🟥 𝐓𝐟𝐋 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐗.

I’ve seen a few drivers complaining on social media….apparently, a certain trade rep, is pushing for the turning circle to be scrapped, saying that this is the only reason we are are not seeing new vehicles entering the London Taxi market at an affordable price.

In my own opinion, I believe this to be a great move. 

Unfortunately we now have over 6,000 drivers who have chosen to support TfL's 'paradox' and purchased the grossly over priced TXE. 

Yes it’s a great Taxi

Yes it looks like a Bentley 

But yes, it comes with problems!

Plus it’s almost unaffordable to a large majority of drivers….and the price will keep rising. 

Many thought that Geely's take over of LTI was our saving grace, but little did we know…in the background was always the threat of them (with help from TfL) acquiring a monopoly. 

We are losing working Taxis at an incredible rate…The life span of the TX4 has been cut, plus with our regulator recently putting precedence on NSL appointments for new Private Hire Vehicles, we’ve seen many lose the last year of their working life. My own TX4 couldn’t get an appointment in January and now is decommissioned and unable to be plated…at just 11 years and 4 months old. Not what I was expecting when I bought the Cab back in January 2012. 

Why hasn’t a United Trade representation demanded compensation from TfL???

TfL have fragmented the trade into many sub groups, and looking at comments of social media, it will take more than a miracle to reverse the situation and see the trade united in any fight back. 

Our representative orgs and unions have been strangely quiet over this matter, but then…can you blame them? 

One org chairman puts his head above the trench, and drivers take to social media to shoot him down within hours, some actually calling for all his members to cancel their membership. 

𝐓𝐀𝐗𝐈 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐒 𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐑𝐀 𝐁𝐈𝐓: 

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐱 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 🚨. 

I use the word paradox in the sense it’s a statement or proposition which, despite sound reasoning from an acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems logically unacceptable or self-contradictory. 

Apparently there was a meeting yesterday with interested parties, discussing the possibility of converting current TX4s. The possibility of TfL part financing the upgrade, is (again in my opinion) no more than a pipe dream…their agenda has become all to clear over the last few years, THEY PUSHING HARD FOR A ONE TIER SERVICE and this has been their agenda for over a decade, a move growing ever so closer with Taxi apps working alongside PH operators. WE EVEN HAVE UBER LOOKING TO RECRUIT TAXI DRIVERS ONTO THEIR APP. 

Make no mistake, drivers will sign up to Uber. 

Many drivers also believe a certain org has been silent because they see the 110,000 private hire drivers as prospective members should they open their doors to take in all drivers in a one tier service. 

We can hold as many meetings as we like, but I totally believe the only hope we have of sustainability, is to have a new vehicle entering the market place…one we can afford, one with a decent life span. 

But first, we need to tackle the threat to the trade from our regulator.

The present system we have of three orgs and a number of disjointed unions ISN'T WORKING full stop.

We need to work together as one representative group and break TfL's paradox.

🟥 𝐓𝐟𝐋 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐗. 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐨…𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬. 

Guess who have turned up at the Knowledge of London revue today 

PH operator Bolt. 

This trade has lost its grip on reality if they believe this is a good idea. 

All trade reps from all orgs and unions should have just stood up and left the meeting. 

This is a total disgrace and shows which way the trade is heading. 

Welcome to TfL’s project Horizon, the final chapter.

𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄’𝐒 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 

Just to prove that working together gets results, this statement has been released at Heathrow:

REDUCTION IN GATE FEES FROM 29TH APRIL 2023

18 April 2023

Following the Taxi Trade meeting in March, Heathrow advised that the CAA published their decision to keep the Taxi Feeder Park under the Other Regulated Charges (ORC) costs model. This means that only the costs of running the Taxi Feeder Park will be charged to drivers through the gate fee.

We would like to immediately reduce fees to drivers and therefore are reducing the gate fee to £3.60 from the 29th April 2023.

We would like to work with your representatives to keep you all informed on about gate fees moving forward.

Yours sincerely,

Calum and Ricky

The Heathrow Other Regulated Charges Team