The black cab cabal
They may be a symbol of London, but black cabbies are resorting to French-style direct action to protect their business from minicabs and meddling politicians. Michael Savage explains why the meter is ticking
To the millions of tourists who visit London each year, black cabs are as much a symbol of the capital as Tower Bridge or Buckingham Palace. And since the demise of the Routemaster bus, they vie with the yellow cabs of New York and the gondolas of Venice as the world's most iconic mode of transport.
But black-cab drivers – held in such high esteem for their flawless knowledge of the London streets and humourous banter – are feeling under threat. And there are growing fears that they will stop at nothing to protect their monopoly of picking up customers off the street from minicabs with sat-nav.
Earlier this year, hundreds of drivers protested at a scheme to allow minicabs to run a rank in Leicester Square. Their blockade cut off Trafalgar Square, The Mall, Downing Street and the Strand, stopping traffic for more than an hour.
Last week, Heathrow Airport was forced to abandon plans to allow some minicab firms to operate from its terminals after black-cab drivers threatened to bring the airport to a standstill by blockading it. But most worrying was a guest appearance by the RMT union's Bob Crow who turned up at a meeting for angry cabbies at one of the airport's car parks.
Rules state that minicabs have to be booked, rather than hailed from the street or hired at a rank, an honour reserved only for the Hackney carriage. But under the scheme proposed by Heathrow's operator BAA, two minicab firms, Addison Lee and One Transport, would have been allowed to run a booking system directly from the airport.
Black-cab drivers did not take kindly to this threat to their territory. "Obviously, there was a lot of concern among the guys who work the airport regularly," Steve McNamara, a spokesman for the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association (LTDA) told the Independent. "We told BAA that if they had gone ahead with the plan, they would have been in dispute with us and we would have taken whatever action necessary that we thought assisted our cause."
A source close to the talks said that although BAA was keen to stand firm over the proposals, several of the airlines were nervous about the potential disruption to Heathrow from a blockade and demanded a swift resolution. As a result, BAA backed off. The decision has caused political alarm. "There are clearly issues here that need to be resolved so that we can have fair competition for both sides," said shadow transport minister and London MP Stephen Hammond. "It is always a regret if people appear to be using industrial muscle to blackmail, rather than negotiating."
However, Mr McNamara disagreed that the capital's cabbies were too quick to use the threat of direct action. "It is not something we do on a frequent basis and we have to be severely pushed to do it," he said. "On both occasions we have done it, we really were at the end of our tether. We do meet with the authorities in question to negotiate and most of the time we're only asking what is reasonable. Heathrow was a perfect example."
Even before February's blockade, Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, must have been well aware of the long arm of the black-cab lobby. Anthony Browne, an adviser to Mr Johnson, found himself on the wrong side of London's black-cab drivers. Mr Browne wrote an article, lambasting London's them as a "white working-class mafia holding the capital to ransom". It led to a stream of hate mail. He was then called up by a "Mr X", promising a big scoop from the Ministry of Defence. When he was greeted by the contact, he was taken to a pub, where four men dressed as Santa Claus proceeded to take pictures of him. He was informed he had won Taxi magazine's "Prat of the Year" award and promptly found it impossible to hail a cab.
But in the light of growing competition, the threat to the position of black-cab drivers is not going away. While minicabs were traditionally derided as dirty and the drivers almost certain to need minute-by-minute navigational advice from their passenger, the advent of a licensing system and the invention of the sat-nav have seen the use of minicabs shoot up. Around 1.4 million minicab journeys are now made in London each week, just 400,000 journeys behind those made by traditional black cabs, which had almost all the market in the 1960s.
The London Chamber of Commerce has calculated that black cabs are among the most expensive in the world, with the average fare in London twice that of cab journeys elsewhere in Britain. There are feelings in City Hall that traditional cabbies have failed to keep up with the competition. "The private-hire trade is throwing down the gauntlet to the black-cab industry," said Kulveer Ranger, the mayor's transport director. "The black-cab industry has a great heritage with London. It is important we treasure that, but also build on it so that it is competitive in a changing environment."
As for the minicab fraternity, they are biding their time. "Our tactic is to improve and let the public decide," one executive told the Independent. "If this is the tactic that the taxi trade is employing, we should just hand them more rope. They're acting like dinosaurs. They used to describe minicab drivers as rapists and robbers, now they're doing this.
"It doesn't achieve anything for us to start a war – the public have a propensity to support these iconic things. But taxi drivers have taken their eye off the ball. They think they can rule forever, but it didn't work for Woolworths, and it won't work for them."
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Comments
If they want to keep their monopoly, the black cabs need to offer something in return, like a rapid switch to hybrid or fully-electric vehicles.
Coming back we used a minicab - 35 pounds which worked out cheaper per person than the bus.
Next time we'll book the minicab.
I agree with lexyboy - why do we allow this monopoly?
Mini cab drivers are allowed to come here from abroad and work on foreign licenses with no CRO check. Would you want to put you life in the hands of someone who has to keep taking his eyes of the road to look at a sat nav?
Have you ever tried to follow a sat nav around the City of London?
When compared with the tube, five people can travel to Fulham Broadway from Hyde Park corner cheaper than the underground.
Five passengers to Heathrow from Paddington, cheaper in a cab than on the Heathrow express.
Are you saying that 60.000 mini cabs do less jobs in central London than 24.000 black cabs or is that just the figure that mini cabs pay tax on?
If that were the case they could not survive, this is why they steal work they should not be entitled to from the black cab trade.
The London Black Taxi have just been voted the BEST taxi service in the world AGAIN, Fact not Fiction
And a taxi to Reading from the Airport is a negotiable fare, one should have gone along the line and got a better quote. Some drivers out there would have done the job for half that price.
Negotiable based on What? Do we now have to go along a line holding a placard indicating what we want to pay?
Why won't all drivers do it for half the price? If driver A undercuts driver B isn't that the same as a mini cab doing the job?
I agree a lot of minicab drivers are reckless. That's why cabbies should charge a more honest rate.
I am a fairly regular user of taxis - both black cabs and minicabs.
I usually prefer minicabs, especially from the more reputable, reliable and 'professional' companies, such as Addison Lee (who are generally excellent, I must say). You can always ask for a quote for your fare, so you know how much they are going to charge you for your journey (and you can sometimes even negotiate a lower fare), and they charge you by distance (often 'as the crow flies' distance, rather than on the specific route) , regardless of how long your journey actually takes because of traffic conditions.
I only use black cabs for short journeys, or if I cannot locate a minicab office or book one by phone in a reasonable time. This is because they are invariably more expensive - sometimes considerably so. They also charge by the time your journey takes, rather than the actual distance covered, so they have little incentive to take the shortest, quickest route, or to avoid heavy traffic. In fact, I have often been in black cabs where the driver seemed to deliberately choose a route with a lot of traffic lights, or heavy traffic, when I knew that he could have chosen an alternative route that would have been far quicker, but earned him a lower fare.
Black cab drivers need to acknowledge that, with the advent of sat-nav, the rules of the game have changed; their much-vaunted 'knowledge' does not give them the competitive advantage that it once did, and they must adapt to the burgeoning minicab competition if they are to survive. They can start by lowering their prices, or - even better - switching from journey-time to journey-distance charging, which would discourage some of their more dishonest practices. They might also consider giving *legally binding* quotes of fares if asked for them. In this way, they can start to compete with minicabs drivers on fair terms, rather than expecting the rules always to be biased in their (the black cabbies') favour.
And there is simply no excuse for not allowing minicabs to be hailed in the street, as they can be in almost every other city on the planet!
They provide an exceptionally safe, instant and reliable service, customers pay a premium for that.
Of course their legal right to solicit trade on the streets could be removed..
Would we really be better off with lots of minimum wage drivers working all possible hours, rushing about trying to squeeze in extra jobs daily to make ends meet whilst overcharging customers wherever possible and defrauding the taxman.
Black cabs are by no means perfect ; just one of the problems is the choice of large capacity diesel engines for a massive fleet of city centre vehicles, given the public health costs this borders on the insane.
Is it better that our cabbies struggle to make ends meet and that they and their dependents need to be subsidised by other taxpayers..
Yet PHTM the minicab national newspaper London Cabs are listed as 6th from the top in the Hackney Carriage fares national league table for July 2009. I think there is some mischief going on here and it's not just in London,This is happening throughout the United Kingdom and in the long term will not be a good thing for the travelling public. As for a Monopoly,there is no Monopoly anyone can become a London Cab driver with a bit of hard work and study and if anybody is using Bully boy tactics it's those who are too lazy to put the effort in to become a world class Taxi driver.Instead the Private Hire have an ever increasing workforce which tries to push it's way into every part of the traditional Hacks workplace. Comment by 'TooManyTaxis'
http://www.phtm.co.uk/_includes/docs/le
Who says black cabs should enjoy a monopolistic advantage at Heathrow? They do not have a God given right. They benefit from business accruing from BAA, not from God.
So long as the service provided by a taxi is healthy, safe, value for money, comfortable and incorrupt, then anyone should be allowed the opportunity to compete fairly. In this business it should be regulated justly but should not be monopolistic nor oligopolist (as BAA are now proposing).
The black cabs have many good attributes that are the envy of the world. (Mexico City taxis are unsafe, badly driven, and most drivers don't know their city at a basic level. But they are cheap and the drivers don't bore you to death with their right wing political clap trap!)
Let us have progress without fascist resistance.
The puropse of the knowledge is not just to know the quickest way from A to B, it's to value the effort that one has put into studying his trade and respect that effort by abiding by laws and regulations.
As for the rather ill thought out argument that satnav can replace the knowledge; next time you fire up your tomtom (other devices are available) type in some discombobulated sentence as an address and see where it gets you! Not everyone who hails a taxi has a clear address or postcode to give the driver; i've had everything from "can you take me to the office which is next to the statue of a panther in the City" to "shishelotelouston" thrown at me!! What do you type into your satnav then ? Or perhaps you would just refuse them!!
Regards it being a monopoly, how exactly ? The knowledge of London is open for all to complete, there is no age, race or religious barrier preventing anyone from applying. Does having a law degree also mean that the legal profession is a monopoly ? Perhaps we should allow traffic wardens to perfom open heart surgery as that too could be seen as a monopoly!!
"They used to describe minicab drivers as rapists and robbers, now they're doing this." what a sensationalist comment! 1 case of rape in 22 years out of 22,000 drivers; i'm sorry but you would have to go a long way to convince the sensible taxi users out there that we as London cabbies are seriously a threat!
Sadly this is just another ill thought our piece of redtop journalism and to be honest i expected better from the Independant.
One last thing, i'm sure when it's pouring with rain, the same people on here bemoaning us are the first to thank us for stopping.
Be lucky.
They should lower their prices? Black cab drivers do not set their own fares, they are set by TFL. However, minicab companies/drivers can charge you whatever they want. In times of extreme circumstances, such as 7/7 or the tube strikes, taxi fares stayed the same. Some cabbies even helped take the injured to hospital for nothing. Many minicab companies were charging double, or even treble. Most taxi fares are pushed up by the constant traffic and roadworks. You cant blame the cabbie for that.
How would you feel if you studied for 3 years to do your job, then found out that an untrained competitor was allowed to set up a desk outside your office, taking your customers before they even had a chance to see you? You would take action to protect yourself.
Pray, stop the constant cabbie bashing. Ask yourself this - when was the last time you saw rich bankers, or Addison Lee for that matter, taking sick and underpriviliged children to Disneyland or the seaside? They are an asset to London in many ways.
If you want a Taxi hail one, simple.
There is no monopoly.
Mini cabs brandish around Taxis have the monoply, monopoly on what.
Does a dentist have the monoply on fixing teeth.Its the job of a dentist.Not a monoply
Just like a job of a Taxi driver is to be hailed.
If a mini cab driver wants to be hailed in the street then he has to change his profestion and study to become a Taxi driver.
unfortunately most of the people on here wouldnt have a chance of passing because they were clearly born to driven at a minimum charge :P haha
in my humble opinion i truely believe they offer a excellent service and im sure most of the foreigners and tourists would agree with that!! and as tourism and tourists are one of the most important industries in London im not too bothered by some of this hate campaign.
couple more points..
a) if your complaining about meter prices i suggest you stop using black taxis & moaning at cabbies and start using red taxis (= buses) :P
b) if your travelling to reading or Walthamstow (chav central) why are you hiring a black taxi? i thought only buses and trains go to those districts as we're not required to learn the knowledge on those areas.
c) what about the bankers?? have you moaned about them? or the mp's?? considering there the biggest fraudsters in this country maybe you should have a look at the big picture before speaking.
HELLO!!! we have nationized the banks with taxes payers money and your moaning about meterfare!!
d) TFL set the meter fares (YOU GUYS DONT EVEN KNOW BASIC FACTS)!! haha
QUICK LOWDOWN TO BEGINERS:
blackcabs your self-employed workers that are incenced by the PCO & TFL :-~
sorry do you want me to repeat that??
and thanks to the couple of cabbies writing in.... im afraid these people arent listening chaps!!! SO DONT BOTHER!!
BUT LISTEN THE TRADE IS FRACTURED AND WE HAVE 5 UNIONS INCLUDING LTDA (WHICH DIDNT EVEN SHOW AT HEATHROW WHEN THE END WAS NEI) WHICH ARE DIVIDED WHILE EXTERNAL PRESSURES SLOWLY CHIP AWAY AT THE TRADE THAT WE HAVE FOUGHT SO HARD FOR WITH OUR FAMILIES...
ITS TIME GUYS TO UNITE ALL UNIONS WITH THE RMT TAXI DRIVERS CLUB AND BOB CROW. THE RMT IS THE ONLY UNION WHICH HAS THE POWER TO FIGHT FOR OUR LIVELYHOODS...AGAINST ILLEGAL TOUTING, POLICE WHICH REFUSED TO REGULATE MINICABS & BAA SCARE TACTICS.......!!
IF WE DONT THE GAME IS ALMOST OVER!! UNDERSTOOD??
GOOD NIGHT
BEE LUCKY
They must be more competitive to survive and, yes, they do sometimes take "longer" routes, just to rack up a higher fare.
Some drive like fogbound snails, in order to rest conveniently at each "red" light, just to engorge the fare to even more staggering proportions.
So, lightweight but cheaper minicabs in, and more expensive self-satisfied black cabbies.......out!
RicardoJ
Hampshire.
SO AGAIN I WRITE LET THE CABBIES UNITE WITH THE RMT, RAILWORKERS AND BUSES DRIVERS AND FORGE A POWERFUL ALIANCE OF KEY TRANSPORT WORKERS!! UNITED & STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL MY CABBIE MATES!!
P.S MR RICARDO WE DONT REALLY CARE WHAT YOU THINK YOUR FROM HAMPSHIRE HENCE YOUR OPINION IS IRRELEVANT.. :p
BE LUCKY...
To be honest I prefer minicabs, they are generally more comfortable, the drivers don't have a problem helping with luggage (without charging extra) and with GPS "the knowledge" is largely redundant.
Black cabs from Heathrow to Kingston frequently travel the long way to kingston around the M25 / A3 knowing that the further they go and the longer it takes the more they get paid. The first time I got a black cab from Heathrow at night I remember watching with disgust at how quickly the meter went round while we were driving around the M25.
Black cabs are abusing their monopoly, healthy competition is good for business and the UK economy. Allow minicabs to pickup in the street if they are properly licenced!!
I did not see any tender applications get advertised anywhere, what sort of back door deals were going on to give the contracts to these companies.
I run an internet based airport transfer company and would loved to have bewen given the opportunity to submit a tender for the rights. In fact I'm sure that if the opportunity had been put out to tender then the black cabs could have had the chance to apply as well.
Sorry but the way in which this deal was done just does not seem right
mr tommy mc didnt you just answer your own question ?
if you have the choice between a minicab or black cab at heathrow?? wheres the monopoly??? :-~ haha
or there always a underground train waiting for you sir!!!..sorry i forget you were born to driven, refuse to move your own luggage and regularly stare at the meters going round!! :P plzs ask yourself the question are you a awkward passenger?
im looking forward to the day where both tubeworkers, blackcab men and bus drivers will all strike simultaneously...then and only then will people have to eat their words or just walk down the hardsholder on the m25 :P
bring on transport unity!!!
RMT supporter
Lby R shepherdness Walk
R Nile St
F Bevenden St
Com Roundabout
Lby Pitfield St
R Crondall st
L Hoxton St
R Nuttall St
F whiston Rd
L Pritchards Rd
F Broadway Mrkt
R Ada St
L Sheep Lame
R Westcote St
F The Traingle
L Mare St
Set Down On Left
TomTom Doesnt Know chocolate Studios or Hackney Empire
so shepherdness place
ROUTE
Lby R shepherdness Wak
R Nile St
F Bevenden St
Com Roundabout
Lby Pitfield St
F whitmore rd
F de Beauvoir Rd
F Stamford RD
F Kingstand Rd
F Dalston Lane
F Graham Rd
F Mare St
Conclusion
a) doesnt know origin or destination
b) Long route
and just to add a point not brought up before Taxi only vehicle in London using Bus Lanes is Rush Hour
please feel free to check the routes for yourself...
Cheerz
RMT :P