Don't hold your breath...

Don't hold your breath and don't expect satellite mini-cab offices to be closed down by transport for London (TFL)/taxi private hire (TPH) in the up and coming review which is soon to report.

Before the world cup drivers taxi-cab drivers took it upon themselves to mount/hold a couple of very well attended demonstrations in an attempt to highlight to the media and the masses the many problems the London taxi trade faces on a day/nightly basis. One of the biggest threats to the very existence of the London taxi trade isn't the proliferation of the mini-cab but the lack on enforcement and the inability of even the new director of taxi/private hire to get a grip of the situation regarding "touting" and the "illegal ranking" of mini-cabs outside bars/clubs where TFL/TPH have granted a mini-cab licence.

London taxi-cab drivers have earned the right to "ply for hire", plying for hire is in fact a stationary activity and the ranking of mini-cabs outside bars and venues is an "illegal activity" that this trade must bring to an end in the future.

We at the RMT will be seeking and working towards doing just that for this trade is failing. Mini-cabs are stepping on our toes by ranking outside these bars/venues. But how do we know they are ranking well the acid test is a very simple one you merely ask the drivers of these mini-cabs for the details of the pre-booked job they are waiting for, you'll find that they don't have any details or they just make up a name that can't be matched with a person within the venue/bar. Therefore if they haven't got any details why are they waiting ?Remember this activity is the sole preserve of the taxi-cab driver, we are the group of workers who have the right to rank and wait whilst on display to members of the public and not mini-cabs.

1. Why is TFL/TPH allowing mini-cabs to rank illegally outside bars/venues?
2. Why does the united trade group (LTDA/Unite the union) sit back and accept the feeble excuses put forward by this division of TFL?

The RMT London taxi branch is the only trade union/organisation that fully understands the problems that we all face and we shall be over the coming weeks/months (lets hope not years) seek to remedy the situation regarding satellite mini-cab offices.

1. The taxi trade needs new ranks all over London outside bars/venues.
2. Case/common law needs to be enforced with regards to our right to "ply for hire". Before the UTG or should I say LTDA/UNITE start screaming we must ask why have you been doing to remedy the situation regarding this issue/right to "ply for hire".

Trade organisations shouldn't fear failure because the trade is losing market share, the trade is losing work, the trade is lacking rank space and the trade at night is in chaos. It is time to wake up and bat for taxi-cab drivers and at the very least defend our rights in court if necessary. What is the worse that can happen we lose and let's be totally honest here we are losing presently anyway...

Time to join the only union/organisation that has the intelligence and ability to deal with these matters in a professional manner/way. Whilst others print papers and tell you stories we just get on with the hard work and do our level best has working taxi-cab drivers to save all our jobs. Instead of asking questions of the mini-cab trade others should be asking questions of the TFL and its TPH division.

1. Why are TFL allowing mini-cabs to rank illegally outside bars and venues?
2. Why does TFL and the Met Police take little or no action regarding this matter/issue?
3. Why has TFL failed to appoint taxi ranks in the correct/appropriate places e.g. outside bars/venues for the London taxi trade?

The RMT London taxi branch will be asking these questions of the Mayor, the transport commissioner, London assembly members, Members of Parliament and many many more...