INSIDE: Driverless cars • Uber drivers prosecuted • Taxi APPG
TIME FOR CHANGE
Mark Thomas
Summer 2017 The magazine for taxi drivers
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Summer 2017 The magazine for taxi drivers
Contents 3
National Officer’s Introduction.
4
Acting General Secretary’s Introduction
5
Alternative to Tory Race to Bottom
8
Unite National Taxi Conference
10 Dundee update 11 Unite cab section give evidence to the Taxi APPG 12 Airport charge for Taxis 14 Meeting with London Assembly 16 Driverless cars the future? 18 Sadiq Khan sets the record straight... 21 Unite Cab Section meets with Local Government Association 22 TfL advertising campaign... 24 Private hire drivers prosecuted 26 Unite hails cab victory 28 Electric vehicles: Full charge ahead? 30 Unite Taxi education 31 Northwest newsletter
Dear Colleagues The General Election has rejected the Tories agenda of divide and rule. Voters have shown that they want a new type of politics that puts people first, that is for the many not the few. A politics that will make a difference to all of our lives. Labour came close to winning and through ANDY MACDONALD MP, being able to introduce new taxi and private hire legislation that would have forced Uber and other operators to abide by modern laws that ended cross-border hiring, stopped drivers being exploited and forced companies to pay their fair share of tax. Politics has changed and now there is a clear difference between the weak and unstable government of THERESA MAY and the vibrant, dynamic Labour Party of JEREMY CORBYN. The Labour Party has shown that it is on the side of taxi drivers and we need to get behind the Labour Party and ensure that next time the Labour Party forms the government it can bring about real change to our society. Only Unite has the relationship with the Labour Party to ensure that your voice is always heard. Join now and protect your future and help propel the Labour Party to victory.
32 National Clean Air Day – 15th June 34 Arizona Testing! Bobby Morton National Officer, Passenger Services
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-Cab Trade News Published quarterly by Unite the union, 128 Theobalds Road, London, WC1X 8TN. Phone 020 7611 2500. Editor – Peter Rose peterjrose@cabtradenews.org Phone 07903 525 520. Magazine enquiries and letters to the editor, by post, phone, or email www.cabtradenews.org Distribution enquiries contact your regional office
Summer 2017
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CAB TRADE NEWS Comment
A new vision of hope has spread across the country as the people found their voice with their votes and told the Tories that they are tired of their lies, of austerity, of cruel cuts, fear and despair. Credit for this hope must go to Labour, led by JEREMY CORBYN, which has pulled off the biggest political reawakening of the century. Corbyn connected with people in a way that May and her ‘strong and stable’ message simply couldn’t match. He has shown people that politics can work to make people’s lives better. His campaign, built on honesty and taken to the public’s front doors by real people, spoke stronger than an empty manifesto and campaign with hundreds of thousands of pounds thrown at it by City donors. Cab members have felt the brunt of Tory economics for too long. When people don’t have money in their pockets they don’t take cabs, it is simple as that. And with this government determined to turn the streets into cut-throat chaos by unleashing thousands of Uber licences, things will get tougher for taxis under this government. With Labour we have a government in waiting that will work for the many, not the few. Times are still uncertain. But with May desperate for a deal with a minority party to form a government, and with the UK looking ill-prepared for imminent Brexit talks, the Tories have shown themselves unfit for office. May can only cling to power for so long while the rest of her party sharpen their knives. We must now demand action from the Tories on the ‘gig’ economy and continue our fight against the lowering of our living standards. But we do so renewed, fired up by the hope that another way really is possible.
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Labou altern Race t Unite the union supported JEREMY CORBYN’S Labour Party in the General Election. We want a new type of politics that puts people first, that looks after our interests and not just those of the rich and big corporations. That’s why as soon as the election was announced Unite Cab Section spoke to ANDY MACDONALD MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Minister, about having a section in Labour’s Manifesto on tackling Uber, cross-border hiring and exploitation of drivers. Andy fully understood the issues, and unlike Cameron, Osborne and the Tories, released the following statement for the Manifesto. “The Tories have ignored the fact that taxi and private hire vehicle regulations are out of date and have failed to act. The current system is complex, outdated and in need of an upgrade: passengers don’t have a guarantee of safety or quality, drivers are without proper employment rights and operators are competing against one another in a rigged market”. “Labour is on the side of cab drivers, the travelling public and operators. After consulting with all parts of the industry, including companies, trade unions and consumer groups, we will reform the legislation governing taxi and private hire services, introducing national standards to guarantee safety and accessibility, updating regulations to keep pace with technological change and ensuring a level playing field between operators.” This shows which side the Labour Party is on and how they will act in the event of becoming the Government. They are
Len McCluskey, general secretary
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BY MIKE HEDGES
@cabtradenews
r shows ative to Tory o Bottom on the side of taxi drivers and legitimate private hire companies. Contrast this with the Tories who have supported Uber at every opportunity. In 2011 the Tories blocked the Parliamentary Transport Select Committee’s recommendations for an end to cross-border hiring and national standards. If the Tories had followed the recommendations, Uber would never have established itself in this country. The Tories then wasted four years with the Law Commission before forcing the Deregulation Act through parliament against the advice of every organisation involved in taxi licensing and safety. Even when the Tory Mayor of London, BORIS JOHNSON, tried to introduce new safety standards for Uber in London, this proved too much for Cameron and Osborne. We have all seen how they stood by their friends at Uber. But, remember, Theresa May and all of the leading Tories, have supported Uber every inch of the way, they have never dissented or tried to stop Uber. Only the Labour Party, and Jeremy Corbyn, offer any hope. Labour has shown that a new type of politics putting people first, clamping down on exploitative employers, making businesses pay all of their taxes and ensuring there is a real living wage, will make a big difference to people’s lives. Labour has shown that there is an alternative that offers hope for the future and that big business doesn’t have to have everything its own way. They need to be held responsible for their actions. This general election has redefined politics, between those that want to change our society for the better and those that support the status quo. Unite Cab Section believes that we need a
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fundamental change in attitudes against the likes of Uber and these low wage, exploitative companies. That is why we think that only the Labour Party can look after our interests, only the Labour Party can put our interests first. Before the election, Unite Cab Section, spoke to many taxi drivers on taxi ranks and in the streets. The anger against the Tories was colossal, we’ve never seen such anger. Every taxi driver that we met was voting for the Labour Party. But we need to channel that anger and frustration into building a campaign that challenges the Tories to bring in new legislation to stop Uber. They need to follow Labour’s lead in bringing in legislation that stops cross-border hiring, caps private hire numbers, introduces tough minimum standards, guarantees passenger safety and stops drivers being exploited by having tough employment rights. These need to be our minimum demands from this weak, unstable Conservative government. They are more beatable than ever, now is the time to get behind the Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn, and force this government to introduce new laws to bring about modern taxi and private hire legislation that brings us into the 21st Century and puts passenger safety at its heart. Building alliances with local authorities, consumers, associations and passenger safety groups to ensure that this happens. If the Tories won’t do it, then we need to campaign for them to step aside and let the Labour Party put us first. Labour has shown it is on the side of taxi drivers, let us get Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party into Downing Street in order to bring about real change in this country.
Summer 2017
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BY JIM KELLY
Unite Nat Conferenc $!* )#%* &$() !*&#($'&# *(# $*(%# )*"'& )%)&")
#!* ) *$&* ' )&(% *( )* ' )*' *( )* '& '& # $* ' #& Legal The conference opened with two guest speakers, ANTHONY SCHILLER a solicitor specialising in taxi and private hire law and JOHN THOMPSON from the THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LICENSING AND ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS (NALEO). Obviously the main concern for the Unite reps from across the UK was of course Uber. Plying for hire and cross border hirings being two of the main concerns. With London licensed Uber being at the top of the complaints list. The trade only knows too well what Uber is doing in that regard, which is total disregard for local licensing control. Made worse by the Tory led coalition government’s Deregulation Act of 2015. Uber accepting bookings out of area has led to much confusion in the trade, with many disagreements, even between fellow taxi drivers. Having Anthony and John at conference was an opportunity to try and get some clarity on the subject.
Illegal plying for hire is always the perennial accusation, proving it remains the hardest part to achieve. Evidence would be needed that the driver had put themselves forward i.e. speaking to someone, then taking a fare. Many have suggested that private hire accepting a booking outside of their licensing area is illegal plying for hire. However, it is the case that private hire drivers can currently accept a booking which neither starts nor finishes in the area that they are licensed for. Another bone of contention regarding private hire apps surrounds the actual acceptance of the booking. Is it the App company or the driver? This comes about because there is no human intervention with an app booking. The first human contact the passenger has with the app company is the driver who has ‘accepted’ the booking. So is this plying for hire? Conference was told that this isn’t the case. If the driver ‘is’ the one accepting the booking, the offence wouldn’t be illegal plying for hire but
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rather, accepting a booking without an operators licence. To end the session both John and Anthony stated the only way to change things is to change the Law. To that end Conference agreed to support on a national basis the Mayor of London’s proposal that: Private hire bookings should either start or finish in the area that they are licensed for. See also Sadiq puts the record straight on pages 18 and 19. JOHN NEAL, Unite Researcher – gave an update to exactly where we are regarding the fight with Government over taxi laws. Once again John reiterated the fact that the only way to change anything is to get the law changed. It was agreed that with his help we would put forward a plan to get much needed changes to the law.
Clean Air Two representatives from Friends of the earth gave an update on the emissions and emission targets for the country,
BY BY PETER ROSE JIM KELLY
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tional Taxi ce
highlighting health concerns and the effect on cab drivers health who are breathing in fumes on a daily basis. This was relevant as several major cities around the UK have to meet emissions targets or be heavily fined. The councils that have been targeted feature a large membership from Unite’s cab Section. These include London, Nottingham, Southampton, Leeds, Coventry, Birmingham and Cardiff.
New Taxi Factory
Plane Saver
DAVID OLIVER of the London Taxi Company (LTC) – gave a presentation on the new LTC factory and the new range extended electric cab. Unfortunately he would not divulge the price of the cab but gave an in depth look at the quality of the new taxi. The new factory is a state of the art facility owned by Chinese company Geely. The new factory opening is featured on pages 26 and 27.
ROB LOVESY from Plane Saver credit union, which works closely with Unite, came in with a unique opportunity for Unite members to finance the purchase a new cab. With tailored loans to suit their needs and pockets. Obviously with the new emission requirements on the way, the purchase of new cabs is very much front and centre of cab drivers minds. Info for Plane Saver is on page thirteen of this magazine.
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DUNDEE e t a pd ww.cabtradenews.org
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*Chris Elder * )"%)(#% * &$()* & ))*(# $* %#&"
The NVQ/VRQ tests have all been completed by our taxi branch members and our branch has put 395 drivers through the course at our Dundee office. All drivers driving taxis/ private hires must have the qualification to work in the city. There were 1400 badge holders last year and after drivers completed the NVQ/VRQ courses there are roughly 975 drivers that have successfully completed the courses and will get their taxi private hire badges renewed.
Regarding the issue of electric taxis and private hire, Dundee city received ÂŁ500,000 for infrastructure for taxi power point charging stations. We roughly have about ten electric taxis in service in the city and roughly forty private hire. Taxi drivers have said they need more charging points to meet demand and that the infrastructure is nowhere near adequate for the city at the moment. The ÂŁ500,000 is not just for Dundee it is for other areas in Scotland and some drivers have said that the electric Nissan Leafs, that are in service, are not practical for use as a taxi due to out of town work, like airports etc. when there is a problem with range.
Craig Doogan
Anyone who hasn’t completed the NVQ/VRQ will not have their badges renewed and they will have to re-sit the street knowledge test, redo an NVQ/ VRQ, get a police check and have a medical before they apply for a badge. I think that most of the drivers that failed to complete the NVQ courses either retired or were part time drivers. After this experience a lot of
the taxi drivers now know the benefits of being in the union and our branch membership is currently very healthy as a result.
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When charging points are out of action through being vandalised or out of operation due to a fault, there is a problem because the company that services the charging points do not update their maps to notify drivers that a specific charging point is out of use. This means that the driver is basically stuck if he does not have enough charge in his car to reach the next available charger. A big problem. The other big problem is the cost for a wheelchair accessible electric taxi. With so little choice in the market they are far too expensive to run in our city. Finally all new private hire granted in Dundee can only put on an electric car, it cannot be a hybrid car. It must be totally electric and this has basically capped private hire numbers in the city.
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BY MIKE HEDGES
Evidence to the Taxi APPG &$()*"# *!)"($'&* $ )*) $ )&")*('*( )* # $*
An all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on taxis was recently set up by Wes Streeting, Labour MP for Ilford North. Many occupations, campaigns and industries have APPG's, as it is a way to bring supportive MP's together to look at how they can take forward issues that MP's have an interest in. The taxi APPG brings together MP's from all parties including Labour, Conservative and Liberal. The first investigation for the APPG on taxis was an inquiry into London’s black taxis. All taxi drivers were invited to have their say through responses to the APPG but some organisations including Unite were specifically invited to give evidence in person. MIKE HEDGES and PETER ROSE gave evidence to the group, chaired by WES STREETING on behalf of Unite’s cab section, giving the union’s view on
the state of the taxi trade in London, followed by recommendations for the overhaul of current taxi and private hire regulations. Outlining how the biggest threat facing the taxi trade at the moment is the unfettered growth of Uber and its total lack of respect for the law and its drive to eliminate all of the competition through predatory price cutting. Mike Hedges then went on to explain how Unite had first approached the Parliamentary Transport Select Committee back in 2011 to look at crossborder hiring and the abuses that were taking place then. It was a massive problem and the Select Committee at the time took the view that the law, on the whole was fine, but needed to be updated to take into account new technology and the aggressive nature of some operators. The Select Committee recommended keeping local control of taxi and private hire services. Ensuring that cross-border
hirings were eradicated as they are increasingly more dangerous for the public. The Select Committee made fourteen key recommendations, including ensuring that local councils could set the condition that the vehicle must principally be operated in the district it is licensed for. The Committee then went on to say "However, we are not satisfied that passing the issue to the Law Commission to study is appropriate or necessary. New policy thinking is required from the Government, now not in two years time." The Conservative led government at the time passed it over to the Law Commission. The consequence was a full review of the taxi and private hire trades in England and Wales. Unite brought this and the resulting devastating Deregulation Act clauses to the attention of Wes and the APPG Committee. Mike ended by saying that in the opinion of the Unite Cab Section the Select Committee’s report must be the basis on which we go forward. It was well thought out and would make a big difference. Times have moved on since 2011. Uber wasn’t around then but the fundamental issues are the same, cross-border hiring, cheap undercutting of fares and driver exploitation. There may be apps and other technology and multinationals, but the issues are the same and the solution of robust, local licensing with high standards are the same.
Thinkstock
Unite looks forward to the recommendations of the APPG and seeing a real change in taxi and private hire legislation.
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Summer 2017
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BY PETER ROSE
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Thinkstock
Airport charge for Taxis
The charge has been agreed by local drivers and airport management, and is in response to the possibility of a major private hire company winning the minicab concession at the airport. Key points of the agreement are... Taxi drivers will be charged ÂŁ1 every job taken from the rank at the airport The charge will not be recoverable via extra meter charges Taxis will now be on a ‘business’ footing with London City Airport The agreement doesn’t give the taxi trade exclusivity of work from London City Airport and the airport remains free to negotiate with private hire companies Because of local problems with minicabs ‘parking up’ in local
residential streets, streets London City Cit can’t rule out the possibility of a Heathrow style Authorised Vehicle Area on or near the airport City Airport management have said that part of the charge could be used to improve driver services and support charging points for the new zero emission, or zero emission capable taxis. However, how this will be achieved in reality is unclear because the airport admits that it has no spare capacity in electrical power output. The most likely solution to this would have to be a mobile one. It remains to be seen if mobile charging will be as cost effective for drivers as roadside charging. London City Airport also has plans to expand, adding a further 32,000 flights by 2025. Because of this, it has been acknowledged that the existing
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Summer 2017
infrastructure transport infr f astr ct re (Docklands fr Light Railway and Bus services), will be hard pressed to cope. The nearest Crossrail station will be at Custom House. Airport management says that they surveyed drivers working the rank via their taxi coordinator, asking how they felt about the charge? Reporting that of the 300 surveyed only 10 objected to the charge. In another survey independent of City Airport management 250 drivers were asked if they agreed with the charge? 50 drivers objected. There are no plans at present to make the charge transparent to drivers by offering an account of how much is collected and precisely where the money will go. Management also says that the current airline taxi ‘voucher’ scheme will remain and will also be subject to the ÂŁ1 charge.
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OD
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BY MIKE HEDGES
Meeting with London Assembly &$()* # * )"($'&* ))(!*Florence Eshalomi AM #$%* '& '&* !!) * %#&! '%(* ' $(()) Unite Cab Section fully supported the Mayor of London, SADIQ KHAN, against Uber's attempt in the High Court to water down the English language requirement test for all private hire drivers. Unite Cab Section had argued that an English language requirement is essential for passenger safety in London and that the driver needs a good working knowledge of English to be able to drive in London. It was therefore surprising, a few days after the High Court judgement in the Mayor's favour, to see Assembly Members in City Hall supporting a motion to water down the English language test that Sadiq Khan had successfully defended and the Judge had described “as essential for passenger safety.” The full context of the Assembly's motion is set out below. FLORENCE ESHALOMI AM, who proposed the motion said: “It is of course vital that taxi drivers can communicate with their passengers in English. However the estimated £300 to take the test seems a disproportionate cost, especially when you bear in mind drivers will soon be required to pass an advance driving test costing £149. In addition, every time a driver isn’t on the road they are losing pay."
This Assembly agrees that all Private Hire Drivers should speak English to an acceptable level but the test is not a proportionate response. We therefore call on the Mayor to replace any requirement for Private Hire drivers to pass a written English test with a requirement to pass the £25 verbal test which is already successfully used by other UK licensing authorities.”
The full text of the Motion is: “This Assembly notes the concern of many Private Hire Drivers about the cost of meeting TfL’s English Language Requirement. TfL’s English Test could cost drivers over £300, when taking into account the day’s pay a driver will lose while taking the test. Furthermore, TfL will soon require private hire drivers to pass an advanced driving test which will cost an additional £149. This is an unfair cost, especially for drivers that may have lived in the UK all of their lives. This Assembly notes that other licensing authorities across the UK are testing an applicant’s spoken English by using a test which costs only £25.
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Summer 2017
This set alarm bells ringing in Unite and we immediately arranged to meet Florence Eshalomi AM, who is Chair of the Transport Committee on the London Assembly, to discuss the motion. Unite believes that the motion was supported by the GMB private hire union, the Conservatives and the LibDem’s CAROLINE PIGDEON AM. It flies in the face of everything the assembly has argued over the years about raising standards within the private hire industry. Fortunately Unite was able to convince Florence that high standards, including a robust English Language test are essential for private hire drivers in London. Unite looks forward to working with Florence and the Assembly in the future, supporting the Mayor's Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan for the good of our trade's future and the safety of Londoners.
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BY MIKE HEDGES
Driverless cars the future? progression towards electrification and intelligent mobility. The electrification of vehicles is moving at a fast pace. We are already seeing the London Taxi Company, as part of Geely, looking to build and sell an electric zero emission capable taxi by autumn of this year. There is no doubt this vehicle will be on our streets in big numbers very soon. This will give an enormous boost to the electric vehicle market as more cities look to follow London in promoting green, electric vehicles. Places like Singapore are already moving towards having electric vehicle cities and are increasingly looking to have fleets of driverless vehicles transporting passengers in major cities. One of the biggest threats facing taxi drivers in the near future is the threat of automation and driverless cars. We hear a lot about Uber, Google, Nissan, Tesla and vehicle manufacturers testing driverless cars, with varying results and how in the next ten years driverless vehicles will be a common sight on our streets. Unite is fully aware that electrification, autonomous cars and intelligent mobility are coming our way and with an increasing rapidity. To this end Unite has set up a unit within the union to investigate the likely impact on jobs and skills within the workplace and among drivers, to look at how change can be managed and how we can use these new technologies for the benefit of all of our society. Unite has also called for a
government commission on the effects of automation. With LEN MCCLUSKEY saying: “Automation could be a good thing for industry and society, if handled in the right way – which means not seeing it as just another opportunity to cut jobs and costs and make a fatter profit. There is no doubt that change is coming and it will come fast. We hear almost daily stories about how driverless cars are being tested around the world and although some are stories about crashes and accidents, the vast majority are successes in demonstrating the versatility and competence of driverless vehicles. It will not just be driverless vehicles that will impact on jobs but the whole
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In Norway BEV's, Battery Electric Vehicles, make up over 18 per cent of the total market, compared to 0.6 per cent in the UK. This has been achieved through a massive infrastructure program alongside a huge array of benefits worth £17,000 over five years such as free parking, exemption from VAT and free charging to name a few. The pressure is on from government, climate change and air quality to reduce diesel emissions, alongside the push for driverless vehicles, change is going to come. That’s why Unite is engaging on many levels to protect our members from these changes, using change for the good of everyone and to make sure that change doesn’t destroy millions of jobs. Unite fights on all levels that is why it is the only union that can fully protect your livelihood.
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Sadiq Khan sets the record straight over private hire capping # '%*' * '& '&* %$()!*('*Chris Grayling )"%)(#% *' * (#()* '%* %#&! '%( Responding to recent accusations that he had not lobbied the Dept. of Transport for powers to cap the number of private hire vehicles licensed by Transport for London, SADIQ KHAN Labour Mayor for London, recently wrote to Transport Secretary, CHRIS GRAYLING to set the record straight. Mr Grayling has claimed on several occasions that he has not heard from the Mayor on the subject. Even as late as the 27th April, the Dept. for Transport were denying any such request had been made by the Mayor's office. In his letter the Mayor of London says that VAL SHAWCROSS, London's Deputy Mayor for Transport has written
“a number of times� to Transport under secretary, ANDY JONES on the matter.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 27 April 2017, cW)
However, questioned in the House of Commons and in reply to Tory MP PAUL SCULLY who asked:
At a recent TfL performance seminar, when questioned by taxi trade reps. TfL management confirmed that the Mayor's Office had indeed lobbied Government for increased powers. TfL also reiterated that Sadiq Khan was seeking a law change whereby, every private hire booking should either start or finish in the area they are licensed in. This law change would end the chronic cross border hiring chaos that is currently taking place thanks to the Tory Deregulation Act of 2015.
“To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received from the Mayor of London on capping the number of private hire licences in London.� Andrew Jones MP responded: “The Mayor of London has made no formal representations on capping the number of private hire licences in London to the Secretary of State or DfT Ministers.�
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Sadiq’s letter is reproduced here...
BY PETER ROSE
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BY MIKE HEDGES
Unite Cab Section meets the The Unite Cab Section worked very closely with the Local Government Association (LGA) in opposition to the Tory led Coalition government's Deregulation Act. We were in total agreement about the dangers to the public of allowing operator subcontracting, in the way the Tories proposed, to become law. Unfortunately subsequent events have shown how right we were in our opposition. Like Unite the LGA believes that taxi and private hire licensing should remain local and accountable. Unite Cab Section recently attended a meeting with the Department of Transport (DfT) to discuss, amongst other things, cross-border hiring. The LGA were also in attendance. At a very frustrating meeting it became clear that the DfT clearly understood that there are huge problems with the abuse of cross-border hirings but equally, that they recognised that the Tory government were unwilling to challenge anything that their friends Uber are doing. The spectre of Cameron and Osborne was very prominent. During the meeting it was clear that the LGA had similar views to Unite regarding solutions to the cross-border issue.
A meeting several weeks later between Unite Cab Section and the LGA allowed us to discuss more fully the issues facing the trade and local authorities in trying to licence drivers and operators who often have total disrespect for the law. Local councils are very much caught in the crossfire between operators trying to dodge the law and regulations that are out of date and inadequate to deal with these operators. After a very detailed discussion it was clear that there were many issues that we both agreed upon. There are so many safety issues thrown up by cross-border hiring that it is often hard to know where to start. But one in particular has become a real issue. Following the Rotherham child exploitation scandal, many local authorities introduced safeguarding training courses for taxi and private hire drivers. Many of these courses have been made worthless because drivers are avoiding them by becoming licensed in authorities where the course is not required, and then taking work through cross-border hiring. Picking up work in the local area for which they avoided completing the compulsory safeguarding training. It is a disgrace and desperately needs addressing.
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Initially we felt that the following areas would prove popular to start the fight against cross-border hiring. There are lots of other issues to address but the following provide a framework to start from: It is essential to have a high level of minimum standards for all taxi and private hire drivers, vehicles and operators. Minimum standards so that authorities can add additional requirements, such as environmental regulations. A cap on private hire numbers Greater powers for enforcement officers Ensuring that drivers can only take a booking that starts or finishes in the area of licensing Unite Cab Section look forward to continuing our work with the LGA to achieve a licensing system that is fit for the 21st Century and protects the public and drivers from the dangers of out of date legislation.
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“Read or Ignore? When driving, glancing at
SO STATES A ADVERTISING I am sure the advert which has been seen on the back of London buses, would have been based on objective criteria available to one of the myriad of specialist departments housed within Transport for London (TfL). So how is it that the same TfL, which also licenses taxis and private hire does not have impartial standards for business models based on the necessity of using Apps in live situations on London’s roads? How many seconds is a driver’s attention taken off the fast changing reality of traffic in London, indeed is there a safe time, or as the above statement states is one glance one risk too many? Surely an App should have to be proven as safe before being deemed acceptable for use. The alternative can only be to trial a potentially dangerous mode of operation in live conditions and simply hope for the best? If so, this would turn all health and safety logic on its head. Simply allow any dangerous tool to be used and wait until someone is maimed or killed before regulating for safety. How long is a driver’s attention diverted while using an App? Even taxi drivers who are trained to make fast decisions when it comes to locations, destinations etc. would need enough time to digest all the differing
information and then decide to accept or reject. Let’s first look at one of our own Apps, which in my experience can offer and withdraw a job in a matter of seconds. First, how many bits of information does a driver need to absorb whilst driving? Well first there is the taxis current location; then any one-way systems that may impact, also the prevailing traffic conditions, the distance and time from the current location to the pick-up and then the destination, if given. With one App, where the business model means over 80% of the jobs seem to be priced at anything up to 40% below the meter, there is also the simple economics of accepting or rejecting the fixed price job offer. That’s at least seven bits of information, all needing to be absorbed while also having to take one hand off the wheel to accept or reject, again all the above is expected to be responded to in a few seconds in some cases. Add to this seeming ‘operating model’, which seems to be designed to demand the driver’s attention and response the instant he or she hears a job offer call. Could this particularly complex operating model be negatively impacting on driver attention? In some circumstances, a driver wishing to balance driving safely with absorbing
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all that mentioned can result in the job offer often being withdrawn within a matter of seconds. Is this operating model inadvertently allowing for a driver to hone his or her reactions to prioritise the job offer over road safety? Some of our radio circuits had a “best practice” of only one driver receiving the job offer and then allowed for a thirty second response time. Is this a model that could or should be followed for our App based operations? It’s my view that, since the impact of App based systems since 2014, It should now be the role of the licensing authority to check for road safety implications for all Apps. Surely it’s common sense that a balance should be struck as to where priorities lie when it comes to a driver’s attention while driving. The Uber model may be even more needing of investigation. In the above example, we have a trained driver able to better absorb information who may still possibly be putting other road users at risk. An untrained driver, who may have no experience of London’s complex road systems, lacking an understanding of many of the above points, in a small number of cases with little knowledge of UK Highway Code regulations, sometimes wholly reliant on focusing attention on a Sat Nav system as their
BY JIM KELLY CHAIR, LONDON & EASTERN REGIONAL COMMITTEE
your phone just once is one risk too many�
A RECENT TFL G CAMPAIGN
only guide, surely this falls foul of basic road safety advice? How often do we encounter private hire drivers, driving the wrong way through traffic systems in London? My average is twice a week over the last month. This
rarely happened between private hire licensing in 1998 and the explosion of Apps since 2014. In all transport modes regulation is an aid to passenger and road user safety. As with much new technology, existing
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regulations are left spitting out the dust, until something goes badly wrong. Apps are now so central to both taxi and private hire operations they should have to comply to proper safety standards. Surely the regulator TfL should practise what it preaches?
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TWO private hire drivers who tried to take advantage of an Uber incentive encouraging drivers to operate in Reading have been prosecuted for illegally plying for hire.
Mr Cardoso, 35, admitted plying for hire in Garrard Street, in Reading Town Centre, on 27th October 2016. He was fined ÂŁ155 and ordered to pay costs of ÂŁ200.
Bruno Cardoso, of Portlock Road, Maidenhead and Abrar Hussain, of Cannon Gate, Slough, were fined a total of ÂŁ475 and ordered to pay costs of ÂŁ700 after admitting to licensing offences at Reading Magistrates Court on Friday 26th May 2017.
Mr Hussain, 38, admitted four offences of plying for hire; twice in Valpy Street on 27th October 2016, and once in Valpy Street and once in Victoria Street, off King’s Road, on 28th October 2016. He was fined £80 for each offence and ordered to pay costs of £500.
Both drivers are licensed by Transport for London and worked for private hire operator Uber when they responded to the company’s incentive scheme called the ‘Reading Reward Zone’.
Councillor SARAH HACKER, Reading’s Lead Member for Consumer Services, said:
The initiative guaranteed that the first 150 drivers to log on in the Reading Reward Zone would be guaranteed between £15 and £25 per hour, depending on which hours they worked. This encouraged Uber drivers to ply for hire in Reading where the company was refused a Private Hire Operator’s license in March 2016.
“I would like to congratulate the Council’s Licensing and Legal teams for these successful prosecutions. “The licensing regulations for taxi and private hire operators and drivers are there to protect the public and it is absolutely right that action is taken against those who flout the rules. “I hope these prosecutions send a loud and clear message to private hire drivers
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and operators licensed outside of Reading that they cannot come into town and operate illegally.� Reading Borough Council refused an application for a Private Hire Vehicle Operator's Licence for Uber in March 2016 on the grounds that the Sub-Committee did not consider the applicant to be a fit and proper person to hold such a licence by reason of: a. Not being able to manage the operation within the standard conditions that were attached to private hire vehicle operator’s licence; b. Not being able to show that he could comply with current conditions that could lead to vehicles not operating according to the Council’s private hire operator conditions; c. There being insufficient evidence as to the demand for the service in Reading; d. There being no clear evidence as to the number of vehicles needed to operate the service
re drivers ed
READING COUNCIL PRESS RELEASE
e. There being no clear evidence as to how the Uber office was to be manned on a daily basis. ENDS CTN Comment... This is a significant step in the battle with app based private hire operators. A licensing authority that had refused Uber an operator licence has fought back against the American ride-sharing company's disregard for local control of private hire services. The London licensed drivers would seem to have been convicted of illegally plying for hire, because they had the app open at the time of arrest, thereby making themselves visible to the public via the passenger version of the app. Unite raised this very point (and continues to raise it), in its response to TfL's 2015 Private Hire review. Arguing that the app by showing vehicle positions and availability, are allowing the drivers to 'virtually' ply for hire.
From Unite's response to TfL’s 2015 Private Hire review... Regulating Private Hire Apps Some private Hire Apps allows users to request a vehicle directly to their location at the press of a button, with the fare being calculated and debited from a bank account automatically via a smartphone. It is Unite’s view that Private Hire booking Apps should not be able to show the position of available vehicles and the estimated time of arrival. Unite believe that showing the position of drivers on the App before the booking is made is a virtual hailing, effectively allowing plying for hire by private hire vehicles. This encourages private hire vehicles to park and wait, often illegally and to the frustration of residents and other road users, waiting for a booking. By parking and waiting this encourages App users to ‘virtually see’ the vehicle and to make the booking without using the App.
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Once the booking is made on the App then the passenger will receive all of the details that are required under the licensing conditions and any other details the Operator wishes to send. For this reason Unite believes that it is wrong to allow private hire booking apps to display the location and ETA of vehicles on the user’s phone before the booking is made. This is ‘virtual’ plying for hire without the safeguards that are in place for taxis, Given the result, Unite will continue to press local authorities up and down the country to follow Reading's lead and start prosecuting app based drivers on the same basis. Unite will also continue to lobby Government for a change in the Law and bring to an end the chaos caused by cross border hirings and the 2015 Deregulation Act.
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Makers of the iconic London black cab, the London Taxi Company (LTC), launched a new state-of-the-art plant (March 22) in the West Midlands to much fanfare in what’s been dubbed “one of the great comeback stories in UK manufacturing history”. The £300m investment by the Chinese company Geely will see the emphasis at the new site at Ansty, near Coventry, on the TX5 electric taxi with the goal of producing 5,000 such vehicles by 2019.
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“All jobs had been lost,” he explained. “It was a very dark time”.
But thanks to the hard work of Unite members working together – both Unite LTC members as well as Unite’s Cab section – they were able to make the case for saving the firm. Eventually Chinese company Geely bought the London Taxi Company and agreed to continue investing in its future success. ‘A great credit to Unite’
Unite members from both manufacturing and Unite’s Cab section attended the launch, which included a ribbon cutting ceremony as well as presentations and a plant tour.
“The turnaround was remarkable – all workers who had been laid off were taken back on,” Burke said. “This comeback is a great credit to the union.”
The launch celebrated the crowning achievement of an unlikely success story, one which would not have come to fruition had it not been for the efforts of Unite.
“Now, not only have jobs been saved but with the additional investment from Geely, hundreds more jobs have been created with the production of the new electric taxi. This is great news for the West Midlands and for UK manufacturing as a whole.”
Less than four years ago, the London Taxi Company was on the brink of shutting down after it went into administration in 2013. Unite assistant general secretary TONY BURKE told UNITElive that the company was then “on its knees”.
opportunities,” he said. “It will be a wonderful boost to the West Midlands economy.
“Unite has worked very closely and successfully with the company to contribute to this success story which is one of the great comebacks in Britain’s long industrial history. Unite shop steward PAUL WILLIAMS, who played a central role in the campaign to save the company, said that the odds were from the beginning stacked against them. “In 2012, things were looking really bad – it wasn’t a matter of if the company would go to into administration, it was a matter of when. The situation had a certain inevitability to it.”
Unite regional officer PETER COULSON agreed.
Williams was himself made redundant. But he and Unite regional officer Peter Coulson immediately got together to embark on a 13-week campaign which gained the full support of Unite, especially the union’s Cab section, and various politicians.
“This is fantastic news in terms of highly skilled jobs for our members and the future creation of employment
“We spoke to local MPs and we eventually made the case to MICHAEL FALLON, who was business minister at
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BY HAJERA BLAGG
the time, that the iconic black cab must continue to be produced in the UK,” he said. “He backed our campaign and from there the media attention just grew exponentially. The story wasn’t only on the local news in the Midlands – it was on national TV. Keeping the story in the public eye I think was crucial.” The campaign’s eventual success was more than they had ever dreamed of, Williams noted. “We’ve gone from a fairly decrepit factory that was on the brink of shutting down to a new state of the art facility with hundreds of millions in investment making electric cabs – the London black cabs of the future,” he said.
The campaign to save the company would not have been so successful had it not been for the support of Unite’s Cab section, which jumped into help right away. “We linked up with the campaign immediately,” explained Unite’s London Cab Section chair JIM KELLY. “Political lobbying – meeting with government ministers – along with campaigning on the streets and raising awareness among the general public was our essential strategy. Kelly added that the London Taxi Company’s turnaround was “a good example that shows that with our highly skilled workforce, things can still be built in the UK”.
World class “We’ve got a world-class workforce making a making a world-class taxi. Not only this, but the company is exporting globally with the aim of growing into several more world markets in the future.”
“As a trade union, we believe in keeping jobs and skills in the UK,” he added. “We need to have a strong manufacturing base in this country and we need more highly skilled apprenticeships – our children’s future depends on it.”
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Kelly pointed to the critical importance of investing in low-emissions cars, of which LTC’s ZEC TX5, which will go on sale in the UK later this year, will play a central role. “It is obvious from the many discussions we’ve had in London that we need to clean up our air - with the new ZEC cabs we can lead the way in improving air quality – we can set the agenda that influences others towards a more sustainable future.” Kelly paid tribute to all the hard work Unite had done in ensuring the campaign’s success. “It shows what we as a trade union – with different sectors and regions working towards the same industrial aims – can accomplish when we support each other.” Full version of this article first published on UniteLive website, unitelive.org
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Full charge ahead? The new range extended electric taxi is coming in the Autumn, ready to appear on our streets but are our Councils and Local Authorities in our Cities and Towns ready for this change. In London from 1st January 2018 no new diesel vehicle can be licensed, only new Zero Emission vehicles will be licensed. Also many authorities are moving this way and many are under pressure to eliminate diesel taxis from their fleets. So is the UK prepared for such a move? Right now electric vehicles make up less than one percent of vehicles sold in the UK and growth is still relatively slow. One of the biggest brakes on the sale of electric vehicles is the charging infrastructure available for electric car users. This needs to change if taxi drivers are going to move over to the electric taxi.
For the moment the trade is waiting to see what happens with the electric taxi and sales of the last remaining diesel vehicles are buoyant. This is entirely due to the uncertainty surrounding any move towards a new electric taxi. As well as the LTC Zero Emissions Capable (ZEC) taxi, one that has a small range extender petrol engine, it now appears there will be a Nissan pure electric taxi available. But we know very little about their capabilities and price and we need confidence in the charging infrastructure. The LTC vehicle is currently undergoing many trials before being unveiled to the trade sometime in the summer. Everything suggests it is going to be a first class vehicle which will revolutionise the taxi trade. But we are still waiting to be told details of the charging that will be available.
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In London, TfL are in advanced discussions with the trade, but we still have no definite plans. Rapid chargers are needed in places where taxi drivers congregate, but it is difficult to accommodate them due to their size and the amounts of electrical energy required to power them. Also road space is at a premium. In other parts of the country progress towards a comprehensive charging infrastructure network is even slower. This needs to change and Unite is determined to change the slow, unimaginative thinking that is taking place in this country. It is likely we will have superb electric vehicles at our disposal, we need these vehicles working as taxis on our streets. With joined up thinking between the government, TfL and local authorities
BY MIKE HEDGES
we can make it work. But this means money and incentives being put into place towards the purchase of electric vehicles and the subsequent charging infrastructure. Norway has invested millions of pounds into encouraging the take up of electric vehicles. Forty percent of new car registrations in Norway are electric cars, that is because Norway give huge incentives to buy electric and have built an extensive charging infrastructure, including charging areas that can charge twenty eight vehicles at one time. We can only dream of that at the moment. Every electric vehicle owner receives a package of incentives worth over ÂŁ17,000 over five years (compare that to the UK which offers a maximum of ÂŁ7,500 towards the cost of the vehicle). We need to be looking to the Norwegian model for our lead and putting increased resources and incentives the way of taxi drivers. LTC is doing a lot but do not have the power of government to make the fundamental shift that is required throughout the country. Unite has been working closely with a number of councils in London and others such as in Dundee. Islington Council is a busy area for taxi drivers, particularly in the south of the borough. They have been keen to place as many fast chargers as possible for taxi drivers and are working closely with TfL to achieve this. They are also installing slower chargers for residents, in particular they want taxi drivers to be catered for, with low charges and as much help as possible. They are discussing with Unite the best places to site these chargers where they will have the maximum use from taxi drivers. This is a good start and this needs to be the model for others to use so that we get a charging infrastructure that will allow a confident, quick uptake of electric vehicles so we can make a big difference to the environment. Remember the middle of the road has the worst air quality and is the place where we spend the majority of our time. We are storing up trouble for the future and it is in our interest to change our environment as quickly as possible. We in the Unite Cab Section will be doing all we can to achieve this and we are lobbying and fighting for our interests throughout all levels of government.
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regulations which cover all the do’s and don’ts for the Hackney or private hire driver / operator. The project has evolved from a basic delivery model to an enhanced delivery model that has earned us the accreditation of Pearson EDI’s top centre in this field. By using our purpose built Training Cab for assistance and CCTV cameras for observation as well as many other assessment methods we can get the best out of the candidates and at the same time achieve the highest possible level of Education.
Unite Taxi Education has been delivering both the VRQ in the Introduction to Taxi and Private Hire Industry (QCF) and the Road Passenger Vehicle Driving Taxi and Private Hire (QCF) qualifications for the past nine years. Originally it was a three month trial but we are still going as strong as ever almost ten years later. The delivery of these courses has benefited drivers throughout the country. In this period we have completed over 9,000 VRQ, NVQ’s (QCF’s) and our
course delivers all the information a driver needs to protect themselves and their passengers. The course structure is set out so it best suits the driver by trying not to impact on his daily routine. The course covers health and safety, road safety, customer services, vehicle maintenance, routes and fares, transporting parcels and luggage, transporting children including safeguarding, transporting passengers who need assistance including wheelchair accessibility and finally
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Our Education Centre at Bute Street, Liverpool has three computer suites / classrooms and a classroom for delivery only. We also have the main office and a Library where we can conduct Guided Discussions in private. All our assessors have A1 awards in Assessing Candidates and PTTLE’s. We have 5 Onsite IQA’s and all our policies and procedures are in place. As part of the education structure of Unite the union we strive to deliver the best education package as possible so that everyone who learns with us leaves with the ability to competently carry out their duties in whatever field they are employed in.
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NATIONA AIR DAY www.cabtradenews.org
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BY JIM KELLY
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Global Action Plan’s Initiative will give the opportunity for the whole country to come together and improve air quality through collective action. Recently a group of Unite taxi reps and activists, from the Heathrow and Central London branches, attended the offices of Global Action Plan (GAP), an environmental charity, as part of their widespread consultation on the effects of air pollution and the solutions being planned in the lead up to today's ‘National Clean Air Day’. Unite members from Southampton and Glasgow have also been involved. To start we were given the usual, and entirely genuine, statistics about how, if the status quo remains regarding the continued use of the internal combustion engine, this will continue causing untold deaths and illness. This pumping out of NOx and particulates (PM's) occurs from both petrol and diesel engines, with diesel, in particular, now being demonised even by those politicians and experts across Europe, including in the UK, who encouraged their use for many years. Unite used the meeting as another chance for us to explain to organisations like
GAP, as we have already done with Friends of the Earth (FOE) and others, our support for improving air quality. The Mayor has announced that from 1st January 2018 all new licensed taxis must be Zero Emission Capable (ZEC). This presents huge opportunities for us to embrace new, green vehicles, which in turn will result in a massive boost to our trade by winning back work. We also spoke about the need for as much government financial help as can be achieved along with a viable charging infrastructure. Drivers also need to be reassured about the purchase cost and the ongoing running costs of any new ZEC taxis. Unite is liaising closely with the manufacturers on these issues. We impressed on GAP the fact that most car drivers have a choice to buy petrol or diesel vehicles, but London taxi drivers can only buy diesel vehicles and this is still true today. We shouldn’t be demonised for this in future years. Unite Cab Section supports ZEC Although at Unite we are fully supportive of the move towards electric vehicles and Zero Emission Capable
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(ZEC) vehicles as outlined in the Mayor’s Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan, it has to be a financially viable transition for taxi drivers. With only a few months to go before these vehicles go on sale and six months before they are the only vehicles on sale, we still believe that there should be more subsidies to encourage their uptake. A subsidy of £7,500 from the Government along with a decommissioning fee of up to £5000 will be a big help for drivers towards the cost of the ZEC vehicle but Unite does believe that it is now time to announce the cost of the ZEC vehicle. This could then be put into context and help drivers plan before the 1st January deadline. Unfortunately the prospect of five different ZEC vehicles, as promised by the previous Mayor, isn’t going to happen. It looks like only two vehicles will be available, offering completely different alternatives to drivers; fully electric or a range extended electric taxi. The price of clean cabs It is important that we are told the price of these new taxis and the total lifetime
L CLEAN th 15 JUNE
BY PETER BOND
THE CHALLENGE
Climate change is a human problem.
Technology and policy have a big role to play but people are key to the solution. We need to act.
OUR VISION
Our vision is of a green and thriving planet, where people enjoy their lives within the earth’s resources.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to help people take action right now – to make everyday choices that stop climate change and preserve our planet for future generations.
OUR VALUES Inspiring Impactful Insight-led Collaborative
costs in order for Unite to lobby, along with other stakeholders, for more subsidy towards those costs with a fully supporting charging infrastructure. The current Mayor of London SADIQ KHAN has called on the government for a diesel scrappage scheme which Unite supports.
About GAP Global Action Plan brings people together and inspires them to take practical environmental action. We collect the impact of their actions and share their stories, so more people are inspired to change.
It seems that organisations like GAP, and FOE, have taken on board and accepted our arguments regarding a timely and financially viable transition from diesel to ZEC/electric taxis, justifying our decision to meet and consult with them, although we have to beware future governments, local and national, will not be averse to attempt to move the goalposts, as they have done before! We also need these organisations to support us in resisting future calls for a ban on all diesels.
We deliver national and global programmes, through a network of local delivery teams in over 24 countries, from The United States to Hungary.
Unite supported National Clean Air Day on 15th June as taxi drivers are more at risk from air pollution caused by the internal combustion engine than most, let alone members of their families and society in general. One Unite cab driver member will be having an air quality monitoring device fitted inside their taxi by GAP for twenty-four hours to demonstrate the levels of air pollution that taxi drivers are exposed to during the course of a normal working day. The results will, no doubt, make very interesting reading and will probably be very concerning for us all!
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Our UK programs have directly engaged over 400,000 people. We work with many kinds of organisation, from leading FTSE100 multi-national companies, to tiny start-up businesses with two employees. We work in three strategic areas: Business and retail NHS Schools All revenue from GAP's work with business goes straight back into our free programmes for schools, youth and community. We believe that environmental sustainability is an issue for everyone – and all parts of society should be addressing it. Global Action Plan is part of GAP International – a network of local delivery teams, over 24 countries, that runs behaviour change programmes with schools, communities and businesses.
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LTC PRESS RELEASE
Arizona Testing! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! London Taxi Company (LTC)’s strenuous testing regime for its range extended electric vehicle has taken the cab to the extreme desert heat of Arizona in the U.S. A critical part of the development programme of the vehicle, extreme climate testing not just proves the considerable distances the vehicle can cover whilst the atmospheric controls are running at full power, but also that the new cab is a vehicle suitable for the world, not just for London. On sale in the final quarter of 2017, LTC’s new electric taxi will be the most comprehensively tested product in the company’s history, all to ensure that it meets not just the high regulatory standards of London but the requirements and climates of cities all around the world. CHRIS GUBBEY, CEO of the London Taxi Company said: “Since announcing this project we have had considerable interest not just from European cities but hot weather cities around the world. To convert this interest into sales we must prove TX5 can perform as well in the 45 °C heat of Dubai as it can in the sub-zero
temperatures of the Arctic, and as it does in the changeable conditions of London.� On these trials, the vehicle successfully undertook daily journeys of 300 miles, the equivalent of driving from Heathrow to central London some 20 times. This is roughly triple the average daily mileage of the typical London cab, reassuring cab drivers that there are plenty of extra-miles in the tank if they’re sharing the vehicle with another driver, or, should they land a popular “roader� (London cabbie parlance for a long-distance fare). This shows that despite additional pressure of extreme heat on the battery, the cab can still cover considerable distances. So, regardless of the conditions outside, both driver and passenger will be able to travel in comfort without worrying about the range of the vehicle. Leaving the passenger free to enjoy the sights of the city through the panoramic roof, and the driver to experience long range, zero emissions driving in maximum comfort. Dr WOLFRAM LIEDTKE, Head of Quality at LTC said:
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“Testing in these extremes provides us with a huge amount of data, helping us to understand how the performance of the batteries change at high temperatures, and how we can get the most charge out of them. “In the next few weeks, our equipment testing will also take us to extremely humid environments, as well as some more mountainous terrain. This is all preparation for one of the most challenging environments for vehicles – everyday use on the streets of London.� This benefits drivers and passengers in the UK, as we learn huge amounts about the black cab’s performance by testing in these environments. We can also ensure that whatever the weather in London, this is a cab that will transport passengers in comfort, leaving them free to enjoy the views from the cabs’ panoramic roof. When are these cabs set to be launched? LTC’s electric cabs will start the final phase of their testing programme in London this summer, the vehicle will go on sale in the Autumn.
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EXTRA CASH FOR CABBIES Every year, Gett puts millions of pounds of extra cash into the pockets of London cabbies.
An average corporate account job on Gett is worth more than £25 to the driver
Our top performing drivers take home more than £400 in extra cash each week - the equivalent of £20,000 a year from work on Gett!
For every hour a Gett driver spends on a Fixed Fare journey, they get an average of more than £50 in their pocket