𝐓𝐟𝐋𝐓𝐏𝐇…𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞…𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐖𝐎: 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠?

I’ve posted about these next issues many times before…personally contacted TfL which resulted in an apology from commissioner Sir Peter Hendy, agreeing that I was in fact correct in asserting that TfLTPH had failed to honour the legislation contained in the Transport act of 1985 section 17 subsection 7. 

The act clearly states that if a driver has submitted a full application plus a positive DBS, that a drivers old expired licence remains valid until such time the driver is in receipt of their renewal. 

Hendy also admitted in his reply that a temporary licence is completely unnecessary…..yet drivers are still complaining on social media, they’ve been informed by TfLTPH that they cannot work if their current licence has expired and have not received a renewal!!!

This just isn’t good enough.

We are now being told that rental companies are demanding their vehicles (Taxis) back, under such circumstance that a drivers licence has expired with the driver waiting anxiously for their renewal to arrive.  

It is our belief that our larger representative orgs totally believe this situation is to their advantage and will encourage drivers to join their orgs who can then sort this out in a matter of days. Therefore have no intention of sorting the matter once and for all, much to the delight of the TPH licensing director.

As a result, some drivers are still losing revenue while this situation continues.

This should not be happening and it’s just not right. 

The Orgs/Unions should have sorted this problem out back in 2016 when 'Taxi Leaks' first published Peter Hendy's apology!

Taxi Leaks believe that every driver affected, some off work for months, should be entitled to compensation from TfL.

Surely this is what any Org/Union, worth it’s members subscription, should be all about. 

But unfortunately, we realise that a united trade representation will never happen, the orgs are too busy fighting each other and even amongst their own membership, trying to steel each other’s members, and falsely claiming kudos from any/every small victory regardless of who achieved it. 

Our trade representation is in tatters and this current situation is a disgrace to our trade. 

Those who spectate and fail to prevent injustice, are just as guilty as those who inflict injustice. 

It’s an old saying that if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. 

The trade is full of those who fain generosity, when what they really seek is congratulation. 

We need our trade representatives to hold TfLTPH to account so that this situation doesn’t continue. 

They should be their to look after the interests of all their members, and not the interests of their own coffers. 

But it’s not just renewals that TfLTPH are handling incompetently.

Drivers who’s driving licensing is about to expire, have been asked for DLVA access codes, which are not being accessed by TfL in the given time period. 

In 2020, I was informed by a TfL email, that my Bill had been revoked saying I had failed to produce a DVLA code. Lucky enough the three different links I sent them, were posted by recorded mail and I had proof. TfLTPH had to apologise (again) and sent me a newly issued Bill. 

I thought at the time it was just pure victimisation, but after posting this episode on Taxi Leaks, I found that this was I  fact a regular occurrence and not just the odd one off…..Complete incompetence from TfL's licensing department…or a direct attack on the trade to destabilise? 

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬:

𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐔𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆???

We now find ourselves with one org who (allegedly) wont take TfL to task, even going so far as to refer to Bank Junction protesters as "Loonies", in an email to Mike Brown!

Then we have another org who announced on social media, they were desisting from meetings with TfL. 

Our smallest org has been devastated by alleged dirty tricks, in a bid to acquire their dwindling members. Ironically it’s they (the LCDC) who have brought up these current issues with TPH on several occasions… but without the support of other groups, their voice is no more than a whisper.

This continued infighting is definitely not in the best interests of the trade and just allows TfL's inadequacy and incompetence to continue regardless. 

Unless this football supporter mentality stops and the orgs finally get together to fully represent the trade, then TfLTPH will be free to carry on treating us with bias and disrespect. 

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭….𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.