CAPITAL NEWS
PH OPERATORS WARNED: ‘ONE STRIKE AND YOU’RE ALSO OUT’
From 1 January 2010 the ‘one strike and you’re out’ policy introduced in August 2008 to tackle touting was expanded to include private hire operators based in late night venues. Previously, the policy only applied to licensed private hire drivers convicted of touting. To date, more than 230 private hire drivers’ licences have been revoked or refused renewal as a result of this policy. As part of TfL’s contin- ued commitment to combating illegal cab touting, private hire operators in the Capi- tal have been warned
that if they don’t com- ply with the licensed operator rules, they will be penalised and, if necessary, prosecut- ed.
Private hire operators, including those based in late night venues are reminded that: Bookings must only be taken inside the premises that are cov- ered by the TfL private hire licence, and that the licence should be on display; staff must not take bookings out- side a building that has a private hire licence and are pro- hibited from soliciting for hire under any cir- cumstances; private hire drivers must not
park or wait illegally outside venues. John Mason, Director of Taxi and Private Hire at TfL, said: “We know the public have con- cerns about taxi touts and that there is partic- ular confusion when licensed operators’ staff work outside ven- ues. As a result I’ve reissued guidelines to the relevant operators and venues, and instructed my enforce- ment teams to extend the ‘one strike and you’re out’ policy.” Further advice will shortly be available on
www.tfl.gov.uk and can be requested by emailing TPH.
Research@tfl.gov.uk.
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PAGE 34
Calls have been made for a prominent South London politician to resign after he adver- tised his use of an illegal minicab online. Leader of the Green Party in Lewisham and chairman of the Lon- don Assembly, Darren Johnson, admitted using the unlicensed cab after the London Assembly’s Christmas Party at City Hall on the South Bank. His admission comes during a high-profile Transport for London campaign warning Londoners of the dan- gers of using unlicensed cabs. Mr Johnson, who is also a Brockley coun- cillor and is standing for election as an MP in Lewisham Deptford, posted comments on the Twitter blogging site while on his way home in the minicab. He wrote: “Well im (sic) in some dodgy
minicab paying some exorbitant rip-off rate but at least getting home”.
The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) has branded Mr Johnson as “stu- pid” for his error and called on him to step down as the London Assembly chairman. Spokesman for the LTDA, Steve McNama- ra, told the South London Press: “It beg- gars belief really. This is a man who sits next to the Mayor and scru- tinises the work of the Assembly.
“He’s an embarrass- ment to himself, to the Mayor and to London. He should save him- self more embar- rassment and resign. “We’ve all made silly mistakes, but for him to then brag about it on Twitter just com- pounds his stupidity. “What if some young girl follows his example
and ends up getting raped? He should meet some of the victims of rapes and muggings from unlicensed cab drivers. The Mayor and his predecessor have done a lot of good work and the statistics are going down - there are about 15 cases a month - but then this idiot does something like this, it’s unbeliev- able.”
In a statement Mr Johnson said: “I stu- pidly took an illegal minicab to get me home. It cost me more than a licensed taxi and I’m lucky that it did not cost me much more in terms of my personal safety.
“Londoners should always heed the offi- cial advice to only ever take a licensed taxi cab or pre-booked licensed minicab to get home.
“They should learn from my mistake.”
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