Allied have their eye on London

Paul Nelson is managing director of Allied Vehicles, who manufacture the E7 taxi in Glasgow, trading as Cab Direct. In a recent article in a Scottish newspaper he revealed that Cab direct once again have their eye on getting their taxi licensed in London. The main reason that the E7 is not allowed to ply for hire in the capital is that it fails to meet the 25 feet turning circle requirement of the Conditions of Fitness. Mr. Nelson said: “We are in the early stages of instructing lawyers to take London to court if our vehicles are not allowed on its streets. Our message to Boris Johnson is that Allied are coming. We will get our vehicles on to the streets of London, hopefully with his blessing.”

He said: “refusing to allow the E7 taxis may be a breach of European competition rules”. During the past few years, there have been several challenges to licensing regulations in various cities around the UK where the E7 was subsequently licensed. In 2009, Allied won a landmark ruling after challenging Liverpool city council’s decision not to allow the E7 to operate. Lawyers argued the decision contradicted free trade laws by restricting the Peugeots’ use and sale. The High Court ordered the council to reconsider licensing the Peugeots for taxi use. E7 taxis are licensed in other cities including Edinburgh, Newcastle and Manchester. Allied’s co-founder and chairman, Gerry Facenna, reportedly met with TfL officials recently to ask them once again to lift the ban. Mr. Nelson told reporters: “We have spent a lot of time and effort on building a product. What we are up against is a Chinese company producing the London black cab to a 60-year-old design while we are a good UK company working for the best solution for the customer. “London wants to keep its own black cabs. The problem is clearly that we are not part of the establishment.” Helen Chapman, TfL’s taxi general manager, said: “Currently there are two taxi manufacturers, the London Taxi Company and Mercedes Vitos adapted by One80 Ltd, which have a variety of vehicle models that are licensed. Some older models of taxis from other manufacturers, which meet the Conditions of Fitness and are approved for use in London, are the Metrocab and Asquith taxi models. “TfL is also aware of, and working closely with, a number of other vehicle manufacturers that are developing new zero emission capable taxis which will also fully meet the Conditions of Fitness.”

CoF REVIEW
Back in 2005, it was the Public Carriage Office who issued the results of the Conditions of Fitness review for London’s taxi industry. Three aspects had been challenged by Allied Vehicles Limited; the turning-circle requirement; the requirement that sliding doors are power assisted and the requirement for a one-piece rear window.  At that time, the Review decided to retain the turning-circle requirement, not require sliding doors, if fitted, to be power-assisted and introduce a new condition to address the issue of visibility into and out of taxis for the benefit of passengers and drivers. Roy Ellis, then the Head of the PCO, said: “After a comprehensive review, it was found that the tight turning-circle produced tangible significant benefits to the travelling public, and that these outweighed the advantages of removing it. Allied Vehicles alleged that the retention of the turning-circle requirement led to fewer taxis, higher fares, less suitable taxis for the needs of the disabled and the unavailability of safer and more comfortable taxis, to the disadvantage in general of passengers and drivers alike. The facts of these alleged dis-benefits were not borne out by the research undertaken. “Approximately 50m U-turns and over 90m other tight turns are performed by London taxis each year. If these U-turns were replaced by multi-point turns and other alternative complex manoeuvres, this could cause delay and impede other road users. “Overall, during this review, both passengers and drivers preferred the existing London Taxi.”

 

Installation Court Dinner

On 4th September 2013, The Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers (WCHCD) held their Installation Dinner on board HQS Wellington. During a meeting before the dinner, taxi driver Graham Woodhouse was installed as the Master of WCHCD for the forthcoming year. Handing over the tenure was Brenda Bartlett who wished Graham a year as good as the one she has enjoyed as Master. During the same ceremony, the Wardens (pictured) were also installed and for this year they are Malcolm Paice as Upper Warden, Renter Warden is Colin Evans and Lower Warden is Alan Roughan.

The Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers installation dinner 2013

Graham said that it was a great honour to be chosen as Master for the year and he is looking forward to carrying out his duties. One of the main aims of the WCHCD is to promote high standards of the taxi trade in the City of London and Brenda said that she found the WCHCD is held in high esteem throughout the City with other Masters and Livery companies. Other aims of the WCHCD are charitable and educational; Graham has been the lead Guide Course tutor run by the WCHCD and some of those who have joined the Company have been introduced through undertaking the course. A new course is now underway and is fully subscribed, but a new one will be running in the early weeks of 2014. One of Graham’s first duties as Master was clothe two Freemen of the WCHCD in the Livery. David Neale and Stephen Mullen were welcomed as Liverymen and then Raymond Coggin, Lee Cooper, John Ford and Graham Waite joined the WCHCD as Freemen. They were given a warm welcome and joined the WCHCD at dinner. Following a Drinks Reception out on the Quarter Deck in glorious sunshine, dinner was enjoyed in the magnificent Court Room, where the gold and silver collection of The Honourable Company of Master Mariners, along with works of art, is housed. During the course of the dinner, the Master welcomed the new Liverymen and Freemen and then he spoke of how he had become a member of the Company and how delighted he is to be Master. His guest speaker for the evening was Vera Day, who has been an actress in many movies including Lock Stock and Smoking Barrel. In her speech she regaled guests with her memories and experiences over the years. The evening finished with a Stirrup Cup which guests enjoyed on the upper deck of the ship where the River Thames sparkled with the reflections of lights along its banks. On 20th September, Graham together with his wife Caroline, headed the convoy of cabs leaving Canary Wharf on the Magical Taxi Tour. Graham has been a driver on this trip for many years and this is the 20th anniversary of the event.

For more information on the company, joining the Guide Course or the Magical Taxi Tour please contact The Clerk Mary Whitworth on 01494 7675922.

TaxiCabNews

Dial-a-Cab goes live with new terminal and app

London’s only co-operative radio taxi organisation, Dial-a-Cab, have extensively road tested their new in-cab terminals and begun the process of fitting the fleet with the new equipment.  They have simultaneously launched their new App, which is currently for both account and credit card customers. According to Chairman Brian Rice initial feedback is very encouraging and credit card usage in Dial-a-Cab taxis has increased quite significantly. To help encourage drivers cover even more credit card trips, the Society has announced that it will return to weekly payments and that any extra administration costs will be picked up by the Society. Unlike the previous terminal, the new equipment will have no geographical boundaries and can be used anywhere in the UK where there is a mobile phone signal.

This is especially useful when using the Knowledge Master Cabbies Mate satnav system, which is part of the new terminal. In addition to the mapping and postcode facilities, there are also over 25,000 points of interest that will help drivers to find buildings and apartments that they possibly may not be able to locate otherwise. In order to promote their new App, Dial-a-Cab have liveried a number of their fleet to help encourage passenger usage. The ‘superside’ ads include a QR (Quick Response) code both within the livery and also on the taxi tip-up seat, so that passengers can just scan it to their smart phones and then easily download it. The Dial-a-Cab Board had originally asked for volunteers to livery their cabs to promote the new App and the response from Members was overwhelming, consequently a ballot had to be arranged in order to choose the successful applicants. According to a Dial-a-Cab spokesperson, the App has an optional driver’s run-in on Credit Cards booked through the system that will be at the driver’s discretion, drivers will always receive the full metered fare and they will not be charged for the privilege of completing the trip. As a safety factor, the Dial-a-Cab PED (Pin Entry Device where the passenger’s credit card is inserted), is in the front of the taxi and passed through the partition opening. This means that should the passenger claim there is a problem with the card the driver would not have to leave the safety of his vehicle. Chairman Brian Rice told TaxiCab News: “Not only are we extremely pleased with the new terminals, but I must say how proud Dial-a-Cab is that all our software is built in-house and that so far as I am aware, we are the only taxi or private hire organisation that has the ability to do that.”

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Hailo teams up with Rainbow Trust

Hailo, one of London’s largest app-based taxi network is set to team up with Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity to raise at least £10,000 in just ten days. The charity provides emotional and practical support for families who have a child with a life threatening or terminal illness. For every Hailo job accepted by Hailo’s London driver network between 1st and 10th October 2013, Hailo will make a donation to Rainbow Trust. The £10,000 target will be sufficient to cover the cost of transport in Hailo taxis to and from essential hospital appointments in the London area for an entire year. Given the range of illnesses suffered by children supported by Rainbow Trust, travelling to these appointments using public transport is highly challenging and often impossible. Therefore, assisting with transport is one of many areas of support provided by Rainbow Trust.

CHARITY OF CHOICE
The idea for this initiative came directly from Hailo drivers, who identified Rainbow Trust as their charity of choice. Hailo will be providing regular updates throughout the duration of the fundraising directly to its driver network and through its Twitter feed, @HailoLondon. Commenting, Russell Hall, Hailo co-founder and a London cabbie for over 20 years, said: “We’re really pleased to be able to help a charity as worthy as Rainbow Trust. Anyone who is a parent knows that seeing their child suffer is one of the most difficult things in life to cope with. There is no financial value that can be put on the support that Rainbow Trust provides to families but I very much hope that we’ll be successful in reaching our £10,000 target and the transport cost this will cover will make a difference to the children and parents that Rainbow Trust supports.” Nicola O’Donnell, Senior Corporate Partnerships Manager, Rainbow Trust, added: “We’re delighted that Hailo has chosen to support Rainbow Trust in this brilliant initiative. It’s even more pleasing that this initiative has been driver led. £10,000 worth of taxi transport will make a huge difference to our families as important hospital appointments are stressful enough without the added difficulty of taking public transport with a seriously ill child and an agitated sibling. We urge every London cab user to help support these families by downloading the Hailo app and making every taxi they use between 1st and 10th October a Hailo one.”

RAINBOW TRUST
Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity provides expert social palliative care to families when their child has a life threatening or terminal illness. Offering emotional and practical support, assistance is available for families 24 hours a day. Individually tailored high quality care is offered from diagnosis through to treatment and, should a family become bereaved, the charity will continue to support them for as long as they are needed, helping family members cope with the present and prepare for the future. Rainbow Trust relies almost entirely on voluntary donations and through the outstanding generosity of its supporters is able to help more than 1,350 families a year throughout England. The charity’s vision is that one day all terminally ill children and their families will have access to a Rainbow Trust carer. During the last 25 years the children’s charity has attracted a raft of celebrity support, with highlights including renowned sports presenter Clare Balding hosting their glittering carol concert last year; the cast from Downton Abbey attending Rainbow Trust’s Jubilee Ball along with creator Julian Fellowes; and Hollywood actress Brigitte Nielsen stepping out to support the charity’s ‘Trust in Fashion’ event. The charity has gained considerable respect among the healthcare/medical profession for its expertise in social palliative care and in 1993 the Department of Health actually used Rainbow Trust’s methods as a template for social palliative care services. The charity was also invited to contribute to the Department of Health independent review of palliative care services for children and young people in England in 2007.

 

 

TaxiCabNews

London wins Two top travel awards

London has been awarded Favourite UK City for the third year running in the Conde Nast Traveller Readers Travel Awards. London also won City of the Year at the Food and Travel Magazine Awards 2013. These awards follow on from the announcement recently by Ipsos MORI that London has been voted one of the world’s favourite cities in the largest ever global survey conducted of its kind.

A total of 18,000 people were surveyed across 24 countries and London was voted top city in Europe and the second best city in the world after New York. It follows the news that record numbers of tourists have visited the capital this year with numbers up 4 per cent and spend up 11 per cent. Julie Chappell, Director of Consumer Marketing and Digital Channels at London & Partners said: “We are delighted London has won these prestigious awards and is continuing to attract more visitors who consider this city the best in the world to visit.

London has so much to offer travellers from our rich cultural heritage to world class museums and restaurants and unrivalled shopping experiences. London & Partners is working hard to capitalise on the Olympic legacy and we’re seeing a real buzz in the capital that includes an increase in visitor numbers, increased hotel occupancy, more visitors to tourist attractions and a major resurgence in the London food and dining and scene. There’s no doubt London is the place to be.” This month alone 20 new restaurants are opening in London including Gordon Ramsay’s new restaurant Union Street Café, backed by David Beckham, Angela Hartnett’s Merchant’s Tavern in Shoreditch and Richard Caring’s Grillshack in Soho.

 

TaxiCabNews

New Yorks’s oldest Taxi driver dies

The New York Observer has reported on the death of the city’s oldest yellow cab drivers. Johnnie “Spider” Footman passed away, aged 94 after a brief illness.

Mr Footman began driving in 1937; he had famous passengers such as John Wayne and Rock Hudson. Although Mr Footman was still driving at 92, having successfully passed a medical test, he had recently stopped taking passengers.

He had been in several films about taxi drivers, with the latest “Drivers Wanted” featuring 55 Stan, the taxi company where he was working. He was considered as one of New York New York’s most interesting and beloved taxi drivers. According to the New York Times’ obit, he wore a spider pendant around his neck and a hat that said “Old Dude made of Achey Breaky Parts!” so hence his nickname.

He would warn passengers that he was a slow driver due to his age, though he had an impeccable driving record and had never had an accident while working at 55 Stan, the taxi company where he was working. David Yassky, the commissioner of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, said: “He’ll be missed. He was one of those drivers who knew the streets, knew his cab and knew his passengers, and he balanced all three perfectly.”

 

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Verifone test rooftop ad panels

New double-sided rooftop ad panels for taxis have been developed for VeriFone Media and are now undergoing tests. Each unit will display a series of six ten-second ads in sequence every minute, but unlike traditional ads, drivers will not need to take their cabs off the road to have new ads loaded. That’s all done remotely ‘at the press of a button’ by a technician at one of the two VeriFone Media Operations Centres in London.

Already an established success in VeriFone’s home markets in the US, Mark Roberts of VeriFone sees great potential for this innovative new ad format in London, once passed by TfL. “VeriFone has always been active in seeking out and developing exciting new ad formats for our advertisers, and new revenue streams to increase the earnings of our drivers. It’s still early days, but there’s great interest in rooftop advertising on taxis so we’re doing all we can to bring it to London and to London’s drivers.” The rooftop screens are protected by a shatter and vandal resistant screen, and the units have undergone extensive testing to ensure the format can withstand the rigours of a tough life on the streets of London. Roberts explained “We’re very keen to roll this new format out as quickly as possible, but we won’t be forced into cutting corners or using drivers as guinea pigs with live campaigns. Our drivers have been incredibly supportive since we entered the London market with our card payment system in 2010, so we owe it to them to ensure the new iTaxitop system is up to the job. When we’re sure it’s faultless, we’ll offer it to the best drivers we can recruit as it represents further major investment and commitment from VeriFone to the London taxi trade.”

Taxicabnews

UCG organise veterans shuttle service

For the fourth year running the United Cabbies Group was honoured to run a free taxi service for veterans on Remembrance Sunday. In conjunction with the British Legion, this taxi service has become an important feature for veterans travelling to ceremonies in central London.

Taxis were ready and available from 8am at most of the major London rail stations, as well as at British Legion locations, including the Union Jack Club. The drivers assembled on Westminster Bridge to observe the 2 minute period of silence. Then there was a free shuttle service to ferry veterans to various locations in London.

Following the interest in vintage taxis last year, members of the London Vintage Taxi Association were delighted to join in the service, bringing their vintage cabs for the veterans to enjoy. This included the Unic taxi which has been seen in the popular TV series Downton Abbey. This year the veterans were given the opportunity to see and ride in old London Taxis from the early part of the 20th Century.  As usual the cabbies were giving their time without any payment whatsoever.

 

 

78 year old Taxi goes under the hammer

An example of a 1935 12/4 Austin Taxi is to be auctioned. The taxi first took up duties far removed from the commonplace cab trade; it became exclusive guest transport of the world’s first luxury boutique hotel, Blakes, in Roland Gardens, South Kensington.

Plucked from its more humble street life in the 70’s by the hotel’s creator – film star and actress turned hotelier and interior designer – Anouska Hempel – the 1935 Austin Taxi Low Loader became the exclusive hotel transport soon after the hotel opened. Many famous guests including Ali McGraw, Neil Diamond, Robert Redford, Bob Dylan and Jane Russel may have travelled in the cab.  Anouska Hempel now Lady Weinberg – who has retained ownership of the taxi since it was retired from its celebrity transport role – has revealed that Blakes’ guests were welcomed to have use of it all day to take them anywhere within and around London whilst staying at the hotel. Unlike the blue/black livery of the standard 12/4 Austin Taxi of the day, this taxi is resplendent in dark green coachwork, reflecting the colour of Blakes Hotel.

The luxuriously-appointed interior is said to be in exceptional condition with excellent seat coverings, aluminium low loader area for luggage and a landaulette hood are in good order and fully functional. The vehicle also includes exemplary finishing touches such as a woven silk passenger hand-hold. A further nod to its heritage comes by way of an orange illuminated ‘BLAKES’ sign on the roof-mounted taxi lamp in place of the normal ‘TAXI’ symbol. The 1935 12/4 Austin Taxi is powered by a 1.8 litre, four-cylinder engine, whilst the specification includes a sliding privacy window, Bell Punch (London Model) taximeter, fare table, drop down seats, roof luggage rack, electric windscreen wipers, and stately Lucas ‘King of the Road’ lamps. For more than a decade, the taxi has rested in the elegant surroundings of a coach house on Lady Weinberg’s estate.  Requiring only gentle re-commissioning, the vehicle is expected by Historics at Brooklands to attract vigorous bidding in view of its unique appeal and the fact that it is offered at no reserve. So if you have cash it’s yours.

 

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Nissan begins final testing phase on NV200 London Taxi

It has been reported that over the last 12 months, the new NV200 London Taxi has been undergoing an intensive development process by Nissan engineers. At the same time, Nissan’s design centre has been applying the finishing touches to the exterior of the cab, designed especially for the Capital.

Now Nissan has begun London-specific real-world testing of its new NV200 Taxi, with the aim of making it the most reliable, economical and user-friendly Hackney Carriage London has ever seen. Now in its final specification, the NV200 London Taxi enters the last phase of its testing process – hitting the streets of London where the cab will spend its working life.

The NV200 taxi, says Nissan, has been designed from the inside out for the well-being of passengers, drivers and even other road-users. It complies with all Transport for London (TfL) regulations with a 25ft (7.6m) turning circle and will be more environmentally-friendly than current ‘black cab’ models thanks to its Nissan-sourced 1.6-litre petrol engine. Sliding doors give easy, safe access to the five-passenger rear interior, while other highlights include a glass roof (so that those onboard can enjoy the view of the city), rear air-conditioning and even plug-in ports for charging smartphones. It all adds up to the most advanced and enjoyable London cab yet, says Nissan. Glyn Hopkin dealer group has been selected to sell, service and maintain the NV200 London Taxi. “Glyn Hopkin has a long relationship with Nissan, providing expert customer service to new and used buyers,” explained Nissan GB Managing Director Jim Wright. “And with a new dedicated facility to be opened next year; it’s ideally placed to apply that experience to serving taxi drivers.”

Glyn Hopkin, Chairman of the Glyn Hopkin Group, added: “We’re very proud to be selected to sell, service and maintain the new NV200 London Taxi. It’s an iconic and very exciting vehicle – we’re looking forward to looking after the needs of our new taxi customers.” Nissan are expected to reveal the final look of the new NV200 London Taxi at an event before the end of the year (believed to be early December).

Designed to be instantly recognisable as a London taxi, it gets a bespoke ‘face’ with distinctive and modern lighting, plus a new grille and bumper treatment over the regular NV200. The exterior certainly isn’t the only part that has had the bespoke treatment, though; everything has been taken into consideration to ensure it can meet the demands of life as a London taxi, say Nissan.

Sales will begin in the second half of 2014 to allow time for thorough testing and evaluation. An all-electric version is under development which will further reduce emissions of the London taxi fleet. The NV200 London Taxi joins an exciting global Nissan vision for the taxi industry. Taxi versions of the NV200 have already been unveiled in Tokyo, Barcelona and New York, with the stateside version being launched as the New York City ‘Taxi of tomorrow’ last month.
Ed: Source Nissan UK