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

The newspaper of the Licensed

Taxi Drivers’ Association

www.ltda.co.uk @TheLTDA

#47328 July 2020

LTDA TEAM UPDATESPages 5-15

XMAS ON A BUDGETPage 23

The newspaper of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association

www.ltda.co.uk15th December 2020

#483

DESPERATELY DESPERATELY SEEKING SEEKING GEORGEGEORGEA cabbie Christmas love story?

A NEW CABBIE MASCOT?Page 24

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Contents & News

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Inside...15:12:203 | News

5 | Steve McNamara 6 | Richard Massett 8 | Anthony Street 11 | Paul Brennan 12 | Lloyd Baldwin 15 | Sam Houston 16 | Steve Kenton 18 | Rob Lordan 20 | Chris Ackrill 22 | Cab You Drive

23 | Emma Lunn 24 | Al Fresco 26 | LTDA application form

27 | Puzzler

29 | Exclusive: Taxi Charity

30 | Musher Meg Puzzler answers

Integrated Content Solutions

DESPERATELY SEEKING GEORGE…

Our Christmas cover story is borne out of a female passenger’s plea for help to put her back in touch with

the cabbie that picked her up from outside the Palace on Buckingham Gate last week…

Her cabbie, who she named as ‘George’ on a social media post, took her to Kings Cross - and it would appear that quite the rapport was formed. It’s uncertain if love grew at every turn, as the journey progressed via some of our Capital’s most romantic landmarks, though it would seem that Kim, who confesses to pouring her heart out to her London escort, regretted not taking one of life’s ‘chances’ by giving the cabbie her mobile number, or going out for a ‘one for the road’ drink with her driver. Taking to social media to locate, ‘George’, Geordie girl, Kim wrote:

“I’m wondering if you guys can help me and maybe it's a bit of a long shot, but I could kick myself for not giving this cabbie my number…”

“George, I’m the Geordie girl spilling her life story to you from The Palace (Buckingham Gate) to Kings Cross Station…”

“…We chatted about chances & one for the road- I should have taken a chance on you then. I’d love to continue our chat. Kim xx”

Well this story went ‘cabbie viral’ and began to appear everywhere. So much so, that the LTDA have even received an offer from a London restaurant to sponsor any potential ‘Love Actually’ George & Kim romance, and facilitate hosting their first date! The LTDA are happily willing to pass on the details of this romantic gesture to a reunited George & Kim (subject of course to ‘above board’ confirmation that parties are able to give their legal consent) in order to help any festive romance bloom!

TfL are distributing 1.5 million face coverings, 30,000 bottles of Dettol hand sanitiser and stickers to licensed drivers at selected London Underground car parks and other locations across the Capital. These will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis and distribution will continue until all supplies have run out. The materials will be available for collection daily (Monday to Friday) at the locations listed below. Dial-a-Ride buses will be on site and distributing goods from 10-am - 12pm and again from 1pm to 3pm (or until daily stocks are depleted).

n East Finchley Station, High Road, London, N2 0NW

n Walthamstow Central Station, Station Approach, Selbourne Road, London, E17 7LPn Newbury Park station, Eastern Avenue, Ilford, IG2 7RNn Woodford station, Snakes Lane, Woodford Green, IG8 7QEn Morden Lidl car park, Aberconway Road, Morden, SM4 5LNn Silwood Stabling Sidings, Landmann Way, Lewisham, SE14 5RLn Osterley Station, Great West Road, Isleworth, TW7 4PU n Hillingdon station car park - Long Lane, Uxbridge, UB10 9NR n Heathrow Authorised Vehicle Area (for PHVs) - Heathrow Business Parking Plus, Terminal 1, Heathrow Airport, Northern

Perimeter Rd, Hounslow, TW6 2EQn Heathrow Taxi Feeder Park (for taxis) - Heathrow Airport, Taxi Feeder Park, Newall Rd, Hounslow, TW6 2DT

TfL have requested drivers to be mindful of both the safety of themselves and TfL staff at all times. Drivers must not stand closer than two meters to anyone else and take appropriate precautions, such as wearing a face covering and sanitising their hands before and after collecting goods. Once drivers have collected their items, they are asked to not congregate on site, in order to allow room for more drivers to arrive.

TFL SUPPORT INITIATIVE FOR LICENSED DRIVERS

CABBIE PRIORITY VACCINE PRESSUREFollowing the LTDA’s recent lobbying to push for transport workers, inclusive of cabbies to be one of the groups eligible to receive an early vaccine, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care responded positively last week in the House of Commons. Following a question posed by Shadow Transport Minister, Kerry McCarthy, the Health Secretary replied, stating: “We absolutely will consider that factor when we come to the groups after the clinical prioritised groups.”

@TheLTDAwww.ltda.co.uk

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General Secretary | Steve McNamara

No Let Up in the Run Up

Steve’s comment

2020 hasn’t

been an easy year for anyone, least of all the taxi trade and I will be glad to see the back of it. The pandemic has probably been the biggest challenge the trade has ever faced, and we’ve faced a few.

I am hearing things are getting better post lockdown, with Christmas shopping and socialising bringing more people into London, but we are not there yet and we all know that January and the early part of the year can be rough, even in normal times.

The latest trade stats from TfL show that we are now down 2000 drivers compared to figures from January 2019 and nearly 4000 cabs have been lost since the first lockdown. The good news is that the decline in numbers is starting to slow down, so not to sound like a very tired Labour Party anthem but surely, things can only get better?

One nation still forgottenFor some reason, the government remains flat out unwilling to admit there is a problem, either specifically for taxi drivers or for those self-employed people excluded from any kind of financial support. We have had MPs asking questions and writing to ministers on our behalf for weeks, trying to push for more support, but every time the Government just replies with a list of support schemes available, which is not helpful if you are one of the unlucky people who can’t access any of them, and even those who can are still struggling.

Every other nation in the UK has now put dedicated support in place for their valued taxi drivers, with Wales launching one last week. Some individual local councils and metro mayors in England have stepped up to provide much needed help, for example, last week Dacorum Borough Council introduced a support scheme. We will continue working with MPs to call the government out and push for support for England. We are also calling on the London Boroughs to see if they can provide some funding to help drivers, as they received most of the money to support

“We are also meeting with the new Commissioner for TfL, Andy Byford this week and will be making the case for further support including financial assistance.”

businesses impacted by Covid, which other councils have used to help their drivers.

No let upIn the run up to Christmas, we haven’t let up on our efforts to get drivers more support. We have recently met with Shadow Minister for Transport with responsibility for taxis, Matt Rodda MP and urged him and the wider Labour Party to shame the Government on their failure to act. We are also meeting with Huw Merriman MP, the influential Chair of the Transport Select Committee and one of the key MPs that has recently voted against lockdown measures and restrictions to see how he might be able to help. I have also been speaking with members of the Covid Recovery Group – a group of Conservative MPs set up to challenge the further use of blanket lockdown measures and argue for a different approach of living with the virus and getting on with it. It’s vital that we don’t have another lockdown, so we are

“Every other nation in the UK has now put dedicated support in place for their valued taxi drivers…”

supporting their efforts.Elsewhere, we are submitting

evidence to a Treasury Select Committee inquiry into the economic impact of the pandemic. The Committee and its Chairman, Mel Stride MP have been very critical of the government’s failure to plug the gaps in the financial support and help those who have had nothing for nearly ten months. At the London level, last week, we met with Caroline Pidgeon AM, who has since submitted questions to the Mayor on our behalf calling on him to find ways to help us. She is also writing to the Chancellor and asked Liberal Democrat MPs to raise the issues facing drivers in Parliament. One of these, Lib

Dems is Munira Wilson MP for Twickenham, who secured a recent debate in Parliament on people excluded from financial support, during which taxi drivers and the problems they face were mentioned several times. Keith Prince AM, Conservative transport spokesperson on the London Assembly has also written to the Mayor and his Conservative colleagues in Government on behalf of the trade.

A solution for LondonThe Mayor and TfL are perhaps starting to recognise they need to do more in response to our lobbying and the recent media attention. They recently began giving out PPE supplies to drivers and trying to better promote the trade, which is a start, even if it is long overdue. We are also meeting with the new Commissioner for TfL, Andy Byford this week and will be making the case for further support including financial assistance. We will also raise the need to put an end to traffic schemes which exclude taxis – holding him to his recent comments about the importance of the taxi trade and promises to rethink schemes having a negative impact, like the Euston Road cycle lane.

Elsewhere, we have been working to try and shine a light on the Government’s relentless crusade led by key advisers at ‘Number 10’ to promote ‘active travel’ at the expense of everything else, which is doing real damage to our city and undermining our recovery. This is important because we are constantly being told by Government that it’s a devolved matter and that City Hall and TfL are to blame for bringing London to a standstill, when we know Government advisers are calling the shots. It’s hard to lobby against someone hiding in the shadows, but with our help, the Mail on Sunday ran a story recently exposing the influence of unelected officials, now pulling the strings behind the scenes in relation to the Kensington High Street cycle lane.

I would normally end by wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year, but this year I’ll say ‘best of luck’ to everyone over the next few weeks and let’s hope that 2021 brings better times for the trade. n LTDA

@TheLTDAwww.ltda.co.uk

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Chairman | Richard Massett

The Massett file

“But even now, as we approach a Christmas like we have never known before, there is a promise of better things to come…”

City of London

Early in December, I attended a trade meeting called by the City of London to review what has been taking place on the City’s roads during the

COVID-19 outbreak, as well as the Beech Street scheme (which has nothing to do with the pandemic but was introduced around the time that we all went into lockdown in the Spring). It was also the opportunity to be briefed on the ‘next steps’ for Bank Junction.

Awaiting Judicial Review verdictThe trade’s biggest issue in the City is the Streetspace scheme in Bishopsgate and Gracechurch Street - but this of course, is a Transport for London scheme and as we go to press, we are eagerly awaiting the Judgement in the joint LTDA and UTAG Judicial Review that we launched in response.

Moorgate & Leadenhall StreetAs far as the COVID measures are concerned, the City has now removed a number of those which were introduced in late summer, and it remains to be seen what the decision will be on the remainder - although it is highly unlikely that the City’s streets will ever revert to the way they operated prior to the pandemic. At the meeting, the trade pointed to two of the difficulties that it has to deal with. The first, is travelling south from Moorgate, which is currently one-way southbound for buses, along with the second difficulty, that appears to be a totally unnecessary restriction on taxis travelling the length of Leadenhall Street.

Beech StreetThe effects of the Beech Street scheme seem to have gone largely unnoticed during the restrictions, however, the City had heard from some residents from the Barbican who complained that some taxi drivers were reluctant to take them to their homes believing that they could not enter Beech Street unless they were driving a Zero Emission Capable taxi. The fact is that drivers with non-compliant vehicles can enter Beech St. from either end to drop off passengers in the adjacent car parks or estate grounds. They should not set down within the tunnel, to ensure that the enforcement cameras are able to recognise their activities. Prior to implementation of the scheme, the City carried out monitoring of traffic conditions in the nearby area, which the LTDA was able to assist with, and we will be doing so again as soon as conditions allow in order to provide a comparison.

Bank on Safety…Bank Junction will come to the fore again in the early part of next year as the scheme moves onto its next phase. The current scheme,

known as Bank on Safety, was originally, the forerunner of an idea to pedestrianise Bank Junction. So, the next phase will involve closing some of the existing arms of the junction which is likely to mean some buses being re-routed or curtailed. Due to this, the City recognises that TfL’s support for the next part of the scheme may not be so forthcoming. As part of the on-going project, consideration has been given to changing the vehicle mix permitted through the remaining arms - although this now seems to have been largely ruled out. Taxis are another matter, and throughout the whole saga of Bank Junction, the full position of how taxis fit into

the mix has never been fully examined - but in answer to my question, the City re-confirmed its previously stated commitment to look at taxis as well the equality issues which the trade is very much involved in. Several options have been drawn up for the future road layout of the junction and although there is a favoured option, there are still a number of variations that could be applied, but it looks as if Queen Victoria Street and Threadneedle St will be largely traffic free. The City believes that the earliest construction could begin would be by around this time next year.

LTDA voice planning request…The LTDA will continue to work with the City to try to ensure the taxi trade and its passengers are treated fairly, and I have suggested that with all that has changed in the City over recent times, it may be that they should set up a project to determine how taxi services can best be provided within the modern day City of London.. n LTDA

Looking BackAs we come to the end of another year, my thirty-fifth of writing regular articles in TAXI, we look back on what for many of us has been by far the worst year of all that time. Thousands of cabs have come off the road and those drivers that have continued to work have had to eke out a living. But even now, as we approach a Christmas like we have never known before, there is a promise of better things to come. The vaccine is just around the corner and with that, the hope that things will begin to recover in a few months - so as always, we can look to the start of a new year.

My regular page may look a little different in the months to come and I look forward to meeting up with old mates in and out of the trade who hopefully will have smiles on their faces again.

Best wishes,

Richard MassettChairman LTDA

Chairman London Cab Ranks Committee

@TheLTDA www.ltda.co.uk

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8

Executive | Anthony Street

Streets ahead

Cab drivers take great pride in keeping their cabs clean and well-presented. We all know

how easy it can be to fail an inspection for a minor issue and in the past, under the Met, the slightest of infractions could lead to a fail. Drivers are currently taking extra precautions and cleaning in-between passengers to help protect people from Covid-19. At such a challenging time for drivers, we are doing everything we can to help keep them and their passengers safe, so two weeks ago, on the day lockdown two ended, we organised free Covid deep cleans for LTDA members at the Lancaster Gate rest rank.

LTDA & iPurusWe were approached by a company called iPurus Electrostatic cleaning - who were keen to support taxi drivers at this difficult time. They use a special TECcare solution, which provides lasting protection from COVID-19 and other viruses, which is specially designed to clean high-traffic, high-touch environments like a cab. We know that purpose built black cabs with the partition, plenty of space, easy to sanitise surfaces and contactless card payments are already ideally suited to keeping passengers as safe as possible during this pandemic, but we thought this was a great, extra-precaution drivers could take. We also know cabbies are always happy to go the extra mile to keep passengers safe and provide the best possible service, so it seemed like a good fit.

More than 220 cabs were cleaned, in just four hours, with drivers queuing up the street to get their cabs sprayed, which was great. It was also good timing with people taking the opportunity to get their cab ready, for what we hoped would finally be a busy weekend. iPurus will be offering the service regularly from now on, but there will normally be a small cost to drivers. Hopefully, if trade picks up it will be possible for more drivers to invest in this, but we are also encouraging TfL to make it available for free. They have made the investment to do this on the tube and buses, but as usual we are struggling

Street Kensington as an example. The LTDA responded to the traffic orders for the cycle lane, as soon as they were issued, raising concerns about taxi access to the kerb and the challenges for disabled passengers in particular. We then organised a meeting with the cabinet member responsible and the council officers to discuss this. We suggested a few ways the plans could have been adapted so it didn't cause havoc for taxi drivers and our passengers, like leaving regular gaps in the wands or using non-fixed ways to segregate the lane. Unfortunately, we were told this wasn’t possible, but they were willing to keep discussing it as the plans progressed. When the cycle lane had been in place for a while, we were hearing more and more about the problems it was creating from drivers and a residents’ groups contacted us to encourage our members who had been affected to fill in a survey. We also contacted Tony Devenish, the London Assembly Member and the cabinet member again to share the feedback we were getting from members. In the end, the Council had had so many complaints that they decided to remove the cycle lane and as far as we are concerned that was the right decision. n LTDA

Trade picking up?Drivers I have spoken to recently have said that over the last two weekends they have almost been earning as normal, with central London busy with shoppers and people making the most of the hospitality sector being open again. I just hope it carries on, although we all know January can be a tough month, even at the best of times. With trade picking up, we are still working hard to try and get London moving again and oppose the most damaging Streetspace schemes.

Finally, they are starting to listen…We've been speaking to all the London Boroughs since the Government funding for active travel was first announced to advise them on how to make schemes work for all road users and not to negatively impact the struggling taxi trade. More and more, they are finally starting to listen. We don't flat out oppose these schemes and see the need for some of them, but it’s about making sure they are practical and work for everyone. And, if they can't be made to work and are adding to traffic and pollution, its only right they are removed. Take High

Are TfL & London Boroughs Finally Beginning to Listen?

to convince them we should be treated the same as other parts of the transport network. A TfL rep did go to the rest rank, so who knows, maybe they will act on it.

TfL at last, offer some supportTo give them their due, last week TfL did start handing out 1.5 million free face masks and 30,000 bottles of hand sanitiser to drivers at car parks across London. They are also handing out stickers to go in cabs to show drivers are “Covid prepared” and they put out a video featuring an LTDA member showing steps drivers are taking to make cabs as safe as possible. I know many will consider this too little too late, and you would be right. However, for months, the LTDA has been feeding ideas into a Department for Transport working group with civil servants trying to design a way to distribute PPE to drivers across England. The DfT still haven’t come up with a way to do it, whilst TfL have got on with it and made it happen. The recent press coverage about the state of the trade we secured, made it pretty much impossible for TfL to ignore how hard we’ve been hit, and we know it helped force them to act. We will keep pushing them to do more.

“The recent press coverage about the state of the trade we secured, made it pretty much impossible for TfL to ignore how hard we’ve been hit, and we know it helped force them to act.”

LTDA LTDA

LTDA LTDA

@TheLTDA www.ltda.co.uk

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11

Executive | Paul Brennan

Signs of Hope for the New Year Ahead

Top rank

A s this is the last edition before Christmas, I would like to firstly take this opportunity

to wish you and your families a merry Christmas. I hope it’s the best it can be under the current circumstances!

This year will undoubtedly go down as one of, if not the worst ever, for our trade, but there are some signs to offer hope. Before the first lockdown, our work levels were on the up and at certain times after lockdown (before restrictions were reintroduced), it was clear our services were still very much required.

The battle to keep London movingOur big battle going forward, so our members can get back to work and do their jobs effectively, will be to fight the most damaging road closures and restrictions, that a privileged few are continuing to implement - regardless of whether they work or not. There is already a strong fightback against these, and I promise, I will do all I can to fight our corner. There is mounting evidence that some schemes are doing more harm than good. In Wandsworth, a recent report found air pollution levels increased when residential roads were closed as part of Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) schemes, and then fell, when Wandsworth Borough Council scrapped seven of them.

One in four councils have already ripped out or rethought these schemes including pop-up cycle lanes, LTNs and other road closures, following backlash from local residents. So, why do other councils like Hackney remain so incredibly stubborn, when it’s painfully obvious some of their schemes aren’t working? When they say things like, “we need to give these schemes time to bed in”, they are effectively recognising they aren’t working, just without saying as much, as using plain English would highlight that there is a problem. What ‘bed in’ seems to mean, is we have to live with the horrendous traffic and added pollution for some time to come, until (they hope), people will become so frustrated that they give up their cars and walk or cycle everywhere. But of course, we know that this isn’t practical or possible for many people, who may have no suitable alternative open to them.

That’s the other problem with the ‘let’s leave everything in absolute chaos’ approach, it results in hundreds of businesses and vulnerable people suffering. Many of these councillors, some who are probably career politicians with little life experience beyond that, don’t seem to be able to put themselves in someone else’s shoes and understand other points of view – not ideal qualities in an elected representative. It seems they can’t, don’t and probably won’t want to look beyond their self-interest and understand how the schemes they are implementing

or supporting, are damaging already hard-up businesses.

Any way the wind blowsIf supporters of these schemes won’t listen to residents and businesses’ concerns, perhaps they will do something when they realise the extra pollution some schemes are causing will negatively impact them too. If those who’ve closed off their road and pushed all the traffic onto the main roads think they will be better off, they are very much mistaken. We have a natural phenomenon here in the UK – it’s called wind – and it doesn’t recognise bollards, not even of the pretty planter variety, it blows across them with no regard whatsoever. After all, 75% of our pollution comes from mainland Europe. It blows past our borders with little trouble, so why they think it won’t do the same on

Essex Rd or Mare St, I don’t know. Ultimately, any scheme which adds to pollution and congestion overall isn’t working and won’t help anyone.

A better wayOne of the big differences between the most zealous cyclists and motorists, is cyclists seem to want to make life unbearable for motorists and drive them off the road, so they can cycle how and where they want. By contrast, as a motorist, I fully understand and agree that the 4% who travel by bike need to be looked after and given a safer option for their journey. However, that doesn’t mean giving up to 50% of the road space to them. You don’t have to be a maths genius to know that doesn’t add up.

Quietways are a much better option. I’d even give serious consideration to certain timed closures of some back roads, to make it even safer during peak times. But, in return, cyclists must accept that motor vehicles are a necessary and important part of the transport network, relied on by many individuals and businesses. They must also take accountability for their actions on the road and should be identifiable and have had some training.

Bonus roundWhilst professional drivers across London struggle to get where they are going and make ends meet, it seems those tasked with running this city are oblivious to our struggles and carrying on as normal. The Deputy Mayor for Transport, Heidi Alexander, is reportedly set to dish out the best part of £9 million in bonuses, at the behest of Mayor Khan, to certain TfL employees. This seems ironic, as let’s be frank, TfL have bungled just about everything they’ve touched, from our highways like Euston Rd and Regent Street to Crossrail, which if it opens by the new date (big if), will be four years late. Of course, recognising how inappropriate a big bonus is right now, the TfL employees won’t actually receive these, that is, not until June 2021, just in time to have a nice summer holiday. Let’s just hope cabbies can get back to work and start earning again soon so they can do the same. n LTDA

“In Wandsworth, a recent report found air pollution levels increased when residential roads were closed as part of Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) schemes, and then fell, when Wandsworth Borough Council scrapped seven of them.”

“One in four councils have already ripped out or rethought these schemes including pop-up cycle lanes, LTNs and other road closures, following backlash from local residents.”

@TheLTDAwww.ltda.co.uk

12

On point

A fter what’s felt like the longest year ever, 2020 is finally drawing to a close

and like most people, I won’t be sad to see it done with. It’s been a pretty brutal time for the cab trade, and I have heard some absolute horror stories from members who’ve been hit by the pandemic in so many different and frankly devastating ways. Many members have been faced with a triple whammy of receiving no financial support from the Government, having finance payments on their cabs piling up and not being able to earn enough to cover their costs, let alone support their families.

Roll with the punches & come back strongerThe cab trade has been part of London for hundreds of years and I know will continue to be, despite the challenges this year has brought - probably the worst year ever during peacetime. The trade is resilient and cab drivers roll with the punches and come back stronger. I have heard so many stories of drivers doing everything they can to make ends

Down but Not Out“I definitely don’t buy into this crazy idea that we will be ‘forever changed’ and not going more than 15 minutes from our homes for any reason. That’s not what this city is all about.”

Cabbie racks up ten PCNs…

In other news, I recently helped a driver, who racked up ten congestion charge PCNs. Like many people, he was unable to renew his plate in April when it expired and the NSL centres were shut. So, TfL extended it for six months. He then completely forgot about it and headed into central to try and find some work one day, forgetting it had now expired. As anyone in this situation should be aware, if you were given an

extension when the test centres closed last time and your plate is up again soon, you do have to get it done now and can’t have another extension. Whereas anyone whose plate is just about to expire and has not had an extension can get one. Apparently, they are doing it this way to prevent a huge backlog building up. When the driver came to me asking for help, I decided the best way to handle it was to appeal all ten tickets in one go for maximum impact, as it was obvious no one would get into this situation on purpose! I wrote a covering letter to TfL explaining what had happened and asking for leniency under the circumstances and the dire financial situation most drivers find themselves in. Thankfully, it worked, and the tickets were cancelled. If anyone else has had a problem like this, get in touch and

we can try and help.

Baker Street / Marylebone Rest RankWe’ve also had a few people having issues at the Baker Street / Marylebone rest rank, with tickets being issued for drivers staying longer than an hour. Do please call me if this happens. I have been speaking with TfL to complain about it, as they haven’t changed the signage or suspended the rank, so how are drivers supposed to know? I have heard on the grapevine that they may be looking at changing it to a working rank, but it’s early days so if you have any problems in the meantime let

me know and I can see what I can do. n LTDA

Executive S.O. | Lloyd Baldwin

meet – working hard to find fares, doing long hours and trying every trick in the book; finding other ways to put their cab to use like making deliveries; or even finding other work temporarily to keep themselves afloat. London cabbies are dedicated, hard-working and extremely proud of what they do and that has been shown throughout this crisis. We put a lot

into gaining the Knowledge and we work hard to ply our trade and earn a decent living. In many ways, that’s why it has been so devastating to see custom literally disappear before our eyes, with the Capital reduced to a ghost town.

Looking around London and seeing busy shops, streets and restaurants over the last two weekends was however pretty

encouraging. I know drivers will have been out trying to earn as much as possible while they've been able. I am not always one to be positive and upbeat, as readers might know, but I feel relatively confident that London can and will recover. I definitely don’t buy into this crazy idea that we will be ‘forever changed’ and not going more than 15 minutes from our homes for any reason. That’s not what this city is all about.

VaccineFollowing the first vaccine administered last week to a 90-year-old woman called Maggie and shortly after to an 81-year-old chap called William Shakespeare (no relation to the famous one - apparently, that’s just what everyone calls their kids in Warwickshire), there is also hope for an end to the damaging cycle of lockdowns and restrictions, which should help get people back into central London in decent numbers.

ChristmasI hope everyone gets the opportunity to put some of those struggles behind them, at least temporarily, and catch up with loved ones over Christmas and have some type of celebration - even if it is not quite what we are used to and hoped it would be.

@TheLTDA www.ltda.co.uk

13

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Senior Rep | Sam Houston

“We seem to be living through a time of elevated scepticism and cynicism about almost everything, but I’ll tell you one thing - when I’m offered a vaccine against Covid-19, I’ll be having it.”

M4 musings

Welcome to my Yuletide musings column. For this edition I’ll be

covering Heathrow, Uber and the long-awaited vaccine… but to open, let’s start with an unlikely redeemer…

Farage to the rescue?Good old Nigel; just when we thought Brexit was finished and he could retire and wait for his knighthood to show up, here he is riding to the rescue of motorists frustrated by LTNs and cycle lanes... oh yes, and pubs. Well I’m definitely with him on that one, the pubs have had an absolutely awful time of it this year.

I do find it interesting that he’s pledged to stand candidates against councillors advocating LTNs in next year’s local elections. Like him or not, Nigel is no mug when it comes to single-issue politics - the Brexit Party was instrumental in the result of the last General Election. I share his view that some of these policies are heavy handed, authoritarian and cynically opportunistic. Not to mention very unlikely to achieve the stated aim of prising people away from their cars.

With the right campaigning there could be significant push back from voters in some areas, and quite rightly so - councils have overstepped their authority and deserve to be punished at the ballot-box.

HeathrowI spoke to a contact at the airport last week and there’s still frustration at the lack of progress on testing protocols, plus the lack of progress generally. I have a bet with this person that Heathrow will be back to 50% of its average business by August. I think it might even be more - let’s hope.

The announcement of a planned ‘drop-off charge’ was interesting more for what it didn’t say than what it did. It’s not so long since they published their surface transport ‘master plan’ for the third runway which ran to several hundred pages, and not in a good way for the cab trade. Now,

suddenly here we are and it’s basically the same as what Stansted and Luton are already doing. As Heathrow’s only immediate hire licensed taxi service we will of course be hoping for an exemption.

Meanwhile, Grant Shapps made precisely nobody feel any better by glibly tweeting that ‘high value business travellers’ and ‘certain performing arts professionals’ among others would not be subject to quarantines, while the rest of us plebs languish at home with our unspent vouchers from cancelled flights... He even used the word ‘elite’ - do they have any idea how this sounds?

It’s an unbelievable failure to read the room that they announce a policy that might just be justifiable in economic terms but otherwise smacks of high cronyism in such a bizarre triumphalist fashion; as if we’ll all politely applaud their spirit of enterprise before doffing our caps and getting back to work...

Tories eh, whadya gonna do.

Uber discountsI’ve been told by a number of people that Uber have been offering passengers deep discounts over the last few weeks. It’s depressing

they’re just another large, low-paying, tax-avoiding minicab firm. The existential threat of being excluded from the roads is a far more serious concern.

Vaccinate meI’m hearing a lot from drivers and everyone else about ‘vaccine this’ and ‘vaccine that’. Keep in mind that Covid-19 has only been with us for less than a year, so for a vaccine to have already been approved for use in the UK is staggering. Soon there will be more. When you consider the sheer amount of resource that’s been thrown at the effort it’s not so surprising though. It’s a truism that crises (usually wars) are drivers of increased technological change and I think that’s what’s happened here. When pressed by circumstance, humans are capable of awesome collaboration.

We seem to be living through a time of elevated scepticism and cynicism about almost everything, but I’ll tell you one thing - if and when I’m offered a vaccine against Covid-19, I’ll be having it. People forget what vaccination has done for the human race: smallpox, measles, mumps, rubella, tuberculosis, leprosy and polio among many others are all terrible afflictions that have been eradicated or greatly reduced by vaccination, saving millions of people from horrific pain, suffering and death.

In many ways we’re spoiled, especially in more developed countries like the UK where entire generations have been and gone without being exposed to these diseases. You can think what you like about the seriousness of Covid-19 compared to Flu or any of the others but there’s no denying it’s brought the entire world economy screeching to a halt, and the only certain way out is vaccination. It won’t be mandatory, and contrary to what you might have seen on FaceTube, there won’t be a tiny chip in it either. What it will do is stop you and others from getting Covid, which will do just fine for me thanks.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone out there, let’s hope 2021 is an improvement on 2020! n LTDA

Yuletide M4 Musings

that this has likely influenced our demand but on the plus side maybe it explains some of the very bad days... Ultimately, they can discount all they want but that’s not a real business, that’s just operating at a loss to maintain market share.

It’s still not clear that Uber will ever be profitable; on its own terms I’m sure their London operation does OK and likewise in the US but that’s never going to be anything like enough to justify the level of investment, or their stock market valuation. It used to be that their hopes were pinned on driverless cars, but they’ve recently abandoned that to another firm.

The facts remain as they were when Uber started. There’s an overlapping market for taxis, private hire and public transport. By being artificially cheap, they’ve taken some business from us, some from public transport and a lot from previous private hire incumbents. But they haven’t reinvented the wheel, and there’s nothing to stop other players copying their business model, as we’re now seeing. They’ve squandered their first-mover advantage.

Most drivers I speak to now don’t see Uber as our biggest problem;

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@TheLTDAwww.ltda.co.uk

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Columnist | Steve Kenton

“Incidentally, I travelled on the Central Line a couple of weeks ago at around 3pm from Liverpool Street - it was packed to the rafters and filthier than a Ron Jeremy film.”

We Knew it Would All End in Tiers…

A man in black

As we move from lockdown into, er well, another lockdown, it is quite clear that the whole

situation has become damned ludicrous, however, miracles can and occasionally do occur. Now bring on the Scotch eggs and the magic needles…

It's all ended in tiersWell, we knew it would all end in tiers. At the time the new tier system was rolled out at one-minute past midnight on December 3rd, the various parameters unveiled had created a whole world of confusion. For instance, in tier two, pubs can open, providing that they are offering a substantial meal to supplement your sweet sherry. This, of course leaves ‘wet pubs’ or pubs which have no catering facilities at a distinct disadvantage and unable to open, in turn leaving everybody else within the hospitality chain (including the taxi industry) scratching their proverbial heads. But what constitutes a substantial meal?

The all-round good eggIt seems that the font of all knowledge, otherwise known as the Government, couldn't make up their minds. When asked as to whether the humble scotch egg constituted a substantial meal, the answer was a resounding no, primarily because there were no vegetables within the meal, however when Michael Gove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and all round good egg (oh come on, you would have used the same pun) was questioned regarding the unfertilised source of nutrition, his answer was a resounding yes as to whether it was a substantial meal... 45 minutes after claiming a couple of scotch eggs were nothing more than a starter. So, there you have it, unequivocal proof that a scotch egg is a substantial meal... in fact, chuck a bit of cheddar and a tomato next to it and you have a variation on a ‘ploughpersons’

(I'm down with the kids here), lunch. Now that this has been settled, open all of the damned pubs so that publicans, breweries and we taxi drivers can start to make a living again.

Hard times but a brighter futureThere is no doubt that we have had a hard time of it, with many leaving the trade to pursue other ventures in a bid to survive, but despite this I believe that we may have a slightly brighter future than our immediate past, although this doesn't mean that I'm going ‘happy-clappy’ on your arses. It seems that TfL have recognised that those who drive taxis are at risk of Covid-19 due to dealing with the public (albeit eight months late), and decided to issue the industry with various products to protect both ourselves and our customers - so this is no longer coming out of our own pocket. It does need to be recognised that the licensed London taxi industry should be considered as the safest form of

public transport due to the ability to sanitise between journeys and of course the driver be separated off from the passenger via the screen AND the ability to (in the main) socially distance in the vehicle (Advertising Standards Association, get knotted). Incidentally, I travelled on the Central Line a couple of weeks ago at around 3pm from Liverpool Street, it was packed to the rafters and filthier than a Ron Jeremy film.

Bring on the fishy extravaganza?We are now entering the season of good cheer, where families will be allowed to mix, potentially spreading more disease than Typhoid Mary and fighting like ninja warriors over who is having the turkey breast, in theory, due to the actions taken by various drinking establishments, (why are families not encouraged to eat in their local pub, a fair question I believe) in theory this means we should be that little bit busier on the run-up to the

next lockdown in the new year. Now, when we reach January, traditionally our ‘kipper-season’, maybe we may not even notice that we have actually entered into the aforementioned fishy extravaganza?

The demise of the cycle lane (hopefully)We are also seeing the removal of some of the much-hated (by anybody with a fully-functioning brain) cycle lanes - much to the chagrin of some of the overly-zealous and highly powerful cycling lobby (anything which hacks off one particular lobbyist who describes those within the taxi industry as ‘declaring a war on children’ is fine by me). We are also seeing residents as well as businesses, fighting back against some of the insane Low Traffic Neighbourhood schemes.

‘Drop it’, conspiracy theorists…Thankfully, due to the emergence of a vaccine (drop it conspiracy theorists) we may actually have a moderately OK 2021 after all. If the vaccine doesn't give us two heads or cause us to see the face of Michael Gove in a sliced open scotch egg, I truly believe that we may see a bit of a bounce back within our industry with the aid of this vaccine. This of course is all subject to the Government showing some much-needed consistency and a little recognition that the precautions being taken right now are arguably doing more damage than they are preventing harm.

The Night the Reindeer DiedWhatever your faith or belief, have a lovely festive season, try not to kill the relatives with a turkey bone and please, for the love of god come back to work in the new year, because I cannot bear the thought of certain individuals crowing at our demise. Anyway, I'm off to watch Scrooged, a film made in my own image and one featuring the best film that was never made, The Night the Reindeer Died, with the incomparable Lee Majors of The Six Million Dollar Man... Bah Humbug! n TAXI

@TheLTDA www.ltda.co.uk

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@TheLTDAwww.ltda.co.uk

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Columnist | Robert Lordan

Learn Rob’s Christmas runs to increase your tips!

London Christmas Runs

What route would you take from Poultry to Selfridges, which is of course famous for its Christmas window displays? This is a spectacle which dates back to 1909 when the store’s American founder, Harry Selfridge decided to illuminate the windows to showcase his Christmas wares to the public.

Released in 1987, the Pogues’ Fairytale of New York is now one of the most popular Christmas songs despite it needing to some of its lyrics changing of late. The record co-stars Kirsty MacColl, who was born in Croydon in 1959. Tragically, Kirsty was killed on the 18th December 2000 after being struck by a speedboat whilst holidaying in Mexico. A bench in Soho Square is dedicated to her memory; the location being a reference to her 1993 song, Soho Square. A plaque on the seat contains a lyric from the song; “One day I’ll be Waiting There, No Empty Bench in Soho Square.”

How would you get from Soho Square to Wimbledon College of Arts? In the late 1940s and early ‘50s, this is where a local lad named Raymond Briggs studied painting- he would later go on to create The Snowman; one of the season’s most beloved characters.

Another very famous Christmas tale is of course Charles Dickens’ 1843 masterpiece, A Christmas

Next let’s head to Stratford Broadway which, between 1870 and 1954, was home to JR Roberts department store. In the Christmas of 1888, JR Roberts decided to open a Christmas grotto; the first UK business to do so.

Carol. Along with his cold, cramped little office off of Cornhill, Ebenezer Scrooge would have also spent plenty of time conducting business at the Royal Exchange. As such, this is one of the places where the final- and most terrifying- spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come drags him, forcing Scrooge to overhear a conversation in which his acquaintances blithely talk about his “very cheap funeral” which they are certain nobody will attend…

Scrooge’s poorly paid clerk, Bob Cratchitt lives in Camden Town, so run it from the Royal Exchange to Bayham Street where, as a youngster, Dickens himself lived for a time, and was most likely the reason why he placed Bob’s family in the area.

Sticking with Camden and ‘A Christmas Carol’, one of the most beloved- and surprisingly accurate- interpretations of the tale is 1992’s The Muppet Christmas Carol which stars legendary Londoner, Sir Michael Caine as Scrooge. Many of the colourful muppets which feature in the film were lovingly made in Camden; at a factory on Oval Road. The workshop is now an apartment block named ‘The Henson’ in honour of the muppets’ late creator, Jim Henson.

How would you get from The Henson to Trafalgar Square, where London displays its most famous Christmas tree? Each tree is usually around 50-60 years old and has been gifted by Norway since 1947 in thanks for Britain’s support in WWII

Be lucky everyone!

Merry Christmas and please stay well. . n TAXI

W hilst on the Knowledge I became fascinated by the hidden

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

Although it goes without saying that Christmas 2020 is going to be pretty different, here are six festive runs to get you into the Yuletide spirit.

Let’s start at the Albert Memorial, dedicated to Queen Victoria’s beloved husband.

As well as being said to have had some input in the introduction of a Knowledge test for London’s cabbies, Albert is also credited with popularising the placement of Christmas trees in the family home - a tradition he brought from his native Germany.

Rob’s history tips

Run it from the Albert Memorial to Goswell Road where, in the 1840s, a fellow named Tom Smith opened a confectionary shop. Shortly after establishing his business, Tom visited Paris where he discovered ‘bon-bons’ - the little French sweets packed in twisted wrappers. This gave Tom a brainwave: instead of sweets, he decided to stash jokes and novelty items inside a similar wrapper- plus something to make them go bang- and hence the Christmas cracker was born! Tom died in 1869, but his sons continued the successful business, moving operations to 65-69 Wilson Street.

What route would you take from Stratford Broadway to Harrods, which didn’t unveil its own grotto until 1908?

Look up at The Ned Hotel on Poultry, and you’ll see a statue of a boy hugging a goose. This is a tribute to ‘Old Tom of Leadenhall’; a real goose who, in the 19th century, was spared the chop at Leadenhall Market one Christmas after making a brave dash for freedom. Tom ended up living in the market, being fed and cared for by the market traders. He lived until the ripe old age of 37 - not bad for a gander!

@TheLTDA www.ltda.co.uk

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“It might yet feel like a normal Christmas. People want to get moving again. Many are edging back into London now, to see the lights and do their Christmas shopping…”

On the road

Another year nearly over, and in this period of reflection I think we can all agree that it’s been a

challenging year.

Christmas pastNo sooner than last Christmas ended, and we were getting over the kipper season, things took another dip in late-February. Anxiety turned to panic when lockdown came on March 23rd. Most, but not all drivers, got some money coming in from the government, but even reimbursement of 80% of income doesn’t pay for 100% of bills. There was little work around, and the cab trade was temporarily dead. Drivers took sides as to whether it was right to work or not. There was a time when drivers turned on their colleagues as if they were breaking a strike! Everybody connected to the trade was affected: not just drivers, but radio circuit staff, cab manufacturers, mechanics; and the garage owners who saw their rental cabs returned to spend months sitting in car parks. The licensing centres were closed, and new applicants were prevented from progressing in their studies when the Knowledge schools and Knowledge department were closed. Just as things started to creak back towards some kind of normality, a new lockdown was announced on Halloween. Scary.

Christmas presentTraffic will probably be lighter this year, but it won’t feel like it with all the road closures and

restrictions. It might feel like a normal Christmas. Many people want to get moving again. Some are coming into London to see the lights and

do their Christmas shopping. Many folks who stayed at home in November clearly have money burning a hole in their pockets. As with any other year, it’ll be a time for over-eating, over-drinking, and over-spending. I expect the customary shopping mania to continue up until Christmas eve, and for normal commercial activity to begin to build back. God willing, some people will be treating themselves to a cab back to the train stations!

Cab drivers can enjoy the spectacle of the Christmas lights while they work, but I never enjoyed working in December. Everyone’s in a hurry. Once-a-year ‘Woolly-backs’ from out of town count out every 20p piece in their hand, suspicious of everyone in London - especially the Cockney wide boy they ‘just know’ is going to fleece them by purposely getting caught in traffic so as to subsidise their Christmas box. Regular riders know the score. At this time of year, all the year’s road closures, and madcap re-modelling projects come into sharp focus as we sit and stew behind the buses. The meter is moving, but our wheels aren’t. All we can do is apologise to our customers for the delays and the inflated fares.

Hopefully, drivers won’t pick up too many drunks over the festive period. It’s difficult because many of them look respectable, and they don’t just operate in the hours of darkness. In my early days, I’d usually pick

up at least one party of boozed-up office workers off to annoy families attending the Winter Wonderland, but as someone who operated on ‘paranoid setting’ throughout the year, I managed to avoid most of them!

Christmas futureIt’ll be another interesting year for sure. If things open up further in January, drivers will be in the unique situation of actually looking forward to the kipper season! I suspect things will be quiet but compared with the past eleven months it could feel busy! The New Year will be a time in which to re-build our businesses. In recent years we could look forward to two or three months of poor trade. I expect next year will be similar, however I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, even though it causes anxiety if I’m intending to work the following day and there’s snow on the ground. Drivers will be energised by a few days off at Christmas and New Year and we’ll start to come out of

the dark tunnel of winter. The longer days will bring more light. We can look forward to some spring warmth, and hopefully a bit more business as London begins to bounce back as the vaccine begins to take effect. Hopefully this will see a resurgence of the airport and tourist trade, especially.

The London taxi fleet has shrunk alarmingly - down from around 23,000 cabs before Covid, to less than 15,000. Working drivers will enjoy some short-term gain with fewer drivers competing for jobs, but in the long-term, the workforce needs to be built up. Fewer drivers means less power. There will be fewer drivers taking part in consultations and negotiations, and our competitors could exploit a weakened trade. The private hire trade is weakened too, but applicants for PH licences don’t need to study for three years to get licensed. Knowledge boys might get through quicker now, but the trade will take time to strengthen again.

Hopefully next year we’ll be rid of any lockdowns. The economy can’t take any more punishment. Businesses need to be allowed to function and people want to enjoy themselves again. If life is allowed to get back to normal next year, with the aid of the vaccine, confidence will build up quickly. Most of us have had our lives disrupted, and we’re in recovery. At least most of us cab drivers have a job to go back to. And all we want for next Christmas, is to be back to normal.

It’s been emotional. n TAXI

Columnist | Chris Ackrill

Christmas Past, Present & Future

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@TheLTDA www.ltda.co.uk

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Column | Cab You Drive

“Vehicle numbers are down to only 14,723 and the only positive is that they have stopped falling and that the trade can now claim to have over 25% of the fleet as ZEC/Electric.”

A Loss in Excess of 1900 of London’s Finest

Well, that was the year that was! My final article of 2020 which has to have been the worst year, ever, for the London taxi trade. We started

with 23,286 cabbies and end it with only 21,370. A loss of over 1900 of London’s finest, and that’s not counting the drivers that have left the trade permanently but have not surrendered their bill’s - just put it in a cupboard somewhere never to see daylight again and never to be renewed.

Vehicle numbers are down to only 14,723 and the only positive is that they have stopped falling and that the trade can now claim to have over 25% of the fleet as ZEC/Electric. The truth is that before the pandemic, many in the trade were anticipating an all ZEC/electric fleet by sometime in 2024/5, at the current rate of sales, just 34 new cabs in November, we may never get there, it’s that bad.

A quick call around the traders and dealers confirms what I have been predicting all year, that older cabs are worth around £2000 per year of plate, dropping to £1000 for some models where

Word on the street

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LEVC 192 139 188 156 181 121 231 211 243 136 132 117 148 11 6 36 36 25 169 70 25

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TX4 1 2 1 2

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2021 has to be better, and I wish all of you the very best for the year ahead. n TAXI

@TheLTDA www.ltda.co.uk

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Christmas on a Budget

Money matters

The past 12 months have undoubtedly been a tough time for everyone, with many people having

to survive on a reduced income. But the pandemic doesn’t mean Christmas 2020 has to be cancelled – there are plenty of ways to enjoy the festive season on a budget.

Limit what you spendThere’s no point in overspending during the Christmas period. Work out how much you can spend on Christmas – including presents, food, and travel – and stick to your limit. With coronavirus restrictions effectively putting a stop to get-togethers in the pub and Christmas parties, you might find your money goes further than you think. You won’t be alone in reducing what you spend. According to Compare the Market, 38% of families with children plan to spend less this Christmas than in previous years.

Shop in the salesIt’s been carnage on the high street the past few months, with a number of well-known brands going into administration. But that doesn’t mean shops have necessarily shut. In the case of Arcadia (which owns TopShop, Burtons, Dorothy Perkins, etc) and Debenhams, shops are holding sales before Christmas to move surplus stock. To be on the safe side, only buy things from these retailers in person (not online) and don’t buy gift vouchers – these are often not

accepted when a retailer falls into administration, even if stores remain open.

Buy Christmas dinner on the cheapYou can make Christmas dinner for a few pounds a head, if you shop in the right places. You don’t necessarily have to buy all the ingredients separately, or go to the supermarket, to get the best deal. Some supermarkets sell “Christmas dinner boxes” with everything you need to cook a meal at home.

The Asda Christmas Dinner Bundle can be bought from Asda stores nationwide and online. The frozen bundle includes a bacon-topped turkey joint with pork, sage and onion stuffing and crispy roast potatoes. There are also parsnips, shredded mixed cabbage, and pork sage and onion stuffing balls. It costs £14.90 and Asda claims it will feed eight people.

If you want to step it up a notch and don’t want to cook from frozen, Morrisons is selling a Christmas dinner for two for £18.36. It includes a British Turkey Breast joint, peeled potatoes, pigs in blankets, vegetables, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce. The festive box also includes a starter and

Columnist | Emma Lunn

dessert, two mince pies, two Christmas crackers, and wine.

Set up a Secret SantaBuying presents for all your friends and family can really add up – doing Secret Santa instead can mean not accumulating too much festive debt.

For the uninitiated, Secret Santa involves putting names into a hat and each person pulling one name out. Whoever you pick from the hat is who

you buy a gift for, but nobody else. There's usually a set budget

for gifts, and it tends to remain

anonymous. You could do Secret

Santa among adult family

members, groups of friends, or workmates.

Start planning for next yearThe best way to afford the Christmas you want is to save for it all year. There are several ways you can do this – simply transferring a set amount into a savings account each month and not touching it until Christmas is one way.

Several banks including Monzo, Starling, Halifax and Lloyds, offer a “save the change” or “rounding up” option when you spend on your debit card. Purchases are rounded up to the nearest pound and the difference transferred to a savings pot. If you do this all year you could find that, come December, you have enough money for Christmas. n TAXI

TAXI’s Emma provides some handy hints for festive seasonal savings…

@TheLTDAwww.ltda.co.uk

24

Columnist | Al Fresco

“Let’s get this right, whilst all things trade related in the last year have been just about the worst in living memory, we’ve always come out the other side no matter what..."

The Tardigrade, a New Cabbie Mascot?

The tardigrade, my new hero - the taxi driver of the animal kingdom. Perhaps, not so much

the looks, the height or even the sacrosanct, ‘Knowledge’ but even so, tardigrades have exactly the same resilient nature as their human counterparts having battled to survive over the best part of 500 million years…

The tardigrades of our timeSince Parliament licensed London’s Hackney Carriages in May 1694, the cab trade has fought a constant battle for survival over its 300-year existence, fighting tooth and nail to stay in business. Let’s get this right, whilst all things trade related in the last year have been just about the worst in living memory, we’ve always come out the other side no matter what’s been thrown at us…

In the 1920s and 30s, Parliament issued a raft of laws in favour of buses, banning taxis from a variety of driving procedures, e.g. U turns in Regent Street, plying for hire in Piccadilly… Two world wars then decimated the cab trade. We’ve since come through the financial crashes of ’87 and ’08; survived the advent of minicabs; operated in the capital through smog, civil unrest, coronations, state weddings & funerals, marathons, strikes, bombings; and now a pandemic. We are the tardigrades of our time! Okay, so enough with tardigrades already. Do I know one? Do you know one? Have we met one? In fact, who, or what is a tardigrade? Prepare to be educated… but first, have you been to any children’s parties recently?

Favourite pet insect…I received an invite (from my late wife’s second husband. I was her third) to attend

Abigail’s tenth birthday ‘zoom’ party. The party was for kids of a similar age as Abi and consisted mainly of girls. They seemed to enjoy playing quizzes of one sort or another… such as, what is your favourite pop star, breakfast, flower, pudding, TV programme, serial killer, atomic number and pet insect? The pet insect question was the most popular. Tarantulas rated highly, followed by stick insects, Madagascan hissing cockroaches, giant African land snails, praying mantis’s and one pick of ‘tardigrade.’ After Tabatha, the young person in question who mentioned the tardigrade had spoken, the suggestion fell by the wayside as the screen filled with pics of many hairy legs (spiders not little girls, I hasten to add), slithery molluscs, twigs - with back to front legs, and shiny, crunchy, nuclear war surviving beetles, whose

main claim to fame is their ability to huff and puff and go into

hissy fits if they get disturbed climbing in and out of their ‘rotting log’ habitation. Tardigrades, a.k.a. water bears or moss piglets, however, can only be

identified through electro-microscopes, which makes

hand rearing difficult. Your average ‘tardy’

is over 500 million years old – that’s a whole stack of

birthday candles… it means that the species pre-dates TfL by some time.

Cabbie chronicles

They are described as being strangely cute, with scrunched up heads, tiny legs and hands with four to eight claws on each. Like taxi drivers, they are considered by scientists to be almost indestructible. They are capable of surviving in outer space, despite the largest ‘tardy’ coming in no bigger than 0.04 inches.

What makes me think that they would make such a great cabbie mascot, is because they have so many taxi-driver attributes. Enlarged in a photograph, they look like the hookah-smoking caterpillar from ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ and they can live just about anywhere, (including probably the back of a cab in the feeder park), but they prefer to live in sediment at the bottom of a lake, damp moss and gutters and can withstand environments as cold as minus 328 degrees Fahrenheit or highs of more than 300 degrees - bring on the ‘global warming’ without cab air conditioning…

Just add waterLike cab drivers, tardigrades are resilient and adaptable, capable of surviving radiation, boiling liquids, pressures of six times the deepest part of the ocean and even the vacuum of space – without any protection. In many conditions, they can survive an almost death-like state - curling into a dehydrated ball by retracting their head and legs. By adding water, ‘tardy’s’ can come

back to life in just a few hours. In an unsubstantiated 1948 report it was claimed that a tardy had been revived after being in its dehydrated state for over 120 years. A more recent scientific study, published in July 2017, reported, “To our surprise, we found that although nearby supernovas or large asteroid impacts would be catastrophic for people, tardigrades could be unaffected.” Unsurprisingly, tardigrades are not on any endangered list and have survived ‘five mass extinctions’ during their half a billion years.

Taxi driving extremophilesChecking though my notes on the little creatures, I came across a rather gruesome fact. Despite surviving in the most hostile of environments – with their sharp little claws and needle-like teeth, curling up into balls and hiding at the bottom of ponds, what would really give them a bad time, is us! If, perchance, you ate one, they could not survive the trip through your digestive system. Your stomach acid would disintegrate the flesh of the tardigrade without any trouble. So, as long as we decide not to have all the ‘tardy’s’ for lunch, I’m rooting for the tardigrade to be the 2021 Mascot of the London Taxi Trade. Like us, they’re survivors.

So, be lucky all you extremophiles, and I wish you a far more prosperous 2021! n TAXI

@TheLTDA www.ltda.co.uk

25

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

What does it mean to be a professional in 2020? When does an occupation or a job become professionalised? What makes those with ‘The Knowledge’ different from other “… suppliers of transportation services…?”

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

Some of the key ingredients of ‘professionalism’ involve:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You are professionals. We know it.

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

‘The Professionals’

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

@TheLTDAwww.ltda.co.uk

26

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27

Brain twister |

Puzzlerpage

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.

All puzzles © Puzzler Media Ltd - www.puzzler.com

All answers to puzzler on p30

So you know every street and every run between two points in London? Let’s now see how your knowledge stands up to these brain twisters...

Crossword

7 67 9 1 8 5

6 94 2 5 1 8

3 4 1 72 8 7

3 1 59 3 2

1 2 3 4 5 6

7

8 9

10 11 12

13

14 15

16

17 18 19

20

21 22 23

24

ACROSS 1 State of being askew (12) 8 Trunk of a statue or body (5) 9 Gossip, rumour (7) 10 Cow’sfoot(4) 11 Remove soap from using clean water (5,3) 14 Claim as a right (6) 15 Pencil‑mark remover (6) 17 Outcomes of trials (8) 18 Debauchedparty(4) 21 Get rid (of) (7) 23 Extremely angry (5) 24 Not limited (12)

DOWN 1 Door fastener (5) 2 Actor (9) 3 Deviceforpressingclothes(4) 4 Pertaining to race (6) 5 Animal boat in the Bible (5,3) 6 Call for emergency rescue (inits)(3) 7 Pearl‑producingshellfish(6) 12 Having a keen eye (9) 13 Remedy that neutralises a poison (8) 14 Break into parts (6) 16 Road (6) 19 Give way or surrender (5) 20 ___Hadid,supermodel(4) 22 Bright object in the sky (3)

Set square

Place each of the digits 1 to 9 in the grid to make the sums work. We’ve started you with two numbers.

LetterboxComplete the grid so that four words read across and a different four words read downwards using only the letters in the given word.

REPTILES

I PI LS T

A N

PEDESTAL

Complete the grid so that four words read across and adi�erent four words read downwards using only the lettersin the given word.

JX

E SE

E P

A

@TheLTDAwww.ltda.co.uk

28

@TheLTDAwww.ltda.co.uk

28

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@TheLTDA www.ltda.co.uk

29

W ith all the usual Taxi Charity events, including the visits to

Normandy, The Netherlands and Worthing having to be cancelled, it has been a very difficult year for veterans not being able to join together to socialise and mark important anniversaries like D Day, VE Day and VJ day.

Spreading some Christmas cheer…For the last ten years the veterans would normally gather from all over the south east at Christmas for a huge party. Last year, there were 280 guests at the Millwall football ground but this year, the much-loved party cannot happen. Instead, the Taxi Charity has been busy preparing handmade Christmas stockings containing chocolates, sweets, mints, biscuits, and brandy to spread a little Christmas cheer.

Thanks LynnThe Charity is wholly reliant on generous donations and Lynn, the Community Champion at Tesco Extra, Cheshunt has helped make the Christmas stockings “extra” special with a donation of armfuls of chocolates, sweets, and mints. For those veterans living in the south east, whenever possible volunteer cabbies will deliver the stockings just before Christmas and spend a little time having a socially distanced doorstep chat.

Thanks TescoDick Goodwin, Vice President, Taxi Charity, said, “Tesco have once again been fantastic in supporting our efforts to spread a little festive cheer to the veterans and we hope that when we are able to get together again, Lynn

After a year like no other, the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans will be delivering a little festive cheer to veterans who have missed out on so much during the Pandemic…

Exclusive | Taxi Charity

Virtual Bucket Collection to raise funds for the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans

Our wonderful veterans have not been able to collect for us since March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Their empty buckets have resulted in a drastic reduction in much-needed donations. Please help us to continue our work by making a donation.

Christmas Stocking Deliveries & Festive Thanks!

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/TaxiCharity-VirtualBucketCollection

will be able to join us and meet some of our veterans from this very special generation.”

Thanks Louis Academy, CabourgAs well as Christmas cards from the Taxi Charity, the veterans also receive cards from families in The Netherlands and from school children who attend the St Louis Academy, Cabourg, Normandy. The hundreds of cards are collected by volunteers on the continent who forward them to the charity for onward distribution to veterans.

Thanks to the Christmas Day volunteersLoneliness and isolation increase during the winter for the elderly and the effects of the pandemic has made this even worse, so for any veterans who are on their own on Christmas Day, the charity will arrange for one of the volunteers to give them a call. Len Sheppard, 92, post war RAF veteran and ex cab driver said, “The Taxi Charity has been so good to us this year. It is so lovely to open the post and receive things like the newsletters, or cards and booklets commemorating D Day, VE Day and VJ Day, as well as other important dates likes Easter and St Georges Day. It makes such a huge difference to receive this regular contact from the charity and to know that there is always someone at the end of the phone if you needed help or just a natter.”

Thanks to all the volunteer cabbiesDick Goodwin, continued, “The Taxi Charity would like say a huge thank you to all the drivers who give up so their time to support us throughout the year and we would like to wish all the readers of TAXI a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.” n TAXI

About the Taxi Charity

The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans was formed in Fulham in 1948, to work for the benefit, comfort and enjoyment of military veterans and arranges many trips every year for veterans from all conflicts. The charity offers international trips to The Netherlands, Belgium and France; UK day trips to concerts and museums; transport to attend fundraising events; as well as special days out to catch up with friends and comrades. To fund and facilitate these outings, the charity is wholly reliant on generous donations from members of the public, businesses, trusts and of course the amazing group of London licensed taxi drivers who offer their time and vehicles free. To find out more, visit: www.taxicharity.org

@TheLTDAwww.ltda.co.uk

30

u A1 Taxis, Melody Lane, Highbury, N5u Abacus Accounts, Southbrook Road,

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, Thomas Road, E14u 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, Great Suffolk Street, SE1u 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

instead of putting them away after last year’s celebrations. The plan was to buy new ones and do a festive freshen up when it ‘twas the season to be merry’ and all that… lockdown 2.0 put paid to that plan.

Crafty Meg to save Christmas?Happily, I have enough time on my hands to save Christmas here at Meg Towers by making my own decorations. I am not built for crafting because I have no skills and no patience. I couldn’t even handle binka sewing in school and bribed my classmate Moira with flying saucer sherbet sweets to finish my cushion cover project for me. It was worth it because my cover made my mother cry. Now I think about it, she might have cried because it was so rubbish. I should have been more careful about choosing who got my bribe.

Columnist | Musher Meg

A Crafty, Bloody Christmas

A woman of words

T his is the time of year when my ding should be donging. I ought to be mad busy, ferrying fares

along Oxford Street loaded up with their Christmas gift boxes and bags. As well as pressies, they’d have been making shop tills (and my meter) ring - buying up home decorations and even Christmas trees. I remember the year I had to help dismantle a sixteen-foot tree on Regent Street, just to fit it in the back (good job it was a fake one, or else the fella would have needed a flat back truck and an axe rather than a taxi).

Christmas 2020 is going to be hugely different, especially here at Meg Towers because I binned all my ‘well past it’ decorations

Moira had 2 crooked thumbs and milk bottle glasses.

Dirty workFirst on my make it myself list was a dried flower Christmas wreath. It was dirty work with the moss, wheat, leaves and the flowers. I looked like I’d been down a mine when I was done. It turned out great. So good that I hung it on the front door immediately it was finished. Mr Meg is not an observant man when it comes to what’s going on with the décor of our home. I could pin a turkey to the front door over the Christmas period and he wouldn’t notice. And sure enough, the man has not yet commented on my labour of love wreath. Fifteen days now and still counting….

Bloody workNext, I made a nativity scene using a

method called felting. I blame Kirsty Allsop for screeching about this and making it a ‘thing’. Basically, it involves rolling and stabbing fluffy lumps of wool. My figures scream ‘have a psycho Christmas’. They are horribly misshapen and covered in my blood because I stabbed myself so many times in the making. And somehow, my baby for the crib has turned out bigger than the cow in the manger…

I wish all you lovely readers a 2020 Christmas that is good as it can possibly be, and a healthy 2021. Mwah! Xx n TAXI

30 TAXI |||| www.ltda.co.uk |||| @TheLTDA30 June 2020

◆ A1 Taxis, Melody Lane, Highbury, N5◆ Abacus Accounts, Southbrook Road,

Lee, SE12◆ Astral Café, Regency Place, SW1◆ Bubbles Car Wash, E2◆ C & S Taxis, Dunbridge Street, E2◆ Cabsurance, Seven Kings◆ Camber� eld Taxi Services◆ Computer Cab, Mitre Way, W12◆ Coney Allen, Dunbridge Street, E1◆ CP Beehive Service Station,

Beehive Lane, Gants Hill◆ Cricklewood Carriers, Cricklewood◆ Dial A Cab, City Road, N1◆ Edgware Station Rank◆ Euston Station Rank◆ G & L Taxis, Crayford Road, N7◆ Globe Transmissions,

Cudworth Street, E1◆ The Ham, Brentford◆ Heathrow Airport Canteen◆ Hexagon Garage, Lukin Street, E1◆ Jet Garage, Clipstone Street, W1◆ Knowledge Centre, Caledonian Road◆ KPM, Hemming Street, E1◆ London City Airport Canteen◆ LP Motors, Dunbridge Street, E2◆ Martin Cordell, E3 and Stanmore◆ Paddington Station Rank◆ Putney Bridge Taxis, The Arches,

Putney Bridge Station, SW6◆ Richmond Road Taxi Centre, E8◆ Safewise Supermarket, Harrow◆ South Bank Service Station,

Great Su� olk Street, SE1◆ TAXI HOUSE, W9◆ Taxi & Private Hire, Blackfriars Rd, SE1◆ Temple Place Shelter◆ Turbo Accessories, Three Colts Lane, E2◆ Ubiquitous Ltd, E1◆ Waterloo Station◆ Wimbledon Station Rank◆ WizAnn Knowledge School,

Watts Grove, E3

A selection of our numerous Distribution PointsLTDA

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

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ELECTRIC DREAMS

Lockdown blues seem to be getting to everyone and since my last column I have had lots of drivers

asking, via the editor, how I managed to secure the work, and now school runs that I have.

Adversity to RoutinePre Covid, the one thing that I never wanted was a regular job, I know some cabbies have always strived to get regular jobs and pre book airport rides etc, but for my style of irregular hours and days it never appealed. The attraction to me of cabbing was being able to come and go as I pleased, switch my hours about and have the odd lay-in on a workday.

How times have changed - and so have I. When it fi rst happened, I had a simple fl yer drawn up, with a picture of my TXE and a few bullet points, fi xed fares, safe travel, air conditioned, fully partitioned, sanitised after every trip etc. I then started putting them through doors

JOE THE TXE

“I would suggest, printing a � yer and going door to door has to be worth a punt? Sitting in front of daytime TV and worrying won’t solve it.”

NEW NORMAL LOOKING MORE LOCAL FOR JOE

within a few streets. I then had the fl yer done professionally and 5000 printed for less than £200 and I ventured further and further afi eld advertising across my little bit of suburbia. The fi rst two bites were two regular City and return jobs, one of which I still do, and then I started getting doctor, hospital and supermarket runs and eventually a contract with my local medical centre.

Popping Home for LunchI have single handed almost put the local

minicab offi ce out of business, to the point where they asked me to work for them fulfi lling small business contracts. By the time they asked, I didn’t need them - a few weeks earlier and I might have had a dilemma on my hands!

Customers love the cab, everyone appreciates the clean credentials and comments on how I am always jumping out, cleaning the cab and helping with fetching and carrying, with gloves, hand gel and a mask. Moneywise, I am now earning almost what I was in

town, I am doing more hours but its all local and I am popping home for lunch between jobs, charging the cab and spending a lot of time hanging around waiting. It never rains but it pours is the saying and whilst some afternoons I have nothing, other days I have 4 jobs at the same time and I now have two local TXE owning cabbies helping me cover these occasions.

Three Roads to SuccessI put this small success down to three things: my idea and efforts to try and source local work, my TXE and accepting lower fares (but more of them), all paid on my contactless reader.

It does not look like London will return to anything like normal for a long time, I would suggest, depending on where you live, that printing the fl yer and going door to door has to be worth a punt? Sitting in front of daytime TV and worrying won’t solve it. If nothing else, the hours of walking I put in on my leafl et campaign got me a bit fi tter, has to be worth a try? ◆

PUZZLER ANSWERS

Crossword

L O P S I D E D N E S SA E R T O O OT O R S O H E A R S A YC F N N H SH O O F R I N S E O U T

R A C A B ED E M A N D E R A S E RI E T S K EV E R D I C T S O R G YI D R G V ID I S P O S E I R A T EE U T E G N L

U N R E S T R I C T E D

“Mr Meg is not an observant man when it comes to what’s going on with the décor of our home. I could pin a turkey to the front door over the Christmas period and he wouldn’t notice…”

8 6 2 1 9 3 4 5 73 4 5 7 6 2 8 1 97 9 1 4 8 5 3 2 61 3 7 6 2 8 9 4 54 2 6 5 7 9 1 8 39 5 8 3 4 1 6 7 22 8 4 9 5 6 7 3 16 7 3 2 1 4 5 9 85 1 9 8 3 7 2 6 4

LetterboxSUDOKU Set square

J A R SE X I TE L S EP E E P

www.ltda.co.uk@TheLTDA

31

LONDON SOUTH EAST

PCP finance illustration refers to Personal Contract Purchase and is subject to qualification and approval. Available at

participating dealers only. Business users only. 6.6% APR Representative; figures based on TX Vista at £57,795. (OTR figure

is net of OLEV Plug in Taxi Grant which is up to £7,500 and is subject to European Whole Vehicle Type Approval and European

Commission state aid notification) . For illustration purposes the deposit contribution has been deducted from an upfront

cashback of £5000; 60 monthly payments of £813.14 (equivalent weekly payments of £187 – it is not possible to pay by week,

balance is paid monthly via direct debit) plus an optional final payment of £18,883, the customer will be responsible for

making their regular monthly payments. Based upon an annual contracted mileage of 30,000. You have the option at the end

of the agreement to: 1. Return the vehicle and not pay the optional final payment. If the vehicle has exceeded the maximum

agreed mileage a charge per excess mile will apply. In this example, 6p plus VAT per excess mile. If the vehicle is in good

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