Taxi Driver Online

The ongoing saga at Watford Junction keeps providing us with evermore examples of the devious ways the rail companies continue to 'Muddy the water' when it comes to justifying their position to charge for taxis to provide a service at their stations.

The latest is they seem to be 'less than honest with the truth' in their correspondence with our Worldwide Union colleagues who are expressing their support for the taxi drivers in Watford. National Express (the parent company of train operator 'Silverlink' at Watford Junction) recently had a letter from 'BDP Antwerp', expressing their concern at the way our members at Watford were being treated. The 'Chief Operating Officer' of National Express, Mr Ray O'Toole, replied giving a very negative, incomplete and incorrect version of the facts as to the situation at Watford Junction.

He stated that our members there just 'refused to pay' for the station permits without reason, and that paying for access to stations is 'A practice that is in place at many busy stations in the U.K'. In the latter part of his statement he is not wrong but it has been stated by the train operating companies national body ATOC that only about 10% of stations pay for access. Is this an admission that the percentage is in fact much higher and that we are being forced to 'pay' for providing an unequalled service to the general public at railway stations throughout the country?

He conveniently forgot to mention the reasons that our members refused to pay the 'Permit Fee' which were for all the 'Broken Promises of receiving onward Journey work when the train service fails. Also in providing proper signage for taxis at the entrance to the station. They also refused to 'Remove Advertising for Private Hire Companies' in the entrance foyer of the station which diverts work away from the taxi rank.

He further stated that their use of a Private Hire Company was approved by the local Taxi Licensing Officer, Mr Geoffrey Leib, as being 'Compliant with the Law', and that that position was supported by the Mayor of Watford. He omitted to mention that we, the TGWU through our legal advisors, advised both of these people that it was in fact an 'Illegal Operation' and subsequently, that the Council has withdrawn its support and instigated legal proceedings against the Private Hire operator and several of their drivers!

The Mayor of Watford further stated that she had been 'Wrongly Advised as to the legality of the P\H Operation at Watford Junction by council officers'. Mr O'Toole continued by saying that 'The new contract with the Private Hire Company has now settled down and is providing a good service to their customers and has a high degree of local support' again both of these statements are a distortion of the truth.

In fact, a growing number of passengers are walking across the road to the old taxi rank in disgust at the poor service they receive. Why is it that these people cannot accept that they have made a resounding mistake and as a result are the cause of P\H drivers putting themselves in an unlawful position and are causing legitimate Hackney Carriage Taxi operators to struggle to earn a living.

They were providing a service which had been meeting the needs of train passengers at Watford Junction for many years. The phrase comes to mind 'If it ain't broke don't fix it!' And why should we be forced to pay for providing a public service anyway?

We pay for our Taxi Licensing (which increases with regularity) every year, so why do we need to pay for taking passengers to and from Stations, Airports and any other public terminus? Perhaps it should be that the railways and airports should be paying us to go there!

Support the union campaign for 'Free and Open Access to all passenger termini' and get the kind of deal that the taxi trade has in London, Liverpool and other metropolitan areas in the country. . And as for the rail companies 'bending the truth' they really should know better than to tell 'porkies' it will only come back to them like the proverbial boomerang!

Ed Benton, Branch Secretary TGWU 1/346 Branch.

ED
people on here wont understand why you would want passengers to travel in safety with good well trained cab drivers, when cheap tatty touts with buggered cars can do it cheaper.

And your evidence for that is where?

On a par me-thinks with the T&G's actions in Brighton, where they agreed to ban fellow cab drivers from the station.

Strange the T&G's rag never seems to mention this.

_________________
IDFIMH

I see that the T&G are trying to raise funds for those cab drivers that have missed out at Watford.

I wonder when the T&G will do likewise for those cabbies in Brighton and Blackpool where the local T&G have voted to keep them out of the station.

Even members of their own union.

Its dangerous to air your views on this,
apparently we are supposed to look after Watford drivers for evermore

Nige is a supporter.

Yes thats right Geoff.

As Bob Hewlet said the other day, The situation is not uncommon where trade union officials use their union status to 'protect' their incomes and their 'mates'. It is normally called corruption. all I can suggest is that he and other cabbies who are in the T&G, try to oust those who run the Branch, recruiting into the Union those who agree with 'Free and Open Access'.

I don't think there is anything wrong with backing up your fellow colleagues, but maybe the lads from Watford should sell their plates and join the PH firm, if they are on the breadline.

But what [edited by admin] me off is the two faced attitude were the lads from Watford need all the help, but other fellow T&G members in a number of other areas are blanked by members of their own union.

_________________
IDFIMH