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The newspaper of the Licensed

Taxi Drivers’ Association

www.ltda.co.uk @TheLTDA

#46621 April 2020

LTDA

NEWS: p2PH TRADE ACCUSE UBER OF COVID-19 NEGLIGENCE

FFreereeNNowow ANNOUNCEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT STUNS TRADESTUNS TRADE

CAN NEW LEGISLATION END CAN NEW LEGISLATION END RICKSHAW CHAOS?RICKSHAW CHAOS?

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‘UPHD PLOT EMERGENCY JUDICIAL REVIEW FOLLOWING DEATH OF UBER DRIVER’

2 TAXI |||| 21 April 2020 www.ltda.co.uk |||| @TheLTDA

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news

The United Private Hire Drivers organisation have launched a ‘CrowdJustice’ appeal to raise funds to bring about “an emergency judicial review to force the government and licensing authorities to act now to introduce minimal safety standards to protect drivers and the travelling public from infection.”

The organisation is attempting to raise £10,000 in order to hold government and Private Hire Operators to account, stating they wish to “…take action to stop further deaths of Uber and other private hire drivers as well as their passengers due to corporate and regulatory negligence. Drivers and passengers urgently need the protection of regulatory enforcement against private hire operators for immediate implementation of appropriate safety protocols and provision of personal protection equipment to drivers.”

UPHD, in their ‘CrowdJustice’ campaign outline, also mention that they intend to take action against the failure of operators to meet HSE requirements as well as failure to pay out promised sick pay. Their plight highlights and confirms the risks identified in the #465 edition of TAXI, that:

“Drivers and the travelling public

are at now at risk” “Uber has promised 200,000 free rides

to NHS staff. We welcome the move, but we recognise it poses mutual risk to drivers and passengers. We need to keep both parties safe from additional and unnecessary exposure to infection risk.

Unfortunately, despite clear obligations to do so, most private hire operators have not established safety protocols to reduce risk of infection and almost none have provided personal protection equipment, training or sanitising supplies.

Worst of all, the Department for Transport, Transport for London and most of the major licensing authorities have FAILED to step in and set binding regulatory safety standards to keep drivers and the travelling public safe. Instead, they have issued contradictory and confusing communications: they advise drivers to stay home BUT say drivers are allowed to continue working, they deny drivers critical worker status BUT say drivers may be critical workers on a case

by case basis.”UPHD further draw attention to the

lack of a protective partition in private hire vehicles and request the Department for Health take similar action to the Dutch authorities to prevent the spreading of the virus between both drivers and passengers:

“…the Dutch authorities have imposed strict new conditions including the mandatory use of personal protection equipment and enforcement of a 1.5 metre minimum separation as well as extra

precautions for higher risk passengers.”Following the death of a 32-year-old

UPHD member with no underlying sickness who drove for Uber and contracted COVID-19 combined with three other members who have now fortunately recovered from symptoms, this private hire organisation - many of whom are providing essential services and transporting key workers on a daily basis, are saying that they are “…paying the price for serving the public without proper Government rules on personal protection”

PH Trade Accuse Uber of Covid-19 Negligence


21 April 2020 |||| TAXI 3@TheLTDA |||| www.ltda.co.uk

It’s not LTDA policy to tell self-employed, free-thinking cabbies what to do - but it’s decision time

RICKSHAW PETITION & FREENOW DECISION…STEVE MCNAMARA

TOP TRADE STORY

Rickshaws first appeared on our streets in the early 90’s, they were a pain then and they are

a pain now. They have never been competition to us - something the media never quite understood, and our loathing for them has always been misreported. We don’t like them because they clog up the streets, rip off the tourist’s, are unsafe and belong in the third world - not the greatest city on the planet.

Over the years, the LTDA have been at the forefront of every attempt to clear them off our streets. We took out a series of private prosecutions when the police and the then, Public Carriage Office (PCO), refused to act, only for the judge to rule that they were, ‘Stage Carriages’ and as long as they charged individual fares, were legal. Next, we managed to fight off a PCO proposal to ‘soft licence’ them, and then with the advent of the GLA and a London Mayor, we have convinced all three Mayors to date, of the menace and danger they present and got all of them to support our calls for legislation to tackle them once and for all.

We’ve also carried out extensive crash testing of various models of rickshaw at the Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA), proving conclusively just how dangerous they are in almost any collision with a motor vehicle. We joined forces with resident and business groups from every area where rickshaws operated and got the support of many councillors and senior council officers, but every time it looked like we were getting somewhere, we hit a brick wall and our recent, free market governments, have shied away from the

legislation needed.The latest glimmer of hope has

come with the recently elected MP for Westminster and Cities of London and former WCC Councillor, Nickie Aiken, who has long supported our campaign and is planning on introducing a ten-minute rule bill in the House on this issue. Nickie has launched a petition on her website for supporters to sign, and we are asking that as many cabbies, family and friends sign this as possible. The petition can be found by visiting the LTDA website ‘Campaigns’ area and selecting ‘The Rickshaws’.

Whilst the news on the rickshaws is welcome, the other trade news that FreeNow are merging with Kapten, an ‘Uber like’ minicab app, is much less welcome. FreeNow’s argument is that in 2020 the world has changed, and the taxi trade need to move with the times, and they issued the following statement:

“Our view is that this will mean Black Cabs will be visible to over a million new passengers. We believe that this will lead to a significant increase in demand for Black Cabs as passengers switch to using them. To be clear, FREE NOW Black Cabs users will always see Black Cabs first. Lastly and most importantly, more users than ever will see a Black Cabs option, where before they would not have.”

Personally, I seem to recall hearing something similar back in 2014 when Hailo tried the same thing, and that ‘never ended well!’

‘FreeNow’ are nothing to do with the LTDA and we are not connected with them in any way, and it is not mine, or the LTDA’s policy to tell self-employed and independent free-thinking cabbies what to think or do - but for many, this is decision time.

In order that we can gauge our members reaction, we have sent a short survey via email, to help guide our policy on this going forward. At the time of writing we have received around 2500 responses, and we will share both

the results and outline our members thinking on the matter, in the next issue of Taxi. u

Steve McNamara is the LTDA’s General Secretary

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The newspaper of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association

www.ltda.co.uk @TheLTDA

#46621 April 2020

LTDA

NEWS: p2PH TRADE ACCUSE UBER OF COVID-19 NEGLIGENCE

FFreereeNNowow ANNOUNCEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT STUNS TRADESTUNS TRADE

CAN NEW LEGISLATION END CAN NEW LEGISLATION END RICKSHAW CHAOS?RICKSHAW CHAOS?

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Healthy London Partnership release wellbeing support and training tools

trade

A squadron of Cabbies are underway and supporting the NHS by transporting patients with Covid-19 symptoms who also require assessment for other non-urgent health conditions, thanks to a partnership between the NHS in South East London and taxi platform Gett. The service ensures patients with Covid-19 symptoms can get to a local GP without using public transport or coming into contact with others unnecessarily. Both parties are working closely with the LTDA who are assisting with the scheme.

Despite GP practices handling as many patient queries as possible on the telephone, some patients continue to require a face-to-face appointment. This initiative sees Cabbies transporting patients who are exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms such as a cough and/or fever, but still need to be seen by a GP, to and from designated NHS community centres. (Patients are not tested for Covid-19 at the centres.)

How it works:u Patients contacting the NHS who have suspected Covid-19 and are clinically assessed as needing to see a GP or practice nurse are referred to one of the NHS community centres.u If the patient is unable to travel using

their own car, the NHS are providing the patient’s details to Gett, who dispatch a Black Cab to their address.u Where the patient’s mobile phone number is provided to Gett, the patient will receive a text message about their vehicle, driver and journey.u Where the patient’s landline or mobile number is provided to Gett, the patient can be called in order to assist the process where appropriate.u On arrival at the NHS community centres, patients are either initially assessed by a medical professional in the taxi and taken into the building only if it is judged clinically necessary; or taken immediately into the building.u On completion of the assessment, patients are either returned home by the same Black Cab service provided by Gett, with advice and medication where appropriate, or routed into a different NHS service. u The service currently operates Monday to Friday between 8am and 6.30pm.u Black Cab drivers are not required to assist patients. Any patients who require assistance, are receiving their healthcare via a different pathway.

u The service is not being used for patients who require a face-to-face GP appointment who are not exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms such as a cough and/or fever. (These patients are required to make their own way to one of a number of different GP practices in the borough who are seeing patients without Covid-19 symptoms.)

Protective measures include:u Additional covering of the privacy screen between the driver and passenger, provided by the NHS.u Professional cleaning of the passenger cabin between each passenger journey by a specialist company provided by the NHS, using products and processes within the Public Health England Infection Control Guidance, carried out wearing full PPE.u Covering any fabric in the vehicle with wipeable material, provided by the NHS.u Masks for the passenger(s) and driver, provided by the NHS, and alcohol gel for the driver.u Opening the window in the passenger cabin throughout journeys as increased ventilation is recommended to help reduce the virus circulating.

u As a precautionary measure, Black Cab drivers with certain health conditions are prevented from providing this service, based on NHS guidance.

The initiative, commissioned by South East London Clinical Commissioning Group, is provided by the NHS and is free of charge for patients. It has launched in Southwark and the intention is to roll it out to other London boroughs moving forward.

Southwark GP Gavin McColl commented: “London’s Black Cab drivers are keen to do all they can to help in this crisis and we are very pleased to be working with Gett and the London Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) to put this in place. It is vital that we continue to provide GP services to patients in South East London even if they have Covid-19 symptoms, and this ensures they can get to the dedicated NHS community centres without spreading the disease.”

General Secretary of the LTDA, Steve McNamara, supporting the scheme, said that: “The black cab trade is proud to be part of this initiative to support Londoners and the NHS by getting people who need to see their GPs to their appointments quickly and safely.”

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trade The Healthy London Partnership would like to share the following resources which are available to support mental health and wellbeing:

Good ThinkingGood Thinking is a FREE, NHS-approved website which has been used by over 400,000 people to help with anxiety, stress, low mood and lack of sleep. This website can be used anywhere at any time to access a list of online tools, free apps and urgent support information. Please visit the Good Thinking website if you would like some support:

Good thinking: https://www.good-thinking.uk/

Suicide Prevention TrainingPlease spare 20 minutes to complete the following FREE 20 minute suicide prevention online training taken by over 40,000 Londoners to date – it will help you know what to say to someone you are worried about, understand how to help them and spot the warning signs. 1 in 4 people have a mental health need – your support can help them to feel less alone.Online suicide prevention training:https://www.zerosuicidealliance.com/


STREETS AHEAD

With the Coronavirus still afflicting globally, we all remain concerned primarily

with when this nasty virus will go away. To focus on London, specifically, and the lack of work out there right now for Cabbies, we are all hoping things begin to return to normal as soon as safely possible. Individually of course, we all remain concerned for our family and friends. I wish you all well, and ‘fingers-crossed,’ in the not so distant future, we’ll gradually begin to be able to get back to our everyday lives. In the meantime, a big ‘thank you’ to the NHS staff putting their lives at risk for us all.

It is very important that the LTDA functions as normal, dealing with the usual day to day problems and the plethora of new ones that have arisen as a result of the current crisis. To try and help our members during this difficult time we will not be drawing our normal basic subscriptions in May and will review this going forward into June. We will also be keeping members fully informed on all trade matters through the continued publication of Taxi and via regular email updates.

Should you go to work? It’s a personal choice. If you are in any high-risk category or live with someone who is - it’s an absolute, ‘no!’ If you are low-risk, live on your own or are forced to by financial or other circumstances, then it’s not so clear cut.

I have taken lots of calls from members regarding TfL’s six months extension on all cab licences. This is great news and a big relief at this present time. It has gone down very well and is welcomed by every driver in this situation. Just goes to show that sometimes common-sense does prevail!

Initially, even this great news was also clouded with confusion over whether cabs coming towards the end of their age limit would also benefit from the extra 6 months with TfL and NSL giving out different messages. The good news is that this has also now been clarified and I can confirm that any vehicle that comes to the end of its age limit at any time during the current crisis will automatically get a 6-month extension. TfL will be writing to every driver with a cab in this category explaining the procedures and guidelines.

Some drivers are receiving letters from TFL now, informing them what action they will need to take to have a cab licenced. As you can

appreciate, drivers plate dates expire on different months, so if you haven’t been contacted by TFL or received your letter - don’t worry, letters will be sent to drivers according to the expiry date on your cab licence. I have been getting a few calls already from drivers asking questions.

Drivers wanted to know if this is really an extension to the cab licence or is it only six months? So…

Question: If a cab licence expires on the 1st May 2020 my yearly test would now be due on the 1st October 2020 which is 6 months. When I book my NSL test and my cab is licenced, will the licence be back dated to the original date on the licence plate 1st May 2020, or would it run for a full year? Answer: A new licence will start independent of any other licence for one year so using the example above, it

would be until October 2021. Which is good news. And in even better news, you don’t need to pay your licensing fee until you attend the yearly inspection. So, that’s 6 months completely free - happy days!

When you do receive a letter or email from TfL this is confirmation that the vehicle remains licensed until the ‘new expiry date’ stated on the communication. Please keep a paper copy of this letter or email (via digital device) on your person when working, so that you are able to produce it for a Compliance Officer if requested.

It remains your responsibility to ensure the roadworthiness of your vehicle and to ensure it continues to meet all regulatory requirements at all times. Your vehicle should be inspected before every journey to ensure its complies

with the criteria in the TfL Taxi and Private Hire Inspection Manual which can be found on the TfL, TPH webpages.

The Government has also provided advice on keeping your vehicle in good condition: https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-safe

Even though it works differently when your cab reaches the 15 years of age, you will be given 6 months and then the cab will be of the road.

So far so good, we now need clarification on driver licences that are due to expire during the lock down. Those drivers that applied for their DBS 4 months ahead of the expiry and who are still waiting for a response from the DBS will automatically qualify under existing guidelines for a temporary licence pending the result, But what about those drivers who simply have no money to pay either the DBS, TfL or both?

We have constantly raised this with TfL and should get a decision very shortly, if they continue to use their common-sense approach, we may well get the 6-month extensions on these as we have requested, watch this space.

Stay safe and well. u

Anthony Street is an LTDA Executive Support Officer

ANTHONY STREET

LTDA Executive Anthony Street, brings license extension clarity

6 MONTH LICENSE EXTENSIONS GRANTED

“To try and help our members during this difficult time we will not be drawing our normal basic subscriptions in May and will review this going forward into June. We will also be keeping members fully informed on all trade matters through the continued publication of Taxi and via regular email updates.”

6 MONTH EXTENSION


Two of London’s licensed black cabbies who saw their work driving cabs in London dry up almost overnight have joined a leading supermarket to make food deliveries during the pandemic.

Daren Parr from Blackheath and John Dillane from Orpington who are leading a group of twenty-five London Cabbies on a fundraising challenge to climb Kilimanjaro and raise funds for the London Taxi Drivers Charity for Children joined the supermarket last week

London Cabbie Daren Parr said “In February 2020 COVID- 19 changed the world into a state never seen before. London’s streets were eerily empty, Heathrow was quiet and along with millions of other people we were not a position to earn any money. After offering our services to charities and the Government to no avail, we were still determined to do something to help the most vulnerable people of London, so we applied to a supermarket and Cabbies Do Kilimanjaro changed from London Taxi drivers to grocery delivery drivers overnight.

Last Thursday night, I was driving down a street in Abbey Wood in my delivery van at 8pm, people were out on the streets banging pots, pans and clapping. Some were pointing at me in the van and cheering. I welled up with a lump in my throat as big as a cricket ball. I could not have been prouder. At the end of the street I had a delivery. It was to a disabled man who was self-isolating, and he could not have been more pleased and thankful to see me. I knew at this point that, along with millions of other people who have volunteered or changed their careers temporarily, that it was the right decision. We will continue to help for

as long as it takes to beat this virus. Thank you to Tesco for giving us this opportunity.”

London Cabbie John Dillane said “Daren and I were as shocked as the rest of the country with both the speed and impact that this deadly virus has had on the everyday lives of the UK. Overnight our work as cabbies in London disappeared and we were basically unemployed. This cruel disease seems to target the most vulnerable sections of our communities and at the same time as these people were being told to stay at home, others, who could get out, were stripping supermarket shelves of basic supplies! We quickly learned that online supermarket deliveries were people’s lifelines, but the big retailers were struggling to keep up with demand and were desperate for

drivers to get these supplies to where they were needed. Daren and I, along with many London Cabbies applied to Tesco and were fast tracked through their training system onto the frontline. Cabbies do Kilimanjaro are proud to be doing our bit for our country in this war against an invisible lethal foe.”

Daren and John are still training (within government guidelines) for their huge challenge in October to climb Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro back to back for a charity that is very close to their hearts.

Daren said, “The social distancing regulations mean that The London Taxi Drivers Charity for Children have had to cancel many of its events and fundraising activities this summer, so now more than ever we need to raise as much as we can to ensure this charity has some resources to continue the amazing work it does to support special needs and disadvantaged children.”

About London Taxi Drivers’ Charity for ChildrenThe London Taxi Driver’s Charity for Children arranges days out in the UK, for special needs and disadvantaged children and provides funding to support children who need recreational, technology and mobility equipment.

Founded in 1928, the charity is funded totally through donations and supported by an amazing group of volunteer London Taxi Drivers who give up their time to take the children and their carers on day trips. Her Royal Highness, Duchess of Cornwall is Patron. www.ltcfc.org.uk

From Cabbies do Kilimanjaro to Cabbies do Deliveries

L O N D O N N O R T H

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PAUL BRENNAN

TOP RANK

Firstly, I have to say ‘well done’ to TfL for showing some common-sense solutions to current common

problems - it’s just a pity that it’s taken a worldwide pandemic for some common sense to prevail from our regulator rather than it always being the norm.

This current common-sense approach sees Transport for London extending the life of all Taxis plates by 6-months, although this has not been without some initial ‘does it or doesn’t it’ confusion – (but more of that in a minute). Also TfL are allowing receipts & photographic evidence to be used as proof that a cab which failed its initial yearly licensing inspection at NSL before the big shutdown (and then subsequently finding themselves unable to get a retest after the shutdown), can now offer such proof, showing the necessary work required has been completed & the cab now does actually meet the required standard and so be given a new 12 month plate.

Another common-sense approach sees TfL extending the deadline to complete a medical declaration for the vast majority, due to the difficulty in obtaining appointments with both doctors & opticians. There will be - and are of course, still many unanswered questions and problems that will need to be addressed going forward. As you would expect, I will continue to press TfL to come up with some more common-sense solutions.

One of my criticisms of TfL in the past has been their inability to use plain

English when issuing notices to the trade. When the original plan to reduce the age limit of Taxis to 12 years came about (a decision that absolutely must be reversed or at the very least delayed to help drivers recover from the unprecedented and disastrous effects of what in all reality will probably be a 2-3 month shutdown), the official notice and explanation left just about everyone scratching their heads as to what it was actually saying. It took me several weeks of badgering every person I knew or meet at TfL for them to firstly admit the notice wasn’t clear (they originally actually tried to tell me it was quite clear, until I asked that they explain it, and they couldn’t) to then produce what was a fantastic, simple & easy to use, age calculator.

As I mentioned earlier, the last batch of notices included the welcome news that ALL Taxis would receive a 6-month extension to their current Taxi plate, but we then heard from TfL that that didn’t include cabs that had reached their 15-year, end of life age. So, to TfL, ALL

doesn’t actually mean ALL, it means ALL except some! …I made sure my thoughts on this notice were conveyed to the ‘higher-ups’ and thankfully common sense has prevailed and TfL are now standing by their original notice as it read and was understood by all who read it, except of course perhaps the actual authors of it…

I often joke with colleagues that a TfL notice trying to explain how to use a simple ON/OFF light switch, would more than likely have a paragraph or two explaining how to use a dimmer switch instead of a simple sentence saying push ‘up for OFF’ & ‘down for ON.’

If you are intending to work whilst taking advantage of the extension, please remember it remains the responsibility of both the Taxi owner & driver to ensure the roadworthiness of the cab and to ensure that it continues to meet all regulatory requirements at all times. It’s always best practice for drivers to inspect the cab before every journey to ensure it meets with not only the conditions of fitness but all the usual roadworthy requirements. Please remember, any faults found on a vehicle you are driving are YOUR responsibility, if a tyre was found

to be bald, its 3 points on your licence, so please, please continue to check.

As the premier trade org, the LTDA as you would expect, still has a crack team of support staff with direct contacts within TfL departments to resolve any issues our members may have - it may take a little longer (but not often) and it may mean a driver having to perform one or two tasks that we would normally do for them like copying documents but whatever the issue, we will usually get a resolution.

Did you know?I had promised at the start of the year that I would again include a, ‘Did you Know?’ at the end of each article. I didn’t think it was appropriate to have one for my last two articles & maybe it still isn’t but then again perhaps a bit of silly trivia at this time is needed. So, did you know; the Mall is London’s only official ceremonial route, it’s red to represent a red carpet and was ‘designed to be’ and ‘is’ exactly 0.5 nautical miles (0.58 miles) long; the ships on top of the lampposts are not as commonly believed Nelson’s fleet but identical copies of the same galleon ship to highlight its nautical inception. At one end is Admiralty Arch which at first glance as you approach it from Buckingham Palace appears completely symmetrical but a closer look at the lower two thirds reveals only two floors on the left-hand side but three floors to the right (be honest had you noticed?). On the other side of Trafalgar Sq is London’s longest street name; St. Martin-in-the Fields Church Path, which isn’t far from one of London’s shortest, Strand, but the actual shortest street name is Hide in E6. u

Paul Brennan, LTDA Executive

Need something resolving? The LTDA has a crack support team with direct TfL contacts

COMMON-SENSE SOLUTIONS

The LTDA members forum that was due to be held on Wednesday April 22nd is now postponed due to current circumstances. We will update you

with a new date as soon as we are able.

LTDA


LEVC London North

39-41 Brewery Road

London

N7 9QH

To speak to one of the team please give us a call and

select option #1 for Service or #2 for Sales, or enquire

on our website, where we will do our best to assist you.

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I M P O R T A N T C U S T O M E R

N O T I C E

F R O M L E V C L O N D O N N O R T H ( B R E W E R Y R O A D )

We wish you all well, please stay safe

and we shall look forward to welcoming

you back in the dealership soon.

C U S T O M E R

R E L A T I O N S H I P T E A M

Our team are still

working remotely to support you

with your queries, enquiries,

and quotations.

S E R V I C E

D E P A R T M E N T

We have a skeleton staff

in the workshop who are

taking emergency calls only

between 8am – 4pm,

to support essential work

and technical queries.

Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, our dealership is currently not able to accept

physical customer visits, however, in order to ensure that we are doing our

utmost to support the taxi trade, we are still here for you in the following ways:


[email protected]

01727 739 196

Jack Green

To see your advertisement in the leading magazine for black cab drivers in London contact us today:

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I believe that drivers are smart enough ‘to’ and will - make their own decisions…

LTDA CONTINUE TO APPLY PRESSURELLOYD BALDWIN

ON POINT

The Virus.By the time you read this I’m hoping that this horrible situation

is changing for the better. I have seen several reports of cabbies failing victim to the virus and it is truly heart breaking. I can only pass on my condolences to the families. I had many conversations with members in the first week of this lockdown regarding financial payments they were due to make and the prospects of not being able to pay. I found these calls the most difficult I have ever faced whilst I’ve been with the LTDA. This was because in the first few days we had no idea what the financial institutions were going to do. By the end of the first week, we found out that most were discussing delaying payments and members who contacted their mortgage providers were given a 3-month mortgage break. Cab financiers were also deferring payments. Maybe they were doing so because they were told to by Government or maybe they realised they had no choice. We at the LTDA are speaking with members constantly and receiving lots of info about companies within our trade who have actively helped and those that have not. A few companies are going to be ‘called out’ after this. Now is not the time however and the LTDA are continuing to apply pressure to them to change their current approaches - we’ll have to see if any of them carry out the threats that some are reportedly making. On the flipside to that, there are companies that have actively helped - and they will be mentioned too. I think it will be important for us to note these things for the future. I wish everyone the best of luck and as we seem to be saying to each other, “stay safe.”

MedicalsI know that this is a subject that many members in their 50’s (me included) may be aware of, but members coming up to their 50th birthday will have to take a medical. It is a TfL requirement that this must be completed by the

members registered GP. Medicals are needed on your 50th, 56th, 62nd, and 65th birthdays. After the age of 65, you are required to take one every year. Your registered GP needs to be made aware that we drive to the ‘Group 2 Driving Regulations’ that are set out by the DVLA. If you think your GP may not be aware of this, then you will need to make sure they know. I have seen situations where a GP has put something in the ‘extra information’ section that the GP does not see as significant - but ends up causing the member problems. TFL react to these ‘extra information’ comments by sending the member a form, asking direct questions regarding the GPs comments and this means another trip back to the doctors - and we all know how difficult it can be in getting an appointment. Obviously, you’re not asking your GP to lie, but I’ve seen members out of work for a short time because a GP has written comments such as that a member had a condition which amounted to ‘slight arthritis’ in his wrist! And so again, I highlight that you should make sure you mention the ‘Group 2’ regulations as the criteria which they should be addressing.

Social MediaI have seen on social media about how ‘out of order’ the LTDA are, for apparently telling cabbies ‘to go to work’. Seriously, these people need to have a good look at themselves. At no point has the LTDA done this, and we never would. All we have done is to put forward the positives of the vehicle we drive. I believe that drivers are smart enough ‘to’ and will - make their own decisions. As usual with Twitter, the people that attack drivers for working have absolutely no idea of another drivers’ personal circumstances. It matters not to them if it does not fit their narrative.

Yellow Box Junctions.Whilst out in the cab a couple of weeks ago, I very nearly got caught in the ‘Yellow Box Junction’ intersecting Euston Rd and Midland Rd, after a bus ‘cut me up’ as I went in. I was in the inside lane but luckily, I was able to change lanes and got out without stopping. The driver of the bus ended up stuck halfway in the junction and he must have realised he would not get out. This got me to thinking, ‘Would TfL issue a PCN to the driver?’ I see enough tickets issued to our members for such an offence and if it’s good enough to issue them to Cabbies, what about bus drivers? This is a question I will be asking TFL, although I may struggle to get an answer.

NHS StaffWhilst I consistently champion the plight of Cabbies on a daily basis, it would sit wrongly with me in these extraordinary times without giving a mention in my column to the work of NHS staff. To all of you out there, I doff my cap. u

Lloyd Baldwin is an LTDA Executive Support Officer


ROB’S TIPS

Whilst 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!

Once the current crisis is over and pubs are permitted to open again, it’s likely folk are going to flock to them - so now’s a good time to brush up on your Knowledge of the city’s watering holes! Below are 12 pub runs. How well can you call them?

Let’s start with the Spaniards Inn which was once the location of a tollgate - hence the bottleneck which traffic still has to squeeze through. Run it to the Lamb & Flag - a pub once nicknamed the ‘Bucket of Blood’ due to the regular bareknuckle bouts it hosted.

Next is the Trafalgar Tavern; an establishment championed by Charles Dickens -which is why it makes an appearance in, ‘Our Mutual Friend.’ How would you get to the Dublin Castle - that famous music venue where London pop legends, ‘Madness’ got their lucky break?

The Churchill Arms is noted for its dazzling flower display which apparently costs £25,000 per year to maintain. Run it to The Blind Beggar - the boozer notorious for being the place where Ronnie Kray shot George Cornell dead in 1966.

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is one of London’s most famous taverns. In the late 19th and early 20th century, it was home to a foul-mouthed parrot named Polly who can still be seen inside today - he’s now stuffed. Take your fare to the Cat and Mutton where, in the 18th century, punters delighted in a cruel sport which involved attempting to swing a greased-up pig by the tail.

We’ll head back to the City now. The Punch Tavern was originally called the Crown & Sugar Loaf but changed its name in honour of the journalists from satirical magazine, ‘Punch’ who used to sup here. How would you get someone to the Tom Cribb? Tom was a champion fighter from the early 1800s who went on to become the pub’s first landlord. He’s buried in St Mary Magdalene Church, Woolwich - a stone lion holds pride of place above his tomb.

The City Barge is a very old pub indeed - it dates back to 1484. Let’s run it to the Half Moon - a pub once popular with Welsh author

and hardcore drinker, Dylan Thomas. It’s believed the title of his famous work, ‘Under Milk Wood’ was inspired by the road located opposite.

The Prospect of Whitby is another very old tavern - it was founded in 1520 and was known at one point as the Devil’s Tavern. If a passenger wanted to go from here to the Blackfriar, how would you call it? It’s lucky, the Blackfriar is still there at all - it was almost demolished in the 1960s but was saved thanks to a campaign led by Sir John Betjeman.

The Princess Louise has a stunning interior, but also harbours a dark secret - it was here,

Learn Rob’s tales of London history to increase your tips!

LONDON PUB TIPS… & RUNS!ROBERT LORDAN

around Christmas 1979, that serial killer, Dennis Nilsen befriended his second victim, Kenneth Ockendon. How would you run the Princess Louise to The Dove - which has London’s smallest bar?

Until it was destroyed in the Blitz, a famous boxing venue called ‘The Ring’ stood on the site now occupied by TFL’s Palestra (the building’s name is a nod to this- in ancient Greece, a ‘palestra’ was a wrestling arena). Fortunately, The Ring pub, still stands opposite. Not too far, but how would you get from here to the Three Stags? The Three Stags has a small booth called ‘Charlie’s Corner’ which is in honour of local lad, Charlie Chaplin - it was in this pub that he saw his alcoholic father for the last time.

Another pub containing distinctive little booths is the oddly spelt, Cittie of York - they’re popular with lawyers who use them to discuss private business with clients. How would you run it to the Mayflower? It was from here, in 1620, that the pilgrims’ ‘Mayflower’ set sail for the south coast to pick up supplies before setting out across the Atlantic. Thanks to this American connection, the pub’s licensed to sell US stamps.

The end credits to ‘Minder’ featured a photo of Arthur and Terry drinking outside the Blue Anchor. Let’s take it from there to the Viaduct Tavern, a pub which has remnants of cells from the former Newgate prison in its basement.

Finally, the Town of Ramsgate, where in 1688, the much-despised Judge Jeffreys was caught as he attempted to flee to Hamburg. Another pub associated with historical figures is Ye Olde Mitre, which contains the remains of a cherry tree, around which it is said Elizabeth I danced with Sir Christopher Hatton. What route would you take? u

“It was here, that serial killer Dennis Nilsen befriended his second victim ”


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The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans has been supporting veterans since 1948 and during the COVID-19 pandemic has called on London’s black cabbies and charity supporters to go the extra mile to ensure that veterans have someone to chat with or to do their shopping

Last week, the Chairman of the Taxi Charity, Ian Parsons, did some shopping for WWII veteran Harry Rawlins, who lives in Edgware. Harry, an Arnhem veteran, was in the 8th Armoured Brigade, 30 Corps and was part of Operation Market Garden in September 1944. Every year Harry joins the trips organised by the Taxi Charity to the Netherlands for the Arnhem commemoration services

Ian called at the local supermarket and delivered bags of shopping to Harry’s door and had a chat, while always maintaining the required two metres distance.

Harry Rawlins, WWII veteran, said, “The Taxi Charity are truly a lifeline. For many years I have joined the charity on trips to the continent to pay my respects to the comrades who didn’t come home, on day trips throughout the South East and at parties and social gatherings. The care they show to us veterans is amazing and they have really enriched my life by giving me the opportunity to meet regularly with other veterans. Being socially isolated is very difficult but the regular contact I receive from Ian and Anne, his wife and

knowing that there are always people that I can call on for help is a very reassuring position to be in.”

As a Bren Gunner on one occasion, he acted entirely on his own initiative by engaging enemy who had pinned a Section down exposing himself to considerable danger, he neutralised the enemy fire, released his section and paved the way to a successful attack.

He was presented with the Legion D’Honneur, France’s highest military honour, in 2015.

A recollection from Harry RawlinsWe, that is ‘C company’ started off from Nijmegen in Holland towards Kleve in

Germany on 7th February 1945. We were supposed to be on a peace move (that is moving within our own lines), but the troops that preceded us had met stronger opposition than expected and had been unable to clear the way. We weren’t expecting to start fighting until we reached the other side of Kleve. Then we were to advance down between the river Rhine on our left and the Siegfried Line on our right, ‘clearing it’, as we went. Thinking we were within our own lines, we were relaxed, and we only put out a Bren Gun when we stopped for Anti-Aircraft Defence. We stopped on the outskirts of Kleve and got out of our Halftracks to stretch our legs. Not knowing we had driven straight into the

enemy’s front line and they had woken up to it before we did. They opened fire on us, and we took up positions to return fire. They Mortared us. It was then that we had some casualties. Tom Chalkley our Corporal and Section Commander, Ted Peppiat a Rifleman and Jack Smith our Bren Gunner. There were others wounded, but not in our section.

I did not see Tom or Ted, but Jack was about twelve metres away. I called to him “Are you alright Jack”. But I could not make out what he was saying. I crawled to his side. He was wearing a leather jerkin. There was something wrong, but I did not know what. While there, another Corporal came. He said, “Grab hold of his shoulder”. He grabbed the other one and we ran, half dragging, half carrying Jack across about 20 metres of open ground until we could leave him to be picked up by the stretcher bearer. I went back, collected the Bren Gun and returned to my position. While there my Platoon Commander, Lieutenant Michael Howe Hewlett came and whilst talking to me was shot dead by a sniper. It was a bad day for us.

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Taxi Charity Supporting Veterans Through Pandemic

Harry Rawlins wearing the Croix de Guerre 1940 with Palm


A MAN IN BLACK

It’s the 1730’s and notorious highwayman, Dick Turpin sits astride his horse, Black Bess, terrorising

travellers on various thoroughfares in and around London, armed with musket, sword and face mask so as to safely avoid identification.

Fast forward nearly three hundred years and I’m sitting in the partially-collapsed driving seat of my taxi (collapsed due to my incomprehensible weight gain from the three crates of San Miguel and umpteen bags of Doritos that I consumed whilst on lockdown in Spain last month), navigating the streets of London in a bid to attempt to find work.

Due to the Covid-19 crisis and the fact that I have no medical standard face covering, due to the current shortages, I have made a rudimentary mask with the aid of a bandana, some duct tape and two rubber bands.

The first thing that enters my head is, ‘How the hell did Dick Turpin manage to keep his mask up?’ The ribald rapscallion must have had a nose like a fishing-hook to keep the ruddy thing on his face. Me? I’ve got a nose like smashed peanut-brittle, I can’t even keep a pair of sunglasses on without them sliding down my face like ice-cream dripping down a child’s chin. Despite my best efforts, I’ve found the aforementioned face covering is about as much use as a chocolate teapot.

Armed with anti-bacterial wipes so as to give a good clean-up of anything that a passenger may touch or do in the rear compartment of my cab, I make my way through the streets. I’ve noticed that with all the handwashing and use of alcohol gel, I’ve developed the softest hands... like a navvy wearing velvet gloves - lovely.

I must acknowledge that we are living in strange times. Conventional wisdom dictating that all but essential workers remain indoors for the safety of all,

though I also recognise that there is a need for the taxi industry to maintain a level of service to allow essential, critical workers and keyworkers to function. This is primarily the reason why I have continued working (ahh, the golden age of altruism). I am also fully aware of my wife’s ability to be able to launch a surgical strike with the aid of a saucepan from over 100 feet should I get under her feet. Cowardice takes many forms and discretion truly is, the better part of valour.

Now I initially thought that taxi drivers fall into one of the three categories which I mentioned above - how wrong I was. According to the current directives, although taxi drivers can continue working, we are not considered critical, essential or keyworkers.

Upon reading the governmental and TfL directives, I discovered that critical worker status can be assumed if a journey involves moving a vulnerable person or undertaking home to school transportation. This categorisation can be expanded upon if app providers and radio circuits hold keyworker accounts and a driver is working those accounts - the NHS account is a prime example.

Recently the NHS, in conjunction with Gett, announced that they will be employing a number of taxi drivers to ferry people who may be suffering from Covid 19 from home to assessment centre and back again.

When I heard about this, I began to wonder what steps would be taken to

protect cabbies who wish to undertake this kind of work. I know Sir Charles Walker MP recently compared the taxi trade to being like the Spitfire Pilots of 1940, itching to get involved and help - but nobody wants to fly a kamikaze mission.

Dispelling my initial thoughts of seeing taxi drivers donning 17th century quack masks and wearing dirty brown smocks like some anachronistic plague doctor, I decided to do a little research. I felt much more at ease after reading about some of the protections which would be afforded to those drivers undertaking this line of work.

Out goes the notion of the ‘A-Team’ sealing up the rear compartment of the cab with the aid of a four inch piece of steel, a welding torch and Mr. T growling, “I pity the fool” and in comes an additional covering of the privacy screen which will be provided by the NHS as well as a wipeable material to cover any fabric in the cab. Masks, alcohol gel and a professional clean of the passenger compartment between each journey by a specialist company provided by the NHS will also be part of the package.

It is heartening to see driver safety being made paramount, especially with the industry having sadly lost a number of cabbies to Covid-19.

The vociferous debates taking place on social media as to whether taxi drivers should be out working in the first place, makes for interesting reading. Being the

eternal voyeur that I am (no sniggering at the back there), it looks as though there is a real split in driver opinion - and that is a good thing, because one size definitely doesn’t fit all. One man’s food is another’s poison, with some, safety overrides finance or altruism and vice versa. I can’t say who is right or wrong in this situation, what I can say, is that if the taxi industry has no presence on the streets then those critical workers who do need to travel will use private hire, which is manifestly unsafe because of the social distancing and driver separation issues. This in fact could contribute to spreading the virus and therefore in my mind, there’s clearly a need for the ‘Licensed London Taxi.’ And whilst in these times it’s just about impossible to eradicate all risk when travelling – our ‘purpose designed’ vehicles, have to be a damn site safer than those which are not.

The one thing that every taxi driver seems to agree on, is that we must be safe, whether we are out working or whether we are at home. In my case, that means either finding a way to keep the bandana on my face at work and my partition carefully blocked off or wearing a bucket on my head and learning to dodge the wife’s killer aim.

As for Dick Turpin, his safety precautions didn’t work in the end, he was hanged 7 April 1739 – hopefully mine will ‘fare’ a little better. u

Steve Kenton is a Licensed Taxi driver of 30 years

‘How the hell did Dick Turpin manage to keep his mask up...?’

ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALLSTEVE KENTON


Boycott corporations who dodge tax - this tax could’ve been used to support the NHS

HEROES, VILLAINS & SELF-REFLECTIONCHRIS ACKRILL

ON THE ROAD

As the virus continues, there’s untold pressure and uncertainty for every working person in

this country - and around the world. Well before the lockdown came, work in the cab trade had dried up. London emptied out. Cab drivers were going back to their old jobs or looking for new ones. Garages were having their rental cabs returned. People were even renting parking space to garages so they could store their returned cabs!

There will be a new order on the roads when normality returns; a new dynamic between taxis, minicabs, and our customer base. Even before the crisis there wasn’t enough work for around 22,000 taxi drivers and over 90,000 minicabs. TfL had saturated London with minicabs, with no assessment whether they were needed or not. With a lax licensing policy in place, they were happy to sell licences to anyone who wanted one. I suspect many of

those licence holders have permanently stopped driving minicabs. A higher proportion of taxi than private hire drivers will see the crisis through, as taxi drivers have invested so much in their trade. All taxi drivers have spent years on painstaking Knowledge study and exams, while around 70% of their Knowledge colleagues fell by the wayside. They can show genuine and sustained commitment to the cause.

First the pubs and restaurants were closed. Next came the lockdown. By the end of March, you needed a good reason to be on the streets. Some authorities set up checkpoints. It’s rather un-British to have to stop at checkpoints to show the Polizia your papers - though in reality it’s probably no worse than being stopped by TfL spooks at St Pancras.

When the crisis ends, some of us would have survived the financial ramifications, some of us wouldn’t. Most of us have taken a financial battering. The country will be poorer. The NHS are at breaking point. In times like these it’s time to look at who

are doing their bit, and who should be doing more. We should boycott the corporations who avoid paying tax. This tax could have been used to support the NHS. I used to buy quite a bit from Amazon (Uber in a warehouse) but I am looking at alternatives. By patronising companies like Amazon, I am part of the problem, not part of the solution. I always try to support local businesses rather than multi-national corporations, but like most of us, I can be lazy and unthinking. I am painfully aware that my shopping habits over the years have contributed in driving the butchers, greengrocers and fishmongers off the high street and into the supermarkets or on-line retailers. The few independent businesses left - need our support. We need to think about the bigger picture.

I’m presently buying my beer in bottles from Morrison’s, but I’m dreaming of having a pint of proper draught ale in the Black Lion once the war is over. I’m also brewing my own beer. While waiting for a delivery of equipment and ingredients for my micro-brewery I heard that the real Leighton Buzzard Brewery – based on an industrial estate near my home - had commenced a take-away and delivery service. The Black Lion were delivering too. Four pints of draught bitter for ten quid - Yowser! Some of us will continue to order direct from the pub or brewery. There could be a slight move away from the out of town supermarket and a boost for the High Street.

The way people think will hopefully be changed. We’ll see that the real heroes aren’t TV celebrities occupying people with their antics and gossip – they’re not the people of this nation queuing for a virus test in a car park. The real heroes are doing the ‘essential

work’ for all too often low pay, little job security and long hours.

One question I pondered early on in the crisis concerned Uber drivers: ‘If they are employees (subject to appeal), can they claim benefits?’ What about all the other minicab drivers? We heard that support was coming for the self-employed. This was welcome news. If we could show three years of accounts, we could claim 80% of our profits. This might not be so good if you’d joined the trade recently and couldn’t show accounts. It’s usually the newest entrants who are in most need as they won’t have built up any equity in a cab, if they’ve bought one. Others would still be paying off debts incurred while studying the Knowledge. I assume most minicab drivers have their tax affairs up to date, yes?

The British work best when their backs are up against the wall. We get by with a sense of humour. I’m sure most of us have been sent darkly humorous jokes, or videos of people singing silly songs about the virus... People are pulling together. Many people feel more interrelated – despite being locked down and social interactions and communications being via the TV, radio, phone or digital device. We’re all in the same boat.

I feel as drivers, we’ve been ‘kept in the loop’ by organisations that support us. (I received prompt communications from the LTDA and Martin Cordell’s office, straight after the announcement on self-employed income support.) The strong support network evidently still remains. I think the trade will bounce back. The game’s not dead - it’s just hibernating. u

Chris Ackrill is a taxi driver and former Knowledge examiner

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MONEY MATTERS

While the coronavirus crisis is causing financial hardship for many, it’s also the ideal time to spring clean your finances.

Locking down your cash is one of the many admin tasks you can do to fill extra time spent at home – and you’ll be thankful you invested the time long after Covid-19 is over and life returns to normal.

Manage your mortgageUK Finance, which oversees banks and mortgage lenders, has announced that both homeowners and buy-to-let landlords can take a three-month mortgage payment holiday to help them stay financially afloat during the pandemic. If you want to take a break from paying your mortgage, you’ll need to contact your lender.

However, it’s important to understand the consequences of a mortgage payment holiday before going ahead. It’s not free cash – it’s breathing space. Once the three months is up, the amount you haven’t paid will be added to your total mortgage and you’ll pay it back over the remainder of the term. This means your payments will go up slightly. Moneysupermarket.com has a useful mortgage payment holiday calculator which shows the effect on your payments:

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Blitz your billsOne of the household bills you have the most control over is your energy bill. There are two ways you can reduce the amount you spend on gas and electricity: switch to a cheaper tariff and use less energy.

Switching tariffs or suppliers is a no-brainer – you can save hundreds of pounds if you’ve never switched before and your energy supply will be exactly the same. A price comparison site such as uSwitch, Go Compare or Compare the Market is the best place to start – once you’ve found a suitable tariff, the comparison site does the legwork for you in switching over.

There are many ways to use less energy but an obvious one is to turn the heating down a degree or two – or off completely now the warmer weather is here. Don’t leave devices on standby, turn off lights when you leave a room and use energy efficient appliances wherever possible.

If you have more bedrooms than people in your home (i.e. you live alone in a two-bedroom flat), you’re likely to save cash by having a water meter rather than paying standard water rates. Having a meter installed means you are billed for what you use rather than paying a flat rate based on the size of your home.

If you’re unable to have a meter fitted (this may be the

case if you live in a block of flats), you can ask your water company for an ‘assessed charge bill’. This is worked out on details such as how many people live in your home, rather than the size of your home.

Shutdown your subscriptionsGo through all your direct debits and standing orders

and cancel any you don’t use or don’t need. These might include multiple TV or music streaming services, magazine subscriptions, weight loss plans and the gym. (Many leisure facilities are allowing you to pause membership if you don’t wish to cancel)

If you pay for Sky Sports, Sky and Virgin Media are both letting customers pause their subscriptions while live sport is suspended. If you rarely watch these and other premium channels it might be worth cancelling them if you’re not tied into a contract.

Get any help you’re entitled toGovernment has announced a support scheme for self-employed workers whose income has been reduced due to coronavirus. This scheme will allow you to claim a taxable grant worth 80% of your trading profits up to a maximum of £2,500 per month, initially for three months.

HMRC will contact you if you are eligible for the scheme and invite you to apply online. At the time of writing, this process had not yet begun.u

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INTERVIEW

Q. What got you in to boxing? How old were you? Why did you start?A. I first got into boxing when I was around 12. I’d always had an interest in boxing after my dad bought me a Muhammad Ali DVD that I’ve watched countless times. I went down to Northolt boxing club for about two months and then didn’t go back after the Christmas break for whatever reason.

Q. Where was your first club? A. When I was 14, I heard that Ruislip boxing club were going to be using the sports hall at RAF Northolt to train. The houses behind my dad’s house is opposite the base, only a short walk to and from training - so I thought I would give it a go again and never looked back.

Q. How many clubs and trainers have you had?A. I trained under Derek and Terry Hobbs at Ruislip boxing club from the age of 14 until around 17. While at Ruislip, I won the North West London ABA championship. I then went into the novice Championships just after I turned 17 and got to the London final. When I was there it was the first time that I was able to see some of the best boxers in London and it really opened my eyes that I lacked high quality sparring. Deciding I needed to be around and train with top boxers to improve myself, I joined Dale Youth training at Grenfell Tower. I then had an 18-month spell at West Ham, travelling to Plaistow 3 times a week from Ruislip. West Ham had numerous national champions at all levels, so I was always sparring some of the best boys in the country and working with some great coaches in Micky May and Mick Driscoll. I then returned to Dale Youth and Micky Delaney, a legend in the London boxing scene, and had my final fight as an amateur before turning pro. I signed as a pro in November 2015 with Steve Goodwin at Goodwin Boxing.

Q. How do you cope now with the identity of being a boxer? A. I wouldn’t call it coping because I’ve been doing it for so long that it is me now. Everyone knows that I’m a boxer - it’s just who I am really.

Q. As a younger man growing up did you find that there was pressure from mates to behave in a certain way? Was there ever a sense of social expectancy or pressure, especially in male culture - nights out etc?

A. All my friends know the restrictions of being a boxer. So they don’t ever pressure me into coming on nights out and drinking. To be completely honest they are pretty supportive and actually help keep me on track. I’m just used to the way of life as a boxer. Staying in on a weekend and if I do pop out to the pub to see my mates, I just have a couple of waters and leave. I’ve been doing it for so long they know the deal and want me to do well. We have a good drink after my fights to celebrate though!

Q. What do you remember most vividly about your first professional fight?A. Just trying not to put a foot wrong. I remember thinking “right, it’s your first pro fight. Don’t do anything mad to try and look amazing - just don’t do anything wrong”. It went really well, I didn’t try anything crazy, picked my shots well and put him down in the 2nd before stepping on the gas and finishing him in the 4th.

Q. What do your family think about you boxing and do they help out with/ support your career?A. At first my mum didn’t want me boxing and kept telling me about Michael Watson. My dad was quite reluctant too, saying that I might not be able to take part because I had asthma. I was always a very sporty kid and they let me try it anyway. I couldn’t even warm up for a round without having to use my asthma pump at first but as I got fitter my asthma has all but disappeared now and very rarely use the pump. My family are hugely supportive and help out. My mum, Kate, is very organised and at the beginning of my career said that she would take on the task of ticket sales. 12 fights in now and she’s got her little system worked out. Steve and Kevin at Goodwin Promotions always enjoy it when I return the ticket money knowing it’s all spot on and accounted for!

Q. Who’s your favourite fighter and why?A. This is a question that always changes! It’s hard to say just one. There are certain boxers I love studying and try to recreate things they do. Then there’s other boxers who I just love watching. Modern day, I love watching Lomachenko, Errol Spence and Canelo Alvarez. Other fighters that have retired but who I still watch on YouTube are: Oscar De La Hoya, Winky Wright and also a few Emmanuel Steward trained guys like, Gerald McClellan and Wladimir Klitschko. The one boxer who I would say is the one I ‘supported’ over the years is George Groves. When I first got into boxing I read about his win over Kenny Anderson and then went to see him knockout Paul Smith at Wembley Arena, shortly after which was the first time I’d been to a boxing match. I was lucky to train with George quite a bit and fought on two of his undercards at Wembley.

Q. What does your weekly training regime look like and how do you fit it around driving your cab?A. I normally leave the house around 6 and work until about 10 so I can start training for about 11:30. Luckily my gym is only by Baker Street tube station and I can park my cab on the rank there. I normally finish training and work another couple of hours from 2:30 until around 5 and then I’m back in the gym until 6:30. That’s my routine 5 days a week.

Q. Are you on a strict diet – how does that work when driving – what are your go to places to grab food out when driving?A. A company called The Dietarian prepare all my meals when I’m in training, so I never have to worry about grabbing food. Every day I just eat whatever they give to me, and I know I’ve got all the nutrition I need to get me through a day of training and to lose weight at the same time. When I’m not training, I usually just quickly stop and grab something like

a burrito from Chipotle or get a sandwich from the green taxi huts around the city.

Q. Since your last title defence – how is the coronavirus impacting on your training and diet?A. Well, I went into full training camp straight after Christmas, fought at the beginning of March and then went into lockdown the following week! I’ve been making the most of being able to do nothing but it’s getting a bit boring now! I’ve made sure I’ve been getting out the house and going for walks and runs. I’m going to step it up a bit now and start shadow boxing a good few rounds too and setting up a circuit to go through. Like everyone, it’s pretty limited to what I can do.

Q. What specific area of training causes you the most dread / pain? Do you wake up some days and think “oh no it’s a cardio/core/weights session today!”A. Tuesdays and Fridays! When I first joined Gary, his assistant, Harold Tackie, introduced me to the air bike to do my sprint work on. Anybody that has trained on one of these things will tell you how awful it is! I’ve never known pain from exercise like it! The first time I used it, I felt like there was fire rushing through my legs and was stuck on the floor for a good half hour afterwards.

Q. Who’s the most difficult opponent you’ve fought to date and why?A. Definitely William Warburton. I thought that he would just be ultra-tough because of his reputation of not getting stopped but he was actually rather hard to catch. One of Britain’s best journeymen. Very honoured to have shared a ring with him. I hope he enjoys his retirement, very well earned!

Q. Who researches your opponents? Do you prepare differently depending on the opponent’s skills or weaknesses?

Taxi Editor catches up with Pro- Boxer Dean Richardson during lockdown

Q&A WITH ‘DEANO’ OUR BOXING CABBIETAXI EXCLUSIVE


Can you give an example?A. Me and Gary look at our opponents and come up with a rough game plan. Gary likes it when we come in after studying an opponent and come up with our own ideas and then we will have a pads session, going through what we discussed. I always study an opponent looking at three things: their strengths, weaknesses and habits. I never try and predict everything someone will do in a fight because you have to be able to adapt and will get thrown off if you expect one thing and they come with another, so I find concentrating on them three aspects works well.

Q. Who decides on your game plan for the fight – how difficult is it to stick to that plan during the bout?A. Gary ultimately decides the game plan. He’s more of a trainer that gets you boxing the way he wants you to box and concentrate on improving yourself, rather than concentrating on an opponent. He says he looks at his fighters and thinks how a rival coach will try and beat you, and then improve the weaknesses he sees. Obviously, we look at opponents and make specific strategies for each one, but the main goal is improving as boxers ourselves. In my last fight I strayed from the game plan after catching and hurting him with a counter shot and just tried to sit in front on him all night and do the same again.

Q. What are your best strengths as a fighter?A. I’d say my height and reach, power and my improving ability of being able to read and work out an opponent which I’ve picked up from being with Gary.

Q. How far do you want to go in the game? A. All the way.

Q. Do you think you’ll ever consider moving up or down a weight category? What’s next for you – how many times do you have to defend your title before getting a shot at the next belt? Would that be a national title, or another area based one?

A. I’ve definitely got the height and build to go up to middleweight and possibly super-middleweight after that, but I make super-welterweight easily enough for the time being. Once this virus situation has blown over, I don’t have a clue where things will be. I’m hoping to get a crack at the English title. I’m not sure if I’m in line for it or have to defend the southern area belt again or what, but that’s what I’m hoping for – a shot at the English.

Q. Who sponsors you? Do you get any perks? Y’know, free stuff or discounted stuff? A. Yes, I have AJ Contracts, who were my first sponsor and have been with me since the start of my professional career. Legion Meats, Better, Fairweather Insurance and LGM Construction also kindly sponsor me. They’ve given me money to help with the expenses of boxing and buy tickets to my fights. Everyone says it, but sponsors really do help out boxers. With having to take the time off work to train and sell tickets, plus having to pay for things such as medicals, ringwear etc, it can be difficult, so sponsors help bridge that gap.

Q. Who would be your ideal sponsor?A. Cadbury’s. To make up for all the

chocolate I can’t have during training!

Q. What’s the best thing about being a Cabbie?A. Definitely the flexible hours. If Gary says I have to be a certain place at a certain time I know I don’t have to worry about asking a boss if I can change working hours to make it.

Q. Do you have particular boxing related London knowledge that you share with passengers when asked to take them to particular locations you associate with boxing?A. Not anything I particularly share but I do find myself always staring at famous locations when stuck at nearby traffic lights. The Ring pub opposite Southwark station and the Thomas a Becket on the Old Kent Road are two favourites. Doing the knowledge also helps you pinpoint places that you’ve heard of over the years. The first time I was in Goslett Yard, I realised this is where Freddie Mills was found in his car. It does make London more interesting…

Q. Ever had an opponent or a famous fighter get in your cab?A. Not yet, but many cabbies have had Eubank Sr. My dad has had Barry Hearn and Mickey Duff in his cab.

Q. How long did it take you to do the knowledge?A. 3 years and 2 months from the day I went from Manor House station to Gibson Square until the day I got my badge.

Q. Can you describe how it felt going through the process – do you remember the day you got your badge? Were you nervous and how did it compare to pre-fight nerves?A. The nerves of sitting and waiting - wondering which examiner would call you into the interview room - eclipses the nerves of boxing. I don’t know what it is, the feeling that you might not know enough or that you might make an idiot of yourself, it just gets to you. The day I got my badge is second only to the day of winning the southern area title.

Q. What’s your following like of cabbies attending fights?A. I get quite a few cabbies down to my fights. With my dad being a cabbie as well, a lot of his friends come along. I’ve been in some of the trade papers and social media pages too, so I’ve had a few people that I don’t know get in touch with me who want to buy tickets because they want to support a fellow cabbie.

Q. Would you consider giving LTDA members a discount on fight tickets?A. Yeah that could be a good selling point! 10% off tickets for cabbies?!

Q. If you had to say one thing about Cabbies what would it be?A. They have a reputation of moaning and groaning but they’re proper people. London can rely on them when they’re needed.

Q. If you had to write an inspirational message to cabbies facing hardship in the current climate – what would it say?A. Nothing that they don’t know already. Black cabs have been an essential part of London for hundreds of years. They’re not going anywhere.

Q. What’s been the funniest situation you’ve encountered whilst driving your Cab?A. There’s been a few! The majority involving Prius drivers!

Q. What model of Cab do you drive at the moment? Are you considering going electric and if you are already electric what are the best/worst things about that?A. I drive a tx4. I’m definitely considering going electric because that’s the way things are heading. I’ll probably leave it a while until I get one so that they’ve been on the road a few years and any teething problems they have at the minute get resolved. u


TAXI TALK

It will be very difficult to convince my sceptical readers – or maybe ‘reader’ in the singular, that traumatic events some 25

million years ago had any link with Heathrow’s International Airport that opened in 1946. But there is a link and a very important one. When south east England became submerged under the sea after the ‘Ice Age’, a flat layer of gravel was deposited around 14 miles west of what is now Trafalgar Square. When the water subsided, it was this flatness and the excellent drainage characteristics of the gravel that eventually made it the perfect site for an airport!

In Roman times, Hounslow Heath was a deep forest through which a Roman Road ran from London to what is now Staines and on to the West Country. Then in the 13th Century, King Henry 3rd cleared the deep forest for the purpose of hunting, and on this heath over the years a hamlet developed known variously throughout the centuries as, Hetherewe; Hetherow; Hedrowe and Heath Row.

By the 17th Century, the muddy and treacherous road across the open heathland – used continuously by stagecoaches travelling between London and the West Country, became the favourite haunt of highwaymen - and Dick Turpin was the ‘King’! Local legend has it, that he hid from the law behind a fireplace in ‘The Green Man Tavern’ at Hatton. Old Dick must have had a very fit nag because the local legend in my ‘manor’ Hampstead, was that he was very active on Hampstead Heath - hence the pub by his name in Spaniards Road!

During the 18th Century, Hounslow Heath became a popular dawn rendezvous for gentlemen duellists out to settle their differences with swords and pistols. Later it was utilised by the Army for drill, exercises and parades.

Heathrow’s eventual place in aviation history can be traced back to The First World War when the Army used nearby Hounslow Heath as a training aerodrome for The Royal Flying Corps. In response to a possible threat of bombs from Zeppelin Airships, a crescent of aerodromes was built around the south of London, with Hounslow Heath becoming the headquarters. It remained a military airfield until 1919 when it became the first ‘Customs’ Airport for London. However, by the 1920’s, Hounslow Heath had lost this early lead in civil aviation to Croydon Aerodrome. The old adage about ‘nothing is cast in stone’ became very true, because by the time WW2 was well into its third year, the hunt was on for a military aerodrome suitable for long-term expansion. It had also to be capable of handling Tiger Force, the new longer-range bombers, and the massive military transport aircraft that were needed to re-supply our troops fighting in Burma and Malaya. So once again the pecking order changed! Pressure was also mounting

on the government to find a suitable site for London’s new civil airport after the war but they needed to tread very carefully over this issue, because they would have been crucified if it was discovered that they were searching for a civilian airport at the height of the war!

Croydon Airport fell at the first hurdle as it was considered not suitable for future expansion because it was built on a hill and surrounded by urban sprawl. Hounslow Heath and ‘The Great West Aerodrome’, a 150-acre site in the area of Heathrow Village which had been purchased in 1927 by Fairey Aviation, became the clear favourite. One of the main reasons why this area eventually got the vote as the site for the new London Airport was simple. It could be achieved with the minimum amount of fuss and disturbance to householders, because at that time Heathrow was surrounded on all sides by market gardens.

By the end of 1943, and after much discussion, a Cabinet Committee finally decided that London’s new post-Second World War Airport should be Heathrow. A spokesman for the Committee said, ‘The site is only 12 miles from London and the land is remarkably level and the gravel sub-soil has excellent bearing and drainage qualities!’ To meet the need for a major air terminal to serve London some fifty-two sites were surveyed. No better site for the purpose could be found than Heathrow!

So, after using ‘The Defence of the Realm Act’, which was not an entirely legal ploy, the government got the land they wanted with a Compulsory Purchase Order. The Air Ministry acquired 2,800 acres, excluding the original Hounslow Heath Customs and Military

ALF TOWNSEND

Many Happy Returns, ‘Alf The Pipe’ – from all of us at Taxi

THE HISTORY OF HEATHROW

Airfield. However, the purchase order did include the hamlet Heath Row and The Great West Aerodrome. Fairey Aviation moved to the nearby Heston Aerodrome.

Even when work started on building the runways in 1943, the government still kept to their ‘porkie’ about Tiger Force and the massive transport aircraft using Heathrow. There WAS a runway built to accommodate The RAF – totally useless I hasten to add, which was subsequently and conveniently abandoned. But there was never a single RAF plane ever to land at Heathrow!

So, after the runways were completed - at the expense of any built terminals – there were just tents, come early 1946 and Heathrow Airport was finally opened. The very first flight to take off was an Avro-Lancastrian aircraft, (a converted Lancaster Bomber) called ‘Star Light’ and heading for Buenos Aires on a long-distance proving flight. It finally reached Buenos Aires after stopping twice to re-fuel and facing strong headwinds and tropical storms - it took a staggering 35 hours after leaving Heathrow!

So, all that was needed now was the construction of five massively expensive terminals!!

‘END PIECE’ (I hope not!)I’ve had yet another birthday. The lovely Gilli, my teacher in French at ‘U3A’ (University of the Third Age), now on lockdown, always tells us to use French as much as we can to familiarise ourselves with the language. So, I was quatre-vingt-cinq on 11th April. That’s 85 to you and me, not bad eh? u

“They would have been crucified if it was discovered that they were searching for a civilian airport at the height of the war! ”


DOWN:1 Billy Goats ___, children’s fable (5)2 High singing voice (7)3 Harmless prank (4)4 Make tidy (6)6 Distribute in portions (5)7 Piece of land surrounded by foreign territory (7)8 Mounted soldier (7)13 Imprison (3,4)14 Changing room (7)16 Commissioned soldier (7)17 Piece of sculpture (6)19 Funeral song (5)21 Silvery freshwater fish of the carp family (5)22 Land unit equal to 4840 sq yds (4)

ACROSS:1 American vehicle fuel (8)5 Piece of window glass (4)9 Part of a shoe (5)10 Artificial fibre similar to wool (7)11 Open pastry filled with fruit (4)12 Earl Grey with a slice of citrus (5,3)14 Early-blooming flower (6)15 Lower or reduce in rank (6)18 Unseemliness, or kitsch (3,5)20 A great distance (4)23 Dried black grape (7)24 Night-time beverage (5)25 Black ___ Peas, US hip-hop band (4)26 Academic investigation (8)

PUZZLER

CROSSWORD

CROSSWORD #466

SUDOKUHave a go at this medium level Sudoku puzzle. Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1-9 just once

34 8

2 6 3 45 6

5 6 84 2

5 4 1 89 1 7 6

8 9 3

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8

9 10

11 12

13

14 15 16

17

18 19 20 21

22

23 24

25 26

CAR PARTS Airbag; Alarm; Battery; Bonnet; Boot; Brakes ; Dipstick; Door; Fender; Footwell; Gears; Glovebox; Indicator; Pedal; Satnav; Seat; Sunroof; Wheel; Windscreen; Wing Mirror

WORDSEARCHCan you find the listed words in the grid? Words may run either forwards or backwards, in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal direction, but always in a straight line.

H D U B R A K E S F Y X N

H I U S E A T M P E C H E

M P R O R R I M G N I W E

R S U T O O B I G D S Y R

A T V C Y L S L M E I R C

L I N A L R O U P R O S S

A C R A N V E I N T E G D

L K D B E T H T A R E U N

L E A B A N A C T A O S I

P E O E D G I S R A C O W

T X E O I D A S E L B G F

N M O H N S K T E N N O B

T R I I W F O O T W E L L

Copyright Puzzler Media Ltd - www.puzzler.comALL ANSWERS TO PUZZLER ON P29


LICENSED TO CHAT

I hope you and yours are all staying well and keeping the faith that this health disaster will be over soon. I’ve been thinking about life, love and

the universe, and what I miss most about the old normal. Family, especially my scrummy grand-daughters, friends and my fellow cabbies are top of the list. Closely followed by the delish, Portuguese-style custard tarts baked fresh daily by my local deli – they are now in pastry lockdown.

On today’s exercise walk, I remembered my wedding anniversary is coming up soon. For our honeymoon we travelled to Dorset for a couple of nights on an ‘every expense spared’ trip. We got there on 2 wheels, using my new husband’s prized Honda CB 500 Twin in chocolate brown.

Sadly, Mr Meg couldn’t marry that motorbike (which he loved more than anything in the world), so he settled for me instead. I had done short hops around London and enjoyed it well enough but

had never ridden pillion for a long journey. London to Lyme Regis took three hours; it was windy, and wet and I clung on at the back for dear life using my arms and legs.

We arrived at the bed and breakfast around 8pm and shown to the room. Our ‘honeymoon suite’ had 2 single beds. It’s hard to believe these days but I had lived at home sharing a bedroom with my sister until the morning, so two singles were not at all what we wanted.

I told Mr Meg to go down to reception, explain that we were on honeymoon and required a double bed. Mr Meg’s faced turned a deep pillar box red at the very thought, but when I told him that a happy wife meant a happy life, starting right that minute, he reluctantly

went off to do the deed.He was gone for quite a while. I was

starting to wonder if he’d be back before our first anniversary. When he did return, I wasn’t sure it was him because he was

carrying a stack of towels so

tall that I couldn’t see his face. He put the towels down on one of the

single beds.“What the

????” I asked him.

“I couldn’t ask for a double bed - it would be

too, too embarrassing. I said we wanted more towels”.

As we now had enough towels to paper the walls and canopy the ceiling, I wondered what our host thought we might be doing up there with them all on our

honeymoon night. They’d be top of the to-do list for a boil wash the next day, for sure, I thought.

There was more drama the next morning because I could not get out of bed. My legs wouldn’t work. Mr Meg nodded sagely and diagnosed me with ‘pillion grip’. He said I had clung onto the bike so tightly from London to Lyme Regis that I must have pulled all my leg muscles.

“I can’t close my legs!” I wailed. “Ah yes, that will be a strain in your adductor longus” he soothed. To translate, my inside thigh muscles were rigid and burning with pain.

Happily, my appetite was not affected so my new husband half carried, half dragged me down the stairs into the dining room for breakfast. He lowered me into a chair where I sat, wincing in pain, legs akimbo.

Our waitress came over and said in a loud voice to the room “Ah! Congratulations to our newly-weds!” Her voice trailed as she noticed the position I was sat in, but the room still clapped heartily.

Readers, I married him, but got the train home alone. u

Mr. Meg was sadly not allowed to marry his Honda CB500 Twin in Chocolate brown…

ABOUT MY ADDUCTOR LONGUS MUSHER MEG

MASSETT'S

CAMERA HOTSPOTS

EXMOUTH MARKET Red zoneBERKLEY STREET J/W PICCADILLY Yellow box camerasJOHN ISLIP STREET No right turn into Ponsonby TerraceFULHAM BROADWAY/BARCLAY ROAD Yellow boxCAMDEN 20mph limitSELFRIDGES Over rankingLUDGATE HILL Zig-ZagsISLINGTON 20mph limitRED ROUTES TfL is actively enforcing yellow box restrictionsTOWER BRIDGE 20 mph speed limit – average speed camerasLIMEHOUSE LINK 30mph speed limitSMITHFIELD Do not park in loading boxes, they are enforced by cameraA13 Average speed cameras in operationTHE CITY 20mph limitKILLICK STREET Pedestrian zoneWESTMINSTER PARK PLAZA No right turn into Addington StreetVERNON PLACE No left turn into Southampton Row

u HOTSPOT 1 Devonshire Place Mews — no right turn

u HOTSPOT 2 Binfield Road —24hr pedestrian zone


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Will more Londoners, post Corona, choose black cabs as the safer option?

MARCH REPORTS 148 TXE’S & 5 DYNAMO’S THE CAB YOU DRIVE

WORD ON THE STREET

Iwas stunned to see the March sales figures, 148 new TXE’s and 5 new Dynamo’s, joined the ranks - during

the middle of a pandemic! Obviously, most would have been ordered long before this crisis was even thought of, and we don’t know how many are still sitting in the dealers awaiting their new owners, but still a surprising number.

Across the entire motor industry, the lockdown has totally killed any planned sales with dealerships getting more and more cancellations as ‘would be buyers’ decide to hang onto any money they have, not just right now but going forward too. The only exception being for electric vehicles, where sales have risen three-fold in a car market that was down 44% in March.

Interestingly, at the same time as the increase in sales, waiting times for the newest and most desirable electric cars fell and now match that of conventional petrol and diesel models, at around 12

weeks. With some, such as the Tesla Model 3, the new Renault Zoe, and Peugeot e-208, being able to be bought and delivered within just a week.

What we don’t know, is how quickly

we will come out of this lockdown - and even then, how soon we can get back to a sense of normality. Will post corona and virus sensitive Londoners shun the tube, buses and PH vehicles

for the self-confinement and cleanliness of a black cab? Until we have some idea, I can’t even begin to make predictions on what your cab will be worth, sorry! u

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Lee, SE12u Astral Café, Regency Place, SW1u Bubbles Car Wash, E2u C & S Taxis, Dunbridge Street, E2u Cabsurance, Seven Kingsu Camberfield Taxi Servicesu Computer Cab, Mitre Way, W12u Coney Allen, Dunbridge Street, E1u CP Beehive Service Station,

Beehive Lane, Gants Hillu Cricklewood Carriers, Cricklewoodu Dial A Cab, City Road, N1u Edgware Station Ranku Euston Station Ranku G & L Taxis, Crayford Road, N7u Globe Transmissions,

Cudworth Street, E1u The Ham, Brentfordu Heathrow Airport Canteenu Hexagon Garage, Lukin Street, E1u Jet Garage, Clipstone Street, W1u Knowledge Centre, Caledonian Roadu KPM, Hemming Street, E1u London City Airport Canteenu LP Motors, Dunbridge Street, E2u Martin Cordell, E3 and Stanmoreu Paddington Station Ranku Putney Bridge Taxis, The Arches,

Putney Bridge Station, SW6u Richmond Road Taxi Centre, E8u Safewise Supermarket, Harrowu South Bank Service Station,

Great Suffolk Street, SE1u TAXI HOUSE, W9u Taxi & Private Hire, Blackfriars Rd, SE1u Temple Place Shelteru Turbo Accessories, Three Colts Lane, E2u Ubiquitous Ltd, E1u Waterloo Stationu Wimbledon Station Ranku WizAnn Knowledge School,

Watts Grove, E3

A selection of our numerous Distribution PointsLTDA

Published by LTDATaxi House 11 Woodfield Road,London W9 2BAT: 020 7286 1046 | www.ltda.co.uk

@TheLTDA

Managing EditorNick Hartop E: [email protected]

Produced byCentury One Publishing LtdAlban Row,27-31 Verulam RoadSt Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 4DG.T: 01727 893 894, F: 01727 893 895E: [email protected]

Advertising Sales ExecutiveJack Green T: 01727 739 196E: [email protected]

Designer & Advert CoordinatorCaitlyn Hobbs

Creative DirectorPeter Davies

Printed byManson Group, St Albans

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 necessar-ily 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 ap-pear 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.

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB2020

MAR

LEVC 65 53 192 139 188 156 181 121 231 211 243 136 132 117 148

DYNAMO 1 6 7 4 5

LTI 1 2 1

50

0

100

150

200

250

PUZZLER ANSWERS

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T X E O I D A S E L B G F

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G A S O L I N E P A N ER O A E T L NU P P E R A C R Y L I CF R K T O O LF L A N L E M O N T E A

N P N P VC R O C U S D E M O T EU T S R FB A D T A S T E A F A RI I W A A I OC U R R A N T C O C O AL G Y U R E CE Y E D R E S E A R C H

ACROSS:1 Gasoline 5 Pane 9 Upper 10 Acrylic 11 Flan 12 Lemon tea 14 Crocus 15 Demote 18 Bad taste 20 Afar 23 Currant 24 Cocoa 25 Eyed 26 Research

DOWN: 1 Gruff 2 Soprano 3 Lark 4 Neaten 6 Allot 7 Enclave 8 Trooper 13 Put away 14 Cubicle 16 Officer 17 Statue 19 Dirge 21 Roach 22 Acre

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU WORDSEARCH

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