Click '1 attachment' / file name to download the latest issue of the RMT Taxi branch newsletter. Read the text below.

Sold Down the River…

Once again the London taxi-cab driver is sold down the river by those who meet with TFL but never produce a set of public minutes. This time though we have all been sold a pup by many of those who should know better. Yes the United Trade Group consisting of the LTDA (leaders) followed by UNITE’s cab section and the LCDC have taken it upon themselves to agree to an age limit for London’s taxi-cabs.

Who gave these driver organisations the permission to sell the residual value of your taxi-cab away without out giving you a VOTE or even a say. We at the RMT believe in “one badge one vote” for all taxi-cab drivers especially on matters/issues as important as this.

We will be writing to the Mayor of London and we shall be asking all members of the London Assembly to back our urgent call for a scrappage scheme. If large parts of the taxi trade accept an age limit they must understand the age limit of taxi-cabs will only be reduced and this will in-turn affect us all, whether you rent, lease or buy. Note the Department for Transport believe in natural wastage we at the RMT agree with the DfT on this issue.

Boris Johnson has just spent £140 million on a bike hire scheme, some of this money could have been used to assist taxi-cab drivers with the purchase of newer euro 4 taxi-cabs but yet again a Mayor of London just ignores the taxi-cab trade/driver and spends public money on a pet project designed to gain favour with the zone 1 inhabitants of Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea…

Breaking News...

Buses that meet the euro 3 standard receive a discounted VED (tax disc), yes buses in that meet the euro 3 standard only pay £165.00p for a tax disc. How much does the tax disc cost for your euro 3 or 4 taxi-cab cost…?

We are sorry to say this is more proof that the trade orgs that have sat at the table for years have been asleep.

Whilst the rest of the taxi trade ignores the problem of the M4 bus lane be assured that the RMT London taxi branch is about to send a number of letters, complaints to organisations, companies & public bodies asking them to ensure that a certain PHV company obeys the law.

Pall Mall and St James’s Street to go two-way. Take a close look at the road works on Pall Mall a central reservation is going in. We have contacted Martin Low of Westminster City council regarding our ranks on St James’s Street…

Where are the minutes?

TFL produce very detailed minutes of meetings of the main board and surface transport panel. It is here we found out about partitions in mini-cabs and it is here that we could find no objections to partitions in mini-cabs from the taxi trade representative. Now if TFL can produce detailed minutes of meetings they have with the main board and all sub-committee’s where are the minutes for the meetings Taxi Private Hire directorate hold with the various trade organisations/union.

TFL/TPH needs to be open honest and transparent, this is still not the case. We will be bringing this issue to the attention of the Mayor/Greater London Assembly.

The director of TPH has spent a lot of time meeting and talking to people (including the RMT) and at present we await the results of many reviews and we await the start of the consultation on “satellite mini-cab” offices.

Satellite mini-cab offices

Take a long hard look at Charing Cross Road and it has turned into an awful looking stretch of road made worse by the many mini-cab offices that have been allowed to open up with the blessing of TFL/TPH and we can only presume Westminster City Council. Ticket offices, newsagents, door-ways once again become mini-cab operating centres. TFL/TPH (formerly PCO) has made a mockery of the 1998 Private hire act and at the same time fail to appoint taxi ranks/stands outside bars/venues. We must remember TFL/TPH are the very same people telling us to be environmentally friendly and what could be friendlier than a taxi rank/stand?

We look forward to the consultation regarding these offices but we reserve the right to take the necessary action to defend our member’s right to ply for hire, a right all taxi-cab drivers have earned…

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Westminster City Council has installed a new toilet facility at Tachbrook Street near Pimlico underground station. You’ll note it looks as if one action or call of nature will be free. However if you are female it will still cost you dear to spend a penny. What ever happened to equality???

On a positive note can we thank Westminster for this much needed facility, please note parking restrictions are in force and spending a penny or two tends not to be a good excuse when appealing a parking ticket.

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If you wish to join the RMT and its London taxi branch please do contact the branch via email;
londontaxi@rmt.org.uk
via mobile on;
07899 786 433
or log onto;
www.rmt.org.uk and sign up online