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Demos & Protests

Outside Onanon

Early this morning 21/01/10, drivers from the LTDF and Twitter met in St James’s Square.

We formed two groups the first cabs hit Tiger Tiger in the Haymarket at the same time we hit Onanon, as we arrived, there were about five minicabs parked up so we parked along side them.      

A taxi rank outside this venue would solve a lot of problems. Under section 33 of the 1843 Hackney carriage act the minicabs are illegally parked.

They are also forming an unlicensed taxi rank, contra to section 6 of the metropolitan public carriage act 1869.

There is also a public order act of 1994 section 167, which states subject to the following provisions, it is an offence in a puplic place, to solicit persons to hire vehicles to carry them as passengers. ( In reference to clipboard operators outside clubs, pubs and bars.

When people started to come out of the club they headed straight for our cabs totally ignoring the illegal minicabs.

It goes to show you what people really want, if only Westerminster council would listen.

At 03:30 am we were still there and we achieved what we set out to do, we completly crippled those  illegal minicabs, touting our work.

Above picture is what a properley orginsed taxi rank should look like. Professional drivers doing  a professional  job.

Be lucky, Steve.

steve on January 21st, 2010 03:52 pm

3 Responses to “Outside Onanon”

1. Adam G says:

   January 26, 2010 at 12:29 am

   Good idea, all we need is some Taxi drivers who will service theses ranks? Look at Jalouse, Little Argyle Street, Tiger Tiger on busy nights, all totally ignored.

   You can have 30 ranks, but whats the point if drivers don’t work after midnight and service them.

   Great service in the kipper, but onve it gets busier and the recession becomes a memory, what then?

   The ranks will be removed, and punters will go back to waiting an eternity on a licensed taxi.

   And yes, I’m a night man, not a scab.
2. steve says:

   January 27, 2010 at 1:16 pm

   Hi Adam thank you for posting your comments, we are and have been servicing most of the main ranks for around 10 months now. there is a group of drivers who follow each other on Twitter, the same drivers who maintain Tweet a london cab and some are in the Rmt union as well. Since Dac started taking back the work early last year,this group of drivers have taken over from them, some of them are DAC drivers.
   If you or any other driver wants to be better informed join Twitter and start to follow me. You can do this simply by clicking on the Twitter sign on this site, I now have 61 cab drivers who follow me and I follow them, we all keep each other informed of Ranks,traffic,etc,etc.
3. Adam G says:

   January 27, 2010 at 11:42 pm

   You’re talking about a service that around 30% of drivers could use.

   You’re lucky if you have the technical ability and equipment to do so, most of us don’t. I’m not sure how much impact 70 drivers will have when the trade picks up towards the summer, it still leaves 80% of the trade working days and evenings and ignoring the demand after midnight.

   Minicabs will coontinue to use this unmet demand to justify the satellite office legislation.

   Personally I don’t think the trade will ever change, theres just too many drivers who are scared of the dark or are 78 year old pensioners who just play at being taxi drivers for a hobby.

   What an ageist I am !

   Or a realist?

   B lucky