Police Brutality At Taxi Drivers' Demo?

The unbelievable scenes that we witness in the video clip below were taken from a peaceful demonstration of London Taxi Drivers on Wednesday 26th of May 2010.
What security issue was this police officer addressing when he brutally arrested this taxi driver? Was he concerned that a member of the public was about to be attacked? Did he think that the taxi driver was carrying an explosive device? Did he think the taxi driver was about to drive his taxi at innocent by-standers and injure people?

No! This taxi driver's "crime" was to respond to a motorist who had just shouted out "London taxi drivers are wankers" with the response "Who are you calling a wanker?" This spurred the bully-boy cop to treat him as if he was about to blow up the Houses of Parliament. The taxi driver, John Melville, suffered a broken wrist at the hands of this vicious thug, and is unlikely to be able to work for sometime due to his injuries.



What made this lowly bobby react in such an aggressive manner to such a trivial comment? My guess is that police officers who attended this demo were briefed by their superiors to come down hard on any breaches of the law; that this is just a bunch of troublesome cabbies and you don't have to worry too much about them because they are not a politically sensitive group of people. In other words, they are just a bunch of cab drivers so don't worry about anyone jumping up and down in their defence.

Well this brutal incident should be pursued through the courts and no apologies from the police should be accepted, in my opinion, because this is far too serious.

Let me have a stab at what might be at stake here. First of all, this is an unlawful arrest. Secondly, it is GBH because the victim suffered a broken wrist, and last, but not least, the driver was unlawfully detained in a police vehicle.

All three of these offences carry very serious penalties, and this police thug should feel the full weight of the courts. He is a disgrace to the Metropolitan Police, and he is an affront to all decent citizens of our capital city.

Westminster City Council has been in the firing line for the mis-handling of its new £50 million parking and enforcement contract.

The contract came up for renewal over 6 months ago, and the FTSE support group company Mouchel won the four year contract. Mouchel then announced to its shareholders, “It has been confirmed that we have been appointed as preferred bidder in Westminster, the largest on-street parking enforcement and city management service contract in Europe. The commission is for a four-year period (extendable to six).”

Unfortunately for Mouchel there was a flaw in the tendering process, which was spotted by the Conservative run Westminster Council’s own legal team, and Mouchel was stripped of the contract. The whole tendering process had to begin again, costing Westminster tax payers over £1.1 million. Now Mouchel and APCOA, who had also bid for contract, are considering a legal challenge after Westminster City Council decided to award the contract to NSL, who had previously serviced the contract over the past seven years.

This whole process has sparked an out-cry from Labour leader Paul Dimoldenberg and Westminster tax payers alike, but Danny Chalkley, Westminster's cabinet member for city management, did not respond to calls.

Where are you Mr. Chalkley?






Interestingly, NSL is the contractor that runs the taxi feeder park at Heathrow, and parking enforcement for Hammersmith council. NSL is the parking and enforcement company that used to be known as NCP. It’s nice to be loved!

It is not unusual to come across a newspaper head-line that declares something like "Taxi Wars" or "Taxis In Turf War" or something similar, but it would seem as though the real Taxi War in London is being fought on two fronts!!!




The first is a constant and ongoing battle in which Licensed London Taxi Drivers are being forced to contend with the increasing menace of illegal mini-cab touts, and the plethora of so called satellite offices that are opening in almost every second doorway in many parts of London.

The second front is a more sinister and difficult war that is only now being seen as the major battle that faces the Taxi Trade. This assault on the trade is not coming from our competitors, but rather from the very authorities that license us! This is the battle that must be won if the licensed taxi trade in London is to maintain the high standards that the residents and vistors to London have come to expect from the legendary and knowledgable "London Cabby".


Ever since the licensing of taxis in London was passed from the Metropolitan Police to the newly formed Transport for London, under the authority of the Mayor of London, there has been an unprecedented undermining of the regulations that govern the Hackney Carriage Laws that control the way taxis can legally ply for hire on the streets of London.

There has been a problem with illegal touting from mini-cabs for decades, but the situation has become far worse since the Mayor of London has become the ultimate authority for licensing in London. Not only is there a lack of enforcement of regulations that apply to touting, but this situation actually seems to be encouraged by the Public Carriage Office ever since it took on the additional task of licensing private hire in London.

Paranoia? I don't think it is! From what I can see there is a real threat to the taxi trade from what I can only describe as the covert policy of the deregulation, or at the very least, the undermining of the Taxi Industry in London.

The word "Taxi" is enshrined in Hackney Carriage law as a protected description that is very specific in its interpretation. Only a "Taxi" may ply for hire on the streets of the metropolis, but the laws that apply to this description are being flouted by the establishment itself, and government agencies are helping to undermine the importance of this legislation by ignoring the principles that apply to it.

Below is a government intranet communication that is just one example of the type of subversion of the primary legislation that governs the taxi industry. I can only conclude that this is an intentional policy that seeks to change the perception of what defines a "taxi".



"Headline News: Contract for cabs Page 1 of 1
Headline News
Contract for cabs
From 4 May 2010, there will be a new contract for all taxi bookings within London. To support this, the Business Travel team has launched a brand new policy providing clear guidance on the use of Government Car and Despatch Agency (GC'DA) cars, as well as a clarified taxi policy for all staff.








The clarified taxi policy reiterates the circumstances in which taxis can be used and how they should be paid for.
The new policy restricts the use of GCDA vehicles to ministers and the Permanent Secretary only. Anyone else who has previously utilised this service should now use taxis instead, following the clarified policy.
The new contract must be used by all staff booking a taxi for business use in London. Our contractor, Addison Lee, covers all locations within the M25 as well as local airports. Addison Lee is well-known for the quality of their vehicles and service and already provides taxi services to other Government Departments.
The key advantages for staff in using this contract are: .
• Reduced response times - the maximum response time in central London is only 15 minutes
• 24-hour service
• Reduced costs and carbon footprint - the fleet consists of over 2,500 people carriers, meaninglarger groups of staff can be transported in fewer vehicles
• Fully licensed - all drivers and vehicles are licensed by the Public Carriage Office; the regulatorybody for taxis and private hire in London
• No need for cash - invoices are paid on a monthly basis by DWP
• Free waiting tune - up to 15 minutes' free waiting time (30 minutes for international flights)
• High-quality vehicles - regular checks are carried out to ensure vehicles are clean and wellpresented at all times.
For more information, visit the Clarified TaxLPolicy, Booking .Guidance, and GCDA Policy intranet
pages.
Date published: 28 April 2010"

Please support the Drive-In/Demo that is taking place on Wednesday 26th May 2010. This will be the first of many, and we will let the authorities know that we are not going to accept any undermining of our proud industry.

MASS DRIVE-IN

Taxis at Heathrow.

Heathrow airport is one place where there seems to be a type of "mystique" when it comes to taxis. Many town drivers who never "put on" at the Heathrow are convinced that all airport drivers are involved in some kind of taxi trade mafioso! But nothing could be further from the truth.

An act of parliament has given the London taxi trade a right to ply for hire at Heathrow Airport in the form of taxi ranks on all Heathrow's terminals. Taxi ranks were accepted as a necessity when the only forms of transport were buses, taxis and private motor-cars.

This situation has changed over the years as Heathrow has evolved into the modern airport that it has now become. In the early years there were no underground or mainline train links into Heathrow, and the only way travellers could get to the airport was by road.

There were two coach services to Heathrow from central London; Victoria air terminal and the West london Air Terminal. Victoria air terminal was in Buckingham Palace Road, and the West London air terminal was located on the site of the Sainsburys supermarket on Cromwell Road. The nearest underground station to Heathrow was Hounslow West, but this would involve either a bus or taxi ride to complete your journey to Heathrow airport. So taxis were, and still are, an essential part of the transport infrastructure of Heathrow airport.

Today passengers have many more choices when travelling to Heathrow in the form of buses, taxis, minicabs, private cars, London underground, coaches, and the Heathrow Express from Paddington Station in West London. But it is not just the choice of transport that has changed, the running of Heathrow airport has also changed in many ways too.

In the early days Heathrow airport was under the control of the British Airports Authority, which was set up by the government with the introduction of the Airport Authority Act 1966. In 1986 the Thatcher government passed the Airports Act and created BAA plc. This allowed stock market funds to be raised, however in 2006 BAA plc. was sold to a consortium headed by Grupo Ferrovial and became BAA Ltd. which in turn created the subsidiary known as Heathrow Airport Ltd.

These changes completely altered the operating dynamic from a government owned agency to a commercial company with all the responsibilities to shareholders that such changes bring about. Since the privatisation of Heathrow Airport the various facilitities and services at Heathrow have been scutinised by Heathrow Airport Ltd. (HAL) with a view to maximising profits for the parent company.

The taxi operation at Heathrow was one of the services that came under the spotlight of BAA's accountants, but as previously mentioned, taxis have a legal presence at Heathrow under the terms of the Airports Act 1986, placing them in a unique position. This right to ply for hire, coupled with the commercial imperatives placed on BAA, has created certain tensions upon the taxi trade at Heathrow.

I shall explain how the taxi trade has attempted to respond to these changes in more detail in part II.

John Mason! Good cop, bad cop?


John Mason, the Director of Taxi and Private Hire, has made a new post on the London Taxi Drivers Forum (LTDF) under the username of masojon. In his post he appears to be "offering the trade out" with a veiled threat!!!

In his most recent post he states; ".....if you want a split, then by all means, lobby and do what you want to get a split and seek to have a Director of Taxi and another for Private Hire.........With seperate Directorates you would have two different people with prehaps two different agendas, one who is totally focused on PH the other on Taxis. Like it or not, I'm responsibe for both and for me thats the best way forward. "(sic)

This is the first time I have witnessed the boss of the Carriage Office getting "shirty" with taxi drivers in a public place! Could this be the end of his Honeymoon period in his role as Director? Only time will tell!



John Mason, Director of Taxi and Private Hire.

Hey Ho, this trade is in a awful mess!

We really need to get to grips with some of the major issues that are affecting us.

1. Touting, everywhere: The authorities don't seem that bothered!
2. In-trade fighting: This is so unnecessary.
3. Our image: How do we sort THAT out?
4. Our relationship with the PCO hierarchy.
5. Illegal Mini-Cab ranks.
6. The PHV bus-lane campaign. John Griffin of Ad Lee is the main campaigner, and he has a very strong political lobby! Where are you Bob Oddy?
7. United Trade Group: Only seem interested in preserving their own little empires to the detriment of the trade as a whole; very sad!

This is just a handful of the problems, anyone care to add to the list?

Nissen Hut, Any Good?

Who is behind The Nissen Hut blogsite?

Will we ever know? Maybe one day we will, but for now we have to accept that this site has an agenda all of its own.

They say that immitation is the most sincere form of flattery, and the Nissen Hut has plagerised the style of the most succesful London Taxi Trade blogsite, The Anderson Shelter. Their names are reminiscent of the old WWII air-raid shelters, although I believe the Nissen huts were not quite as bomb-proof as the Anderson Shelters of the same period.

The Anderson Shelter is a very forthright and pro-active forum for taxi drivers and is run by Jim Thomas, a licensed London taxi driver of many years experience. Jim has been at the forefront of the battle to stand up for the rights of taxi drivers at a time when lawlessness on the streets of London have become the norm over the last several years.

The unfortunate thing is, though, some within the London taxi trade do not appreciate Jim's hard and effective campaigning! Why? It would seem as though the largest of the trade organisations that purports to fight for the rights of London's taxi drivers is more interested in preserving the status and benefits that come from such a position. This organisation is the Licensed Taxi Driver' Association (LTDA), headed by Bob Oddy.

Mr. Oddy sits on the Board of Transport for London (TfL) and has earned himself the nick-name of "Silent Bob" because of his silence over many of the issues that affect the working taxi driver in London. His acquiesence on many of the trade's issues have made him very unpopular with many in the trade, but somehow, this silence seems to have preserved his status on the TfL Board. Very strange, indeed!

Anyway, back to the Nissen Hut blog: This blogsite was setup to discredit the good work of the Anderson Shelter, and there is a growing suspicion that the authors of this site are a number of people who support Bob Oddy's lack of action. Well, I think it is more accurate to say that they are part of his inner sanctom of beneficiaries, rather than supporters of his inaction; it would appear that Bob has but a few supporters, but their voices are spread far and wide within the London taxi trade fraternity, mainly through the official trade publication of the LTDA, Taxi Newspaper. Promotion of the Nissen Hut can be found in the bi-monthly editions of this organ with increasing regularity.

The Nissen Hut has not made any attempt to hide its plageristic style; why would it? Alas, though, it does not offer the reader the same opportunities to reply to its articles; it seems to run a very tight ship, unlike the Anderson Shelter, by discouraging comments from readers that do not agree with its content. I wonder why?