DEHUMANISATION -
Article by Steven Toy NPHTA Vice Chair and Trade leader of Cannock Chase Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Liaison Group
My first ever article in these hallowed pages, back in early 2020, raised the issue of often (although not always) poor public perception of the human beings working in the taxi and private hire industry and how this is often mirrored by licensing authorities, perhaps unconsciously.
In recent times, James Button in his presentations at Institute of Licensing conferences has gone to considerable lengths to remind everyone that we are human beings, and not some “subspecies” (his choice of word) and that, if it is the role of regulatory authorities to protect the public first and foremost, then we in this trade should fall squarely under this umbrella of protection, as we are also members of the public, along with our passengers, other road users and everyone else.
I have attempted to remind our Jim that his “Safe and Suitable” recommendations to revoke driver licences for five years for those of us unfortunate enough to accrue seven or more points on our DVLA licences undermines that message somewhat, especially when you consider that bus and lorry drivers are not relieved of their livelihoods until they reach 12 points, and even then, it is only for one year.
His response was that these drivers should be subject to the same draconian regime. He did also suggest that it was a matter of opinion, and one on which we could agree to disagree. I ended by stating that proportionality is a relative thing...
In recent years, according to Steve McNamara of the London Taxi Drivers Association, around 400 black cab drivers have had their driver licences suspended for as little as three points, or revoked for having accrued six or more points on their DVLA licences by TfL for as little as driving at 24 mph on 20 mph-limit sections of major arterial routes (A2, A40, A41 A501 etc.), where the limit used to be 30, 40, 50 or even 60 mph. Some of these drivers had over 30 years’ experience, and all had ‘The Knowledge,’ ‘which, as we know, takes two to three
52
years to complete. They wonder why there is a shortage of black cab drivers in London!
Over the last few years I have read of, and personally experienced, instances where we have indeed been treated as some kind of ‘subspecies.’ Many years ago, in my first year as a hackney carriage driver, I was waiting in a small car park for a passenger. A middle- aged driver, in one of those cars that thinks it’s a truck, pulled into the car park briefly before demanding that I move out of his way. I suggested that he could leave the same way as he entered, in reverse.
“But I want to drive out!”
It was implicit that if I did not obey my elder and very- much better, I would be ‘reported.’ I was young at the time, did not question my place in the pecking order, and duly obliged.
The older version of me would probably now suggest that he should run along - in reverse!
On another more recent occasion, I was driving through a housing estate along a meandering road with chicanes and parked cars on the opposite side of the road. A car came the other way and made no attempt to squeeze into the gap between the cars on his side of the road to let me pass. He wound down his window as I did mine.
“You are the ‘professional driver,’ so you should move out of my way!”
This would have meant me having to reverse through a chicane and around a bend. I did not move.
“It doesn’t work like that, Sunshine! We all drive to the same set of rules.”
He moved.
About a month ago I was dropping off a female passenger, who attended the same primary school as me all those years ago, and pulled up directly behind another parked car. I opened my door in order to assist her with her bags in the boot. Another car came the other way and stopped. The driver was shouting aggressively that I had opened my door into his path. Bear in mind that at this point, I was standing between my car and his, and there was clearly enough room for
JANUARY 2024 PHTM
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