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On 16 July, Evening Standard
Motoring correspondent, David Williams, detailed an LCCI
taxi report put out by the London Chamber of Commerce and
Industry that was based on the low availability of taxis
during the evening and on Saturday nights. Dial-a-Cab Chairman Brian Rice wrote to Mr Williams pointing out that some of the information given was incorrect. Brian asked that the correct figures be printed. This does not appear to have been done although Mr Williams did respond privately, promising to look into the discrepancy. Call Sign, courtesy of the Evening Standard, is republishing the article together with Brian Rice’s response at the end of it. We are also publishing two letters that the ES did decide to publish… Late-night taxi shortage as cabbies stay at home London's status as a thriving 24-hour city is being threatened by a severe shortage of night-time taxis, a major report reveals today. While there are enough cabs during the day, too few taxi drivers are willing to work at night, particularly on Saturdays. The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry report, based on interviews with 200 cab drivers and 129 London company directors, says the supply of cabs is ‘inversely proportional’ to when Londoners need them. This means that late night revellers are increasingly forced to rely on minicab operators. It says that between 5pm and 7pm, black cab availability is ‘poor’ while fewer than one fifth of London taxi drivers now work later than 9pm once a week. Only six per cent work past midnight. The report concludes that the reluctance of taxi drivers to work when late-night social activity is at its peak is now a major barrier to developing London's growing late-night economy. It blames the problem on the fact that many drivers are getting older and too few young people are joining the fleet. "Our research reveals a worrying trend towards older drivers working fewer hours, particularly during the evenings and reaching a peak at the capital’s busiest time, Saturday night," the Chamber warns. Some 98 per cent of London taxi drivers are now aged over 30 - with the oldest driver on the books aged 92. It adds that new recruits are being deterred by the ‘bureaucratic’ and over-demanding nature of the legendary Knowledge exam, with up to 80 per cent of candidates dropping out. The time needed to complete |
Brian Rice replies to the Evening Standard |
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the test has soared from 11 months in 1970 to an
average of 40 months now, making it increasingly difficult for
candidates to juggle existing jobs with training. The Chamber says the 2012 Olympics and major projects such as the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow make it crucial that aspects of the taxi trade are overhauled. Its recommendations for change include: • More ‘fast-tracking’ of trainee cab drivers, as well as roadshows and ‘financial incentives’ to attract applicants. • The Public Carriage Office, which runs the industry, should hand over Knowledge testing to an independent examination provider and produce a detailed annual audit on the trade. • Incentives to encourage drivers to share taxis, making it less likely cabs would be parked up at night. • More marshalled taxi ranks in central London at weekends. Bob Oddy, General Secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, said he believed the report had been driven by Chamber members who had a ‘vested business interest’ in benefiting from expanding the licensed taxi trade. He said 2,500 new drivers had qualified in the past year, taking the number of black cab drivers in London to 25,000. Mr Oddy also pointed out that 96 per cent of survey respondents had said they were satisfied with the availability of cabs during the working day. "The number of cabs working at night has considerably increased in recent years; there are currently 9,000 applicants on the Knowledge of London course," he said.
Brian Rice responded: |
licensed taxi fleet in London is
actually shrinking. And two letters the Evening Standard DID decide to publish… Letter 1. One major factor is missing from the London Chamber of Commerce’s conclusions about the late-night taxi shortage; those black cabs found waiting every evening outside City law firms and banks for customers to emerge, and those driving around with their For Hire signs off as they respond to bookings. I have long felt they are contravening the spirit of their Hackney Carriage licenses, which require their availability to the public. David Leonard, E1 Letter 2. London has never been a 24-hour city thanks
to its lack of late-night tube services and the slackness of its
taxi operators. Thank goodness for the unregulated cabs that ply
their trade after midnight. Mostly they are driven by polite and
hardworking people who have scant regard for officialdom
standing in the way of a punter’s desire to get home. They
fulfil an important late function despite the bleating of the
black-taxi lobby. Call Sign comment… |
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