |

11th Floor - Zone R4| 197 Blackfriars Road|Southwark|SE1 8NJ".

If you are sending your application off using the postal system, send it recorded delivery. 

Any driver who had lost work after being told they can't, after receiving a clear DBS and having presented a completed application form, should seek compensation from TfL for loss of earnings. In these extreme cases it's not the drivers fault, so TfL should reimburse the driver for work he/she could have undertaken while unlawfully denied the right to work.

Jim Thomas, Taxi Leaks.

ABSOLUTE POWER

RACE TO THE BOTTOM

We are in the midst of a recession. "No shit, Sherlock."
This recession bitterly affects the working class.
For years now this recession has seen the rich get richer and the poor become enslaved.
Economists say, if you can see a city skyline full of cranes, there is no spare cash.
The wealthy have stuck everything into huge enterprises, and they need every bit of cash they can put their hands on; and that includes ours.


The new Mayor has an insurmountable task ahead of him.
London is no longer a desirable destination.
It is choking under extreme pollution. And its arteries are clogged with unnecessary Private Hire minicabs and empty Buses.
The Buses are empty because, like all vehicles, they cannot move on the ever shrinking, overpopulated roads.
Overpopulated because the previous Mayor refused to cap Transport for London's little earner (minicabs).
Who wants to sit on a bus, watching the world walk by?
And shrinking because the previous Mayor wanted to build a playground for bikes.
These spacious Cycle Super Highways are built, not for safety, but for speed. They are so big, Uber drivers often mistake them for roads.


Who in their right mind would come to a city voted the most congested in the world?
Where you are forced to pay tax (Congestion Charge) for the privilege of sitting in an ever increasing meander of single lane traffic, which was caused by the very same shysters who levy the very same tax.
Once you finally get to your destination, you are then expected to pay four pounds an hour to park.
No wonder people prefer to shop in Bluewater, Lakeside and anywhere else they can move freely without getting ripped off.
Yet the powers that be, think they can solve problems of overcrowding and pollution by pedestrianising areas like Oxford Street.
Really? And where do they think the inordinate amount of buses would go? The narrow backstreets of Britain's former shopping Mecca?
Is it now time for a London Mayor to stop listening to unelected quangos of self interested big businessmen and women, and listen to real Londoners?
Listening to Londoners who are at the sharp end of his decisions.

If you have not yet guessed, I am a Licensed London Taxi Driver. I openly admit my interests - unlike the conflicted board of TfL.
Like most Licensed London Taxi Drivers, I am not a Luddite. I have been accepting card payments for over a decade, on radio circuits and apps, long before Uber slithered into town.
The previous Mayor, Boris Johnson is a pathological liar. He lied to his wife, his employers, his constituents, the people of London, and his colleagues.
That man was born with a silver fork in his mouth.
He claimed he could not cap Private Hire minicab licenses, when it was well within his power to do so.
His open contempt for Taxis is well documented.
I have to laugh when I look back to when 'Luddite' Taxi drivers were vilified by the media for behaving "outrageously" during one of Johnson's pantomimes at City Hall.
Has no one witnessed the pack behaviour of our honourable Members of Parliament during PMQ?
It did not help matters when one of our trade bodies apologised on our behalf. For what? For witnessing first hand Johnson's contempt for the questions put by Val Shawcross and Caroline Pidgeon?
Or when a member of the public (not a Licensed London Taxi Driver) pushed a security guard over?
No I do not apologise for anything that day. In fact I look back on our 'off the cuff' ten mile march in the rain, with pride.
Too long now the Taxi trade's representatives have been cozying up to the very people who are deregulating our trade.


History tells us that greed and corruption has always been part of any system.
Good men get assassinated whilst bad men fake their own deaths.
Who would have thought, pre Savile, that the BBC was a corrupt government tool?
From distorting information about the Miners Strike to suppressing rape and sexual assault in TfL licensed Private Hire minicabs.
Who would have guessed that two young, seemingly clean cut, up and coming political lightweights, like Dave and his afterbirth George, would go on to out-Thatcher Thatcher, and out-brazen Blair?


"Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely."
We have a situation where the Prime Minister orders the Mayor of London, according to Boris Johnson, to "Leave Uber alone." And where the Chancellor of the Exchequer lobbies the Mayor, on behalf of Uber.
We have 10 and 11 Downing Street favouring Uber, an American company, based in the Netherlands, who pay no Corporate Tax, whose 'drivers' get Income Support from the British taxpayer. All at the expense of London's iconic Licensed Taxi trade, who pay their taxes and do everything asked of them. They study the Knowledge of London for four years, pass an advanced driving test, pass a rigorous medical examination, are vetted by the police, drive an expensive purpose built vehicle, and have their fares set by TfL.
Four average Taxi drivers pay more tax than Uber UK.

TfL have been coerced by the Butch & Sundance of Downing Street, to allow illegal and immoral practices to take place, in favour of a freeloading American company.

TfL's Managing Director; Leon Daniels spends his spare time - when he is not busy lying on Uber's behalf to the GLA about 'on-off' insurances and bogus landlines - coaching Jo Bertram; General Manager of Uber UK, on how to get around various stipulations and requirements.

Courts are being told that an instrument which measures time and distance, is not a meter. Then what is it?

TfL state that an App which acts like a virtual binoculars, showing minicabs on a street nearby, with a customer choosing a minicab from that street, is not hailing.
TfL also state that when the customer presses the button of their App to instantly 'hire' a minicab, it is not 'instant', but 'pre booked'.
Let me ask you this - if a man decides at exactly 10am, to set his alarm clock to go off at exactly 10am; is that preset?
The answer is, no. And neither is an Uber journey pre booked. It is an immediate hail.
The minicab driver accepts the job, and is instantly hired.

TfL are churning out seven hundred Private Hire licenses every week, to satisfy Uber's appetite.
TfL are licensing Private Hire minicab drivers, without a full background check. Applicants relatively new to Britain, are having allowances made for them.
Other countries, including European countries, do not keep certain records on their systems forever.
Common sense tells us we must be able to check someone's background, within our own system, for a minimum of five years. Especially when the applicant is left alone with vulnerable customers, such as children and lone females.
TfL's requirements for a Private Hire license, is not good enough for the citizens of this country.
Contrary to popular belief in Downing Street, we are not plebs, we are people. Our daughters, mothers, sisters and wives, deserve better.

From their first application to their passing of the Knowledge, their advanced driving test, and receiving the coveted Green Badge, the applicant is looking at the best part of five years before they are deemed fit be a London Taxi driver.
When the London Taxi driver renews his Bill (license) every three years, the DBS process takes around four months.
Yet a Private Hire Roundel can be acquired within a day.
By pumping out seven hundred Private Hire minicab licences a week, TfL cannot possibly be processing PH applications as stringently as Public Safety requires.

Our 'Owners' have always wanted more for themselves and less for us. Yet nowadays they cannot be asked to sugarcoat it.
What should do we do? Passively give in?
I firmly believe that in any fight, win or lose, hurt your opponent so badly, the bully will think twice before he comes back for more.
Uber bullies have all the money, the big name backers, professional lobbyists, and a huge amount of MPs in their pocket.
We have MPs calling, not for Uber to toe the public safety line, or to up its standards, but for Taxis to be deregulated and for our standards to drop, to meet the substandard Uber free-for-all.
Females are literally getting into a stranger's car, to satisfy investors' needs.
Big business and the media, especially the BBC, are turning a blind eye and deaf ear to the Private Hire minicab rape and sexual assault figures that have gone through the roof.
In essence, the money men do not care if our daughters are raped or abused, as long as their pockets are being stuffed with pieces of silver.
To 'bought and paid' officials, our raped and abused loved ones are but statistics, to be hidden away out of reach of the Freedom of Information Act.
Those who invest in and lobby for Uber, see destroyed family members as acceptable collateral damage.
We the people do not count. We never have.


It is time for us to be heard.
We expect our new Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan to order an independent Public Enquiry into TfL's dealings with Uber, Boris Johnson and David Cameron.
We expect Peter Hendy, John Mason, Leon Daniels, Garrett Emmerson and the above main protagonists to be questioned on oath.
Something is rotten in the state of London, and we the people of London, demand answers.