THETIME INSIDE HASCOME · THETIME HASCOME. 2Issue 242 - September 2016 Published by The London Cab...

Issue 242 September 2016More trade stories than all the others put together

INSIDE

NEWSPAGES 11

DIAL-A-CAB SELL OFFWARNING TO DRIVERS

NEWS

CRB CERTIFICATEPOSTAL COCK-UP

PAGE7

PAGE 21

FRANCES JUMPS FORVETERAN CHARITYSeepages

3,4&5

LCDC CALLS FORMAYOR TO LAUNCHPUBLIC INQUIRY INTO TfL & UBER

THETIMEHASCOMETHETIMEHASCOME

2 Issue 242 - September 2016

Published byThe London Cab Drivers’ Club Ltd.

Unit A 303.2,Tower Bridge Business ComplexTower Point, 100 Clements RoadSouthwark, London SE16 4DG

Telephone: 020 7232 0676

E-mail for membership enquiries:E-mail: [email protected]

Web: www.lcdc.cab

Editor: Grant Davis

The Badge is distributed free to theLicensed London Cab Trade.

For advertising enquiries please contact the office on020 7394 5553 or E-mail: [email protected]

All advertising in The Badge is accepted under ourterms and conditions. These are available

at the LCDC office.

Before entering into any commitment, financialor otherwise, always remember to seek

professional advice.

The views expressed in this publication are notnecessarity those of the Editor or of the

Management Committee of theLondon Cab Driver’s Club.

Contributions for publication are welcomedand should be sent to the Editor at the

above address.

The London Cab Drivers’ Club Ltd.

CREDIT CARD MANDATE:TRADE TREATED WITHCONTEMPT YET AGAINLast week I had a meeting withHelen Chapman and Peter Blaketo discuss trade matters and thefirst item we spoke about was thecredit card mandate.As everyone knows, the club’sposition has always been that whilstwe have always been in favour oftaking CC we have beenvehemently opposed to fixed units.Unfortunately TfL in its wisdomdecided to accept the view of theLTDA’s Steve McNamara that fixedunits was the only way this policycould be successfully implemented.After a heated exchange, HelenChapman told me that this was “setin stone” as it had been signed offby the TfL board: I told them boththat the least thing they could dowas to extend the mandate foranother month, to allow drivers thetime to look at the deals availableand make up their minds.Yet again the trade has beentreated with utter contempt, like wewere with the emission systems and

the receipt printers. The biggestirony of the lot is the majority of theCC technology we are being forcedto install in our taxis will be obsoletein most likely the next 18 months,but what do they care?

TFL / UBER EMAILSIn this issue we publish evenmore damming emails that showcollusion between TfL and UBER,also between UBER andWestminster City Council thatclearly illustrates that UBER havenot acted within the law.I think it is high time that therelationship between TfL & UBERshould be the subject of a PublicInquiry.

LCDC AGMWe are holding our AGM on the13th Sept at the Biscuit Factory.Helen Chapman will be there takingquestions and also London TaxiPRwill give a presentation to members.

Grant DavisChairman

Editorial:

L.C.D.CLEADERS

NOT FOLLOWERSJOIN TODAY:

0207 394 5553

Issue 242 - September 2016 3

www.lcdc.cab

Uber since their arrival intoLondon have operated fromfive separate addresses in thecapital - does this soundstrange to you?We have looked into all theiroffices and the planningarrangements they have madewith both TfL and localauthorities and below is thestory so far:

As part of the requirements fromTfL to gain a licence as a PHOperator you would need:A. Planning permissionB. A certificate of lawful useC. application for a certificate oflawful use which subsequentlyhas to be provided when granted.

1. King’s Cross:UBER applied for a certificate oflawful use on 31/5/12 to IslingtonCouncil. The submission states thatit was just a B1 office operating asa 9-7pm office. All that TfL hold is aletter from Islington Council sayinga decision will be made in thefuture.

2. Baker Street:Again, 83 Baker Street 7/11/12UBER submitted to WCC that theiroffice was working hours of just 9 -5pm. They then went on to statetheir working operation, whichshows that UBER do NOT act as anOperator and take the bookings: onthe right is a section of the letterUBER sent to the PlanningDepartment at Westminster CityCouncil.The statement above right provesthat UBER are not the Operatorand that the jobs go straight to thedriver, therefore every UBER driverhas been acting illegally.Also, they state the office isoperational from 9-5? Where is therequirement for them to be a 24Hroperation?

3. Old Marylebone Road:09/12/13 UBER applied to WCC forplanning permission, a week later

WCC wrote back to UBER andrequested further informationregarding their application. UBERchose not to respond.TfL then issued them an operatinglicence on the 23rd February.The Club made an FOI requestasking TfL what proof did UBERprovide to them?TfL answered that UBER had

provided them with a Certificate oflawful use.However, the Club havedocumentation from WestminsterCity Council that NO certificate wasever issued to UBER to operatefrom the premises.

4. Caledonian Road:27/06/14 UBER applied for

certificate of lawful use, they weregranted an Operator’s licence fromTfL on the 16/07/14Subsequently, UBER withdrew theirplanning application on the21/11/14.Therefore, this shows that TfL hadallowed UBER to operate from theaddress without showing“lawfulness”.

FURTHER PROOFWas Uber allowed to operate by TfL withno planning permission for premises?

“Whenever a client wants a driver, a request is sent through theapp to the nearest driver. It is important to note that we have nobearing on which driver gets which trip it is purely which driveris the closest to the client and has their app switched on”N“The office acts as a base. Within our working hours of 9-5”Letter from Uber to Westminster City Council, regarding 63 Baker Street

Leon Daniels approachesUber to help kids’ charity


TfL Commissioner invitedto meet Uber Chief Adviser

TfLandUbergetcosier

David Plouffe

Kids’Company’sCamillaBatmanghelidjh

ProtestoverUber sexattacks

Uber contact TfL overfast-tracking their drivers


Anthony Smith, Chief Executive, Transport Focus

Why did Leon choose justto contact Uber about

watchdog Transport Focus?

Uber explain theircomplaints procedure to TfL

But where’s thelandline that LeonDaniels told theGLA they had?

Graham RobinsonHead of LicensingLondon Taxi and Private Hire | Transport for LondonLicensing London Taxi and Private Hire230 Blackfriars Rd, Southwark,London, SE1 8PJ

16th August 2016

Dear Graham,Please find enclosed X3 CRB Enhanced Certificates, which were indivertibly sent to one of our members who brought them up to your office today toensure they will be returned safely to TfL.As you are well aware we have had a number of members unable to work whilst waiting for CRB checks to be cleared, some have had to wait for a longas four months. The mind boggles as to what is going on in relation to the issuing of theses certificates, incompetence does not even begin to describehow such sensitive documentation can be sent out incorrectly.The LCDC would like to put on record that we will be making representation to the highest authority within TfL to make ensure that there is a thoroughinvestigation into this issue. So that in future innocent working men and women will not be prevented from going to work because of other people’sinability to do their jobs properly.

Yours Sincerely

Grant Davis

Cc: Valerie ShawcrossCc: Helen ChapmanCc. Caroline Pidgeon


www.lcdc.cab

L.C.D.C LEADERSNOT FOLLOWERS

CRBCERTIFICATEPOSTCOCK-UP

Issue 232 September 2015More trade stories than all the others put together

INSIDE

NEWS

NEWS

THE LONDON TAXICAMPAIGN#STAYFAREMAYOR

PAGE 5

MAYOR BACKS APPTHAT PROMOTES UBERTO LONDONERS

PAGE 9

NOWIT’SUPTOYOU

Help trade to fundlegal challengeand save ourindustry - p 3

PAGES 6&7

INDEPENDENTMAYORAL CANDIDATEPAUL TAVARES

STOPPRESS

SEPTEMBER

Issue 236 February 2016More trade stories than all the others put together

INSIDE

NEWS

NEWS

PARIS LEADS THEWAY IN UBER FIGHT

PAGES 4 &5

CREDIT CARDCONTROVERSY

PAGE 14 &15

PAGE 11

MATT THE CAB:TRADE IN TURMOILAFTER PH REGSFIASCODEMOAT

DOWNINGSTREET

Wednesday,February10that2:30pm

Seepage 3

FEBRUARY

Issue 237 March 2016More trade stories than all the others put together

INSIDE

NEWS

NEWS

LCDC MEMBERDELIVERS - IN THEBACK OF HIS CAB!

PAGE 7

TFL DIRECTOR’S CARCRASH LBC INTERVIEW

PAGE15

PAGE 8WHATDOESITTAKE?

TARIFF ANDCREDIT CARDUPDATES

See pages3, 4 & 5

MARCH

Issue 233 October 2015More trade stories than all the others put together

INSIDE

NEWS

NEWS

#STAYFAREMAYORCAMPAIGN KICKS OFF

PAGES 14&15

CITY HALL CHAOS: DIDWE SHOOT OURSELVESIN THE FOOT?

PAGE 11

TURNINGTHESCREW

Government backs Uber over PH regs

PAGES 8&9

LIB DEM MAYORALCANDIDATE CAROLINEPIDGEON ON TRADE

See pages3,4 & 5

OCTOBER

Issue 234 November 2015More trade stories than all the others put together

INSIDE

NEWS

NEWS

WONDERLANDOR BLUNDERLAND?

PAGE 4

BORIS SLAMSGOVERNMENTOVER UBER

PAGE 23ACCUSED

PAGES 14&15

GLA GRILL TFL OVERPH REGULATIONS

Seepg 3

LCDCMAKEFORMALCOMPLAINTTOTfL

NOVEMBER DECEMBER/JANUARY

Issue 238 April 2016More trade stories than all the others put together

INSIDE

NEWS

PAGE 2

HEATHROW HORROR

NEWS

THE RACE FOR CITYHALL BEGINS

PAGES6 & 7

PAGE 9

STOPPRESS

Seepages3& 5 GETT BUY

RADIO TAXIS

WES TAKESUP THEFIGHT

APRIL MAY

Issue 240 June 2016More trade stories than all the others put together

INSIDE

NEWSPAGE 18

CHAIRMAN ATTENDSBRUSSELS CAB SUMMIT

NEWS

CABBIES TAKEVETERANS TO YPRES

PAGE15

PAGE 22See page 3RIP: THE GREATEST

AA FFRREESSHH SSTTAARRTTLCDC WELCOMES ARRIVAL OF VALSHAWCROSS AS DEPUTY MAYORLCDC WELCOMES ARRIVAL OF VALSHAWCROSS AS DEPUTY MAYOR

JUNE

Issue 241 July 2016More trade stories than all the others put together

INSIDE

NEWSPAGES 12&13

OPERATION NEON...NO ONE, MORE LIKE!

NEWS

TRADE DEMO ATSTANDARD AWARDSOVER MINICABASSAULTS PAGE4

PAGE 20Seepage3PLEASE VOTE FORWAR DISABLEDCHARITY!

PHREGSSTARTTOBITE

JULY/AUGUST

LONDON CAB DRIVERS’ CLUB AGM: SEPT 13th

THE BISCUIT FACTORY@ 7PM

TheAGM willinclude a Q&Asession withTfL’s HelenChapman andpresentationby LondonTaxi PR

Westminsterranks updateThis month’s meeting with WestminsterCity Council was frustrating in that afternearly a year since we were givendrawing for ranks in West One we stillhaven't got them in yet.

WCCapologised and said it had beenfrustrating for themaswell, as they have hadto completely restructure their teamandweshould nowstart to see the consultations forthe first seven ranks come through,whichthey have.With the new team in placeweshould also see the rest, which totals around20 plus, get to the consultation stage prettyquickly.Wehave also asked for two ranks tochange location, which they agreed to do dueto either buildingworks or bike schemes, onebeingmoving the rank up to the door of theFlemingsHotel inHalfMoonStreet and thecab rank inWellingtonStreet will be extendedto three spaces and re-sited on the other sideof the road facing south towards the LyceumTheatre.I did recently see on a blog site that we hadasked for a taxi rank besideSexyFish inBruton Lane and that thiswas thewrongplace to site it there. They suggested it shouldgo outside the front door - the reasonwedidn't ask for it therewasWCCare putting abike lane on the inside of the square.Thewhole scheme to put a bike lane aroundBerkeleySquare looks like an accident

waiting to happen.Update onWCC to showthe taxi tradewhich ranks have got spacewillgo live on their parking app aroundOctober/November. Thiswill give us live informationfromcameras fitted just above the ranks thatwill relay to the app if ranks are full or have

spaces.They also told us that they are goingaheadwith the instalment of cameras to issuePCNs to vehicles inOxfordStreet. This islong overdue and I have been complainingthat they should be enforcingOxfordStreetas the signage states no vehicles at

advertised times. So that'swherewearewithWCCat themoment - theywill push aheadwith all of the ranks that the ranks committeehave proposed and this is duemainly to thefact thatTPHhave funded the ranks out ofthe ranks budget.


www.lcdc.cab

Alan’s Angle

Charity night walk a chance for trade to ShineThis year’s Shine event will takeplace on Saturday 24thSeptember - the charitymarathon walk in aid of CancerResearch UK has been anightmare for us to try andprovide the walkers with a taxis.In the last few years we have notbeen in the thoughts of thepromoters and have had to fight forany space at Billingsgate on LowerThames St.We have been tuckedaround corners and have to watchwhilst Marshalls are walking jobsout to waiting Private Hire cars.Last year saw one of ourmembersreported to City police as theybelieved hewas drunk driving ataxi. City police turned up and they

spoke to him and then toldcompliance hewasn't drunk. Hewas reported for telling the walkerswhowere being held up aroundthe back of Billingsgate that therewere waiting taxis for them out thefront. This year sees a completechange from the Shine eventpromoters, who have been in talkswith LCDC and ranks committee,TfLandGETT for over a year tohopefully get this year’s eventrunning right.We are being toldthat participants will start to arriveat Old BillingsgateMarket fromaround 22:00 and there will be ataxi rank on the southern side ofLower Thames Street with thehead of the taxi rank at the junction

withWater Lane. . This year is ataxi only affair andGett will beonsite, so participants can book ataxi if they wish to do so. BookedGett taxis will pick up passengersin Lower Thames Street, oppositeWater Lane. I didmention to GETTthey could donate all the 13%takings from drivers to CancerResearch UKwhich they agreed todo, watch this space.There will beno private hire company supplyingcars, although a private hirecompany does hold an operator’slicence for the site. Last year therewere lots of problemswith PHDparking up on Lower Thameswaiting for fares - this year wehave been assured that no

vehicles will be allowed to stop topick up participants on LowerThames Street, outsideOldBillingsgateMarket. Shine will besupplyingmarshalls on LowerThames Street and there will bemarshalls from the LCDC on siteto help the walkers get to the rank.The only thing we are asking is forTaxi drivers using the rank in

Lower Thames Street should turntheir engines off whenwaiting onthe rank and avoid causing anynoise to avoid complaints. So let’stry and show our full support on thenight and get these very tiredwalkers home safely and show theevent organisers that we canprovide a five star service for theircharity event.

TOWER BRIDGE CLOSUREThe bridge will be closed to all vehicle traffic between Saturday 1October until Friday 30 December 2016 for essential maintenanceworks.The closure extends from the junction of Tower Bridge Road andQueen Elizabeth Street on the south side to the traffic lights by theA100 Tower Bridge Road and A1203 East Smithfield junction on thenorth side. There are two diversion routes in place:• Northbound: journeys will involve crossing over London Bridgefrom Borough High Street to Monument and east onto Eastcheap Street or Fenchurch Street.• Southbound: journeys will involve crossing over Southwark Bridge from Upper Thames Street, to Southwark BridgeRoad/Marshalsea Road and onto Great Dover Street.


www.lcdc.cab

Shining a light onDial-a-Cab sell offThe Board of Dial-a-Cab hascirculated to members itsproposals for the future ofthe Society. They do notmake for easy reading.

There are references to‘Conversion’, demerger’,Holdco, Propco, ‘A’ Shares, ‘B’Shares and proxy votes.

All members wanted was theirshare in cash which, accordingto the March edition of ‘CallSign’, would be around£20,000. However, this hasnow shrunk to £50.

We have been asked by LCDCmembers who also belong toDial-a-Cab to shed somewelcome light on theseproposals. (The quotes arefrom the Proposals).

Let us start at the beginning:

“In May 2016 membersoverwhelmingly indicated adesire for the Society todemutualise, to realise thevalue of its assets (beingDial-a Cab taxi circuitbusiness and its freeholdinterest in Dial-a-Cab House)and to then distribute thatvalue to members”.(Paragraph 1.1)

This is the Society’s Rulegoverning demutualisation.“26 DissolutionThe Society may at any timebe dissolved by the consent ofthree-fourths of the members,testified by their signatures toan instrument of dissolution inthe form provided by theTreasury Regulations, or bywinding-up in manner providedby the Industrial and ProvidentSocieties Act”.

This would seem simpleenough. Not so according tothe Board’s proposals, whichsuggest the creation of threecompanies to handle the saleof assets.

So what can these newcompanies do that theexisting Society can’t?Do members have control ofappointment of directors?No. “...it is proposed that thenew constitution would providean ability for the Board toappoint additional Directors asthey consider appropriate”(Paragraph 4.5)

Do you appointthe Chairman?No. The present Chairman ofDial-a-Cab automaticallybecomes the new Chairman forlife.

Do you have controlover your shares?No “...shares are only to betransferrable with the consentof the Board.”

At present the Rule Book isthe members’ contract withthe Society. What is the newcontract?Not known. The Rule bookdisappears and is replaced bythe Articles of Association.These have not beencirculated. You are beingasked to sign up to a contractthat is unseen.

Will you get dividendspaid on your shares?Unlikely. “It is not anticipatedthat dividends will be paid untilthe Board has been able tosecure a sale of the propertyand/or the Dial-a-Cab taxicircuit.”

What is to happento Encompass?There were five Encompasscompanies set up in July 2015as the proposed new namefor Concierge, a bookingplatform developed and paidfor by the members to bookprivate hire.The Directors were Brian Riceand Howard Pears.There is no mention of thesewithin the Proposals.

Why is there such a shorttimetable for all this?Unknown.

Why are members beingdenied an informed debate, aperiod of mature reflectionor a careful assessment ofthe ramifications?The AGM is not too far awayand would be ideal opportunityto consider this matter.Unless there are otherreasons: such as wishing toavoid too close a scrutiny, orbeing conscious of somethingdown the line that makes timeof the essence.

14 ssue 239 y 2

Last week members ofDial a Cab received a letterfrom Chairman Brian Riceoutlining the certainoptions regarding thefuture of their Society.In his letter he states that DACis now running at a loss on anannual basis and that cashreserves will not exceed threeyears. He goes on to outlinetwo other alternatives - both ofwhich include thedemutualisation of the Society.However, he does not offer themost obvious solution, whichseveral members brought upat the AGM - and that is for thesociety to be dissolved.

Below is rule 26 of theRULES OF THE OWNER-DRIVERS RADIO TAXISERVICE LIMITED:26. DISSOLUTIONThe Society may at any timebe dissolved by the consent ofthree-fourths of the members,testified by their signatures toan instrument of dissolution inthe form, provided by theTreasury regulation, or bywinding-up in a mannerprovided by the Industrial andProvident Societies Act.

The option youwere never givenWhy were Dial a Cabmembers not giventhe option to dissolvethe Society, ratherthan to demutualise?

L.C.D.CWE GO THE EXTRA MILEJOIN TODAY: 0207 394 5553

Right: March edition of Dial-a-Cab magazine, Call Sign

How we reported onthe plans back in May Conclusion

The only way toguarantee realisingyour promised£20,000 is to:1) Vote against theBoard’s Proposals

2) Put forward aproposition at the nextAGM to invoke Rule 26which is quoted in full atthe start of this article.


During the past 4 years, Londonhas seen a rapid growth in PrivateHire/Mini-Cab licences that havebeen issued by Transport forLondon.This has almost certainly had adetrimental impact on congestion, airquality and road traffic accidents withalmost every private hire driver nowrelying onmobile phone interactionwhile driving to accept a booking; thisinteraction consists of reading textmessages, interacting with on screenmaps & reacting very quickly toincoming bookings - all that impact ondriver awareness.We now know, following FOIs and oneanswer fromTomMoody - TfL's Head ofPolicy, that there is no e-hailing policy,no impact assessment or consultation,no risk assessment and no diagrams orflow charts to explain the justification ofthe Uber licence.Therefore, questionscan be raised.Advances in technology have seenUber challenge the regulator (TfL) withquite a dramatic outcome - thedocuments attached raise somesignificant questions;Did TfL carry out their 'due diligence'

process?Did Ubermeet the required conditions tobe licensed, and do they now?HasTfL failed in their duty to regulate?HasTfL's failure impacted on publicsafety?

Attachment 1. Uber bookingcontract deception.This flow chart explains how the bookingcontract works according to thecustomer contract & the driver contract -this bears little reflection as to the "real"technical routing process shown inattachment 2.It shows that the customer books a carwith Uber London Ltd and the booking"contract" raised is sub-contracted toUber BVwho is domiciled in theNetherlands -Would Uber BV need anoperators licence to accept a subcontracted private hire booking? - seeregulation law& practice.It also shows howUber BV split thebooking contract into 3 parts and keep 2parts for themselves and 1 part is helddirectly by the driver - The physicalcustomer journey; whereby the driverrequires hire & reward insurance.This flow clearly shows that Uber

London Ltd andUber BV are acting asagents for the driver. It also shows thedriver is directly accepting the physicalbooking from the customer -Would thedriver need an operators licence toaccept the sub-contracted booking? -see regulation law& practice.

Attachment 2.Uber Real Flow.This flow chart shows how the technicalprocess actually works in real timechronological order and shows on page2 of the flow how it is impossible for therequired customer booking data to becaptured when it is required to be; asper section 21.36 of James Button'slicensing law and practice.This flow chart (Uber Real Flow) shouldbe amirror image of attachment 1 (Uberbooking contract deception).Whatseems to be happening in the "real life"technical process differs to the "virtualworld" of contract movement.The question is; as TfLdid not carry outany due diligence, risk analysis orchecks on the Uber application at thetime of licensing to ensure that the appactually works in the way that theoperators licence was granted - does

there need to be an independent inquiryinto policy justification?

Attachment 3.Uber Plying for Hire.This flow chart shows a chronologicaltime line of when anUber customerinitiates contact with an Uber driver (whoisn't permitted to ply for hire);It clearly shows that the customer hasbooked a car and the driver hasaccepted the booking "contract" for abooked journey time that was in the"past" and not in the "future" - contrary topre-booking regulation.The process in attachment 3 and 4 arethe same, one is a physical process andone is a electronic virtual process, one isdeemed plying-for-hire and one isdeemed pre-booked.Can you tell the difference?What is TfL's policy justification for this?

In summary, There aremany questionsthese flow charts raise, given theproblems that the emergency servicesare facing in dealing with distracteddriving, and problems other licensingauthorities outside of London havewithcross-boarder compliance, there could

www.lcdc.cab

DOWE NEED A PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO TfL?

1


www.lcdc.cab

be a strong case for theMayor and thetransport scrutiny committee toindependently investigate what hashappened at TfL.Cross-boarder hiring. TfL's failure toaccept or understandUber are not party

to the contract between the customerand the driver (by Uber's ownadmission) allows the driver the freedomto operate outside of their licensing area.Commonsense tells us, that if Uber areacting as an agent for the driver and are

not party to the booking contract, thenthe Uber driver must be party to thecontract and directly accepting thebooking from the customer.There is significant regulationsurrounding sub-contracting to

operators outside of their licensing area,an independent investigation into whoholds the booking contract would almostcertainly address the issue of crossboarder hiring and relieve pressure onregulators outside of London.

2

3

www.lcdc.cab


AskPOB surveyshows: 90%of CabDriversthink that theLondon Taxi isunaffordable!Over the last couple ofyears, TFL have licensedapproximately 60k mini cabdrivers in London, who weall know predominantlywork for one PH Operator.Rather than performing therole of a regulator, it appearsfrom leaked emails and FOIsobtained by The LCDC, thatTfL have actedmore likeUBER’s promotor or businesspartner. It is has paid hugedividends for both parties - theapp company have gained amonopoly of the PH Industryand TfL revenues increased bymillions by selling licences atapproximately £300 a pop. TfLlicensing the app, carteblanche of the PH regulationshas provided the app an unfaircompetitive advantage overother PHOperators andmoreimportantly over the GoldStandard London taxi trade.Due to the irresponsible,colossal number of PHlicences sold, it is becomingincreasingly difficult andstressful to earn a reasonableliving especially with the largeoverheads we have. Many ofus are working at least threelong days a week to pay for ourcab,fuel and put some aside forthe taxman before we earnanything for ourselves. TFL’ssly deregulation of the PHtrade, executed with noconsultation, risk assessmentor supply and demand survey,

is affectingmany driversincome, physical andmentalhealth with a negative impacton family life.Running a cab in this currentenvironment is noweconomically unviable, withsuch a poor return earned bythe end of theworkingweek.Many drivers are finding itincreasingly difficult tomeetpayments for their cab eachweek, whether the cab is onfinance or rented froma garage.Some are finding themselves inserious debt just to get their cabrepaired or through an overhaul.Taxi Drivers and fleets are notupgrading their vehicles due tohuge uncertainty in our trade

created by amultitude of ineptTFLpolicies. I have never seensomany taxis sitting on a sideof the roadwith their bonnet up,broken downwaiting to berecovered.Toomany older cabs will notattract new customers andrisks losing regular cab usersthat we just cannot afford tolose.At present, we havevirtually no choice of vehicle tochoose from; only two and theyare now unaffordable.ATX4 at£43,000 and the Vito@£46,000,are bothexcessively priced. Ourcompetitors driving a vehicle for

around half the price, such asthe Toyota Prius at@£22,000,are able to undercut us.We are paying a premium fora purpose built vehicle to pickpeople up instantly with aturning circle (TC) andwheelchair access (WCA),whilst PH likeAddison Lee &UBER, now virtually plying forhire can drive just about anyvehicle of their choosingwithout any conditions orrestraints.Two years from nowall new taxis on themarket willno longer use diesel andmustbe capable of running on anelectric battery. These vehicleshave yet to be built and tested.Will they be reliable and able to

cope with constant use on theroad? Howmuch will theycost?Anythingmore than£35,000 is just not feasibleanymore.Another concern that puts thetrade off purchasing a newdiesel taxi at present, is TFLcould decide to renege the 15-year age limit at a whim. Inaddition, the resale price of anew diesel taxi could seriouslydepreciate: another reasonwhy taxi sales are virtually non-existent. I am extremely proudthat London Taxis’ are the only100%wheelchair accessibletransport in London and help

those physically impairedto travel in this city.However, I do feel thatthis service is not fullyappreciated by the publicand especially TFL, whonever advertise themerits ofWCAtaxis. Ihave yet to see adisability group, or one of theirprominent spokespeople,support our valuable service orshow an interest in TFL’sdiscrimination against ourtrade.The taxi card schemeputs wheelchair users in cabsbut has declined rapidly sinceits inception and is now goinginto PH.Also, TFLandcouncil’s such as Camden’s

dedicated cycle lanes aremaking it difficult for us to pickup and set downWC users,due to lack of kerbside spaces.Ironically, with the vehicle wehave that benefits them, manydisabled users no longer useus, as they believe that we aretoo expensive. This year I haveonly carried two wheelchairuser passengers.RecentlyASK POB conducteda survey to gather driver’sopinions on the importance ofkeeping the turning circle andWC access. 71% of driverscanvassed said they wouldchoose to buy a vehicle with no

turning circle close to £33k overa vehicle of £43k with a TC.65% of drivers said they wouldchoose a vehicle with noWCA,closer to £33k, over a vehiclecosting £43k withWCA.Theresults concluded that 90% ofdrivers see the vehicles wehave available are nowUNAFFORDABLE in thecurrent market. Drivers wouldprefer to keep TC andWCAbut feel they no longer want topay for it. I believe we shouldnot lower our standards that setus apart from PH and searchfor solutions.Wemust keep wheelchairaccessibility, but not if it meansthat it is financially unviable.Apurpose built taxi withoutWCAwould cost in the region 20-30% less.Why should TaxisDrivers continue to subsidiseTFL’s ONLY 100%WCAtransport out of their ownpocket with no help or subsidyafter the despicable way theyhave regulated the industryand the outright contempt theyhave shown our trade?KenLivingstone unsuccessfullylobbied forWCAV’s to have alower rate of VATwhen he wasMayor. Maybe Val Shawcrosscould get this campaign up andrunning again with Sadiq Khanand TFLBoard approval? #What I do know is, TFLhavediminished our work levels tosuch a level that we cannotcontinue to be burdened withsuch high outgoings. Tomymind, the current status quocannot continue.

Over to you Val.

Aretaxisunaffordable?


www.lcdc.cab

Application FormPlease complete this form in BLOCK CAPITALS

The subscription rate is £170 per annum. If you are unable to pay in asingle payment please make one cheque payable to “The London CabDrivers’ Club Ltd,” with today’s date, for £56.67, and two post-datedcheques one month apart for £56.67.

Send the completed form to: THE MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY,The London Cab Drivers’ Club Ltd, UNIT A 303.2Tower Bridge Business Complex, Tower Point,100 Clements Road, Southwark, London SE16 4DG

Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms:.................... Surname: ......................................

First Names:......................................................................................

Address: .......................................................................................................................................... Post Code: ......................................Badge No: ............................. Email: ...............................................Telephone No: (with full STC code):................................................

I agree to abide by the rules of the Club. I also agree that the aboveinformation will be kept by the LCDC in a computer system under theterms of the Data Protection Act.

I understand that I will not be eligible for legal representation formatters arising prior to the date of this application. Thereby declare thatI have no outstanding PCO or police matters pending.

Signed: ...................................... Date: ......................................

Please complete this form and send it with your application form

(LCDC) Ltd UNIT 303.2TOWER BRIDGE BUSINESS COMPLEX, TOWER POINT,

100 CLEMENT’S ROAD, SOUTHWARKLONDON, SE16 4DG

0207 394 5553

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Please pay the sum of £15 NOW and monthly thereafteruntil further notice.

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To the account of THE LONDON CAB DRIVERS’ CLUB LTD,Barclays Bank Bloomsbury & Tottenham Court Road branch,

PO BOX 1134, London W128GGSort Code 20-10-53. Account No- 40450421.

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AS AN L.C.D.CMEMBER YOUWILL RECEIVE:�� 24 HOUR DUTY SOLICITOR

EXCLUSIVE TO THE CAB TRADEYour 24 Hr duty solicitor hotline

membership card.Peace of mind 24 hrs of the day.

�� FULL LEGAL COVEROur fantastic team of City Of London based solicitors and barristers, experts in Hackney Carriage and road traffic law.

�� COMPLAINTS AND APPEALSAs a member of the LCDC, we will deal with any complaint that has beenmade against you by members of the public.Also we will attend the LTPH with youon any personal appeals that would affect your licence.

�� HEATHROW AIRPORT REPRESENTATION

With our reps at the airport working hard on the trade’s behalf for a fairer, and more safer future at Heathrow.

�� RANKS AND HIGHWAYSThe LCDC attend the Joint Ranks committee, working hard for more ranks and more access for the taxi trade in London.

�� CAB TRADE ADVICEAll members can call the office for any information or up to the date news on any trade related subject.

�� TRADE’S FUTUREThe Club worked tirelessly in bringingin the green & yellow identifiers to the taxi trade.

And are always working hard to protect our future.

��CAB TRADE REPRESENTATIONWe are working hard to work with members of the GLA and also politicians to fight our corner against

TFL and was a major influence in the recent“ future proof” document.

�� VEHICLE MANUFACTURERSThe Club works alongside LTC andMercedes to deliver a vehicle thatmeets our standard as a London taxidriver. Recently we have heldmeetings to work against the ULEZstrategy and the introduction of taxiage limits.

��CLUB PROTECTATo help drivers who have acquiredtwelve points keep their licence.

JUST £3 permonth

Join over thephone - just calland we’ll takeyour payment

details* £12 per month is tax deductible

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www.lcdc.cab

BBC RADIO 4: WHAT’S THEPOINT – THE LONDON BLACK

CAB; 24 AUGUST 2016If you didn’t catch this programme, you

can still find it on the i player. It takes alight-hearted look at whether our trade isredundant in this tech age.As entertainment, it uses several stereo-types of the London cabbie but it’s all in funand still informative. All except for journalistHairy Mutt (Harry Mount), that is.This berk takes the old chestnut of “ I ain’t atourist mate” to a new level. Dear old Mutthas done this before and for whateverreason is very anti-taxi driver. Possibly hefeels inadequate because our hippocampus’is larger than his. Don’t worry Hairy, size isn’teverything.Mutt tells the tale of when he took a cabfrom Bloomsbury to Camden (didn’t saywhere) at 11.00pm (didn’t say which day ofthe week) and the driver had the audacity touse Camden High St, the only busy street inthe area according to Hairy.He suggested the driver was shamedwhen he was caught out but apparently thiskind of thing used to happen all the timeaccording to Mutt but now he uses PHVsand everything works wonderfully well. Taxidrivers go slower when they have apassenger than when empty. Hairy doesn’tsay how he knows this as he isn’t in the taxiwhen it’s empty but this isn’t the only rusewe use to bump up the meter. We also slowdown when heading towards green trafficlights in the hope they will turn red anddeliberately choose the most crowdedroads.I guess Hairy Mutt the journalist alsobelieves that journos never research theirmaterial but just make stories up and tell liesbecause they can’t be bothered to establishthe truth.

TARIFF STUFF REVIEWWhile you were all sunning yourselves

in the traffic this summer, I attended atariff meeting. This meeting was ostensibly to discuss theroot and branch review of the tariff and taxiservice by outside consultants and todiscover if there were any particular pointsthe trade wished to look at.Although the consultants will be contactingthe trade, the reps present wanted to discussthe Cost Index there and then. It was agreedthat while there may be some tweakingrequired, the long-standing method ofincreasing the tariff according to increases incosts and average wages is sacrosanct.This removes any political interferencesuch as we used to suffer prior to thismethod. For example, in the mid-1970s wewere refused any increase for four years.This was at a time when we had alreadysuffered an oil crisis where diesel pricesdoubled overnight and followed by a secondwhere crude prices increased 800%. This isnot to mention the price of a new cab almostdoubling as well.Then in 1980, we were awarded a 50%increase. These were both political decisionsand neither helped the cab trade. A 10%annual increase would have been viewed asreasonable by passengers as it was in linewith inflation at the time. Unfortunately,political expediency dictated that we had tosuffer for years and then see our customersoutraged at the huge increase we weregiven to correct the mistake.The introduction of the Cost Index took allthe political shenanigans out of the pictureand left us with a fair and reasonablemethod of increasing the tariff right up untilthis year’s stitch-up.We also reminded TFL that we felt thatusing national insurance cost averages

were inappropriate as hire and rewardinsurance is approximately five times higherthan domestic vehicle insurance and thuswill skew the level of increase. TFL pointedout the difficulty of obtaining accurateinformation but we felt that that was theirproblem and not ours.

MIS-APPLICATION OF TARIFF INCREASES

The Club once again brought toattention the way in which tariffincreases have always been increasedevenly across the tariff. This takes no account of demand and TFLare finally prepared to look at this.It’s all very well to increase the tariff by, say2% but for us to receive a 2% increase,demand has to remain the same because weearn our corn by the amount of fares we doand not just what the fare comes to. On somefare levels this is what happens but other farelevels are more price sensitive and when thefare increases, the number of fares reduce.Technically, price elasticity need to beestablished at different demand points andthen increase the tariff variably to mitigateany loss of demand as a result of anincrease in the tariff. It seems PCO/TFL havenever even considered this in the 30 oddyears they have been using the cost index. The club raised this issue last year and ithas now been taken on board and will bepart of the independent review.As was pointed out to TFL that passengersare not in the least interested in how manyseconds or metres they get for 20p butrather what it says on the clock at the end ofthe journey. The plain fact is that at the lowerend of the tariff, our fares are verycompetitive, sometimes even against takinga bus or tube and can withstand a greater %increase than we can on higher fares.

CARD CHARGESThe Club pointed out that when the 20p

was agreed in lieu of charging thecustomer for using a card, this covered3% maximum transaction charges. We tried to clarify if this was total chargesto the driver or simply transaction charges.It turned out that TFL didn’t place anymaximum charges on the card suppliers atall. The result is that most drivers are payingover 3% charges, including equipmentrental. The Club asked that these additionalcharges be assessed and added wholly tothe 2017 tariff increase and then be addedto the Cost Index as a cost item thereafter.The LTDA rep reminded the meeting thatairport drivers pay a disproportionately highamount of charges and that somethingshould be added to the Heathrow charge tocover this. The other trade reps agreed as did the TFLpeople present, in principle, although theypointed out that the decision was the Board’s.

CHANGE-OVER RATE (R4)The Club brought this issue up again.

As you will be aware, this year the pointwhere R4 kicked in was changed from aspecific fare value to a distance of sixmiles. The effect of this is that theincreased rate occurs later in a fare thanit used to.We pointed out last year that if this was tohappen, compensation was required byincreasing the meter elsewhere. Preferably,this would be on the front end of the meter.Unfortunately, we were completely ignored.So the Club brought this up again. Wepointed out that while R2 and R4 wereadditions to the main tariff, R1 and R2 wereintegral to the tariff and both should beadjusted according to Cost Index changes.We reproduced the projections that TFLproduced last year. These estimated theeffect on the tariff of the change. We pointedout that the 20mph average speed theyused was a joke and we could only dreamof travelling at 20mph during the day-time.Notwithstanding that, their own figuresestimated a 2.1% reduction if the rate 4 kick-inchanged to six miles distance. So, their ownfigures showed that instead of the 1.6%rightful increase we should have received andTFL claimed that we received, they shouldhave known from their own figures that thetariff actually reduced by 0.5% last year.The club demanded that the next tariffchange should include a 2.1% increase,over and above any adjustment dictated bythe Cost Index. One of the other trade repswas a little concerned about how high nextyear’s increase might be but we weresupported by the other trade reps.The TFL reps were unable to dispute theClub’s argument but again, while agreeing inprinciple, the decision was the Board’s.

Walker on the March....

SUMMERTIME BLUESSo how have you found the

work this summer? I’ve pushed a cab since late1979 and I honestly cannotremember a summer or kipperseason as bad as this one. Even the 2008-09 recessionwasn’t this bad.

20 Issue 242 - September 2016 London taxi drivers could soon beseeing a new taxi app on the streetsof London: TAXIAPP was thebrainchild of a dozen cab driverswho dreamed up the idea of a taxiapp that was purely owned by thedrivers and all the money raised willbe ploughed back into promotionsand improvements - all this for just£20 per month.

The trade in the past few years hasseen Hailo, GETT, MAXI and even talkof Cab:app all providing drivers withwork, so what’s the difference and whyshould drivers sign up?Cab driver Hassan Mostafa says: “This is an app by cab drivers for cabdrivers, it is non-profit and commissionfree.“And for just £20 per month, whether

you do one, ten or one hundred jobs:it will be fair in the sense that thenearest job gets the job... it’s thatsimple.”There is also another major difference,Mostafa suggests:“ We believe drivers will use TAXIAPPover the others because there is nocommission. Every job is paid straightto the driver, cash or card and more

importantly, the app does not store anypersonal data.”TAXIAPP are planning a majoradvertising campaign with flyers, liveriesand adverts in newspapers.“We have come up with an idea thatcould help save the trade before it’s toolate.”We at the LCDC wish them all the verybest.


DOUBLE JUMP FOR CHARITYSkydiving in aidof the LondonTaxi BenevolentAssociation forWar Disabled It is an enormouscompliment to the TaxiCharity committeemembers and thevolunteer drivers thattwo WWII veterans,both ex-AirborneDivision, decided to donot one, but twoskydives in aid of thecharity, writes FrancesLuczyc Wyhowska...

The first was a jump intothe Merville Gun Battery inNormandy, which tookplace on 20th August. Thesecond was with the RedDevils on 25th August. Iwill provide a shortbiography of these twoexceptional men at the endof this article. In themeantime, I would like towrite about my ownexperience.

I don’t think I have everbeen told how mad I wasquite so often as when Isaid that I too would do askydive with Fred and Ted,and full-time cab driver andcommittee member GrahamPike. Graham is a verygung-ho man, always readyto join in and who doesmuch behind the scenes tosupport our military. I, onthe other hand, am notquite so full of derring-do,and I suffer badly fromvertigo. I hoped thatperhaps this weaknesswould inspire my friends tosponsor me and I have notbeen disappointed.

On the day itself there wasone blow: my friend Mickey

Calvey who had done somuch to keep my spirits uppre-jump was unable to bethere as his cab had brokendown. I did however receivemany messages of goodluck from the trade ontwitter that day which Iappreciated greatly. Thereare so many truly nicepeople in the cab trade.

It is almost impossible todescribe the actualexperience. The RedDevils are so professionaland friendly that you feel asurreal sense of confidencedespite the fact that you areabout to fall head first out ofan aeroplane 13,500 feetabove the ground. Timebecomes unquantifiable – Ididn’t really know whethereverything was happeningvery quickly or not. Therushing sound duringfreefall is terrific, and goingthrough cloud does give a

great sense of speed. Youalso get dozens of needle-like prickings on your skinfrom the drops of moisturewithin the cloud.

Then suddenly the earthcomes into view and whatan astonishing thing that is.It is quite unlike seeing thesame view from within anaeroplane because you arecompletely aware of beingoutside and in the sky!When the parachute isopened an extraordinarysense of peace envelopsyou. This is when you suddenlyexperience the feeling oftime as well as velocityslowing down, and mypersonal Red Devil took histime to return to earth sothat I could make the mostof every moment. Evenmore bizarrely, we werehaving a conversation up inthe sky.

The charity has receivedsome excellent publicity asa result of the two veteransjumping in Normandy,including in the onlinePeople Magazine in the US.On a personal level I verymuch hope that thisexposure makes the publicappreciate the innumerablevaluable facets of theLondon cab trade. Withoutthe work of the drivers onthe committee and theexceptional generosity ofour many many volunteerdrivers there would be noneof this wonderful work forour veterans. Thank you toall those that supported me.

Fred Glover was a memberof ‘A Company’ of the 9thBattalion, tasked withentering the MervilleBattery in glider planesinstead of parachuting inwith the rest of the Battalionin June 1944..

Fred’s glider was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed intoan orchard outside of theBattery. Sustaining woundsto his legs, it was decidedthat Fred should stay andguard two Germanprisoners. An act ofkindness, offering morphineto one of the injuredsoldiers who had been shotin the stomach, may havesaved his life - later thatday he was captured by aGerman patrol who sparedhim after they heard of hisgenerous deed, and senthim to recoup at a Parisianhospital, which he laterescaped from with thesupport of the FrenchResistance.

Fred has revisitedNormandy and the MervilleBattery a number of timeswith the Taxi Charity andother veteran organisations,but looked forward tolanding within the Batteryfor the first time – sevendecades after the originalmilitary operation.

Fellow para and Arnhemveteran, Ted Pieri, alsoaged 90, joined Fred on thejump. Ted, who lives inErith, Kent, joined the 1stAirborne division in 1943.Although initially a despatchrider, he volunteered forparachute training andqualified getting his wings.He undertook his firstparachute jump in 70 yearsin 2015, and enjoyed theexperience so much that hewas willing to jump again toraise money for the charity.

“My recent involvement withthe Taxi Charity hasincreased my enthusiasm tojump for a second time andgive something back for allthey have done,” said Ted

https://mydonate.bt.com/events/veteransskydivefortaxicharity

www.lcdc.cab


www.lcdc.cab

#LondonBusWatch:How TfL’s completeindifference aboutmy near-death buscollision made me atransparency and bussafety campaigner

As I fought my way back tothe office through the heavingcrowds of Oxford StreetChristmas shoppers duringthe early evening of 18December 2009, my mind wason my young family’simminent trip to Cape Townfor Christmas and New Year's.

With the December’s earlydarkness and snow beginningto fall, I smiled when I recalled aline from an email I’d sentearlier that day:"It snowed last night.Commuter chaos beckons."Moments later, while waiting onthe edge of a signalled (i.e.,“wait minutes for the GreenMan to flash for a fewseconds”) Oxford Streetpedestrian crossing just a fewhundred feet from mycompany’s office on CavendishSquare, an 18 metre, 16 tonneTfL Route 73 Bendy Busoperated by Arriva travelling atspeed struck the back of myhead and pushed me into it, theimpact cracking my head onboth sides, popping both mylungs, breaking my ribs andpiercing my liver. I landed in aheap 15 feet down the roadalready unconscious, with myeyes rolling back into my headand bleeding out of my mouthand ears. When the HEMS ambulancepitched up a half-hour later, Ididn’t have a pulse and wasrecorded to be in a coma ofGlasgow Coma Scale 3 (15means you’ve “knocked yourhead in Glasgow" and 2 means"you’re dead”). Years later, theMet told me I was reported as a‘probable fatal' so perhaps thatexplains why it took so long forthe ambulance to arrive toOxford Street?I spent the next two weeks in anear-death coma and(miraculously, given the extent

of my injuries) woke up slowlyover the month of January2010. After 8 weeks or so afterthe collision, I had regained theability to speak, remember whoI was and how to walk again.While I was learning how to eatand through my mouth again (Ihad a stomach tube), Iproductively used the two-hoursper meal of ‘feeding time’ to doresearch on my laptop how aTfL bus nearly had nearly killedme. Although there were plentyof news reports about peoplebeing killed and seriouslyinjured after being hit by TfLbuses on Oxford Street and allacross London (thanks to mycampaigning, we now know theaverage since 1 April 2007 isabout 2 TfL bus collisions perday involving a pedestrian, 1per day involving a cyclist), TfLdidn’t make any bus casualtydata available for publicscrutiny. It was TfL’s hiding of this BusCasualty Data coupled with thefact that no one from TfL orArriva bothered to contact meor my family while I was inhospital or for years thereafter (Ihave never heard from Arriva)that turned me into a TfLTransparency and Bus Safetycampaigner. After my full recovery in 2012(Traumatic Brain Injuries arenot straightforward and therecovery process is neither

linear or predictable), Ilaunched a voluntary BusSafety Campaign called#LondonBusWatch thatfocused on exposing TfL’speculiar secrecy about theoperational safety performanceof its contracted bus fleet andthe danger this non-transparentattitude posed to pedestrianand cyclist safety with, forobvious reasons, a focus onOxford Street. Workingthrough social media and thepress, I networked with LondonAssembly members from allparties, cycling and pedestriancampaigners, bus crashsurvivors, taxi and TfL Bus

Drivers to get the Mayor ofLondon and TfL managementto make some major changesin the operational safetymonitoring and reporting ofTfL’s Bus Operation. I havevery much appreciated thesupport of many of London’sBlack Cab drivers in mycampaign to improve the safetyof London’s Buses andincrease transparency at TfL. Ibelieve that we share the sameopinion that both the frequencyand lack of investigation aboutTfL Bus Collisions evidences aprofound failure of leadershipon safety at the highest levelsof TfL. In my opinion, the fact

that TfL doesn’t have a ChiefSafety Officer for its BusOperations is a signal indicatorof how unimportant safety is toTfL’s management.That London’s premiershopping district should be the‘World’s Most Polluted’ andhome to the three of the UK’smost dangerous pedestriancrossings (the one where I wasstruck is Number 1 in the UK)is, frankly, both an insult toOxford Street’s hundreds ofmillions of annual visitors and tothis great city and furtherevidence of TfL’s safetynegligence. The concentrationof so many people on foot (andthere will be tens of millionsmore when Crossrail opens in2018), means there is no roaddesign that can accommodateso many people and traffic(Buses or Taxis) safely. Thedeaths of two elderlypedestrians in June from BusCrashes in May and the seriouscollision yesterday evening (4August) just highlights thelethality of Oxford Street that willnot subside until motor traffic—especially TfL Buses—ispermanently removed. When people go to OxfordStreet, their intention is to shop,work, visit friends or just enjoysome time in the greatest cityon earth and not to bleed outinto coma or death on London’smain shopping street, theirbrains and bodies crushed byrushing tonnes of steel. TheMayor’s recent announcementof his plan to make OxfordStreet traffic free by 2020means the horrible life-changing experience I enduredback in December 2009 will justbe a ghost of Christmas past.And with 86 people killed inTfL Bus Collisions in Londonsince my own crash that 'lastFriday before Christmas,' thischange couldn't come soonenough.

Tom Kearney Blog:www.saferoxfordstreet.blogspot.co.uk#LondonBusWatch:http://stopthekilling.org.uk/direct-actions/london-bus-watch/Twitter: @comadad2016 Winner, Transport –Sheila McKechnie FoundationSMK Campaigners Award

Why I campaign for bus safety

Above: a fully recovered TomKearney is now campaigning forbus safety.Clockwise: Pictured the day beforethe accident. One month afterA scan of Tom’s head injuries


Adam D. ElliottVincent House,

99a Station Road, London, E4 7BU

SPECIALIST ACCOUNTANT TO THE LICENSED TAXI TRADE

Tel: 020 8281 0500email: [email protected] / SKYPE: taxitax

Britain's Kell Brook aims toemulate Sugar Ray Leonardwhen he challengesmiddleweight king GennadyGolovkin at London's O2 onSaturday.Brook, the IBF welterweightchampion, is jumping twoweight divisions to take onunbeaten knockout artistGolovkin. Welterweight great Leonardcame out of retirement in 1987to beat world middleweightchampion Marvin Hagler."I want to do what Leonard didwith Hagler - use my speed, myfootwork and box the perfectfight," said Brook."I do fear him. Of course I do. Iknow he's a big puncher andthat nobody wants to fight himfor a reason. "But the fear is positivebecause it's going to make mesuper-sharp with cat-likereactions."You could see the fear inLeonard's eyes when he was inwith Hagler - that's why he was

so sharp and zoomed in."Sheffield's Brook, 30, isunbeaten in 36 professionalcontests and has made threedefences of the IBFwelterweight belt he won fromAmerican Shawn Porter in2014.Brook's last fight was againstCanada's Kevin Bizier, whomhe stopped in the second round Kazakhstan's Golovkin, 34, isunbeaten in 35 pro contests,

has 32 knockouts to his nameand is thought by some to bethe best pound-for-pound boxerin the world.If Brook manages to beatGolovkin it would be an evenbigger upset than Leonard'svictory over the fearsomeHagler, who had not lost for 11years.However, while someobservers have called the fighta mismatch, Brook believes he

might be more effective at160lb than he was at 147lb.At the final check weigh-in on 3September, Brook weighed168lb, five pounds heavier thanhis rival. "I'm interested in seeing what Ican do at middleweightbecause I'm not draining myselfand gaunt at the weight," saidBrook, one of 14 current Britishworld champions."I'm going to be fully hydrated

and healthy and bring thespeed and the power. I'mexcited at how much energyand excitement I'll be giving toeveryone once that bell goes."Brook is attempting to succeedwhere domestic rival Amir Khanfailed - Bolton's Khan jumpedtwo weight divisions to fightthen WBC middleweightchampion Saul Alvarez in Mayand was knocked out in sixrounds.

Brook aims to emulate Sugar Ray


I've always courted aunity within the taxitrade between allLondon licenced andsuburban taxi drivers.Obviously I realised now thatthis can't be achieved as amajority of the trade justdon't want it. However, thereis a massive date coming upnext year. 30/5/17. This is a date I believe that'Ubers' licence will berenewed, and I believe it isessential we find a way towork together from the startof 2017 right up until May toput pressure on the mayorand tfl not to renew theirlicence, because let's facefacts whether you're yellowor green we've all earnedthe right to work as taxidrivers. I for one have had enoughof sitting in my taxi on a rankwatching an 'Uber' pick a

passenger up illegally fromright under my nose, feelingmy blood run cold when it'sa woman hoping she doesn'tmeet the same fate the 155did(32 uber) from Feb '15-Feb '16. Now those figures may notbe entirely accurate but it'saround that number, buteven if the figure was one,it's one too many. So here's my idea.... Fromthe first week in Januarylet's say every Wednesdayfrom 2p.m - 3p.m we demoat 32 different locations inLondon. All 9 sectors demo at 2different locations withintheir sector, that leaves 18different locations for allLondon licences to demo in,in the city, central and west.If we achieve this it wouldcause chaos to a degree the

main stream media couldnot ignore. We could have 32nominated spokesmen foreach demo pointing out thateach location demonstrateseach life that has beenruined by an 'uber' driver.Also pointing out were notworried about competition.We have no competition aslong as everyone plays bythe rules. I think this wouldput emense pressure onKhan and Tfl but like I saidit's just my opinion and anidea. We can always stick withsitting on a rank playingcandy crush then jumpingon Twitter digging eachother out once we've run outof lives. I know which one I'drather do.

#Be lucky.

We at the LCDC don’t often bang our own drum when itcomes to helping our members with their legal troubles. Alot of the cases which come our way with members are quitesensitive and we respect their wishes to keep things in houseand out of the paper which I can fully appreciate.

However, not only do Payton’s Solicitors offer our membersa 24 Hour Duty Solicitor 365 days a year, but since gettinginvolved with the Club, our solicitor Keima Payton has thedistinction of having a 100% success rate in all her cases whichshe has handled on behalf of the Club’s members.

Keima Payton has a fearsome reputation in court and shouldever the need arise you will find no one better able to fightyour corner and save your Badge than Keima.

- Grant Davis, LCDC Chairman

Tel: 0207 405 1999FAX: 0207 405 1991

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LONDON, EC4A 1LL

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THETIME INSIDE HASCOME · THETIME HASCOME. 2Issue 242 - September 2016 Published by The London Cab...

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Transcript of THETIME INSIDE HASCOME · THETIME HASCOME. 2Issue 242 - September 2016 Published by The London Cab...