Over the last 25 years, London City Airport (LCA), the only London Airport actually in London, has received an excellent service from the licensed Taxi trade at no cost. But management of the Airport have announced, they now intent to start a charging system similar to the one currently in use at Heathrow.
There are plans for a Taxi rank fed by a feeder park, where drivers will by charged upon entry.
The £3 charge to the drivers, should be reclaimable from the passenger by means of the extras section on the meter, similar to charges made to Heathrow passengers.
Drivers who work the City Airport are concerned that this may not be the case and they will be used as a revenue source. One driver we spoke to said:
"It's not the same as Heathrow where the jobs are much longer. The drivers out west don't seem to have any complaints soaking up their portion of the charge."
At present the charge at Heathrow is £5.22 with £3.20 reclaimable from the passenger. Local jobs are allowed back on the rank at no cost. But with the City airport, longer journeys are rare and unless the whole amount is reclaimable drivers may not accept these new measures with the possibility of militant action being taken.
The decision of course, lies with TfL and any extras charged to the passenger would have to be included in the fare rise consultation for 2014.
If this is handled with fairness, logic and common sense, something we've seen little of at TfL, it could be a good thing for the regulars at LCA, as yellow badges from other areas can be seen most days without IDs displayed. Badge and bill checks on entry to feeder as drivers purchase credits, could stop this practise overnight.
However,there is a major problem with this system.
LCA intend to keep the private booking desk situated inside the terminal. The PH company display a list of fares which portray their service as cheaper than Licensed Taxis. If LCA introduce a surcharge that is passed on to the passenger, it could be argued that they would be able to artificially inflating the price in the favour of their PH partners who pay the management rent for their booking facilities.
London City Airport is expanding rapidly, reaching their one millionth flight last year. This years statistics show a 25% growth in passenger numbers passing through the terminal.
THIS COMMENT TAKEN FROM THE CAB TRADE NEWS BLOG.
What next for the taxi trade?
London City Airport and its passengers have since it opened enjoyed excellent service from the London taxi trade, a service that has been delivered free of charge to the airport.
The move comes at a time when the Government via its Law Commission review are seeking to change the way the whole taxi and private hire trades work right across Britain.
Under the review airports like LCA would be able to look at the possibility of doing away with the hackney carriage trade completely and opt for a an exclusive private hire arrangement instead. Stansted, Gatwick, Cardiff, and many other UK airports already operate this way.
To add further worry to the taxi trade Transport for London in its response to Law Commission proposals see nothing wrong with airports applying extra conditions on taxis and drivers that work London’s airports.
15 comments:
Here we go...
It's starting
Men with guns are coming to kill us
This is where it starts
LCA £3.00
Paddington £2.00
Euston £2.00
Kings cross £2.00
St Panc £2.00
Etc. etc.
Rickshaw ranks, Private Hire hubs...
And the LTDA can see no danger in the Law Commission.
Good luck Taxi Trade
And good night
Jimmy, I wanted to put this on a current thread.
You have been campaigning s hard about RD2 and Rides2 for over a year and you've had no support from any part of the UTG, in fact that have taken the piss out of you frequently. Even your own RMT union have stood back and watched you put your head on the block, week after week, shouting the odds at Mason, Chapman and Daniels over such obvious corruption.
Now they are starting to see the result of their sarcasm and inaction as RD2 like Diamond Cars start getting even more satellite offices all over the city.
The whole trade needs to ask why the LTDA, LCDC and Unite took a backward step on this issue that was so clear cut.
Oddy, Davis and Kelly must be ashamed of their behaviour.
We pay them to look after OUR interests not TfL's LTPH's or some poxy minicab firm
It's us that pay them, its us they should support.
Jim's articles on this issue were very clear and consistently showed LT&PH licensing department to be at fault.
Jimmy I'm ashamed at the way you have been ostracised by the main so called players it's very wrong mate.
Taxi Leaks has come back from a devastate Anderson Shelter, taken down by Oddy. It was have taken guts and determination to get back up and running again, yet you never gave up.
Along with Chris, Mike and Paul, you have made Taxi Leaks the only true source of news for the trade and you have my utter admiration.
Time to draw a line in the sand!
1. Boycottt LCA on a Monday morning and have a drive in on the roundabout.
2. If the drivers get anymore hassle trying to service Paddington, do the same there.
Within an hour they will be a big effect and DEMAND the Mayor and 'Passionate Pete Hendy meets with ALL the trade to address our issues.
No more 'Yes Men' only meetings.
If we have to start paying for work at London City Airport then I believe that LCY should offer us decent facilities. Proper toilets should be installed in place of the portaloos ( disgusting things) that we are currently expected to use.
Will Oddy call for action?
Will Davis fire up the club to strike back?
Is Unite still a going concern?
Will anyone do anything other than moan ?
Ask yourself this....
If left unchecked and introduced what do you think the cost will rise too ?
What did Heathrow introduce a charge at ££ ?? and what is it now !
£3.00 now is £5.00 in how many years ?
If London cab drivers won't pay the fee... the Carlyle groups latest acquisition Addison Lee will and generously !!!
Well done TTT another hard hitting post
Lets hope The LTDA finally come back from the dead and pull their finger out.
How can their members keep paying them
MONEY FOR NOTHING
I know I'm missing you're intended point, but I assure you there are far more rogue green badges trying to avoid detection via ids than there are yellow badges.
At a 30,000 - 3000 ratio I suggest you get proof of your suspicions before you state them. If your so sure this is the case why don't you take their reg and plate number and report their criminal activity instead of stiring bad feelings against the whole community of your yellow badge collegues 99% of whom are as honest and hard working as you!!
It's amazing how little work has been won. Back since the Ids have come out, and it seems all that has happened is more central drivers are stressing over the number of yellow ids in town as we go about our normal legal buisness.
Seriously, No yellow badge would chance it on an off sector rank. A green who did 6 months before going tarmacing for fifteen years and then finds themself jobless will try to Eden themselves on like this.
Badge and bill.....it happens. And every yb knows it!
Yes anonymous
You have missed the intended point, by a mile
This article was not an attack on hard working suburban drivers.
The sentence you refer to:
"Yellow badges from other areas can be seen most days without IDs displayed. Badge and bill checks on entry to feeder as drivers purchase credits, could stop this practise overnight"
was researched thoroughly by talking to drivers who use the Aiport regularly and we stand by the statement made
well no one asked me and i have been at the city airport for 20 years would like to no who did the research.
and as for the IDs that a diffrent storie we dont put them in becaues of tfl have done nothing for us.apart from take our money
Anon
What do you think your protest is achieving?
The only people who benefit from YBs not displaying IDs are the ones from another sector. You are helping them blend in. Most have been doing it for so long drivers delivered they are pucker faces.
Probably the reason no one spoke to you is because by not displaying, you are seen as part of the problem not the solution.
If I was canvassing drivers at LCA I wouldn't have approached you either.
I'd rather sit in a cafe and chat with a Private Hire driver, than a YB. As least I know they are not going to squeal to Tfl about some blooming traffic offence that I was supposed to had committed 12 months ago !
This editorial was not a bout on hard working residential drivers
Post a Comment