LOCKDOWN 3 - taxinewspaper.co.uk · emails to multiple addresses so they can resolve enquiries as...

FEATURE: PAGE 22 & 23 TAXI QUIZZES AUTHOR OF NEW LONDON CABBIE’S QUIZ BOOK!

The newspaper of the Licensed

Taxi Drivers’ Association

www.ltda.co.uk @TheLTDA

#47328 July 2020

LTDA TEAM UPDATES Pages 5-12

NHS LOOKS TO CABBIES FOR HELP Page 3

The newspaper of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association

www.ltda.co.uk19th January 2021#484

LOCKDOWN 3.0LOCKDOWN 3.0LTDA goes council LTDA goes council to council for to council for driver grantsdriver grants

EXCLUSIVE:TAXI TALKS WITH WWII HERO Pages 22-23

@TheLTDAwww.ltda.co.uk

2

@TheLTDA www.ltda.co.uk

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Contents & News

LTDATaxi House 133 Great Suffolk Street,SE1 2PPT: 020 7286 1046 | www.ltda.co.uk

@TheLTDA

EditorKatie Combes E: [email protected]

Commissioning EditorNick Hartop E: [email protected]

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Creative DirectorPeter Davies

Designer & Advert CoordinatorCaitlyn Hobbs

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Published on behalf of the LTDA by

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means electronic, mechanical or by photocopy-ing without prior permission of the publishers. The views and opinions expressed in this publication may not

necessarily be those of the publishers. Please note that the last day for inclusion of Classified lineage advertisements is five working days prior to publication. No liability is accepted by the publisher should advertisements not appear in the requested issue(s). While the publisher will take every care to ensure accuracy, no liability can be accepted for loss or damage resulting from errors.

Inside...19:01:213 | News

5 | Steve McNamara 6 | Anthony Street 8 | Paul Brennan 11 | Lloyd Baldwin 12 | Sam Houston

14 | LTDA Feature 15 | Wim Faber 16 | Steve Kenton 18 | Rob Lordan 20 | Phil Brown 22 | Exclusive: Taxi Charity 24 | Chris Ackrill 27 | Puzzler

29 | Al Fresco

30 | Musher Meg Puzzler answers

SAD DEATH OF FORMER TAXI EDITOR AND VALUED COLLEAGUEIt is with great sadness that TAXI reports the recent death, at 83 years, of former editor Dave Barnes. Dave was a licensed driver and long-term member of the LTDA. He edited this paper for several years during the eighties and was also an active LTDA Committee Member. He will be remembered particularly for his outgoing character and biting sense of humour, which he often aired in his editorial column. Dave leaves a son, daughter and four grandchildren.

NHS LOOKING FOR CABBIES WILLING TO HELP With the NHS under enormous pressure once more, as Covid-19 infection rates reach unseen levels, a number of NHS hospitals are looking at ways taxi drivers could help them to reach patients and with deliveries and logistics, both on a voluntary and paid basis.

The Whittington Hospital in North London are looking for local drivers as volunteers to help with collection and delivery of PPE and medicine to their community sites, mainly in Islington and Haringey.

It will be a voluntary role, but they can cover expenses including mileage and lunch. They can also offer Covid vaccinations for volunteers and will issue self-testing kits to ensure they are safe to volunteer.

They are looking for cabbies who might be interested to sign up as volunteers. You will then be put in a pool and contacted as and when they need help, with shifts and timings to be confirmed. If you live in or routinely work in that area and might be interested you can send an expression of interest to [email protected].

Dave at work

TFL TAXI CARD TO MAKE CHARGING CHEAPER Cabbies wanting to charge ZEC taxis, can now park in selected Q-Park car parks for just £2 for the first hour, using the new TfL Taxi Card. The new cards can be purchased for £15 (Excl. VAT) and will mean that taxi drivers pay a much lower rate to park whilst charging their vehicles. The new TfL Taxi Cards can be used at the following Q-Park car parks:

n Tower Bridgen Park Lanen Surrey Streetn Pimlicon Westminstern St Johns Woodn Chinatownn Harley Streetn Oxford Streetn Soho

Cards can be purchased on the Q-Parks website here: www.q-park.co.uk/en-gb/tfl-taxi-cards/

Drivers who currently hold a Q-Park card, issued by TfL, can continue to use their existing card and will receive the same discount.

CONTACTING TFL DURING LOCKDOWNTfL are encouraging those needing to reach the TPH Licensing Team to do so by email, as they have limited access to phone lines. They have provided the following list of email addresses to use depending on the nature of the enquiry and ask that anyone contacting them includes their application or licence number in the subject field of the email.

They ask that people only use the relevant email address and do not send emails to multiple addresses so they can resolve enquiries as quickly as possible.

n Medical information – If you have been asked to provide any medical information contact [email protected] Driver renewal application enquiries – To ask a question about your renewal application contact [email protected] Online driver renewal assistance – For help with your online driver renewal application contact [email protected] and include a telephone number within your email so they can contact you.n Change of address for drivers – Contact [email protected] and allow 10 working days for the receipt of your updated licencen Notification of any change in personal circumstances – Including medical health, convictions, cautions or charges contact [email protected] n Vehicle licensing queries – Contact [email protected] Other – Any other type of enquiry related to licensing contact [email protected]


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5

General Secretary | Steve McNamara

Pushing for Local Grants and Mobilising the “Army of Taxi Drivers”

Steve’s comment

W elcome to 2021, which I hope will be the year of the vaccine, recovery, and better times ahead, although I know it’s hard to feel positive, as another lockdown was not what any of us wanted or needed. Let’s hope it’s the last one.

Can your council help?As you know, the LTDA has been lobbying for more dedicated financial support for the trade to deal with the impact of Coronavirus since this crisis began. Ten months on and in lockdown once more, this is now needed more than ever. The Government’s response has been to throw money at councils and leave it up to them to actually help people in need, with little guidance on who or how.

Earlier this month, the Chancellor announced National Lockdown Grants to help the hospitality, leisure, and non-essential retail sectors. These are administered by councils and based on business rates, are of no use to taxi drivers. However, the announcement also included a £594 million discretionary fund to support other impacted businesses, on top of £1.1 billion announced before Christmas, which some councils WILL make available to drivers.

Each council is currently working out what to do with this money based on local need, so the LTDA is going council to council across London and the surrounding areas that our members live in, asking them to ensure taxi drivers are eligible for grants.

A big problem we’ve found is that some councils outside London, such as Chelmsford and St Albans, are offering grants to their locally licensed taxi drivers, however those who live in these areas and hold a London licence, are not able to apply. This is a huge flaw leaving many unsure where to turn for support and once again falling through the cracks in a confusing, poorly thought-out system. We are trying to work with these councils to come up with a work around and one council leader

“The Government’s response has been to throw money at councils and leave it up to them to actually help people in need…The LTDA is now going council to council...asking them to make grants available to taxi drivers.”

has also highlighted this problem to Secretary of State for Transport, Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, on our behalf. We’ve also approached the Local Government Association, which represents all councils, to see if they can help.

We are trying to update members as we find out about new schemes, but please do keep checking with your local council whether you can apply for their ‘Additional Restrictions Grants’ or other discretionary schemes, as things are moving quickly and time frames to apply can be short.

London specific support I am also due to meet with London Councils, the body which represents all the London Boroughs to discuss the need for a London-wide approach to providing financial assistance to taxi drivers, which would make things easier!

We are also told the Mayor has written to the Chancellor asking for funding to support TfL licensed drivers, but I’m not hopeful, given the state of that relationship!

In a trade meeting with the new TfL Commissioner before Christmas, I said TfL should be asking for money to help the taxi trade, as part of the next round of bailout negotiations with the Government. It seemed they

hadn’t even thought of this, which shows how far down the pecking order we are!

The new Commissioner himself did seem to understand the value of the taxi trade, so let’s hope he will do more to help, and while he is at it, stop closing roads to taxis and making drivers’ lives more difficult!

SEISS grantsA final point on financial support is that there is still no official word on the level of the fourth Self-Employment Income Support (SEISS) grant to cover the period February to April. The third grant, which closes on 29th January is set at 80% of trading profits. Since we are likely to still be in lockdown until at least the middle of February, it’s surely inconceivable that they

would reduce it for the next one. However, the LTDA has been calling for clarity on this. We also continue to highlight the need to change the eligibility criteria to include those who have been excluded and had no support at all so far.

The Liberal Democrats, the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds and Finance Expert, Martin Lewis, have all also been calling for changes to help those self-employed people, who through no fault of their own, are not eligible to claim, including many taxi drivers. There have been rumours the Chancellor is considering taking some kind of action in response to this pressure, but nothing so far.

Awaiting a verdictI was hoping to have an update on our joint legal challenge of the Mayor's and TfL’s Streetspace Plan and the Bishopsgate bus gates, but at the time of writing we are still waiting on the judgement.

Meanwhile, we continue to make the case for taxis to go where buses go and maintain the access to the kerb and closed streets they need to serve passengers.

We’ve also become aware of a new body called the London Streetspace Advisory Group, established, I believe, by TfL. It seems to bring together key groups with an interest in what happens on London’s roads. It includes freight, cyclists, bus operators and others, except for taxi drivers that is. I wonder why? I will be sharing our displeasure at being excluded from yet another TfL ‘scheme’, with the powers that be.

An offer of helpFinally we are continuing to urge government to “mobilise the army of taxi drivers” (as Charles Walker MP put it, when speaking in Parliament) and their purpose-built vehicles, to help with the fight against Covid. At a time when work is hard to come by and drivers are struggling, I have written to the new Minister for Vaccine Deployment, suggesting they use taxis to transport people to vaccination sites. We also continue to push for taxi drivers to be prioritised for the vaccine as key workers, once the initial priority groups are completed. n LTDA

“This is a huge flaw leaving drivers unsure where to turn for support and once again falling through the cracks…”

FEATURE:PAGE 22 & 23

TAXI QUIZZES AUTHOR

OF NEW

LONDON CABBIE’S QUIZ

BOOK!

The newspaper

of the Licensed

Taxi Drivers’

Association

www.ltda.co.uk

@TheLTDA

#473

28 July 2020

LTDA TEAM UPDATES

Pages 5-12

NHS LOOKS TO CABBIES FO

R

HELP Page 3

The newspaper of

the Licensed Taxi

Drivers’ Associatio

n

www.ltda.co.uk

19th January 2021#

484

LOCKDOWN 3.0

LOCKDOWN 3.0

LTDA goes council

LTDA goes council

to council for

to council for

driver grants

driver grants

EXCLUSIVE:TAXI TALKS WI

TH

WWII HERO Pages 22-23


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Executive | Anthony Street

Streets ahead

Firstly, let me wish you a Happy New Year. A few months ago, I provided a snapshot of what we do for our members here at the LTDA. As we start a new year, with drivers facing new challenges, I wanted to share some recent examples, showing why being a member is so important and how we can support you. The LTDA has been on hand to assist members, providing all our services, throughout the Covid crisis, including during previous lockdowns and now in lockdown 3.0, whether by personal appointment or a phone call. You might also not be aware of the full range of support the LTDA provides. We take over 450 calls a week from members looking for help with issues that could impact their ability to work or that are causing them concern. This could include medical issues, licensing, PCNs and most recently helping members understand the latest Coronavirus restrictions and support available. In my view, no other taxi trade organisation can rival what we offer.

I know it’s really tough out there, but with so much uncertainty, having an up-to-date LTDA subscription can provide much-needed security and reassurance. We will work to protect your licence and your livelihood, whatever happens, and you can focus on getting through the next few months. Below are some stories showing how we go above and beyond and what great value LTDA membership truly is.

Who Has Your Back at a Real Cost of Just Over £3.00 per Week? Part 2

“We will work to protect your licence and your livelihood, whatever happens, and you can focus on getting through the next few months.”

Legal mattersOn Christmas Eve at 4pm a driver arrived at the LTDA, desperately hoping he could speak to someone about a parking ticket that had escalated from £65 to £513. They had appealed the ticket when it was at £65 and received no further communication from the issuing authority. Sometime later a £513 bailiff's letter landed on their door mat, along with an Out of Time Statutory Declaration, which needed to be signed in front of a solicitor and returned to the Court, for them to decide the driver’s fate. The Declaration had three days left to be made, before the dreaded bailiffs would come knocking.

24/7 legal cover is just one of the many benefits of LTDA membership and so, as always, one of our expert in-house solicitors was there to assist. They immediately helped the driver complete all the paperwork and returned it to the Court on their behalf, meaning this member could relax and enjoy the festive season. This service,

which solicitors usually charge a fee ranging from £10-£20 for, was also completely free to a member.

As you know there are many legal issues that could threaten your licence and ability to support your family. Drivers can find themselves in difficulties all

too easily and it’s not just things that happen whilst driving your cab, that could put your licence at risk. We recently had a member asked to attend a police station for an interview on an allegation of Common Assault. They contacted the LTDA and were referred to our legal department. During the ongoing Covid crisis, most solicitors have refused to attend police stations for interviews and will only speak with clients over the phone. The LTDA legal team believe the best legal representation is always provided in person. They attended the police station, discussed the allegations with officers and advised the client before they proceeded with the formal police interview. Within three hours of leaving the station, the Police called our solicitor to say no action would be taken.

Being able to access immediate legal advice and representation meant this member was able to resolve the matter quickly and clear their name, ensuring their licence was not put in jeopardy. Safe to say the member was very happy with the service they received!

Medical worriesI recently supported a member who had a pacemaker fitted, who was extremely worried it would impact their licence. I assured them they could return to work within six weeks on a group two licence. I dealt with the occupational health team within TFL on their behalf and advised them what they needed to do to be declared fit to return to work. LTDA’s involvement removed all the stress and worry, as the member knew we would get them the answers they needed and guide them through the process. This kind of support and reassurance is perhaps even more important at the moment, as people are already struggling and worried about the future because of the pandemic.

An honest mistakeAnother recent example is a driver who bought a new cab with a private number plate and nine months left on its licence. When they changed back to the original number plate, the driver didn’t realise they needed to attend an NSL centre to get a new cab licence that matched the cab’s registration. Instead, they went to work and started to receive PCNs for using bus lanes and entering the congestion zone, as the cab was technically not licensed. They tried to deal with the PCNs themselves, thinking they were issued mistakenly by TfL. By the time I met with the driver, they had a bundle of tickets totalling thousands of pounds and were having sleepless nights, worrying how they would pay them. It took some time, being pushed around different departments within TFL (I am sure you’ve all been there), but I eventually managed to resolve this honest mistake.

The tickets ended up only costing this LTDA member his subscription fee, which works out at just over £3 per week after deductions, a bargain by anyone’s reckoning, and a life saver at a time when every penny counts! Make sure your subscription is active and you are protected by the best today! In the meantime, be lucky and stay safe. n LTDA


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Executive | Paul Brennan

Fighting an Uphill Battle

Top rank

Firstly, I hope you are all safe and well and were able to have as good a festive season, as currently possible. Since we are now probably a third of the way through another tough lockdown, it doesn’t feel quite right to wish you a Happy New Year just yet, because there isn’t currently much that’s happy about it.

If we are looking for a small glimmer of positivity, I think it’s fair to say we are now much closer to the end than the beginning.

Non-storyIf there was ever a clear example of the uphill struggle we face as a trade in fighting the ‘establishment’, then it was the media’s response to the first day of the joint LTDA and UTAG court case, back in November. The world’s greatest taxi service, a 360-year-old trade, not only

much loved and respected at

home, but revered

around the world, was being forced to take

its own regulator,

TfL, and the Mayor of

London to the High Court. As those in the trade will know, we had to challenge the Streetspace Plan and Bishopsgate scheme to show that their policies of exclusion towards taxis are pushing us towards an unnecessary extinction and negatively impacting our passengers.

How did the media cover the story? Well quite simply, they didn’t. Instead they decided to run an inconsequential piece about the, frankly pathetic, Advertising Standards Authority’s decision to ban the LTDA radio advert, explaining the benefits of travelling in a black cab over other options during the pandemic.

Unsurprisingly, the coverage didn’t mention there was only

one single, solitary complaint (I assume from a minicab driver) about the ad, which ran on LBC – a station with an audience of 2.74 million people. Nor did they report that the ASA’s decision was based on the fact that, our ad, amongst many other points, said passengers were two metres apart from the driver. This is correct in two of the three models of London cab, but in the third, the distance was just under two metres. (That’s still a damn sight further than in a minicab and let’s not forget our purpose-built rigid partition!)

In my view this kind of reporting is why faith in the media, along with viewing and listening figures for certain outlets, are all falling dramatically.

Will reason win out?If the media had bothered to report on our legal challange, they would have heard, what I consider to be some pretty shocking facts set out in our evidence.

The barrister acting on our behalf made a strong case that the Streetspace Plan, associated guidance and the Bishopsgate traffic order all blatantly failed to account for the role and rights of licensed taxis and the needs of our passengers, including those with protected characteristics, most notably the elderly and disabled.

Our QC also clearly demonstrated the problems the Bishopsgate bus gates and exclusion of taxis along this vital corridor are causing, as well as the knock-on effect on drivers’ livelihoods and accessibility. The evidence included statements

from taxi users and videos. These showed how taxi drivers are no longer able to meet the needs of the elderly, disabled and those for whom walking or cycling, are simply not practical, such as those with luggage – who all require a door-to-door service.

These are all issues that I have been writing about in this very publication for months and it was good to see them getting the attention they deserve!

As far as I am concerned, it was obvious from what was set out that TfL and the Mayor felt that they could do as they pleased, using the pandemic as cover to introduce schemes they have been thinking about for a while, without consultation. All we can do now is hope the Judge heard what I did and comes to the same conclusion.

For the few, by the fewMore and more people are recognising the problems with these schemes and that there must be a better way to go about this, particularly if we want to keep

our city moving and promote recovery once lockdown ends. Local residents, business groups and others, are now seeking to challenge Streetspace schemes in various London Boroughs. Pressure is also mounting for greater transparency in the decision making and proper consultation.

Sadly, it seems those in power continue to press on. But is it any wonder when we have cycling enthusiasts running the show? People like Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman and Deputy Mayor for Transport, Heidi Alexander, who don’t seem to understand what London is all about, and apparently cycle ‘the monopoly board’ for fun, whilst under a ‘Stay at Home’ order.

These aren’t neutral people with unbiased ideas. They live a certain kind of life and think a certain way. It’s like me being in charge and doing exactly what I want, to create my perfect city. You know full well what would happen if that was the case. Private hire vehicles would be capped at 30,000, cyclists would be restricted to Quietways, rest/working ranks would double, and it would be illegal to issue a PCN against a taxi. Sadly, that’s not going to happen. Plus, deep down I know my interests need to be balanced against other people’s. If I can put myself in other’s shoes and see the bigger picture, why can’t they?

This is not how you should govern; those in authority have a responsibility to make decisions that are the best course of action for everyone, or at least for as many people as possible, not just a few lucky, like-minded people. Let’s hope our legal challenge succeeds and forces them to think again! n LTDA

“We had to challenge the Streetspace Plan and Bishopsgate scheme to show that their policies of exclusion towards taxis are pushing us towards an unnecessary extinction and negatively impacting our passengers.”


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On point

In the lead up to Christmas, our trade saw a high demand for Christmas lights tours. One member I spoke to put an advert on a Facebook group and was booked for a tour a day, for about three weeks. It was not everybody’s cup of tea, but for some, was a welcome opportunity to scrape a few quid together. For another member, it was the first time he had been in the cab since March.

Some cabbies got really into it, dressing their cabs up with tinsel, going the extra mile to make it fun. One told me a little girl had him close to tears when she told him how much she had enjoyed the tour and asked would he be taking her again tomorrow? Her dad actually asked if he could book for next Christmas, and even offered to pay for it there and then!

This was all music to my ears after the toughest year on record for the trade and I think these could become a regular thing, although they may be less in demand next Christmas, for obvious reasons.

Misinformation and confusionUnfortunately, there was a lot of speculation around whether these tours were breaking the rules and as usual lots of misinformation on social media. This caused confusion and put some off doing them, losing out on the opportunity to earn before tougher

Lights at the End of the Tunnel

"…I'm confident the greatest city in the world and the best taxi service will make a comeback!”

Will Kipper Season end with a bang?For a very long time, there’s been the belief that work levels go up a notch when the Flower Show starts in May, and this may never be truer than this year.

The vaccine is now being administered and according to the Prime Minister, the vast majority who need and want it, will have had it by mid-May. I do therefore believe this summer will be ok for us and drivers will be able to come to work with some optimism of being able to earn a decent living.

As I have said before, I have heard some absolute horror stories from our members struggling in the pandemic and I am sure I will hear more over the difficult weeks ahead, but surely, we are starting to see some light at the end of a very dark tunnel. I’m confident that the greatest city in the world and the best taxi service will make a comeback!

Executive S.O. | Lloyd Baldwin

restrictions came in, which is a real shame. I would advise members in future to try to ignore all the noise on Twitter and other places, unless it’s coming from a source you know you can trust.

I am not saying the tours were not a bit of a grey area, particularly with restrictions changing daily, but my view was that as long as drivers were ensuring passengers were following the rules and took the usual safety precautions, then fair play. And, of course, the LTDA’s in-house legal team would have helped, in the unlikely event any member encountered problems with TfL or the Law.

The problem is as with a lot of things at the moment, everyone

has a different idea of what the rules actually mean, and no one knows for sure, even the people enforcing them. It’s like the Police in Derbyshire fining two women £200 each for driving five miles to go for a walk and taking hot drinks with them, which counted as “a picnic”, but if you walked around London’s parks on the same day, you would have seen many doing the same freely.

Public bodies like TfL and others have also been avoiding saying what people can and can’t do, unless they are told clearly by government something is a legal requirement. We saw this with face masks in cabs.

I know all the uncertainty can

cause extra stress for drivers, but rest assured, this Association received no communications from members saying they had been stopped by Police or TFL Compliance for doing a Christmas lights tour. One was asked to show their bill and badge, when the family he was driving got out to take pictures outside St Paul’s, but that could happen anytime. If we had received reports of members getting pulled by police or were told they were illegal, we would have let our members know.

A Department for Transport civil servant did ring Steve McNamara initially after hearing about the tours, concerned drivers might be breaking the rules. Steve asked how it was different to a family hailing a cab, asking the driver to make a few stops around town and then take them back to their original location (which was all fine to do at the time). Unsurprisingly the civil servant didn’t have a good answer. In fact they clearly thought better of it, as we never heard any more from them or from TfL, our regulator, on the subject. So, there was nothing to suggest cabbies offering tours would get in any bother.

Looking forwardLooking to the future again, I sat up late over Christmas watching the test cricket from New Zealand and what struck me straight away was the spectators. Seeing friends and families sitting together watching the sport and enjoying the weather, with no face masks and no sign of COVID-19 restrictions, gave me a bit of heart and something to look forward to, even if right now it feels a way off. n LTDA

BANG!


12

Senior Rep | Sam Houston

“Visitors from the USA, Asia and Africa are familiar with London Taxis and the excellent service we offer so maybe ours will be one of the businesses that profits from Brexit.”

M4 musings

Hopefully by the time you’re reading this, the case rate in London has started to fall. The new variant changed the lockdown rationale yet again: the vaccine is here, it’s being rolled out, stay at home now to save lives while cases and hospitalisations are at record levels.

Lockdowns & vaccine rolloutThis has been devastating for cab drivers; We all anticipated a grim January, but announcements from government suggested it will take until at least mid-February before even the slightest relaxations can be considered. There are tentative grounds for hope that, at least in London, cases have started to plateau, but it may take another two weeks before that is reflected in the hospitalisation figures.

Boris Johnson reportedly remarked that he was astonished how easy it was to take away liberty, and how hard it is to restore. I remember in early March when lockdown was first considered, officials believed that people would only comply for three weeks. In the event that first lockdown went on for months, and the UK (like many other nations) has lived in a twilight world of relaxing and tightening conditions ever since.

These lockdowns are utterly ruinous for large swathes of our economy, and while the reason and necessity for the current restrictions are clear, government must ensure to be comprehensive and detailed in its support schemes and live up to Rishi Sunak’s promise that no-one will be left behind. If and when vaccines are shown to be working and pressure eases on hospitals, the country should be opened up at the earliest opportunity.

Vaccines, Tariffs, Brexit & App Firms…

Price revisitedIn years gone by, tariff adjustments were regular as clockwork and meters were updated every year according to the cost index. This is no longer the case and hasn’t been for some time and the reasons behind this are still somewhat unclear.

TfL have pointed out that there is no legal obligation for them to adjust the tariff in line with the cost index, or even to do so annually; what they have not done is provide any rationale or guidance as to what they would do instead. Therefore, cab drivers are stuck in a limbo of relentlessly rising costs without any idea whether or when the tariff will be adjusted in response. This is unacceptable.

TfL would do well to provide clear guidance as to how they plan to deal with tariff adjustments in future; it’s not fair to add to the uncertainty everyone feels at the moment.

Brexit disruption?Times are so bizarre that Brexit day passed as a bit of a non-event in the end; if we weren’t in the midst of a massive Covid-19 surge, Brexit would’ve been top of the news bulletins for weeks. I was relieved there was a deal, because any disruption of business is not good for the cab trade.

The government has admitted there will be some ‘bumps in the road’ but from the many conversations I’ve had with people who voted leave they were well aware of this possibility when casting their vote and saw it as a price worth paying for an increased ability to control our own trade policy, among other things.

So now we will have to wait and see; travel and trade volumes being down due to the pandemic provides an opportunity to search out the bottlenecks and inconsistencies in new regulations, but it’s likely to be years rather than months before any benefits or disbenefits can be assessed.

The likely fact is this is us now, for at least the next 20 years – so as a country we need to make it work, that includes the cab trade. I’m hopeful that we’ll see increased business visitors from outside Europe, both at the airport and in town. Visitors from the USA, Asia and Africa are familiar with London Taxis and the excellent service we offer so maybe ours will be one of the businesses that profits from Brexit.

Getting fleeced?I was disappointed to read the email from one of the app firms informing the trade they will now be charging new drivers £2000 to join up. It seemed to me both a wind-up and a publicity stunt. It’s a way of promoting loyalty (and insecurity) in their existing drivers and a poke in the eye to those of us not on the circuit. When apps do things like this, it’s hard to argue with those who say they have too much power over our business.The other side of this story is that no-one is making money at the moment and that apps spend huge amounts marketing to get customers into black cabs. Often when it’s busy on the street, drivers will turn the app off – so they have to find ways of incentivising drivers to cover the work at busy times. It’s all very well having

Cabbie Christmas light ingenuityWell done to all the drivers who successfully diversified and marketed ‘Christmas Light’ tours in December. This is exactly the sort of ingenuity in adversity that taxi drivers have always been known for and I know many families had a lovely afternoon or evening out.

Covid-19 or no Covid-19, this is sure to continue next year and rightly so, there’s no better or safer way to see London’s Christmas light displays. Let’s hope next Christmas is a full-on proper Christmas with all the parties, shopping and drunk people we’ve always been used to before!

A Happy New Year to everyone, keep safe out there. n LTDA

a ton of cover at 2pm on a Tuesday but if you can’t meet demand on a busy Friday or Saturday evening, customers will look elsewhere – this has always been the problem for circuits and will continue to be while there is a limited (and shrinking) pool of drivers.


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LTDA feature | Steve McNamara

The Scooter Saga Continues

Steve’s feature update

A gainst all expectations, the Department for Transport have now confirmed that the London electric scooter rental trial must start by 31st March, with a provider to be chosen by Transport for London and London Councils in the next few weeks. This is yet more bad news for the already beleaguered Mayor. I would assume decision makers in TfL and City Hall, would much rather have pushed it back to mid-May after the Mayoral Election, to mitigate any risks of a negative public reaction. How this will play out for the Uber/Lime bid has industry insiders evenly split.

One school of thought is that it may hurt Lime's chances, as if they were appointed as the provider pre-election, negative press around their safety record could blow back on the current

“How this will play out for the Uber/Lime bid has industry insiders evenly split.”

Mayor. Lime’s questionable safety record in Australia speaks for itself. No doubt decision makers are especially concerned that analogies could be drawn between Uber’s failure to report data breaches and serious crimes to TfL, and Lime’s failure to disclose to the Australian regulator over 50 crashes, resulting in injuries to riders, because of a faulty braking system on their Gen 2 scooter.

Nor, presumably, would they want anyone to draw a parallel between criticism of Lime failing to notify regulators of changes to its scooter firmware and Uber in London installing its anti-regulatory ‘Greyball’ software.

The alternative thinking is that the launch date is so close to the election that there won’t be much interest in the chosen provider, as the story will be drowned out by election campaigning. Plus, any negative

impact and inevitable stories of accidents, abandoned scooters and other disasters, are unlikely to appear until Sadiq is safely ensconced back in City Hall for another four years or out of the picture.

All eyes are now on TfL and how they will play it, and more interestingly for us, whether Uber/Lime still have their rumoured 'friends at the top' after the private hire licensing decision. Time will tell. n LTDA

@TheLTDA

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www.ltda.co.uk

Columnist | Wim Faber

International correspondent

First things first: despite being rather late in the month (but it is my first column of the year), please accept my wishes for a very happy, healthy and mobile 2021! Although the ‘happy’ part may sound a tad cynical, I honestly hope that with infection rates hopefully dropping and the vaccination speed picking up in London and elsewhere, business for the taxi trade will also slowly inch up in the months to come. The way things are now, it looks like a year with two faces, with some normality returning beyond the summer.

And whilst I’m talking about being a tad cynical: why is it that politicians so often praise ‘their’ taxi trade as an important part of local (public) transport, but remain deaf as doorposts when it comes to answering the insistent call from the trade for financial support? London is certainly no exception here, as besides SEISS, London taxi drivers nowadays have to knock on the door of their local borough to be included in some support package.

Continuing onward down the cynical-track: many minicab drivers are clamouring for a handout (and are receiving this in many countries). This despite their ‘employers’ (Uber for instance) not paying a pound, euro or dollar into the state’s social coffers. Call me simple, deranged or delusional, but my 2021 will be really happy if these companies accept full responsibility for their employee-drivers and finally do the right thing: pay what they owe society in taxes and social

financially. Yet there is one glaring example: Sweden. Although it escaped lockdown for quite some time, Sweden’s new Pandemic Act, which gives the country’s politicians the power to close whole swathes of the economy, its politicians have made no provision for support to the taxi trade, losing its customers through the lockdown. Even the taxi companies providing Sweden’s excellent nationwide social transportation system, had to go begging to their local authorities. Shameful.

Doing things differently: Moscow But there’s good news too – in Russia. There, pandemic support for the stricken trade took a completely different form. For eight years now, the Mayor of Moscow has been subsidizing the renewal of the Moscow taxi and ride-hailing fleet. Even in times of pandemic, more than 115 companies applied for a refund and 11,000 new vehicles were bought for a cool £2.9 million. The last eight years, the funding

benefits, just like any other company (and the taxi trade).

Local support? In many countries, the taxi trade – obviously too ‘insignificant’ to be noticed – has simply been overlooked or ignored when it comes to support packages. Public transport tends to get additional funds, but not the trade which is often deemed to be a very important link. Not all countries are equally bad, though. Some were just slow. Most gave some financial help.

Others were on the ball from the start. The Netherlands, local and regional councils have been paying the trade 80 percent of monthly social transport bills – keeping this support system for out-patients, the elderly and those with limited mobility – and the taxi trade – going. Support also went to drivers and companies. In Belgium, taxi drivers received temporary involuntary unemployment benefits. But in many countries around the world taxi drivers have had to turn to local or regional authorities for support. For instance, Berlin and Hamburg provided local support for their taxi drivers, when Germany’s national government largely ignored the trade. In Berlin local authorities are now funding a taxi scheme to ferry the elderly to vaccination stations free of charge – coordinated by the trade itself. The German national taxi association is now working on a national roll-out of this scheme, which would benefit both the elderly and the trade. The good news: in many other countries, also here in the UK, similar schemes have sprouted – often with the trade in the lead.

You would think that in countries with a solid social support system, like the ones in Scandinavia, the taxi trade is properly looked after

Is the Taxi Trade ‘Support-invisible’?

amounted to over £9.01 million for 36,527 taxis. “Thanks to this support, 70% of city taxis were purchased with the direct financial support of the Moscow Government,” said a proud deputy mayor Maxim Liksutov, who commands a fleet of 70,000 cabs, on average, less than three years old.

Is the trade extinct?I really wanted to be a bit upbeat in my first column, believe me. But as I listened in to a huge mobility conference in the USA, one attendee gloomily declared “that the taxi trade is extinct”, whereas another one said that “we can’t possibly work without the taxi trade.” The topic – transporting people with mobility handicaps. One last thought: what I noticed most during the pandemic, is the stunning lack of exchange of (international) information, and coronavirus related practices. Organisations which usually boast about their international role in the taxi trade, largely kept schtum, leaving the trade to fend for itself.

This is particularly painful and noticeable in the trade union world, which seems to have stopped exchanging information on Uber & Co, or even on building a united front. That at a time when Uber & Co are trying to make deals in Europe with local and national unions, aiming to keep their drivers as ‘self-employed’. n TAXI

“In many countries, the taxi trade – obviously too ‘insignificant’ to be noticed – has simply been overlooked or ignored when it comes to support packages.”

Berlin funded, and the taxi trade coordinated trips for the elderly to and from vaccination centres. Photo Taxi Times/Thomas Lorenz.

The Swedish government largely ignored the taxi trade in their support schemes.

“Even the taxi companies providing Sweden’s excellent nationwide social transportation system, had to go begging to their local authorities. Shameful.”

During the pandemic, Moscow invested a cool £2.9 million in 11,000 new cabs.


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Columnist | Steve Kenton

A man in black challenges the “buzzword-driven tripe” about London and takes us back on a comparative journey to his London, kicking off with the summer of ’76…

The Most Vibrant City on the Planet?

A man in black

Ok, first and foremost, I would like to wish almost all of you a happier and more prosperous new year than the previous, paltry effort which we referred to as 2020. And to the remaining one or two of you which I exclude from the above, I would like to wish you a happy new smear, may your vivid imaginations blossom further and continue to amuse me.

Right, that’s the virtue signalling out of the way.

The summer of 76It's the summer of 1976, the UK was basking in the second hottest summer on record, with the highest temperature hitting Cheltenham in Gloucestershire – a positively tropical 35.9° C or 96.6° F.

It was the summer that one of the greatest centre forwards in English football history swapped Tyneside for North London, with Malcolm MacDonald moving to Arsenal from Newcastle for the bizarre transfer fee of £333,333.33. Arsenal chairman, Denis Hill-Wood, rounded up the 33p to 34p so that Newcastle United didn't feel short changed. However, two far more monumental events occurred that summer, the first being my father buying me my first electronic game, called Blip, for my birthday, it was (and still is) the ultimate tennis game – and my father earning his Yellow Badge to work the suburbs.

You don't have to put on the red lightUnlike most of us, my father, who hated motorbikes, did his Knowledge in an L reg, Toyota Corolla Estate, I used to go on his runs with him after school. After qualifying, he signed up to do the Green Badge, which took him under 3 years to complete. Again, I used to go on his runs with him after school, only this time I was sitting in the back of a BeeJays taxi (the ones with the Orange wheels). My Dad used to ‘call over’ with me, sometimes while we were having a smoked salmon bagel and a cuppa in Brick Lane. I had a remarkable grasp of London for somebody who hadn't even left primary school (many in the trade would argue that some of us in the industry still haven't left primary

school) strangely enough, I knew all the red-light districts.

Looking back, what was fascinating was the volume of traffic, or lack of it. Don't get me wrong, we still had jams and traffic issues to contend with, many of the industry's patriarchs will testify to that, but the congestion seemed so much more ‘civilised’. In 1980, according to Government statistics, UK vehicle ownership sat at around 18 million vehicles – today that figure sits at around 34 million, therefore it is not unreasonable to assume that vehicle figures in London have almost doubled in 40 years.

The other thing which struck me was the iconic people and places that were hosted by the UK's capital. Back in the 80's, although on a decline, Carnaby Street was a thriving, bustling, hive of activity, with shops such as Melanddi's and Ben Sherman frequenting the area. Oxford Street was also bustling, with some of the world’s biggest department stores, Selfridges, Debenhams, HMV and who could forget the human billboard, Stanley Green – the man who preached "less lust from less protein", possibly the most famous non-famous person in living memory (after the entire cast of the Only Way Is Essex, Made in Chelsea and Geordie Shore, of course).

A city of coffee shopsMoving forward, London's landscape, our modern reality, is very different. People say that as time moves on, we progress – but progression is not necessarily a positive. Who are London's iconic people, where are London's iconic places? As we drive around London's pandemic-ridden empty streets, looking for work in search of a solitary hand going up that will make our efforts worthwhile… who, or what stands out? The answer - we've become a city of coffee shops.

Certainly now, when I drive along Oxford Street, I see the sorry looking facades of shops which have closed down, or are closing down, the sad sight of a boarded-up HMV store really hits home for me. I used to spend hours in there looking through vinyl (and latterly CDs), trying to find something that would tickle my earlobes. Sadly, Debenhams will be the next to go, it makes you wonder just how long Oxford Street can go on in this modern age, before it ceases to be anything but a congested thoroughfare with no real attraction.

In this modern era, we are consistently force-fed nonsense that London is the best city in the

world, it's the most vibrant city on the planet, it's the most progressive city with endless opportunities – the reality is that those buzzword driven expulsions are utter tripe. Sure, there are certain things that London leads the world in, we have the best taxi and underground service on the planet, we have an incredibly rich history which is the envy of the world – and we have a highly respected Mayor whose sole focus is to see a successful London... oh no wait, hold up, one of those is a printing error.

A bitter pill to swallowYou know London is in serious trouble when cabbies start searching for other employment. The taxi industry has always been considered a viable, lucrative industry, with a number of perks attributed to the job, however, between the current pandemic and some utterly bizarre decision making regarding the industry emanating from City Hall, the once iconic London taxi could be reduced to nothing more than a tourist attraction unless the industry gets some help. It becomes a bitter pill to swallow when the Mayor wastes money on a firework display which almost nobody can witness due to Covid-19 restrictions, instead of using the money to help London's cabbies, some of whom who have had no income since last March. There's something for the Mayor to spend 30 seconds thinking about… or not.

So, until next time, remember folks, less lust from less protein – so says Stanley Green, the sage-like billboard man from Oxford Street. n TAXI


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Tom PoulsonI joined the LTDA when I first got my badge and it turned out to be the best thing I ever did. Due to an unfortunate set of circumstances I ended up getting my licence revoked by TfL. I turned to John Luckhurst, one of the LTDA’s legal eagles, for assistance. John went to great lengths to prepare a detailed appeal against TfL’s decision and briefed a brilliant barrister to represent me in court. The appeal was successful and saved my livelihood. LTDA subscriptions are only four quid a week, which is less than a pint, and three pounds can be claimed against tax. I can’t believe that every cabbie in town is not a member.

Paul BaxterI was filled with confidence the very first time I contacted the LTDA’s legal team and as it turned out, I certainly wasn’t disappointed. They did a great job in sorting out my problem with TfL. They’ve got to be the best in the business!

“FOUR times more likely than the NATIONAL average to get an acquittal”

“LTDA subscriptions cost less than four quid a week”

John Luckhurst Senior Partner

Charlotte ColletSolicitor Advocate

Farouk MerdjaneI was involved in an accident whilst driving my cab in Shepherd’s Bush. I wasn’t too worried about it because I was confident that it wasn’t my fault and the insurance would sort it out. A short while later I received a summons for driving without due care and attention. I had no witnesses to help me, but the other driver had produced “independent” witnesses out of thin air! I quickly contacted the LTDA’s legal department and they immediately visited the scene of the incident and arranged for professional photographs to be recorded. I later appeared before magistrates at Lavender Hill Court, where the LTDA barrister tied the witnesses up in knots and demonstrated they could not have seen what they said they had. Thank you, LTDA legal department; you gave me an excellent service.

Driving a taxi for many hours of the day in one of the world’s most congested cities is a challenging task. Cabbies often fall victim to complaints and false accusations from police, passengers and other road users (especially cyclists and PHV drivers). When these events arise it’s

comforting for LTDA members to know that they have the immediate support of the best specialist in-house legal team in the business. The success rate of the LTDA Legal Team is second to none. In fact, according to Criminal Justice Statistics, LTDA members defended by our team are FOUR times more likely than the national average to be acquitted of allegations made against them.

Meet the LTDA legal team

Ken Jackson

The LTDA’s solicitors and support team, could not have been more helpful when I first informed them that an allegation had been made against me. The LTDA was quick to check all the CCTV cameras in the area and arrange for plans of the location to be drawn up. Witness statements were also obtained and Mr Demidecki was successful in getting the Crown Prosecution Service to drop the case against me. Thanks LTDA - an all-round brilliant service!


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Columnist | Robert Lordan

Learn Rob’s London medical museum runs to increase your tips!

London Medical Museum Runs

out of course in the days before anesthetic. Hygiene was practically non-existent here, with sawdust being used to soak up the blood. The theatre was closed and boarded up in the Victorian era and was not re-discovered until 1957.

How would you get from the Old Operating Theatre to Chelsea Physic Garden? This peaceful spot dates back to 1673 and was used by apothecaries to cultivate medicinal plants and herbs. Although small, the Royal London Hospital contains some very special items- primarily the famous hooded disguise worn by Joseph Merrick- aka the ‘Elephant Man’- who lived and died within the hospital. The museum also contains an intricate model of a church which Joseph created whilst a patient here.

How would you run it from the Royal London to Bart’s Hospital which also has its own museum? This one contains some very precious documents, including an agreement signed by King Henry VIII, granting the hospital permission to remain in service at a time when he was seizing many other properties. It is also for this reason that a small statue of Henry VIII can be found above Bart’s gateway; the only one of the despotic monarch to exist in London.

The Hunterian Museum in

Lincoln’s Inn Fields contains an array of grisly items, amongst which is the skeleton of Jonathan Wild. Known as the ‘Thief Taker General’, Wild established a criminal empire in London in the early 1700s and as such is often regarded as one of the world’s first mob-bosses. The Museum also houses the skeleton of Charles Byrne who, at nearly eight feet tall, was nicknamed ‘The Irish Giant.’

What route would you take from the Hunterian Museum to the British Dental Association Museum? As you can probably imagine, this small museum houses some rather terrifying implements – including a bunch of historic drills and vicious looking ‘tooth-keys’, used to rip out pearly whites in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Royal College of Physicians in Regent’s Park is based in a modern 1960s building which Is Grade I listed. There’s an impressive collection housed here, including 250 portraits and items of silver pre-dating the Great Fire of London. There are many surgical tools too – and they’ve even got a big leech jar!

How would you call it from the Royal College of Physicians to St Mary’s Hospital? It was here, in 1928, that the Scottish physician and microbiologist, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin. The hospital now contains a museum dedicated to Fleming where you can see a recreation of his lab. n TAXI

W hilst on the Knowledge I became fascinated by the hidden stories associated with London’s countless streets and points. I’ve been passionate about the city’s history ever since - and have discovered that sharing these tales with the public often results in a nice tip!

London is home to a surprising number of medical museums, the contents of which can prove both gruesome and fascinating. Here are seven runs, linking twelve of them.

Let’s start at the Wellcome Collection. There are hundreds of medial curiosities to discover here, from Napoleon’s toothbrush to George Washington’s false teeth. The Collection also houses many artworks, including pieces by Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso. This medical treasure-trove was accumulated by Sir Henry Wellcome who was born in America in 1853. Wellcome made his name as a pharmaceutical entrepreneur and, when he died, he bequeathed a fortune to medical research. The Wellcome Collection on Euston Road was established in 2007 using this inheritance.

What route would you take from the Wellcome Collection to the Science Museum? Here, in 2019, the Wellcome Galleries were unveiled. Comprised of five large sections which occupy a space equivalent to 1,500 hospital beds, this new area houses some 3000 artefacts and is the largest such collection of its type in the world. Louis Pasteur’s microscope and a full-sized recreation of a Victorian pharmacy are amongst the highlights.

Rob’s history tips

Next, we’ll head up to the Freud Museum in Hampstead. As the name suggests, this is based within the former home of neurologist and pioneering psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud who arrived in Hampstead in 1938 after being forced to flee Vienna following the Nazi annexation of Austria. Being both Jewish and a psychoanalyst, he was one of the regime’s prime targets and was interrogated by the Gestapo several times. After a painful battle with jaw cancer, Freud died at his Hampstead home in 1939, just three weeks after the outbreak of WWII. His daughter, Anna- who herself carried out pioneering work in child psychology lived here until her death in 1982.

You can see Freud’s famous couch – on which patients would rest whilst he psychoanalysed them – in the museum.

Run it from the Freud Museum to the Florence Nightingale Museum which is located on the site of Nightingale’s training school – the birthplace of modern nursing – which she founded after her experience in the Crimean War. A statue of Nightingale’s contemporary, Mary Seacole was unveiled outside the museum in 2016.

Dating from the early 1820s, the Old Operating theatre near London Bridge was primarily used for amputations- carried

The skull of Charles Byrne, nicknamed ‘The Irish Giant’

Freud's couch

Napoleon's toothbrush

British Dental Association exhibit


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British Dental Association exhibit


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Columnist | Phil Brown

“This tough creature was accustomed to toil and digging dirt - his energy was uncompromising and relentless. We should be thankful to the Irish, whose blood, sweat and tears are ingrained in the construction of London.”

London’s Irish Community

The Irish have been visitors to London since the 14th century. During the 19th century, a mass movement of Irishmen went in search of salvation. Their longevity in the capital has seen a hostility, in which they were classed as people of the lowest social order. There had been an increase in anti-Catholic feeling since the reformation imposed by King Henry VIII (1509-1547) in the 16th century. England became a Protestant country and dismissed its Catholic origins. So, it was inevitable that the sons of Ireland who were Catholics and destitute, were seen as heathens from across the water. Mostly displaced from the Emerald Isle due to continued famine, which reached its zenith in the 1850s. The Irish potato famine caused a large migration to America and England. Millions of Irishmen fled from starvation and a chance of a better life. London’s poorest districts became a sanctuary for Irish settlers.

New beginningsThose that arrived in London became domiciled in the rookeries of the capital. St Giles, Wapping, Spitalfields, Camden, Kensington, Notting Dale and later Kilburn became populated with Irish migrants. The characterisation of the Irish harboured a comprehensive distain from native Londoners. The Irish had a huge problem that shadowed their mortal souls… They had arrived uneducated and were Catholics in a Protestant country, plus the demon drink played a pivotal role in their daily lives. Their personalities were physically strong and foolhardy, and the blarney was a dialect that was all too compromising. Their Catholic beliefs were always close to their hearts and their political leanings were also brought into question. If they became sinful, the shameful Irishman could always head to the confession box, where an awaiting priest was always on hand to listen to his flock and offer redemption. Living conditions were confined to single rooms in the labyrinth of garrets that existed across London. It was commonplace for large families to be tightly crammed

Footprints & foundations

shovel was the Irishman’s tool that he savoured and slept with. For it was the shovel that would earn him shillings. This tough creature was accustomed to toil and digging dirt, his energy was uncompromising and relentless. We should be thankful to the Irish, whose blood, sweat and tears are ingrained in the construction of London. The London docks also provided a source of employment for the Cockney Irish. Irish dockers were accustomed to heaving heavy loads on their muscular backs. However, the docks did not always offer a day’s pay. The familiar role call inside the dock gates was like a scene from a police line-up. Each day a large gathering of dockers would assemble at St Kathrine’s or the West India Gates. The bell rings, the gates open and the struggling mass surge forward into the docks. The foreman stands behind a chain on a wooden box points towards the lucky men who will have a day’s pay. It is mostly the indigenous men who are chosen, whilst others and particular the Irish are discarded. The Irishmen would return home with a heavy heart and a distraught family.

LegacyPerhaps, I have a painted a picture of the London’s Irish as being downtrodden and a community without expectations. It was a gradual process with each passing generation to improve their circumstances. From the digging of London’s soil with a solitary shovel, some had the fortitude to became large contactors. Indeed, todays roads and building construction are carried out by companies such as McAlpine, Murphy and McNicholas.

The Irish have always been storytellers, the blarney is embedded deep in the souls of all Irishmen. There were those who took the blarney to the next level. From out of the Emerald Isle came creative minds with natural talent who became renowned authors, poets and playwrights. Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Seamus Heaney, Jonathon Swift, W. B. Yeats and George Bernard Shaw are just some of the familiar personalities of Irish decent. The sports are also well represented: Danny Blanchflower, George Best, Roy Keane, Brain O’Driscoll, Tony Mccoy, Mary Petters, Barry McGuigan and Rory Mcllroy, became household names. The Irish came to London as unwelcome strangers - however, gradually integrated into London’s cosmopolitan population. n TAXI

into a small space that acted as a living room, bedroom and a kitchen, often there would be four children sharing a single bed. Often there would only be one privy in a back yard, serving the whole house - which more often than not, amounted to shared use by fifty people. This environment was a precursor for disease. Cholera and typhus cumulated through the Irish community, where mortality rates were the highest in the capital.

The demon drinkThe Irish were often labelled as being workshy, perhaps there was an element of truth in this assertion but arguably no more so than any other migrant group also polarised from mainstream London culture and associated employment opportunities. For those Irishmen who took to alcohol, the public house provided an atmosphere where inhibitions could be laid bare. Drinking merrily, whilst surrounded by fellow friends and countrymen, at ease in a smoke-filled saloon, reminiscing in past lives and colourful tales of Dublin and Cork.

Hard labourThe Industrial Revolution of the late 18th century provided mass employment for the working classes. The age of new technologies had arrived, and manpower was needed to work in the new factories and drive forward innovative idealism. It was on the backs of the poor that huge riches would turn merchants into millionaires. Irish navvies were sought after for the cutting of canals, railways, roads and tunnels. The


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W WII veteran Harry Rawlins (now ninety-five years of age) took part in a number of patrols during the liberation of France and Belgium, two of which owed their success to his personal courage and leadership. In October 1945, he was awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palm. 70 years later, Harry received the Legion d’Honneur, France’s highest order of merit. TAXI decided to catch up with him…

: What are your early memories of the War?

Harry: When I was a child I was fascinated by my father and uncles talking about the First World War and their experiences. I left elementary school at the age of 14 and worked in a local factory. I couldn’t stand the place but had to go to work. This was during the height of the blitz and I must admit I

“We wrapped our kit in a waterproof sheet, swam across and camped for the night. We only realised how lucky we’d been when we stood at the bank later that evening…”

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sometimes hoped the German pilots would bomb the place so I wouldn’t have to work there anymore…but they always let me down!

: When did you join the Army?

Harry: I enlisted in March 1943 when I was 17 but told them I was older. After six weeks training in York, I joined the Rifle Brigade at Retford in Nottinghamshire. The training was hard and there was rivalry between platoons. We regularly competed to see who could march the furthest and fastest. We trained on weapons - stripping and reassembling them until it was second nature. Once fully trained, we were keen to get where the action was.

: Where did you fight?

Harry: I went to Normandy and joined the Kings Royal Rifle Corps. We moved up through France

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and Belgium. Our objective was to advance with 30 Corps from Nijmegen to Arnhem, but we arrived too late. We were pulled back to Elst and the Waal River where a line was built up.

: What was your biggest fear as a rifleman? Was it snipers?

Harry: No. My biggest concern was my hearing being affected. I’ve always been deaf in my right ear, but my left ear was good. On one occasion I was in a trench when a shell plunged into the ground above me. It was fizzing out at the back, so I thought I’d best duck and dive. I shut my eyes, put my fingers in my ears and thought it was going to be my last moment. Luckily, it just fizzled out.

: What did you do after the War?

Harry: I was restless and couldn’t settle down, so I travelled to


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About the Taxi Charity

The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans was formed in Fulham in 1948, to work for the benefit, comfort and enjoyment of military veterans and arranges many trips every year for veterans from all conflicts. The charity offers international trips to The Netherlands, Belgium and France, UK day trips to concerts or museums, transport to attend fundraising events, as well as special days out to catch up with friends and comrades.

To fund and facilitate these outings, the charity is wholly reliant on generous donations from members of the public, businesses and trusts and the amazing group of London licensed taxi drivers who offer their time and vehicles free. www.taxicharity.org

Australia. I worked on sheep stations, construction sites and mines. Then I worked on the Burdekin River Irrigation Scheme in North Queensland driving a bulldozer. I remember working with a couple of friends, Horace and Peter, and we decided to take a long weekend trip. At one point we needed to cross the river, so wrapped our kit in a waterproof sheet, swam across and camped for the night. We only realised how lucky we’d been when we stood at the bank later that evening and saw seven crocodiles in the river.

: How did you hear about the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans?

Harry: I was at a Kings Royal Rifle Corps reunion dinner and WWII veteran Dickie Forrester, a

collector for the Taxi Charity, told me about them. My first trip was their June 2017 Back to the Beaches visit to Normandy which I enjoyed very much and have returned to Normandy with them twice since. I’ve visited the Netherlands with the charity on three occasions as well as attending several events they’ve organised over here. I’ve been stuck on my own for several years and the Taxi Charity has changed my life. I’ve met so many people in the last three years and experienced so much goodwill. It’s a lovely thing to be part of. : How has the Taxi Charity supported you during the pandemic?

Harry: The Taxi Charity has been amazing during the pandemic, I live on my own and have some mobility issues, but the charity has been a huge support to me and kept in touch throughout. I do not have any family who live near me so when the country locked down in March 2020 the charity Chairman Ian Parsons and his wife Anne, became my support bubble. Since then, they have organised my shopping, visit me every fortnight and contact me every day. They have also taken me for lunch on my birthday, for hospital appointments and to my sister’s funeral. They even visited me on Christmas Day and brought me a delicious plated Christmas Dinner. I have also had visits from volunteer cabbies Austin Levens and

Seb Philp. Seb sent me postcards from his holidays and Austin did some gardening and dropped off a couple of meals and a Christmas hamper. And I look forward to getting a haircut from cabbie Karl James when restrictions allow as my hair is getting very long. The Taxi Charity has changed my life and kept me going and I certainly hope we will be able to return to The Netherlands and Normandy in 2021. These small acts of kindness make such a difference when you live on your own and I can never thank the charity enough for the difference they have made to my life.

: Do you see any parallels between the coronavirus pandemic and the War?

Harry: There were similarities at the beginning. Fear and uncertainty of what we were facing. The artificial shortages caused by panic buying which resulted in certain items being rationed by supermarkets and shops. In the 1940s the spirit was good. Today there is some of that spirit, but people seem more inclined to criticise and find fault when many are doing their best. However, there is a lot of goodwill for the NHS which is fully deserved. For a time, the pandemic seemed to have shut down just about everything. That was never the case during the war. Whilst the virus has been a disaster, I don’t think it bears any comparison to war. With the vaccine will come victory and the economic recovery will be much faster than it was after the war. n TAXI


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Chris isn’t a paranoid cabbie – he’s fully aware of all the risks. He just knows he doesn’t like reversing, pedestrians, cyclists or picking up drunk peo-ple or walking round cab garages or driving in the rain, the ice, the snow, the dark…

On the road

How often do you consider the health and safety risks when you’re driving your cab? I only started to think about it seriously when I completed a diploma in health and safety last year. I didn’t become a health and safety adviser, as planned, but I became more aware of the multitude of hazards that present themselves whilst driving a cab in London.

The risks don’t just apply to the cab itself, but to the working environment; and the fact that we are driving around strangers – members of an unpredictable public. A stationary taxi doesn’t present too much risk; the problems start when it starts moving and interacting in a very complex and uncertain environment.

We’ve all experienced badly managed roadworks; holes in the road with orange cones or barriers around them creating chicanes. Sometimes temporary traffic lights help keep things safe, sometimes they don’t – particularly when timings don’t allow for a high volume of traffic,

and the great British tradition of queuing gets ignored. Temporary signals rely on drivers obeying the lights and not jumping through on red whilst hoping the oncoming traffic doesn’t start moving towards them.

On a clear stretch of road without roadworks, there are of course people. You have to expect the unexpected (particularly because ‘the unexpected’ happens in London more times than anybody could possibly reasonably ‘expect’). People run on to zebra crossing from the blind spot behind you; brain-dead zombies walk into your path while engrossed in a mobile device; or “I know my rights” types dare you to run them over, on pain of a lawsuit that’s stacked in their favour as an innocent pedestrian. I have nightmares about pop-up pedestrians on Oxford Street. Many cyclists act similarly to pedestrians, but they’re faster. You don’t know much about them until they’re zooming up your inside or coming towards you, riding the wrong way along a one-way street, without lights at night. There are motorcyclists coming up the cycle lanes, and I need hardly mention cycle rickshaws, or those confounded kids’ scooters illegally used on roads and footpaths.

Believe it or not, occasionally we pick members of the public up as paying customers and 95% are fine. In fact, when I started out,

I was surprised how nice most people were. I only had a handful of nasty incidents with passengers over many years in the game, though I suspect night drivers have bigger and better tales to tell. I’m a paranoid cove at the best of times, but you have to be especially vigilant under the cover of darkness. There are a lot of weird, and downright dangerous people out there. Strangers are called strangers because they can be strange. For me, most of the stress comes from fear of the unknown.

Drinkers are best avoided. They can be entertaining, but they’re unpredictable and can turn in an instant. Always avoid talking about football or politics. One lesson I learned early on was to stop for someone several yards past them and see if they walk in a straight line back to your cab. Don’t let anyone go back into a bar to collect their friend. The friend needs a shopping trolley – not a cab. Leave him to Uber. In recent years I used ranks more. Here you are captive, and at the mercy of whoever decides they want a ride in your big black beetle. All you can do is treat people nicely and hope for the best. Clarify the destination and agree a route in advance if you think it could be contentious. Always over-estimate the fare if asked for a quote. If you need to ask, you can’t afford it.

There are hazards even when you’re not swerving around prams on Edgware Road, negotiating orange barriers, or on Kings Cross rank hoping to avoid meeting a serial killer from the train. How about a cab garage? Park the cab on the driveway, drop the keys off, and go off to the caff for a few hours and you’re fine. You don’t want to start walking around a typical cab garage. The toilet will almost certainly be a health, safety and hygiene disaster.

Accessing this crucible of filth will probably involve a walk along a badly ventilated room full of smoke and fumes. There will be oil on the floor, and heavy equipment hoisting heavy taxis. Tread carefully, touch nothing, and get out of the way of any reversing taxi. Reversing never was my strong point. I always used to worry about reversing out whenever I dropped my cab off at a small garage, or that tyre place on Hercules Road.

The environment of a traditional cab garage was lovingly re-created in the old Euston Station rank. This dark, dank, hole had the authentic diesel fumes and oil spills that most cab drivers were familiar with. It never looked like an environment that respectable customers might frequent, but there was little need for folk to hang around down there. In recent years it was a buyers’ market and the drivers tended to spend more time there than the customers.

Do modern taxis still come with a fire extinguisher? Only try to extinguish the smallest of fires. Abandon the cab and call the fire service immediately.

The weather is one risk factor you have no control over. Snow and ice is a health and safety nightmare. Some years, the white stuff is not an issue, but it has to be thoroughly prepared for – right down to the type of gloves worn by those detailed with shovelling snow from car parks (or cab garages). My driving policy is simple: I don’t drive if there’s ice and snow around. Rain does nothing for visibility, and it makes driving treacherous. I’m not keen on the dark either, but you have to draw the line somewhere and put up with a certain amount of risk and unpleasantness. Drive safely now. n TAXI

EASY RUNPentonville Prison -

Duchess of Bedford’s Walk

HARD RUNBarnes Station - Camden

Town Brewery

Columnist | Chris Ackrill


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– What sets those with ‘The Knowledge’ apart from the rest?

What does it mean to be a professional in 2020? When does an occupation or a job become professionalised? What makes those with ‘The Knowledge’ different from other “… suppliers of transportation services…?” A brief background search produces suggestions as to what the make-

up of a ‘professional activity’ might involve. Modern definitions include notions of ‘accountability; integrity; competency; knowledge and qualifications’ - deprive a Knowledge Boy or Girl of a 4G network and these skills would still exist, though some other ‘suppliers of transportation services’ might well struggle!

Some of the key ingredients of ‘professionalism’ involve:

‘The deployment of formal certified learning’Can other ‘suppliers of transportation services’ really claim to be engaged in doing this? Possibly, though that might depend on the depth and quality of learning involved in order to be accredited. In what world can those that pass ‘The Knowledge’ be compared to the learning involved to obtain other road-based transportation service operator licenses?

‘A professional owns the power, skills and freedom to problem solve.’ It’s pretty certain that an individual having the means to purchase and blindly follow a mobile device with a sat-nav app doesn’t meet this threshold. ‘Knowledge Boys & Girls’ have in-built ‘chips and processors’ that deploy real knowledge, in real time. Out on the roads, real professionalism isn’t dependent on the battery life of a mobile device or if that device knows that the football kicked off late or is going to penalties - which will impact on both journey time and route choice.

‘A professional possesses the ability to make decisions in the best interests of others.’We know that this level of responsibility is based on the use of specific, localised, operational expertise - rather than hoping a digital device can

provide an AA graded Knowledge rating of a route selection in line with traffic conditions, whilst ensuring a disabled passenger arrives at the entrance to their hotel which has suitable wheelchair access and porter assistance.

Those who possess ‘The Knowledge’ and have responded to the strength of the calling to the highest standards of the profession don’t just know the optimum route within an ever-changing landscape, they know its history too. If the formation of a professional identity is also about ‘providing a specialised service to society,’ those professionals with the ability to share that learning with their passengers are actually, inter-generational custodians of present-day and historical London knowledge. Black cab drivers are trusted ‘old school influencers’ in relation to the sites, attractions, facilities, services and cultural traditions of the capital – including being ambassadors of a historic trade, which is known as the best taxi service in the world.

All this, whilst transporting passengers in the most direct and safest manner, in accordance with codes, ethics and the standards of a professional community of operators.

Those with ‘The Knowledge’ have often picked up and are moving before a passenger has informed them of their destination – professionals are not sat around backing up traffic, typing postcodes into gadgets, in the hope a device can professionalise their practice and make them what they are not.

When people are lost - a professional finds them and gets them where they need to go. When they are too tired to go on - a professional takes the reins and when they are late for what’s important to them, professional road craft and knowledge get them to their destination safely and quickly.

So how are those with ‘The Knowledge’ valued and whose responsibility should it be to promote the identities and activities of such professionals, in turn separating them from other “suppliers of transportation services…?”

You are professionals. We know it.

Let’s ensure everybody else knows it and values it too.

‘The Professionals’

n The LTDA are here to represent, protect and ensure recognition of the professional practice, identity and standards of our members.


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