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Addison Lee Undeterred by the High Court Injunction

April 26th, 2012

Today Transport for London (TfL) released a press release after the High Court ruled; Addison Lee is prevented from instructing or encouraging their drivers to use the bus lanes. In addition, Addison Lee’s offer to pay any fines incurred by their drivers is “void and unenforceable”. This ruling in particular could see a reduction in the number of their private hire taxis driving in the bus lane, as the driver will be personally responsible for any fines.

Managing Director of Surface Transport at TfL, Leon Daniels said “The court felt compelled to grant an injunction because of the substantial risk of Addison Lee taking action that could result in the law being broken. We maintain that Addison Lee’s instruction to its drivers was irresponsible and at odds with its position as a private hire operator. We maintain that allowing tens of thousands of Private Hire Vehicles to drive in bus lanes would impact on the reliability of our bus services, and risks inconveniencing our customers.”

While these latest developments appear quite clear, Addison Lee seems to have interpreted the ruling in a different way. On their website they have published their own press release today which is titled “TfL Fails in its Bid to Silence Addison Lee over Bus Lanes”. They explain that TfL has been forced to abandon their application for a mandatory injunction on Addison Lee withdrawing their bus lane instructions to drivers. Addison Lee view today’s ruling as a choice for their drivers, while their legal challenge of bus lane legislation continues. The private hire taxis that use the bus lane at present could put themselves and others at increased risk so they, like black cab drivers, need to ensure they are covered with taxi insurance.

It was acknowledged by the judge that the current legislation is “flagrant discrimination in favour of black cabs” and “gave black cabs a significant unfair competitive advantage causing private hire vehicle drivers significant loss”. The final decision related to bus lane legislation is hoped to be addressed before the Olympic Games begin on the 27th July.

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Over 4,000 signatures for Petition to revoke Addison Lee Taxi Licence

April 24th, 2012

Following the comments made by John Griffin, the chairman of London’s largest taxi firm, Addison Lee, who implied that the injuries and deaths of city cyclists were the fault of untrained bike riders who choose to ride on busy roads on “a vehicle which offers them no protection except a padded plastic hat”, an e-petition to revoke the licence of the taxi firm has attracted over 4,000 signatures.

The article was published in the ‘Chairman’s Column’ section of a magazine that is distributed to all Addison Lee customers, has angered many people in London. The London Cycling Campaign (LCC) has written to Griffin, to make him aware that a study by the independent Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) shows that the major cause of crashes involving adult cyclists is because of bad driving.

Even though motorists pay taxes on their vehicles, not the roads, Griffin said cyclists should pay the same taxes as motorists and undergo the same training, if they want to use the roads.

Griffin has already spent several days in the limelight, after he told his drivers to use the bus lanes and he’ll reimburse any fines. Although the Transport for London warned that drivers could lose their licences if they kept reoffending.

Mike Cavenett, LCC Spokesman, said that Griffin’s orders were more than likely going to encourage his drivers to behave irresponsibly, who will possibly lose their licence and private hire insurance. He said, “It’s hard to see how the government departments and corporate clients that currently use Addison Lee services can continue to do so without appearing to condone the chairman’s complete disregard for cyclist safety.”

Green Party candidate Jenny Jones said she would no longer use Addison Lee and was happy to support the campaign to boycott the company, and a spokesman for the Mayor of London’s re-election campaign said the comments were “irresponsible and unacceptable”.

Griffin said to the Huffington Post that he was glad his comments had made such an online storm and that he stood by his words that cyclists should have compulsory training.

However, he did release a statement later on, saying, “I accept that the tone of the article was perhaps a little too inflammatory. It was meant to entertain and generate debate, but the online reaction has obscured the main message that there are many inexperienced cyclists who need better training to be safe on London’s busy roads”.

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Edinburgh Taxi Drivers could have CCTV Cameras Installed

April 19th, 2012

In Edinburgh the latest plans to protect taxi drivers for aggressive passengers are said to include putting CCTV cameras in the vehicles.

The Edinburgh Licensed Taxi Partnership (ELTP) thinks that by adding cameras into the cabs it will cut down on all types of incidents that range from arguments over fares to verbal or even physical abuse.

The plans are going to be put forward later on this year to the council’s regulatory committee and if it is approved, drivers will be given the option of having the cameras installed or not.

The plans are to have 3 cameras installed in the cabs, with one in the front with the driver and two in the back with the passengers. It would cost the drivers £400 to have all three installed.

Drivers experience problematic passengers every week and the chair of ELTP, Les McVay believes many situations could be avoided or defused if the passenger knows they are being recorded.

Mr McVay, a 57 year old taxi driver who has worked for 32 years in Edinburgh says, “I have done nights for 30-odd years and I have had cracked ribs and a broken wrist. You go into all these areas without a thought.

“CCTV would help to protect the driver and the public. It would defuse a lot of hotspot situations – if somebody knows they are going to be recorded, they might think twice about taking the incident further.

“We are not trying to force this on anybody; it would just be an option for licence holders.”

Among the plans is information about who would be able to view the footage. The drivers themselves wouldn’t be able to watch it but the information would be passed onto a third party, possibly the police. The recordings would also have to be deleted too, possibly within 30 days.

Councillor Rob Munn, the convener of the regulatory committee says, “The safety of passengers and drivers is of paramount importance, so the committee will carefully consider any proposal aimed at promoting this.”

Sometimes taxi insurance isn’t enough to ensure your safety so the CCTV cameras will provide this extra level of security.

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Battle for Bus Lanes

April 17th, 2012

A row has broken out between the UK’s biggest minicab firm Addison Lee and Transport for London.

Addison Lee has instructed all of their 3,500 drivers to use bus lanes in the city and will pay out for any issued penalties, which is potentially £1,000 per offence. However, Transport for London has issued a warning that the drivers could face criminal prosecution and have their license taken off them, if they reoffended.

John Griffin, Chairman of Addison Lee, said “The current Bus Lane legislation is anticompetitive and unfairly discriminates against the millions of passengers that use Addison Lee. Minicabs perform the same function as black Taxis and are licensed by the same authority, so there is no reason that they should be penalised due to outdated legislation.”

Addison Lee was involved with the scrapping of the M4 Bus Lane in 2010, which saw 130 court summons and 200 tickets against the firm dropped, when the lane was closed.

Since the M4 Bus Lane closed, it has been reported by the Highways Agency that the overall accidents and journey times have decreased.

Addison Lee has already secured an official court review of the Bus Lane legislation later this year, but Mr. Griffin believes that in the mean time, Addison Lee drivers should be able to use the bus lanes whilst waiting for the review.

Mr Griffin said, “Black Taxis are not a public service, they are a business just like minicabs – and we will fight the injustice in the current legal system that subsidises them as if they provided a public service. The black Taxi produces 1.5 times the amount of CO2 and 44 times more PM10 toxins than our minicabs, contributing more than a third of all particulate pollution in London. They are more expensive and they often refuse to pick people up or go south of the river. Why on earth does our legal system treat them as any different to other private transport providers?”

Leon Daniels, Managing Director of Surface Transport, said. “The letter from the management of Addison Lee is utterly irresponsible. By issuing it, Addison Lee risk regulatory action against themselves and leave their staff liable to criminal prosecution. We have asked Addison Lee to withdraw their letter immediately. We are also writing to all Addison Lee drivers reminding them that repeated breaches of traffic regulations could see their licence to operate withdrawn.

“London’s bus lanes are in place to ensure the efficient operation of the bus network, which carries more than six million passengers a day. Allowing tens of thousands of Private Hire Vehicles to drive in bus lanes would seriously disrupt the bus network and our passengers’ ability to get around the capital.”

Transport for London is considering legal and regulatory action against the taxi firm and it working with the Met Police to target those unlawfully using bus lanes in London. It is also uncertain how private hire taxi insurance policies will be affected by the moves.

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Driver Robbed in Highfield

April 12th, 2012

Police are looking for two men who robbed a taxi driver in Highfield near Hemel Hampstead in Hertfordshire.

A taxi driver was left shocked and shaken up after two men robbed him in the early hours of the morning of Saturday 31st March between 12.35am and 12.45am.

The taxi driver was flagged down in Hemel Hempstead and two men who got in the car asked the driver to take them to a garage block in Highfield to pick up their friend from a house nearby.

When the driver reached the destination, one of the passengers left the taxi and the other man grabbed the cab driver, before fleeing with £80 of the driver’s earnings.

Detective Constable Peter Spiers who is investigating the crime, said “This was a nasty robbery which has left the victim shocked.

“I am very keen to speak with anyone who may have seen this incident take place or who may have seen two men running away from the Allandale area of Hemel Hempstead that night.

“I am particularly keen to trace a man who was walking an Alsatian-type dog near the garage block as the two offenders ran off.

“Please come forward as you may have vital information which could assist our investigation.”

Fortunately the driver was not injured although left very shaken. It’s a hard time for all taxi drivers because of the economic downturn – bills like taxi insurance and fuel need to be paid, and drivers still need to make a living.

If you have any information, please contact Detective Constable Peter Spiers on 101, the police non-emergency number or phone crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Bradford Council Making a Decision on Updating Taxi Licences

April 10th, 2012

Bradford Council is currently making a decision on new rules that will affect hackney carriage and private hire vehicles licensed within the area. The council are reviewing issues such as the fees and conditions of a licence which have led to a number of recommendations. They include the improvement of training, the extension of licence periods, annual testing criteria and clarification on the impact of criminal convictions and penalty points on the issuance of a licence.

More specifically, some of the potential changes involve giving drivers the option of applying for a three year licence instead of having to renew it annually. This can provide a saving of £44. This will be beneficial as the cost of drivers’ badges, vehicle testing and licensing increased by 35% in 2009. The proposed new system will also reduce fees for vehicles over six years old by £100 to £250 a year, with just one MOT test required. In order for taxi drivers to gain even more savings, they should find cheap taxi insurance quotes.

The matter was first brought up in March and discussed among the Council’s regulatory and appeals committee. A decision was deferred however, as councillors wanted more time to collect additional information on the current procedures and examples of the exceptional circumstances in which a licence can be issued.

Addressing the committee in a new report on the process of issuing a licence, the Council’s fleet and licensing manager, Carol Stos said, “In general terms, anyone suspected of contravening a licensing requirement is initially interviewed by either a licensing or enforcement office. The officer seeks to ascertain all relevant facts and presents these, where required, to the licensing manager.
The licensing manager considers the facts against the relevant requirements along with any mitigating circumstances (for non-safety contraventions only) and where contraventions are confirmed will forward the case for the attention of the reviewing officer.”

“The reviewing officer is an independent senior Council officer who sits outside of the licensing office structure. Their role is to ascertain whether an applicant is ‘fit and proper’ to be granted a driver’s or operator’s licence. With regards criminal convictions, the reviewing officer reviews the circumstances of the case to determine whether a person poses a threat to the public and is in fact ‘fit and proper’ to be granted or hold a licence.”

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