from Private Hire. They have ditched the nefarious activity and find it easier to nick a And finally, I never seek remuneration for this
dinosaur cave man attitudes to the taxi trade taxi driver without his badge around his neck. or any other articles I manage to send into
and have come into the real world of Blue They are in effect scared of nicking private taxi talk Magazine. Also, for the record and in
Chip Company working practices. They have hire, or perhaps encouraged not to. my defence (if Iʼm allowed) I have never been
underlined my point in the last issue that we a greedy egotistical self-promoting person
have to smarten ourselves up to compete Dial a Cab, LTI, LMPCA have all resigned who does it for financial gain - itʼs more of a
with Private Hire. The dinosaur attitudes their positions from the London Taxi Board passion while getting the ʻtrue and accurateʼ
wonʼt be tolerated by companies or BAA as (LTB) because of the impossible situation
message out to the drivers through an honest
they have already intimated that something Geoffrey Riesel and RTG Radio Taxis had
publication that doesnʼt pussy foot about,
will change regarding the dress code at the put them in over the fiasco at Heathrow. For
if you get my meaning? ʻCockney Rebel
flyers if we want to keep the work in taxis at the moment Riesel and his friends at Addison
without A Causeʼ in my view is a brilliant
all the terminals. Itʼs a fact that you will have Loo have been headed off at the pass by
title for my articles. I donʼt know how I ever
to live with. the RMT union and BAA after negotiations
thought of it!!!
and we can only hope BAA are seeing a
While all the trade organisations have been little sense for now. How long that will last is
Stop Press… If it ainʼt bad enough Private
busy squabbling and fighting each other the anyoneʼs guess. I find it ironic though that it
hire, Rickshaws, hotel porters, Dartford taxi
rickshaw menace appears to have trebled. wasnʼt that long when I collected so many
drivers, our own drivers nicking our work,
The LTDA quite rightly want them banned thousands of signatures to be presented to
but now Luton Taxi drivers are at it. Peugeot
but that Unite lot or T&G or whatever they the then Mayor Livingstone asking for him
seven-seater taxi with registration number
are called this week, want them licensed. not to enter into any dialogue with the LTB.
X705 RGE at 9:pm on Friday 14
th
August
Dear God in heaven what next? Addison Loo At last I have something to thank Riesel for.
2009 was seen picking up people from
drivers have set up their own illegal ranks in That is he single-handedly brought the LTB to
Edgware Road. Another taxi driver noticed
The Belvedere Restaurant in Holland Park its knees. Thanks Geoff, not much left to ruin
this and stopped the vehicle and got the
and at The Hurlingham Club. Not only that now. I bet you could find something though.
passengers out in time. I telephoned Luton
but a day rank all around Deloitte Touche
Borough Council and managed to talk to the
premises especially by the Cartoonist Pub The author of this article is Bernie May. I
Licensing officers. They held out little hope
in Printer Street. No carriage officers in would like it known that Sheldon Collins
of prosecuting this individual and stated
attendance on any given day especially from aka The Cockney Scouser had nothing
that as it was in London then the Carriage
9 am until 1 oʼclock in the afternoon. Touting to do with the contents herein and nor do
Office should be the ones to prosecute. So I
has now been unwittingly accepted by the I his articles. If you would like a right to
rang the Carriage Office who told me it was
clients of Deloittes as the normal practice. reply please do so in the usual manner and
nothing to do with them but Luton Licensing.
The people using their unlawful services are not by bashing Sheldonʼs ear oles. We do
So as neither want to take responsibility for
not aware they are acting illegally by not have a right of reply subject to the Editorʼs
a Luton driver plying for hire is it no wonder
calling a minicab beforehand to get them comments, unlike most trade papers who
thousands of touts get away with murder in
to wherever they want to go. The Carriage send your correspondence surreptitiously
our capital. Where will it all end?
Office to be fair hasnʼt the inclination or the to who they think are relevant to the letters Copyright Bernie May 2009
teeth to manage an operation to stop this you send. E: berniemay@taxitalk.co.uk
12
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