CAPITAL NEWS
HAIRDRESSERS AND CABBIES ENJOY COMMONS RECEPTION
Hairdressers and cab drivers were given a special reception at the House of Com- mons, courtesy of MP Emily Thornberry. According to the Islington Tribune, ten Islington businesses met the Labour MP for
Islington South last month and sat in on the pensions debate before retiring to a committee room for a “pub quiz” and pin- the-hair-on-the-politi- cian game.
The two professions were brought together
after Ms Thornberry’s office scanned the Yel- low Pages in order to find a “random combi- nation” of small businesses.
“I haven’t laughed so much in ages,” Ms Thornberry said after- wards on Twitter.
CABBIE’S JOURNEY TOWARDS A HIGHER CALLING
It is a classic stereo- type that many cabbies think they are experts in anything you care to mention. But driver Bernard Duah, 45, may be the exception to that because he really does know a lot about some- thing - Christianity. By day, Bernard is a chaplain at Brixton Prison, but by night he’s a taxi driver, navi- gating his way around the streets of South Norwood.
The part-time chaplain has just graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity following six years of study at Spur- geon’s College, in South Norwood. Bernard has been behind the wheel of his taxi for six years. After his friend invited him to her church, he decided he wanted to become more involv- ed in religion, which led to him volunteer- ing at his local church. “I was a lukewarm Christian before I started doing this,” he told the Croydon Advertiser.
“I became more involved and started
BROXBOURNE PEER PLEADS FOR CABBIES IN LORDS DEBATE
Broxbourne’s Lord Bryan Davies of Old- ham has called upon ministers to allow Lon- don’s black cabs to use the Olympic traffic lanes during the Games.
According to the Brox- bourne Mercury, the Labour peer took part in a debate around transport plans for the six weeks of the Games at the House of Lords. He stressed that black
cab drivers should be able to use the Olympic lanes, other- wise there would be a serious impact on their business.
Speaking during the debate he said: “I am hot-foot back from the Olympic site this morn- ing. Everyone who goes there is enor- mously encouraged by the preparations for the Games, which I am certain will be hugely
successful when they occur.
“But perhaps I may give the Minister this word of warning: I had the misfortune many years ago to introduce the London bus lanes and left out the inter- ests of the black cab trade. I still bear the scars to this very day, so I warn him lest he bear such scars.” The issue will be decid- ed by TfL officials.
YELLOW AND GREEN BADGE IDENTIFIERS INTRODUCED
Bernard reads the bible in his black cab
working with prison- ers. It is a little unusual that I have these two roles, but I like to keep them separate and they are so different.” The married father of two says working in a prison has meant he has come into contact with people in desper- ate situations.
Bernard said: “In prison, people feel they can confess to you what they’ve done and you try and make them realise the con- sequences of their behaviour. “We also try to make them realise how they’re destroying their potential. You just try to share with peo-
ple what you know.” But as a cabbie, Bernard regularly finds himself talking to people who open up to him during the ride. “They are very differ- ent lifestyles but people see the cross hanging in my taxi and they do start talking to me,” he said. “One man was angry at his wife because she had a relationship with another man. But we talked it through and I told him that he was liv- ing in pain and anger and he should forgive. “I don’t force myself on people, but both my roles normally mean people end up opening up to me.”
Click..
Look...Find... your next used cab
Just click PAGE 56 PHTM AUGUST 2011
Following a positive response to last year’s taxi consultation, Lon- don Taxi and Private Hire (LTPH) has announced that taxi badge identifiers are to be introduced in the next few months. Taxi badge identifiers, which will be affixed to the front and rear windscreens, will show which type of licence the taxi driver holds – green for an “All London” driver and yellow for a “Sub- urban” driver. In the case of Suburban driv- ers it will also list the areas for which they are licensed.
The identifiers, which will also contain the driver’s badge num- ber, are being intro- duced primarily as a deterrent to drivers plying for hire outside their licensed area. However, they will also assist LTPH Compli- ance Officers and the police with on-street enforcement and com-
pliance activities. Drivers should be aware that there are a number of reasons why Suburban drivers may be in central Lon- don or another sub- urban sector. These reasons include: •Dropping off fares that started in their sector but ended out- side it;
•Picking up fares that were pre-booked when the driver was in their sector;
•The driver is licensed for one of the two extension areas; •The driver is plying for hire at a designat- ed ‘island rank’. This is not a scheme for other taxi drivers to enforce and LTPH will not tolerate drivers confronting one anoth- er. Any driver found doing so risks having their suitability to be licensed reviewed. The identifiers will be introduced in two phases, with the All London version intro-
duced first and then the Suburban version. Full guidance on the use of the identifiers will be provided at the time of issue.
Helen Chapman, Deputy Director for LTPH, said: “These identifiers will bring London into line with many other licensing authorities by provid- ing information on where a driver is licensed to ply for hire. “Following a public consultation in 2009 it became clear that there is strong support from the taxi trade to introduce these identi- fiers. “We have spent con- siderable time over the past year listening to the views of the trade, whether strongly for or against the scheme, which has enabled us to develop clear guide- lines around use. Further details will be announced before the identifiers are supplied to drivers.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88
