Issue 293 - TAXI Newspaper

TAXI 

HIGHLIGHTS THIS ISSUE 

P3 

P4 

P5 

HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO 

Steve McNamara 

TFL EMPLOYEE CONVICTED 

Licence fees stolen 

CABBIE DOUSED IN DIESEL 

London cabbie attacked 

P6 

ISLINGTON REFUND FINES 

Richard Massett 

The offical publication of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association | www.ltda.co.uk | 

@TheLTDA 

No.293 | 14 MAY 2013 

ADDISON LEE 

V 

HAILO 

SEE PAGE 2 

More readers than the rest put together. Ask any driver! 

LTDA

2 TAXI |14 MAY 2013 www.ltda.co.uk | @TheLTDA 

NEWS 

Addison Lee deny exodus to Hailo 

Trade 

40 year old Liam Griffin, son of 

Addison lee founder John Griffin, 

has vehemently denied that Hailo, 

the successful licensed taxi app, has 

prompted any of his customers to 

leave Addison Lee and switch to 

genuine licensed taxis. During a 

recent interview with the Evening 

Standard, Griffin stated “There’s no 

evidence to suggest it has taken any of 

our work away”. 

His version of events differs 

widely from that of the 12,000 or so 

Hailo drivers, virtually all of whom 

report that many of their customers 

are quick to comment that they have 

dumped Addison Lee in favour of 

real taxis. 

The three main reasons given are: 

n Better value, because the minicab 

firm’s minimum charge is £11. 

n Bad choice of routes, due to the 

inefficiencies of Satellite Navigation. 

n The fact that many of the cars 

smell, because the drivers are 

forced to work long hours to 

scrape a living, and often eat their 

food in the vehicle. 

TAXI contacted Addison Lee, with 

a view to challenging the 

company’s version of events, but 

was informed that it takes longer 

than a week to get an interview 

with Liam Griffin! Readers may 

think that Liam is an 

exceptionally busy man, or simply 

someone who doesn’t like bad 

news stories? 

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More readers than the rest put together! 14 MAY 2013 | TAXI 3 

Top Trade Story 

HOLDING OUT 

FOR A HERO 

STEVE MCNAMARA LTDA General Secretary 

A typical everyday story of yet another cabbie hero but the media find it surprising 

Hardly a day goes by when 

the LTDA does not receive a 

telephone call, email or letter, 

praising the actions of a Good 

Samaritan cabbie, somewhere in the 

Metropolis. The reasons vary from 

rescuing elderly ladies’ cats, 

refusing payment from passengers, 

or utilising detective skills worthy 

of Sherlock Holmes, to reunite 

people with property left in the cab, 

and everything else that you can 

possibly think of. 

“HARDLY A DAY GOES BY 

WHEN THE LTDA DOES 

NOT RECEIVE A CALL, 

PRAISING THE ACTIONS 

OF A CABBIE 

” 

I was therefore surprised by this 

story in last week’s Standard; not 

because of what the cab driver did, 

but by the media frenzy that 

followed the publication. Although 

it did make a pleasant change to 

hear caller after caller on LBC, and 

the other talk stations, all phoning 

in with similar stories of hero 

cabbies, how refreshing to hear what 

we already know, we’re great! 

From the Standard... 

A mother whose baby suffered an 

extreme allergic reaction today 

asked for help tracing the black 

cab driver who helped save the 

boy’s life and refused to take a fare. 

Kate Moore said the driver used 

the Knowledge to navigate back 

streets she never knew existed to 

get her boy Algie to A&E 

within minutes. 

Mrs Moore said his actions 

“restored my faith in 

mankind”. 

It happened as she 

fed Algie, eight 

months, his first 

piece of egg and 

he went into 

potentially fatal 

anaphylactic 

shock. His face 

swelled and 

he came out 

in hives. 

Mrs 

Moore, 38, an 

advertising 

executive, 

said: 

“The 

entire 

lefthand 

side 

of 

his 

face and his lips had swollen up, he was 

red and blotchy, had a rash around his 

mouth and was rasping for breath. 

“We live very close to St Thomas’s 

paediatric A&E on the South Bank so I 

reckoned it was faster to grab a cab than 

wait for an ambulance. I put him in his 

buggy and ran into Lupus Street to find 

Image courtesy of London Evening Standard 

help, I was in a bit of a tizzy.” 

Mrs Moore saw a black cab driver 

chatting outside a shop. She said: 

“I dashed over and he did not see me as 

his back was to us. I asked him if he 

was working, he said, ‘Sorry love I’m 

off home’ then he properly turned 

around, seeing me burst into tears and 

my son with hives all over his face. 

Within seconds he had bundled me, 

Algie and the buggy into the back of 

his cab. 

“We didn’t break any laws but he 

took little side roads that I didn’t 

know existed.” 

The streets around Mrs Moore’s 

house are known among cabbies as 

the ‘Pimlico Triangle’. 

Mrs Moore said: “He nipped in and 

out and we were at the hospital in no 

time and the driver was calm and 

amazing throughout. 

“I had a £20 note in the buggy, 

which I shoved through the window 

and he shoved it back at me and said, 

‘Go!’ He hadn’t even turned the meter 

on. When we got into A&E, Algie was 

seen straight away by an amazing 

team. Within 15 minutes of being 

given the medication he was better.” 

Steve McNamara of the Licensed 

Taxi Drivers Association, said: 

“This driver’s actions were in the 

finest tradition of the taxi trade.” n 

Get in touch! 

If you are the driver 

concerned please 

contact TAXI call 

0207 286 1046 

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NEWS 

Transport for London employee pockets drivers’ cash 

Court 

At Camberwell Magistrates Court on 

the 17th April former TfL employee 

Marcus Gurgel was convicted of 

Theft Employee and sentenced to 300 

hours community service over 12 

months and ordered to pay back 

£2500 to TfL. 

Gurgel had been employed in the 

Taxi licensing department of TLPH 

and had pocketed cash payments 

tendered for licensing renewals. The 

fraud was uncovered as a result of 

internal monitoring processes within 

TfL, and Gurgel was subsequently 

arrested by the police following a 

short investigation. 

Apparently, Gurgel had asked a 

number of taxi drivers, who were 

applying to renew their bill, if they 

would prefer to come into Palestra 

and pay cash, rather than take a card 

payment over the phone, as is the 

normal procedure. 

Helen Chapman, the General 

Manager of LTPH told Taxi “We 

identified an issue through the regular 

quality monitoring processes that were 

put in place shortly after I joined London 

Taxi and Private Hire. 

TfL ‘“We will not tolerate such behaviour” 

“A manager in our licensing team 

identified suspicious behaviour 

relating to one employee that dealt with 

taxi driver renewal applications and 

immediately brought this to my 

attention. We involved the police 

immediately and asked them to 

investigate, and we suspended the 

employee pending the outcome of 

the investigation. 

“The employee was subsequently 

arrested at his home address by the 

police, and we dismissed him from TfL 

employment for gross misconduct. A 

thorough investigation ensued through 

which we were able to satisfy ourselves 

that this action was isolated to one 

employee and there was never an issue 

that badges/licences were being provided 

to unlicensed drivers. 

Image: natuska / Shutterstock.com 

Helen Chapman 

“The employee was undertaking all 

the necessary checks to renew a driver’s 

licence correctly (e.g CRB) but was not 

processing the payment through our 

licensing system. We are pleased a 

guilty verdict was reached. The message 

to our staff is clear-we will not tolerate 

such behaviour and anyone tempted to 

choose this route will feel the full force 

of the law”. 

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FEATURE 

NOT A ROUTINE FILL UP 

Despite being abused, attacked and doused in diesel, Redha Guemmane was the subject 

of a police investigation and tells TAXI how he was saved by the LTDA’s legal team 

I pulled into the Shell Service Station 

in Balham Hill to fill up with derv, at 

about 11am in the morning, on 

November 2 last year. Two pumps 

were out of action so a queue had 

formed. I eventually manoeuvred 

my cab on the filler cap side of the 

pump, and a white van pulled in 

behind me. I went in to pay, and 

suddenly realised that I’d left my 

money bag in the boot. I apologised 

to the cashier, who knows me 

because I’m a regular there, and 

went back to get some money. I paid 

up and returned to face a tirade of 

abuse from the van driver. I 

explained what had happened, 

which was pretty obvious anyway, 

but he wasn’t having any of it, and 

just continued with his abuse. 

I ignored him and got back into 

the cab, but the abuse continued, so I 

walked up to him and asked why it 

was such a big problem, but he just 

swung a punch and hit me in the left 

eye. I returned the punch and 

knocked him down. He got up and 

started spraying diesel on me. 

Another motorist jumped in and 

shouted at him to stop before he set 

us all on fire, which seemed to calm 

him down. 

Nightmare begins 

Later that day I decided to go to the 

police at Lavender Hill, who noted 

everything down and gave me a 

crime number. A few days later I was 

contacted by a detective constable, 

who asked me to attend 

Wandsworth police station. 

When I arrived, I was arrested 

photographed, DNA’d, 

fingerprinted, detained in a cell for 

two and a half hours and charged 

with ABH! 

My case was taken up by John 

Luckhurst, one of the LTDA’s legal 

team. John went to the trouble of 

visiting the Shell garage, and 

checking out their CCTV. He also 

made enquiries at other nearby 

premises, including a pub. A return 

visit to the police station was 

then arranged, but this time with 

LTDA representation. 

“THE WAY I WAS DEALT 

WITH BY THE LTDA WAS 

BRILLIANT FROM START 

TO FINISH 

” 

To cut a long story short, the 

LTDA eventually got the case 

against me dropped. The way I was 

dealt with by the LTDA was brilliant 

from start to finish. I was amazed 

that John Luckhurst went to the 

trouble of visiting the scene of the 

incident and checking nearby for 

witnesses. If any driver is not a 

member of the LTDA then I suggest 

that you join up immediately, 

because you never know what’s 

around the corner. n 

SUPPORT OUR DRIVERS 

The LTDA will pay the out of 

pocket expenses and 

compensate for lost time, any 

drivers (members 

or not) who attend 

court to give 

evidence on 

behalf of an 

LTDA member 

“Any driver who is not an LTDA member should join immediately” 

Image: By pixelhut (Chris Guy) via Flickr 

“I explained what had happened, but he wasn’t having any of it”


The Massett File 

ISLINGTON CAUGHT 

IN ITS OWN TRAP 

RICHARD MASSETT LTDA Executive, Chairman London Cab Ranks Committee 

The Peoples Republic of Islington get it wrong and have to pay back fines 

Drayton Park width restriction 

Old Broad Street 

Regular readers of TAXI will 

have seen my previous articles 

drawing attention to the 

money spinning trap that Islington 

Council laid for drivers in Drayton 

Park. The Council had introduced a 

LTDA Policy Statement 

It is more essential than ever for drivers to be fully appraised of 

the various trade organisations’ policies. In order to clarify the 

LTDA’s position on the important issues facing the industry, the 

Association reaffirms: 

1. Its determination (despite opposition from certain trade organisations) to exclude 

taxi drivers from any form of restriction on working hours or the compulsory fitting 

of tachographs in cabs. 

2. Its total opposition to the proposed computerised Knowledge testing system 

(Quickie Knowledge), which is intended to speed up and churn out new licences. 

3. Its support for a regular review of taxi usage in London in order to provide 

effective management of the cab fleet which will prevent the streets of London 

being flooded with empty cabs. 

4. Its support for the introduction of ‘rest ranks’ to enable drivers to legally leave 

their cabs unattended whilst visiting adjacent toilet facilities. 

5. Its support for a complete ban on pedicabs. 

6. Its insistence on meaningful consultation with Transport for London. 

7. Its support for an effective minicab enforcement team, trained 

to eradicate illegal touting by minicab drivers. 

8. Its campaign for taxi access to all bus lanes. 

9. Its insistence that taxis continue to be exempt from 

congestion charges. 

10. Its policy to recruit, support and represent licensed 

taxi drivers only. 

If you require clarification on these or 

other important issues, please: 

Call the LTDA on 020 7286 1046 

width restriction close to the 

Emirates Stadium that was 

supposed to prevent the road from 

being used as a rat run by lorry 

drivers, but the unusual design of 

the restriction caught out thousands 

POLICY 

of unwitting drivers who were 

genuinely confused and ended up 

having to pay a fine. 

Amongst over ten thousand 

drivers that were caught out, were a 

considerable number of taxi drivers, 

and those that contacted the LTDA 

for advice were told to contest the 

PCN’s on the grounds that the 

signage was not only confusing 

but incorrect. 

“WITHOUT A VALID TRAFFIC 

ORDER ISLINGTON 

COUNCIL MAY NOW HAVE TO 

RETURN ALL OF THE FINES 

IT HAS RECEIVED 

” 

I was due to attend an 

adjudication hearing with a member 

during the first week of May, but 

shortly before that another motorist 

who had challenged his ticket, had 

his appeal upheld when it emerged 

that Islington had not even got its 

Traffic Order correct. So without a 

valid traffic order the Council may 

now have to return all of the fines it 

has received. It doesn’t have to do 

that automatically, but people who 

have paid should contact Islington to 

request a refund. Those with appeals 

outstanding should receive letters 

from the Council advising that their 

PCN’s have been cancelled. 


Another authority that got its 

signage wrong is the City of London 

which installed very confusing 

signage in Old Broad to prevent 

general traffic from entering part of 

the street. In this case the 

Corporation had installed two sets 

of ‘No Motor Vehicle‘ signs in Old 

Broad Street. One set was placed at 

the junction with London Wall and 

the other further down, by Broad 

Street Avenue. 

The Corporation did not enforce 

against vehicles which passed the 

first set of signs, but it did against 

drivers who drove past the second 

set. It did inform the Taxi Trade 

about this but how anyone would 

know from looking at the signs I 

don’t know! 

Once again any members who 

contacted the LTDA were advised 

to appeal on the grounds of 

confusing signs, together with a 

couple of other technicalities that 

we thought were worth a run. 

A pattern then developed 

whereby the City would reject any 

Representation that was made to it, 

leaving the driver to appeal to 

PATAS if he felt so inclined. What 

happened next was that the City 

usually threw in the towel by 

cancelling the PCN a few days 

before the hearing was due. 

Eventually the City did start to 

contest some of the cases but the 

majority went in favour of the 

appellants due to the confusing 

nature of the signage. 

Now the City has changed the 

signage and has installed very clear 

‘No Entry’ signs by Broad Street 

Avenue which means that if you 

drive through the restriction now 

you a very likely to have to pay a 

PCN, if you are unfortunate enough 

to get one, even if it is contested. n


NEWS 

Islington has now agreed to pay back the 11,000 fines 

Drayton Park fine refund 

Roads 

Islington Council has agreed to pay 

back 11,000 motoring fines which 

wrongly issued in Drayton Park. 

The borough has issued more than 

£1 million worth of penalty charge 

notices over a four-month period at a 

“pinch point” designed to slow down 

traffic on a notorious rat run for 

lorries. 

A number of LTDA members 

complained about the area after 

receiving fines for entering a restricted 

lane in Drayton Park, which many 

people said had confusing signage. 

But after one motorist’s successful 

appeal, the council was forced to 

admit it did not have the proper 

consent for the changes it made 

last November. 

Islington has now agreed to pay 

back the 11,000 fines, worth up to 

£1.4 million, if the victims send in 

their penalty charge notices. 

The restrictions have been 

suspended while the council seeks 

planning permission. 

Jeanette Michaels, 59, who, with 

the assistance of campaigner Albert 

Herbert, took her case to Parking 

and Traffic Appeals Service. 

It ruled that her ticket was invalid 

because the traffic management 

order was not amended in line with 

the new road signs. 

Ms Michaels’s railway worker son 

Barry Salter, who was with his 

mother when the fine was issued, 

said: “If I had to use one word to 

summarise Islington council’s 

performance, it would be incompetence.” 

Highbury Liberal Democrat 

councillor Julie Horten said: 

“Islington’s incompetence has cost up to 

£1 million and drivers should now be 

refunded automatically. Why should they 

have to appeal when it has now been 

proven that this width restriction has 

been a disaster from day one?” 

The council said that it was unable to 

make automatic refunds as it does not 

hold the information of motorists fined. 

A spokesman said: “We are very 

sorry for the confusion. If drivers believe 

they have been issued with an incorrect 

penalty charge notice they should get in 

touch with us and we will refund any 

incorrect tickets.” 

The council said the lorry banning 

width restriction in Drayton Park was 

put in at the request of residents and 

has led to a fall in HGVs using the 

road from 2,000 per week to 100. 

Islington made the ninth largest 

surplus of the 33 boroughs on 

parking, with a 2011 profit of £5.6 

million, according to RAC figures. 

0207 446 7678 

Volunteer drivers wanted 

Taxi drivers are needed to help take 

300 youngsters on their annual trip 

to Southend. 

London Taxi-drivers’ Fund for 

Underprivileged Children hopes 

the ‘legendary’ trip will be extra 

special because it is 

marking its 85th year. 

The cabs set off for a 

fun-packed day on 

Thursday, June 27. 

Charity spokesman 

Raymond Levy said: “As well as 

giving a great deal of pleasure to so 

many children, we promise you will 

have a fun-filled day out.” 

There is a prize of £150 or an 

engine service and MOT for the best 

decorated taxi. 

To volunteer contact 

Steve Bell on 07811 

508772 or visit the 

website at 

www.ltfuc.org.uk


NEWS 

‘London needs 24hr tube’ 

Transport 

London should have a round-theclock 

tube service and more car-free 

shopping days, an independent 

commission has warned. 

Trains need to run from central 

London until at least 3am on Friday 

and Saturday nights when thousands 

of people stay out late in areas such 

as Leicester Square and Soho and 

need to get home. 

The recommendations were 

included in the long-awaited report 

from the West End Commission, 

which is the result of a sixth month 

study into the capital’s retail and 

business heartland. 

The report said: “Underground last 

trains leave too early (between midnight 

and 1am) for many evening economy 

workers as well as many visitors... 

the potential positive impact of 

later running services should not be 

under-estimated.” 

The east-west Crossrail line, which 

is due to be completed in 2019, and 

the modernised north-south 

Thameslink Overground route, 

should also provide a 24-hour service 

to enable London to be accessible day 

and night, the report says. 

Sir Howard Bernstein, the 

chairman of the commission, said: 

“The temptation for some will be to file 

this in the ‘too difficult’ box. But the 

national and international role of the 

West End mean the debates set out in 

this report need to be had.” 

Westminster, which ordered the 

report, produces £40bn in gross 

value added a year – 15 per cent of 

London’s output. 

Employment in the West End, 

which hosts 86,600 businesses in its 

central area, has grown by 10 per 

cent since 2003, outpacing London’s 

overall seven per cent rise. 

London’s economic role is illserved 

by an administration split 

between various tiers and 

authorities, according to the report, 

which recommends the creation of a 

partnership to oversee it. 

Responding to the commission’s 

conclusions, Westminster City 

Council leader Philippa Roe, said 

the borough broadly supported the 

findings in the report. 

Another recommendation was the 

creation of a chief executive post to 

drive through the decisions. 

Transport for London is currently 

considering extending the opening of 

the tube by an hour on Fridays and 

Saturdays, but only on some lines. 

Crossrail is expected to bring tens 

of thousands of extra visitors to the 

West End, with a 25 per cent increase 

at Tottenham Court Road station and 

a 31 per cent rise at Bond Street 

station, according to TfL estimates. 

“There will be substantially more 

pressure on the surface transport 

systems in the centre of the West End, 

with large increases in visitors and 

pedestrian movements,” the 

commission said in support of 24hr 

train services. 

To boost retail trade, the 

commission said the number of carfree 

days in the shop-lined streets 

around Oxford Circus could be 

raised to 15 during the summer 

months, emulating New York’s socalled 

“Summer Streets” programme. 

Ms Roe said Westminster was 

piloting a four-day programme of 

car-free days in Regent Street this 

summer. But she said the authorities 

needed to be cautious about 

pedestrian-only days “because it’s not 

all economic upside”. 

News in brief 

New cab MOT latest 

Any taxi driver who presents a 

cab that is less than one year 

old at time of presenting does 

NOT need an MOT. 

For example, if the cab was 

first registered on May 1 and 

it’s presented on April 30, no 

MOT is required and does 

NOT need one until it is next 

put forward. 

Conman warning 

A smartly dressed confidence 

trickster from the Ealing area is 

taking advantage of taxi 

drivers to get free or cheap 

rides home. 

The man, who is in his mid to 

late 20s with reddish hair, took 

a cab from Southwark Bridge in 

the early hours and wanted to 

go to Acton but later became 

confused about exactly where. 

In Greenford Avenue he 

asked the cab to stop and said 

he needed to go indoors to get 

the £55 fare and only had £20. 

The driver got the £20 but 

never saw the passenger again.


 

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NEWS 

Party time at Palace! 

Trade 

Its Royal Garden Party time again 

and London’s taxi drivers will be in 

demand at the Palace on the 

following dates: 

n Wednesday, 22 May 

n Thursday 30 May 

Each event will be attended by 

9,000 invited guests, many of whom 

will want to leave by taxi. As usual 

the rank will be sited on the 

pedestrianised area between the 

Queen Victoria Memorial and the 

Palace railings. It will operate from 

5pm until all the guests have been 

cleared, which is usually sometime 

after 7pm. 

LTDA rank marshals will be on 

hand to assist you and the highly 

effective Paddington-style taxi share 

scheme will be in operation (subject 

to demand). This usually kicks off 

after 5.30pm when the rank gets 

flooded with passengers. 

If you are looking for some work, 

come and see us at the Garden 

Parties. Please only pick up 

passengers from the official rank and 

not those that try to jump the queue. 

Rank location: between Queen Victoria Memorial and Palace railings 

Image: Janis Lacis / Shutterstock.com 

The position of the royal rank 

New Thames river crossing 

gets public support 

Nestled in the heart of 

Knightsbridge, the new 

Buddha‐Bar Restaurant 

mixes up London’s dining 

scene with its sumptuous 

menu of Pan Asian dishes, 

reputable music and 

striking interiors. 

Guests are transported to 

an atmosphere that is 

sensuous yet exhilarating 

–an auditory and visual 

journey around the globe 

just on your doorstep. 

+44 203 667 5222 

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Offer ends 31/08/2013 

Transport 

Transport for London has published 

the results of its river crossing 

consultation which shows massive 

public support for a new road 

tunnel at Silvertown and a new 

river crossing at Gallions Reach. 

There were over 10,000 responses 

to the two consultations and more 

than 90 per cent of people to the 

initial consultation agreed that 

there is a need for more river 

crossings in East and South East 

London. The level of support was 

hardly surprising and it has been 

suggested the money spent on 

the consultation could have been 

better spent put towards the cost of 

the works. 

A simple visit to the Blackwall 

Tunnel at virtually any time of day 

or night would show there is no 

spare capacity. During the morning 

and evening rush hours the traffic 

regularly queues back across East 

and South East London with 

stationary traffic belching out 

pollutants to the detriment of the 

already poor air quality. A new 

tunnel or bridge would alleviate 

this gridlock, save working 

London thousands of man hours 

currently wasted and the simple 

fact of getting the traffic moving 

would improve the air quality for 

a large area. 

The only surprising bit of the 

consultation was that there were 

any objectors to a new river 

crossing, quite what the objectors 

suggest we do to get this city 

moving again is not reported. With 

London’s population expected to hit 

10 million by 2031 and plans to 

house many of them along the 

Thames Gateway not doing 

anything is simply not an option. 

The New Tunnel from Greenwich 

to Silvertown could not be delivered 

before 2021 whilst the proposed 

new ferry service at Gallions Reach 

could be up and running by 2017. 

Easier and cheaper options such as 

increasing the opening hours of the 

Woolwich Ferry or buying bigger 

higher capacity boats and ensuring 

a two boat service throughout the 

hours of operation were apparently 

not considered.


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CAUGHT ON CAMERA 

Lights, camera, 

action… 

In a week which featured a 

picture of some giant bunnies 

and some of the worst parking 

yet by a minicab driver, it was 

hard to choose an outright winner. 

But choose we did, and the 

£30 for best picture goes the 

driver who spotted the twowheeled 

taxi, for no other reason 

than it always trumps other 

modes of transport. 

The newsdesk has been 

inundated with all manner of 

entries for our Caught on Camera 

page in recent weeks, and we do 

our best to use as many as we can. 

Don’t despair if yours isn’t here 

– it may appear in the near future. 

As you should know by now – 

the winning snap gets the 

photographer £30, which is not 

bad for a few seconds work. 

Keep your eyes peeled and your 

cameras, or phones, at the ready. 

Send your entries to us via the 

MMS line on 07908 640017 or 

email them to editor@ltda.co.uk 

“I’m not a on the yellow lines officer.” 

THE 

WINNING 

PIC! 

£30 PRIZE! 

“Walkies? On your bike.” 

Doctor Who budget slashed 

Don’t mind us 

Better to be on the safe side 

Jilted by a taxi


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14 TAXI |14 MAY 2013 www.ltda.co.uk | @TheLTDA


GET SPOTTED! 

Just right for John 

and ace for Anthony 

DIARY WATCH 

£200 

M&S vouchers 

won every fortnight! 

It’s always good to get out and 

about amongst working 

cabbies with a fistful of 

Marks and Spencer vouchers to 

hand out. 

Our diary spotters make it a 

point to spread their wings far 

and wide, so you never know 

where they might pop up next. 

John Richfield was lined up at 

the back of the rank in Liverpool 

Street when we spotted his 

LTDA diary in his windscreen 

and handed him £200 worth 

of vouchers. 

John, from, Essex, said: “It’s 

not a wind up is it? Great, thanks, 

I probably give them to my wife.” 

Anthony Wright, of East Ham, 

is soon to be a dad and he was 

delighted with his windfall, after 

our spotter hailed his taxi 

outside the High Court, where 

he had been watching John 

Griffin’s latest attempt to gain 

access to the bus lanes. 

He said: “Thanks very much. 

They will come in handy because 

we will be having a baby in a 

few weeks.” 

Each year we give away 

almost £8,000 worth of vouchers, 

so the odds of coming up 

trumps are pretty good. 

Just make sure you have your 

LTDA membership diary and 

taxi disc holder on display and 

let us do the rest. 

John: “Great” 

HOLDER WATCH 

WIN 

£100 

M&S vouchers 

[ DISC HOLDER AND YOU COULD WIN!] 

DiSPLAY YOUR LTDA DIARY AND TAX 

Anthony: “Handy”


[FIRST TWO MONTHS FREE FOR NEW MEMBERS] 

✁ 

APPLICATION FORM 

JOIN FOR £16.80 PER MONTH WITH 

£12.80 ALLOWABLE AGAINST TAX! 

Name 

Address 

Tel 

Email 

Date of Birth 

Mobile 

Postcode 

Badge No. Green (G) or Yellow (Y) When obtained - Month Year 

Have you been a member of the LTDA before? (Please tick) YES NO 

Please tick if you DO NOT wish to receive information from the LTDA and other related organisations 

in the future 

I understand that my application for membership of the Association must be approved by the Council of 

Management and that a Share Certificate will be issued to me if my application is confirmed. 

Signed 

Please complete parts 1 to 5 below to instruct your branch to make direct payments from your account. 

Then return the form to the LTDA, FREEPOST, (PAM 2005), London W9 2BR 

LTDA Basic Direct 

Debit Instructions 

INSTRUCTIONS TO YOUR BANK/BUILDING 

SOCIETY TO PAY DIRECT DEBITS: 

To the manager of 

Address 

1. Please write the name and full postal address of your 

branch in the spaces above. 

2. Name of account holder 

3. Account number 

4. Bank sort code 

Date 

5. Your instructions to the Bank/ Building 

Society, and signature: 

• I instruct you to pay direct debits from my account 

at the request of the LTDA LTD. 

• The amounts are variable and may be debited 

on various dates. 

• I understand that the LTDA LTD may change 

amounts and dates only after giving me prior notice. 

• I understand that if any Direct Debit is paid which 

breaks the terms of this instruction, the Bank/ 

Building Society will make a refund. 

Signature(s) 

Date 

For Office use only 

Originator’s Identification No. 

9 1 4 4 2 8 

Originator’s Reference 

CALLING ALL CABBIES 

Bank/Building Societies may not accept instructions to pay Direct Debit from some types of account 

Phone 0207 286 1046 now! 

[ CAN 

LTDA 

YOU AFFORD NOT TO JOIN? ]


NEWS 

Petrol sales plummet 

Motoring 

Petrol sales have fallen to their 

lowest level since records began, 

according to the AA. 

Consumption across the country 

slumped to a 23-year low of 

1.37billion litres last month. 

It amounts to 56million litres less 

being sold since February and marks 

the lowest level of consumption 

since January 1990. 

A higher take up of 

smaller more 

economical 

cars is said to 

be part of the 

reason for the 

drop, as 

motorists ditch 

their old gasguzzling 

cars. 

Motoring 

experts believe 

the increasing 

cost of running 

a car has also 

forced many 

drivers to 

switch to 

public transport or use their 

vehicles less. 

Luke Bosdet, from the AA, said 

speculators betting on petrol price 

movements are to blame for 

pushing up petrol prices. 

He said: “It’s a completely daft 

situation. Europe has got more petrol 

than anyone knows what to do with 

but petrol is still unaffordable for 

many drivers. 

“People just can’t afford these prices. 

Our research shows two thirds of 

people are using their 

cars less or cutting 

back elsewhere to 

compensate for higher 

prices.” 

In a bid to attract 

motorists, 

supermarkets have 

started a petrol price 

war which has seen 

the fuel price fall 

from 136p a litre to 134p in 

recent days. 

Supermarkets Tesco, Asda, 

Sainsbury’s and Morrisons 

have all slashed prices 

at the pumps for the 

second time in a few days because of 

a drop in wholesale fuel costs. 

But petrol still costs 2p a litre more 

than at the start of the year, with 

prices soaring over the past three 

years by more than 10 per cent from 

121p a litre. 

Retailers' profit margins have 

increased by 57% over last four 

years, it has been revealed. 

One piece of welcome news for 

drivers is car insurance premiums 

are falling, with a 4.1 per cent drop 

over the past 12 months, according 

to the AA. 

But a typical annual comprehensive 

insurance policy has still doubled in 

price since 2008 – to nearly £750. 

Earlier this year the Office of Fair 

Trading ruled out a full inquiry into 

the petrol price market. 

MPs and motoring groups accused 

the OFT of a ‘whitewash’, when it 

said the market is ‘working well’ even 

though drivers paid a record 

average price of 135.8p per litre of 

petrol last year. 

The Chancellor froze fuel duty in 

the budget, cancelling a rise planned 

for September. 

Bilker Watch 

Don’t Lose out! 

[ ] 

LTDA Bilking Fund 

Incidents involving passengers 

who fail to pay their taxi fare, 

especially at night, are on the 

increase. LTDA members who 

experience this problem can 

request the LTDA to 

investigate the incident and 

endeavour to recover the 

unpaid fare. If the LTDA is 

unsucessful, but the member is 

able to provide evidence of a 

police report reference, a 

compensation payment (max 

£50) may be available from the 

LTDA Bilking Fund. 

One-to-One 

Personal Service. 

Martin Cordell & Co. 

Accountants & Tax Specialists to the Taxi Trade 

Our services include: 

– One-to-One personal service 

– Annual confidential meeting 

– Preparation of accounts 

– Tax enquiries & investigations 

– Limited company trading advice 

– PAYE, VAT & company registration expertise 

– Loss of earnings claim advice 

– One point of contact for ongoing continuity 

– Easy payment terms 

We’re here to help. We want to meet 

you as we understand your business. 

Let us take the strain of dealing with 

your tax obligations. 

With over 45 years experience of the 

taxi trade, and more than 40 expert 

staff members, we are the leading taxi 

drivers’ accountancy firm in the UK. 

Phone us today on: 020 8980 7161 

See us at: Unit 5/6 Quebec Wharf, 

2-14 Thomas Road, 

London E14 7AF 

Email: info@mcordell.co.uk 

Web: www.martin-cordell.co.uk 

CALL US FOR A FREE FIRST CONSULTATION 

TIO 

N IN PERSON OR OVER THE PHONE


THE BIG ONE! 

The membership of the LTDA is 40 times greater 

than some other driver organisations! 

HERE’S WHY... 

CAUTION 

The LTDA legal service is 

the only trade scheme which 

defends members for ALL 

alleged offences (traffic, 

hackney or criminal), anytime, 

anywhere in the UK. Non 

members are advised to 

check carefully the exceptions 

and exclusions contained 

or imposed by other 

legal protection schemes 

circulating in our trade. 

BADGESAFE SCHEME 

The LTDA retains experienced 

barristers with specialist knowledge 

of the London cab trade. Normally 

when drivers accumulate 12 points on 

their licence they receive an automatic 

6 month ban, but in the case of 

LTDA members over 90% of those 

represented by our barristers receive a 

ban of just 1 month or in most cases 

no ban whatsoever. 

EXPERTISE = SUCCESS 

The LTDA’s in-house lawyers are 

proud of their unrivalled record of court 

triumphs; in fact the rate of acquittals 

for members defended 

in court by the LTDA is 4 times 

higher than the national average. This 

unparalleled level of success is due 

entirely to the expertise acquired by the 

LTDA over many years of specialising 

in cab related legal matters. 

YOUR FUTURE 

The LTDA remains the only trade 

body resolutely opposed to the 

computerisation of the Knowledge of 

London testing system. 

(No to the quickie Knowledge 

campaign). 

INLAND REVENUE 

ASSISTANCE AND ADVICE 

Many drivers and accountants refer 

to the LTDA for specialist advice on 

Inland Revenue investigations. 

(Free to members). 

SICKNESS AND 

ACCIDENT PROTECTION 

When trouble strikes it’s comforting 

to know that you’ve got the strength 

of the LTDA around you. (Scheme 

available to members only). 

LTDA HOLIDAY CLUB 

Many members have saved 

thousands of pounds by taking 

advantage of special offers and prices 

(members only). 

WIN £5,000 EVERY 

MONTH IN THE 

LTDA LOTTERY 

12 big prizes every year, but you have 

to be in it to win it (members only £5 

per entry). 

ACCESS TO 

‘SIMPLY HEALTH’ 

Great value health care from 

the LTDA. The Association pioneered 

this scheme in the taxi trade and it 

still offers the cheapest rates. (Special 

rates for LTDA members only). 

HEATHROW OFFICE AND 

REPRESENTATION 

Call in to the LTDA office at Heathrow, 

first door on the right in the canteen 

block. The LTDA’s representatives will 

give you a warm welcome. (Open to all). 

WELFARE DEPARTMENT 

LTDA officers make home visits to 

members who are in severe distress 

or with special needs and authorise 

contingency payments where 

appropriate. 

RANKS AND HIGHWAYS 

REPRESENTATION 

The LTDA has negotiated taxi access 

to most bus lanes and leads the way 

negotiating on issues that affect you, 

the licensed taxi driver. 

GENERAL ADVICE 

If you are new to the trade and you 

don’t know your `roader’ from your 

`legal’, give us a call. We’re always here 

to help. (Tel: 020 7286 1046 - non 

members are welcome to call). 

24 HOUR TOUT LINE 

Seen a tout in action? Take the details 

and phone them in, we will do the rest. 

(Tel: 020 7266 4769). 

HEALTH AND SPORTS 

PROMOTION 

We regularly run promotions with 

leading health and sports companies 

resulting in big savings to members. 

LEISURE DISCOUNTS 

Huge savings on weekend breaks at fine 

hotels and holiday centres. You will not 

believe these prices! (Members only). 

VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS 

Continually representing members’ 

interests in disputes with vehicle 

manufacturers and suppliers. 

AUTHORITIES AND MEDIA 

The LTDA is the largest and most 

respected driver organisation in 

the trade. We lead the way when 

negotiating with the Government, 

GLA, TfL, Police, Mayor’s Office, 

Heathrow, Rail Authorities, Local 

Councils and when dealing with all 

sections of the media. 

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE 

Many cab drivers are discovering to 

their cost that their licences are at 

risk due to the TfL’s interpretation 

of the new DVLA Group 2 Medical 

Standards. The LTDA has successfully 

challenged many decisions by the 

TfL to revoke members’ licences on 

medical grounds. 

FANTASTIC VALUE 

LTDA subscriptions have not 

increased for 12 years! It costs just 4 

quid a week to join the trade’s biggest 

organisation and 3 quid of that is tax 

deductible! 

(Payable monthly). 

To learn more about LTDA benefits and current joining offers 

call: 020 7286 1046 or visit www.ltda.co.uk


Taxi Talk 

ALF TOWNSEND 

BEWARE 

CONMEN 

Scams seem to be growing in number and some people just won’t take no for an answer 

There I was just sitting 

watching the footie on my 

telly and supping a dark rum 

and coke when the phone rang. I 

answered it and a voice with an 

Indian accent asked me if he was 

speaking to a Mister Townsend and, 

did I live at so-and-so address and 

was my phone number so-and-so. I 

got a bit suspicious from the off 

because this guy must have my 

phone number… because he had 

just called me! 

He then worried me by saying he 

was calling from the Holborn Police 

station. I immediately panicked 

about my kids having had some 

kind of accident – quite a clever 

ploy when you think about it. He 

then went on to inform me that they 

had arrested a couple of guys who 

were found to have stolen bank 

cards in their possession and that 

one of the cards was in my name. 

“Was I missing any of my bank cards?” 

he then enquired. Now, I knew it 

was a scam and I knew what he was 

going to ask me next. When I 

informed him that to the best of my 

knowledge all my bank cards were 

secure, he then asked me to check 

with my bank to see if there had 

been any large withdrawals. 

I know there are many Indian and 

Asian police officers in the Met, but 

they are professional enough to give 

their rank and number prior to 

interviews like this. But, having 

been a bit of a wide boy in my 

youth, I decided to go along with 

the questions – knowing full 

well what would follow. 

‘This stolen bank card in 

your name 

has got a 

number and we want to confirm that it 

matches yours’, said the ‘police officer’. 

Now I’ve got the right needle, this 

plonker, possibly in a call centre on 

the other side of the world, wants 

me to reveal the number on my 

credit card, does he really think that 

I’m that stupid and senile? ‘Listen 

matey’, I replied angrily, ‘do you think 

I’ve just come up on the down train? 

I suggest you give me your phone 

number and my solicitor can get back to 

you’. Suddenly, the phone went dead 

and there was no ring back number! 

The self-same thing happened the 

following night, this time by a very 

young-sounding Indian voice. 

I immediately shouted at him ‘clear 

off before I call the real police!’ It’s not 

a very clever scam, but it’s worth 

telling your old relatives about it 

because they may be vulnerable! 

‘Serendipity’ what a 

lovely word! 

As a trade journalist and author I 

have a passion for words and I’m 

always reading articles in various 

papers and magazines. One of my 

favourite reads is The Author, a 

quarterly magazine sent to me by 

the Society of Authors. But what I’ve 

noticed – especially in the last 

edition - is the proliferation of the 

word ‘serendipity’ in at least half-a 

dozen of the articles– not that I had 

the faintest idea of 

what it meant! 

So I got out 

my massive 

Collins English 

Dictionary in 

an effort to 

release 

myself 

from my 

ignorance. 

My 

dictionary 

informed me 

that the word 

meant, ‘a gift of making 

fortunate discoveries by 

accident’, so I’ve actually 

just enjoyed a bit of 

serendipity myself! 

I am presently writing a 

piece to The Author asking if I 

can introduce ‘paraprosdokian 

sentences’ into my article, that 

should get them reaching for THEIR 

dictionaries! It actually means, ’a 

figure of speech that uses an unexpected 

ending to a series – or phrase’. 

Don’t mess with me mate, I’ve got 

a bigger dictionary than you!! 

Gratitude 

I can’t finish without thanking all 

the cabbies – many who I don’t even 

know - for their best wishes for my 

wife’s speedy recovery. My son Nick 

has been asked for my phone 

number by some of the airport 

regulars – and they have been 

phoning me as well. Sadly, after 

visiting her in the Royal Free 

Hospital for 100 consecutive and 

nervous days, she passed away 

peacefully last month. 

My heartfelt thanks also to the 

LTDA for its invaluable support 

during this time, especially to Bob 

Oddy and John Thomas, who 

attended the funeral at Golders 

Green Crematorium, along 

with more than 100 of my family 

and friends. 

I don’t really want to blow ‘the 

LTDA trumpet’ too much, but all you 

guys and gals out there reading this 

piece who are not members, just 

take a minute to think about it. 

Unfortunately, tragedies don’t just 

happen to old boys like me, and 

some day in the future you may 

need the expertise and legal help 

from the LTDA, whether it’s with 

sick benefits, a financial 

contribution from the contingency 

fund, or you getting nicked. 

You can’t feed your family if you’re 

not grafting!! As for me, after 57 

happy years together, I know I still 

have friends! n 

Thomas Exchange Global 

Ltd. 

Retail, Wholesale 

& Commercial Foreign Money Dealers 

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London, SW1E 6RA 

Liverpool Street Branch: 

Unit 17, The Arcade, 

Liverpool Street, 

London, EC2M 7PN 

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NEWS 

Minicabs 22 hour 

shift danger 

Trade 

Minicab drivers are being regularly 

worked dangerously long hours 

and putting other road users in 

danger, according to its own 

trade paper. 

One unnamed driver, who signed 

up with a chauffeur company, 

claims he was so tired he put the 

wrong fuel in the car he had 

been loaned by the firm for a 

£150 deposit. 

The private hire 

said that despite 

already working 

beyond a limit 

that would be 

considered safe, 

the firm pushed 

him into taking 

another long 

wait and 

return, saying he was the only 

driver available. 

He said: “I wasn’t happy to do this, 

as it would have meant I had been out 

on the road for more than 20 hours. So, 

I rang the boss and said I couldn’t do it, 

as I would be too tired.” 

After reluctantly accepting the job 

he refuelled the S class vehicle he 

was driving and assumed due to 

previous experience that it was 

a diesel. 

He said: “After a short while I 

realised fuel was spilling from the car 

and I was putting in the wrong 

type of fuel in.” 

A mechanic was sent out to 

repair the car and the driver 

says he finally arrived home at 

2.30am, 22 hours after he set 

out that day. 

Unfortunately for him, rip off 

firms are rife in the business, and 

six months after doing the work 

he has only received £161 out 

of the £450, including the 

deposit, he says he is 

owed for two days work. 

Stay in the know with the LTDA 

DVLA reminder 

The photo card part of the driving 

licence lasts for 10 years and must 

renewed after that period. The 

licence becomes invalid if it is not 

renewed with a current picture. 

15 year reminder 

The London taxi 15 year age limit 

refers to the cab’s ‘birthday’ (in the 

log book), not its plate date. For 

example: A cab passed when it is 

14 years and 11 months old WILL 

be granted a further 12 months life. 

Cabs may be booked in for 

testing in the normal way if the 

plate has 28 days, or less, to run. 

The cab can then work up to the 

test date. If the plates are taken off 

with more than 28 days to run, 

they must be surrendered to an 

NSL Testing Centre, and the 

existing paper licence completed 

and sent (preferably recorded 

delivery) to TPLH, Palestra, 4th 

Floor, Green Zone, 197 

Blackfriars Road SE1 8NJ. 

The ‘unplated’ cab must then not 

be worked, and at least one week 

should be allowed before 

attempting to book the next SGS 

test (to allow the computerised 

booking system 

to recognise 

that the plates 

have been 

surrendered). 

Lost/stolen 

identifiers 

If your Identifier is lost or stolen 

you must notify LTPH 

immediately (08456027000 / 

tph.enquiries@tfl.gov.uk) 

You may then continue 

working. A letter of confirmation 

will be sent out to you by 

Transport for London, prior to 

a replacement identifier 

being processed. 

Shop a tout 

Anyone who sees touting or any 

other form of illegal cab-related 

activity is urged to contact TfL 

with the details. 

Take down the registration 

number and make a note of the 

date, time and location where 

incident took place. 

Type cab enforcement into your 

internet search engine and follow 

the links to the ‘report illegal 

activity’ section of the TfL website. 

“I’ve been using the CabCard Service for over 18 months and I think it is a 

fantastic service. It only costs £2.50 a week and most weeks I earn a good 

bit of that back in commission from CabCard - so it costs next to nothing. 

Since I’ve had the CabCard terminal I have been able to pick up lots of 

jobs everyday including airport runs where people need to pay by card. 

Because it is not fixed into the cab I don’t have to take more card jobs than 

I want to and, if I change my cab I can take it with me . The CabCard staff 

are really helpful and my fares are always efficiently paid into the bank 

every week. I can’t fault them. CabCard are fantastic!” 

Join the thousands of Cabbies who are delighted 

to take more business by accepting card 

payments with CabCard Services. 

Accept these cards by Chip and PIN - NO PROCESSING CHARGE TO YOU


KPM UK Taxis 

Free MOT for Life 

TX4 or 

Vito Taxi 

In our new service commitment programme, if you service and maintain your taxi with us, no matter 

what the make, then you qualify to get all your MOT’s paid for by us – for life! No catches. Just part 

of our customer loyalty and reward commitment. Contact any one of our service advisers to take part! 

A professional service for the professional driver. 

To book an appointment please 

call our service department on: 

Tel: 020 7377 2182 

KPM UK Taxis: Hemming House, Hemming Street, London E15BL.


MEMBERS’ PROMOTION 

A world of adventures 

at great prices! 

Gate Rate Rate You save 

Thorpe Park 

Adult (12+ yrs) £43.20 £25.92 £17.28 

LTDA members not only get 

the benefit of great support 

and expert legal advice but 

can also enjoy some fantastic 

offers such as discounted entry to 

these great British attractions. 

We have teamed with Merlin 

Entertainment to offer these deals 

to help you and your family have 

a summer to remember. 

So whether you want to meet 

the cast of Star Wars at Legoland, 

enjoy some thrills and spills at 

Alton Towers or have a picture 

taken with wax celebrities of the 

past and present, just follow 

these simple steps to make your 

booking and you’ll be quids in. 

Call 0871 222 4001 and quote 

REWARDS along with the date 

of your visit. Make sure you 

have your membership number 

to hand along with your 

payment details. All major credit 

cards are accepted 

Terms and Conditions: 

Saving based on individual walk up 

admission price. The offer cannot be 

used in conjunction with any other 

promotion, is subject to availability 

and tickets must be booked at least 

24 hours in advance of visit. 

All prices are dependent on the 

date of visit, prices and opening 

dates are subject to change without 

notice. Calls to 0871 numbers are 

charged at 10 pence per minute plus 

network extras. 

Child (1m-11 yrs) 

Infants below 1m: Free 

£33.60 £20.16 £13.44 

The Alton Towers Resort 

Adult (12+ yrs) £46 £27.50 £18.50 

Child (4-11 yrs) 

Infants below 4yrs: Free 

£36.80 £22 £14.80 

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NEWS 

Hammersmith ‘flyunder’ gets thumbs up 

Roads 

A plan for a two-mile tunnel to 

replace the crumbling 

Hammersmith flyover has been 

given the full backing of the 

borough council. 

Hammersmith and Fulham 

Council leader, Nicholas Botterill, 

said the 50-year-old concrete 

structure was “a hangover from 

another era that should never 

be repeated.” 

He said the A4 through west 

London should opt for a “flyunder” 

during a speech at a packed 

public meeting in Hammersmith 

Town Hall. 

The council is now likely to 

commission a feasibility study to 

examine the finances of the proposal 

in more detail. 

The elevated trunk road had to be 

closed in December 2011 after severe 

salt corrosion was discovered. 

The flyover was not fully 

reopened until May last year but 

engineers have said its life is 

unlikely to have been extended 

beyond about 20 years. 

No figures have been 

published for the cost of a tunnel 

but experts say £250 million per 

mile is usual, which would mean 

the total bill would be in excess 

of £500 million. 

What a lotto dough? 

Is the end nigh for the Hammersmith flyover? 

Image © Transport for London 

LTDA Lottery 

With so many fraudsters around it’s 

not surprising that Robert 

Chesterman hung up the phone 

when we phoned to tell him he had 

scooped the LTDA lottery. 

But, luckily we persevered and 

persuaded the 73-year-old that it 

wasn’t a prank and he had indeed 

won £5,000, because it’s paying for a 

great holiday in the sun. 

Robert, of Kent, said: “I put the 

phone down on him – I thought 

somebody was having a joke. We are 

going to Mexico in September and it’s 

also paid for a new back door, so it’s 

come in very handy.” 

Join the LTDA’s monthly lottery 

for just £5 each month and you too 

could find yourself on a beach in 

the sun. 

Call 0207 286 1046 and ask 

for Jenny. 

Robert Chesterman collects his cheque


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Cruel Capital 

ROBERT LORDAN London cabbie and tour guide 

A pioneering doctor, his stolen statue and the campaign to replace it 

A CRUEL 

THEFT 

Until it was callously stolen by 

scrap metal thieves one night in 

November 2011, one of 

London’s most poignant public 

artworks was Doctor Salter’s 

Daydream which occupied a peaceful 

spot on Bermondsey Wall East. 

The theft becomes all the more cruel 

when you realise the emotive story 

behind the man whom it represented. 

The son of a gas-worker, Doctor 

Alfred Salter was born in Greenwich in 

June 1873. Alfred was a bright child, 

winning a scholarship to study 

medicine at Guy’s Hospital at the 

tender age of 16. 

During his training, Alfred visited 

many working-class homes in 

Bermondsey and the utter poverty 

which he encountered promptly led 

him to develop a deeply committed 

social conscience. 

Early days 

Qualifying as a doctor in 1896, Alfred 

spent time in the ‘Bermondsey 

Settlement’; a pioneering community 

scheme which sought to help the 

area’s disadvantaged. It was here 

Alfred met Ada Brown; a young 

woman with an equally powerful 

sense of principal. 

The pair fell in love and married in 

1900, by which point they’d already 

vowed to devote their lives to the 

people of Bermondsey. 

To achieve this, the couple set up a 

medical practice on Jamaica Road 

where the good doctor offered free 

treatment to those who were unable to 

afford it- an absolute Godsend in 

those pre-NHS days. 

Believing a voice in government 

would give him more clout in 

alleviating poverty, Alfred also 

became active in politics, becoming 

elected to Bermondsey Council in 

1903. Once in, he strove to improve 

housing and education in the 

area- you can still see the model 

housing, pushed for by Dr Salter, on 

Wilson Grove. 

Alfred and Ada were also great 

friends of the London taxi trade; 

frequently speaking out in favour of 

cabbies’ rights and supporting drivers 

through a number of early 20th 

century strikes. 

With the Salter’s support, Ben 

Smith- an ambitious cabbie from 

Hayes - managed to become MP for 

Rotherhithe. Ben later went on to 

become Minister of Food under 

Clement Attlee and eventually 

received a knighthood for his work. 

In 1902, the Salters were blessed 

with a daughter whom they named 

Joyce and, soon after, the family 

moved to Storks Road. 

In 1910, Joyce (now aged 8) became 

seriously ill with scarlet fever and was 

rushed to the former South Western 

Hospital on Stockwell’s Landor Road. 

By this point, the Salters were 

dearly loved by the people of 

Bermondsey; an affection reflected by 

the fact that locals nicknamed Joyce 

“our little ray of sunshine.” So acute was 

the concern for their child that Alfred 

and Ada posted regular bulletins on 

their front door, informing wellwishers 

of their little girl’s process. 

Tragically though, Joyce died. 

During their lives, Alfred and Ada 

had successfully fought to save the 

lives of many but when it came to 

their own child, they were helpless. 

The pair never truly overcame their 

grief. For the rest of their lives a 

picture of Joyce held pride of place on 

Alfred and Ada’s mantelpiece; a 

portrait which was adorned with 

fresh flowers every single day. 

Ada died in December 1942, a 

further tragedy which led Alfred to 

write, “the loneliness is almost 

unbearable.” 

Doctor Alfred Salter himself passed 

away three years later at Guy’s 

Hospital; the very same institution in 

which he’d trained and gained the 

knowledge to help those whom he and 

his wife and dedicated their lives to. 

Stolen 

It was in 1991 that the artwork 

entitled Doctor Salter’s Daydream 

was unveiled next to The Angel pub. 

Created by Diane Gorvin, the piece 

consisted of three individual, lifesized 

statues. 

The first section- the part which was 

stolen- was of Doctor Salter himself, 

seated on a bench (which the public 

were encouraged to share) and 

waving at the two other figures- his 

beloved daughter, Joyce who was 

accompanied by her little pet cat. 

On closer inspection, one could see 

that Doctor Salter was portrayed as an 

elderly man, gazing upon images 

which were effectively ghosts; “shadows 

of things that have been” to quote 

Dickens’ Ghost of Christmas Past. 

An accompanying plaque- still in 

situ- describes the now absent work 

as representing “the daydream of an old 

man remembering happier times when his 

‘sunshine’ was still alive.” 

Following the theft, the statues of 

Joyce and her cat were removed by 

the council for safekeeping. 

A group of Bermondsey residents 

have since mounted a fundraising 

campaign to have new statues of 

Alfred and Ada sculpted which, if 

successful, will be protected by ample 

security to deter wannabe shysters. 

To find out more about this 

admirable project, please visit the 

website: www.salterstatues.co.uk 

The fee for this column has been 

donated to the campaign to replace 

the statue. n 

Dr Salter and Joyce 

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BOOK REVIEW 

The Charabanc by Alf Townsend 

Until the advent of steam 

locomotion travelling 

around Britain in Victorian 

times was difficult, and rarely 

undertaken by the poor. 

And although the industrial 

revolution was in full swing, many 

of the improvements it would 

bring about wouldn’t be felt by the 

working classes for many years. 

It was the arrival of the wooden 

horse-drawn Charabanc, which 

first brought a sense 

of liberation for 

many workers, 

especially those 

slaving in the cotton 

mills in the north. 

Originally 

popular with 

French aristocrats, 

the transporters 

started to make 

an impact in 1844 

when one was 

given to Queen 

Victoria as a gift 

by Louis 

Philippe. 

In his lavishly illustrated new 

book, Taxi columnist and author Alf 

Townsend charts its history, with 

personal anecdotes and his 

trademark wit. 

The Brits dropped the S from the 

French word Charabancs, and made 

a number of other modifications 

before beginning to use them for 

works outings and school trips. 

Noisy, bumpy and uncomfortable 

“they became an instant hit among the 

many thousands of workers in the mill 

towns of Lancashire and 

Yorkshire. 

“These deprived 

and hard-working 

employees in the 

mill towns never 

had any holidays 

at all.” 

It wasn’t until 

the late 60s, when 

the UK economy 

began to pick up, 

that the workers got 

paid for “wake’s 

week,” which in itself 

spelt the inevitable 

death knell for the later, 

motorised charabancs. 

There was very little 

protection from the 

elements for the 

passengers and it was 

not until the start of 

the First World War 

that fixed roofs and 

comfortable seats 

were offered. 

Charabanc manufacture ground to 

a halt during the war and they would 

eventually lose out to the internal 

combustion engine. 

Alf, who has published six books 

on the taxi trade, makes no secret of 

his fondness for the long forgotten 

mode of travel. 

His love of Charabanc and what it 

meant shines through the book and is 

evident in the opening, in which he 

says “just hearing the word Charabanc 

gives me a buzz at the thought of the long 

history and the joy it brought to many 

of the downtrodden working classes in 

the past.” 

The text is littered with fascinating 

facts, stories about his own time as 

a ‘Chara’ driver working the 

“ghost train” shift, while studying 

the Knowledge. 

Charabanc manages to wind the 

story around the development of 

the taxi trade and motorised coach 

travel, but it’s the pictures which 

make it a trip down memory lane 

to remember. 

Further info 

Charabanc: The Early 

Days of Motorised 

Coach Travel is 

available from Amazon 

at the RRP of £14.99 

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Two Fingers 

HUMANITY 

AND ME 

AL FRESCO 

Al’s delve into academia does more for his stress levels than his knowledge 

After losing Carole, I found I 

just had to fill up my mind to 

stop it filling up with sad, 

morose, ‘sorry for myself’ thoughts. 

So I opted to undertake an Arts and 

Humanity Course with the Open 

University. Over a five year period, I 

had to achieve 300 points to gain a 

BA Humanities and a sixth year to 

acquire 360 points for BA (Honours) 

Humanities. Since I signed up, I’ve 

been gradually bashing my way 

through a variety of courses and 

modules. Now, at the beginning of 

my fourth year and with 180 points 

on my ‘Smart Arse O’Graph’, I’m 

closing in on my objective - despite 

having undergone quadruple heart 

surgery and two spinal operations, 

en route. However, recently I learnt, 

that at worst I might have cocked 

it up entirely: at best, I’ve 

subjected my mental processes to 

unmitigated overdrive. 

Before I realised I was on a 

‘limited’ 5/6 year course, I actually 

THOUGHT I had as long as I liked 

to complete the overall academic 

task. In my ignorance, I 

calculated....current score “One 

Hundred and Eighty,” so - take it easy 

this year with a 30 point Andante 

Italian course - another 30 pointer 

next year - then back to the more 

intensive 60 pointers and - BINGO! 

Wotta Berk! By the end of five years, 

at the current rate of learning, I’d be 

30 points short of a degree: which 

means I have to catch up THIS 

YEAR by doing an additional 30 

pointer: in parallel with the Italian 

course I’m currently struggling with 

now. I panicked and called the OU 

students Study Support Unit. They 

recommended another 30 point 

course entitled, ‘Making Sense of 

Things.’ Very apt? 

More knowledge 

Making sense of things: An 

introduction to material culture is a 20- 

week (30 point) Open University 

course which is an introduction to 

the study of objects, or material 

culture, from a variety of different 

perspectives. These include heritage 

studies, art history, classical studies, 

history, philosophy and religious 

studies. Various case studies include 

everyday objects found in Pompeii, 

ethical issues surrounding the 

display of artefacts in museums, 

including holocaust memorials, and 

the collection and destruction of 

relics and other iconic objects in both 

the past and present. (A151 Making 

sense of things: an introduction to 

material culture. Study Companion. 

Peter Elmer. Open University) 

More by luck than judgement, the 

first OU course I attempted (and 

passed) was a core course entitled 

The Arts past and present and my 

current course was designed to 

follow the OU’s core introductory 

course in Arts and Humanities, 

which builds upon skills and 

knowledge developed by studying 

that course. 

“THEY RECOMMENDED 

ANOTHER 30 POINT 

COURSE ENTITLED, 

‘MAKING SENSE OF 

THINGS.’ VERY APT? 

” 

The introduction to the Making 

Sense of Things course explains: ‘As 

you progress through the module, we 

would like you to think about material 

objects as a new and exciting way of 

accessing knowledge about both the past 

and the present, and within a variety of 

academic disciplines. Too often, 

academics focus on words at the expense 

of things, despite the fact, as we will be 

reminded in Book 2, that words 

themselves are more often than not 

presented to us in physical form (paper, 

books, radio, television, or the computer 

that I am currently using). By 

reconsidering the place of objects in 

knowledge, we hope that you will find 

the experience of studying material 

culture as liberating as it has been for us 

in writing and constructing this 

module.‘ Blimey! I found it hard 

enough getting my head round the 

intro - now, if I can get past Book 3: 

Elvis pilgrimage and relics’ I’m home 

and dry. 

Whilst still on an ‘academic’ theme, 

I don’t know whether you saw the 

‘Poetry Competition’ in Taxi which 

appeared a couple of issues ago, but I 

thought I’d give it a go and 

submitted a poem. The ode had to be 

no longer than 10 lines and you could 

only submit one effort. I jotted down 

some thoughts and ideas and came 

up with a kernel of ‘blank verse.’ 

Despite analysing, refining, 

compressing, compacting and editing 

the piece for hours on end, I couldn’t 

get it down to the requisite 10 lines. 

So I hope TAXI editor Steve will put 

me out of my whimsical misery, and 

publish it in my column? 

‘On me coat!’ (a true story...) 

It was a while back, before Victoria Station 

was a blueprint in progress. ‘The good old 

days!’ Buses roared in and out of bays. 

Taxis beetled to and fro from ranks and 

feeders; and people - they strode across 

zebras; dawdled...they seem....caught in a 

dream? The station forecourt is criss 

crossed relentlessly with humanity and 

transportation. Mums and dads and 

children hold hands. Ladies in tailored 

suits, share views, wear sensible shoes 

and display an element of grubby cuff. 

Blokes with alice bands carry rucksacks. 

Tourists, stepping into fantasies, hold 

their breath, look left. Dice with death. 

The station is a magnet; a Betjamen 

landscape, full of fast food and stanzas. 

Philosophic thinkers; cheap wine 

drinkers.The passenger door thuds and 

I’m away amongst the hustle of bodies 

and double deckers, flexing my diesel 

muscle. From the corner of an eye I see a 

shape. It lurches forward, hits the rear, 

near side of my taxi and falls to the 

ground. I brake, emergency, and spill out. 

People, “I saw him do it!” crowd around 

I kneel down. A lump spring-loads in my 

throat. “Move the cab,” croaks the 

crumpled form. “Are you badly injured?” 

I ask, fearfully. “No!” says the crumpled 

form, “you’re on me coat!” n 

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Licensed to Chat 

MUSHER MEG 

WINDOW 

WOES 

Unwanted advice can often result in a slap in the face or a one fingered salute 

When I was a Minnie Meg, I 

had a Wendy House made 

of plastic. It had clear 

cellophane curtains with ladybird 

transfers. They are the only 

curtains I remember 

fondly. I’ve now 

been married for three decades 

(I was a child bride), and in all that 

time, thanks to Mr Meg, and his 

useless power tool, not a single 

curtain in our house has ever stayed 

on track. In fact, most tracks don’t 

even stay on the wall! 

Last week, I went to a 

neighbourhood 

watch 

meeting. 

The 

man 

who 

lives in 

the house 

backing 

onto mine 

approached to say a 

cheery hello, and 

asked if I was a breakdancer. 

Suspecting he 

was a member of the loopy-loo 

club, I stayed polite and told him 

no, I was a taxi driver. “But I see 

you break-dancing every morning” 

he insisted. 

“I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS 

PLANNING TO SET FIRE 

TO THE DINING ROOM 

CURTAINS, BECAUSE I 

HAD FINALLY RUN OUT 

” 

OF PATIENCE 

Turns out he does his stretch and 

bend exercises at his bedroom 

window first thing, which happens 

to be the same time that I open my 

bedroom curtains to greet the day. 

To understand why he thinks I am 

a dawn break-dancer, you need to 

know that twice a day I am 

battered by a knob in my bedroom. 

On your head 

Mr Meg has been promising to 

screw, or glue, said knob to the end 

of the curtain pole ever since we 

moved into this house eight years 

ago, but he is such a busy man 

walking the dog, playing his tin 

whistle and watching Shed TV that 

he hasn’t yet found the time. This 

means that I have to dodge the 

knob each time I open and close 

the bedroom curtains, and must 

look pretty nifty doing it, if the 

bloke across the way thinks I am 

busting some moves. 

Yesterday evening I asked Mr 

Meg for matches. Just to be 

annoying he always answers my 

questions with a question, and this 

time it was “Why?” I told him that I 

was planning to set fire to the 

dining room curtains, because I 

had finally run out of patience with 

them racing off the track, and 

pooling at my feet whenever I go 

near them. 

He reckons we have stayed 

married for so long because he 

never reacts to a word I say - his 

response to me this time was 

“Yes.Yes. Enjoy yourself…..!” When I 

moan to my friends about Mr 

Meg’s cack-handed way with 

curtains, they tell me I should get a 

bloke in with a big toolbox. 

Final curtain 

And more window trouble this 

week. My window cleaner turned 

up on a day Mr Meg was at home. 

He shadowed him around the 

house, muttering under his breath 

about how the bloke’s squeegee 

was too soft, and his water too 

cold, to do a good job. 

But it was when Mr Meg began a 

casual chat, about paying tax and 

national insurance, that the 

window cleaner finally walked off 

the job, with a one fingered salute, 

and the advice, “wash your own 

*!bleeping!* windows, mate! And fix 

those !*bleeping*! curtains, and tracks 

while you’re about it.” n



ROAD WATCH 

MASSETT’S 

CAMERA 

HOTSPOTS 

Extreme Hotspot 1: 

Berkley Street J/W Piccadilly 

Yellow Box Camera 

Extreme Hotspot 2: 


New no entry signs 

Selfridges 

Southampton Row/Kingsway 

Brick Lane 

Harrods 

Great Marlborough Street 

Waterloo Road 

Hammersmith Broadway 

Eldon Street 

Clapham High Street 

Bagleys Lane/New Kings Road 

Red Routes 

Tower Bridge 

Limehouse Link 

Ganton Street 

Merton 

Over ranking 

U-turns 

Do not mount the footpath, set down on 

the road 

Zig-Zags behind the rank in Brompton Road 

and no U-turns 

Zig-Zags 

Zig-Zags 

Over-ranking 

Do not set down on Zig-Zags 

Zig-Zags 

Yellow box 

TfL is actively enforcing yellow box 

restrictions 

20 mph speed limit – average speed 

cameras 

30 mph speed limit 

No motor vehicles 

Yellow boxes Haydons Road and 

Kingston Road 

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We can't guarantee you the sunshine, but we can 

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T&C’s apply


NEWS 

Wardens’ disabled bay shame 

Ultimate Disrespect 

Traffic wardens have been criticised 

for parking in disabled bays while 

issuing tickets to motorists. 

Enforcement officers were spotted 

by blue badge holders, dumping 

their L-plated mopeds in disabled 

spaces in Hampton to issue fines. 

One disabled resident said: “I find 

this behaviour extremely offensive and, 

as someone with a disability myself, 

I was appalled to be laughed at by one 

warden when I asked him what a 

disabled person should do if they could 

not park due to his moped being in 

the bay.” 

In another incident, Bexley Heath 

wardens were spotted in a disabled 

bay outside a man’s home in Erith. 

Jerry Crabtree, 47, and his disabled 

wife Wendy, returned to their home 

and said one warden was still sat in 

the passenger seat of the car, while 

two others were patrolling the street. 

Mr Crabtree, who said he was 

“disgusted” by their behaviour, 

pulled up just before the bay 

and says he sounded his horn to 

attract the warden’s attention - but 

was ignored. 

Disregard: wardens have been blocking disabled bays 

It is not illegal for traffic wardens 

to park in residents’ bays or on 

yellow lines to carry out their job, 

but they are barred from stopping in 

spaces allocated for disabled people. 

Following complaints from 

residents, Richmond Council urged 

its contractor Vinci Park, who 

employs the traffic wardens, to carry 

out an investigation. 

It follows revelations by one exparking 

warden employed by Vinci 

Image: hans engbers / Shutterstock.com 

Park, who said officers would use 

underhand tactics to issue tickets. 

He said wardens log roads before 

they had entered them so they 

could issue more penalty fares than 

time limits on their ticket machines 

would allow. 

The council admitted it had asked 

Vinci Park to increase enforcement in 

some areas after complaints from 

businesses but was investigating 

the allegations. 

Charity ride appeal 

London taxi driver Aston Ferron 

is to park up his cab and jump 

on a bike to take part in the 

London to Brighton for the 

British Heart Foundation. 

The annual event takes in 50 

miles of challenging roads and 

beautiful countryside and gets 

underway on September 8. 

Aston, 39, said: “My dad had a 

triple heart bypass, so it’s 

something that has affected 

my family but I just thought it 

would be a good thing to do, 

and something different for a 

taxi driver.” 

“Even if drivers just sponsor 

me a couple of 

quid it will 

help me reach 

my target 

of £500.” 

Visit the 

website 

www.just 

giving.com 

and search 

under 

Aston 

Ferron. 

SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE IS RELOCATING TO 

NEWINGTON CAUSEWAY, SE1 

3 min walk from Elephant and Castle | 5 min walk from Borough 

OPEN FROM 15 MAY 

2013 

Bar and cafe open from 

11am to 12pm Mon-Sat 

77-85 Newington Causeway, 

London SE1 6BD 

southwarkplayhouse.co.uk 

020 7407 0234

More readers than the rest put together! 14 MAY 2013 | TAXI 39


PUZZLER 

Crossword Competition! 

To complete our prize 

crossword and be in with a 

chance to win £50 send your 

completed entry to Crossword 

293, Taxi, Taxi House, 11 

Woodfield Road, W9 2BA before 

30th May 2013. First name out of 

the hat gets the cash. 

ACROSS 

7 Persian King (6) 

8 Abandon (6) 

9 Muslim leader (4) 

10 Built after 1946 (3, 5) 

11 Polite (7) 

13 Deserve (5) 

15 Pastime (5) 

17 A warning (6) 

20 Lacking knowledge (8) 

21 Atop (4) 

23 Idle (6) 

24 Annoyance (6) 

DOWN 

1 Appear (4) 

2 Excused (6) 

3 Apart (7) 

4 Shellfish (5) 

5 Recess (6) 

6 Ceaseless (8) 

12 Stretch (8) 

14 Irritating (7) 

16 To sob loudly (3, 3) 

18 Milkweed (6) 

19 A scene of noisy confusion (5) 

22 To stare lecherously (4) 

Overheard by Brad Ashton 

CROSSWORD NO. 293 

“I had a nudist holiday this year. I 

didn’t intend to, but the airline 

lost my luggage. Normally, I’m 

very careful about putting the 

destination very clearly on my 

luggage. It gives the baggage 

handlers something to read while 

they’re sending it someplace else. 

With flights so expensive now, 

there will soon be only two 

airlines left; the one you’re flying 

with and the one your luggage 

went to by mistake. 

There’s one particular cheap 

airline I stringently avoid. It’s the 

one that gives you a cup of tea, a 

biscuit and a shoe horn to get into 

your seat. They’re so stingy they 

don’t show a film. They just have 

the stewardess pass round her 

holiday snaps.” 

“These past few months, we’ve 

had so much rain I thought the 

country was going to shrink. I once 

saw a sign outside an Indian 

reservation; it said: “There will 

be a rain dance at sundown – 

weather permitting.” 

“In the old days kids wanted to 

be doctors or lawyers when they 

grow up. Now they just want to be 

solvent. Kids today don’t know 

the value of a £1. But then, who 

does? If you’re planning 

parenthood you need to save two 

things for a rainy day… money 

and patience. My son keeps 

nagging me to move house. He 

says it’s easier than tidying his 

room. When I told him to take a 

bath he wanted to know what he 

was being punished for. He’s so 

lazy, when he wants to get to sleep 

he counts sheep… with his pocket 

calculator. Raising children can cost 

a fortune. I’ve got three, and the 

amount I’ve spent on shoes, you’d 

think my wife gave birth to a 

centipede. From now on if my wife 

ever wants to hear the patter of tiny 

feet again, it had better be mice.” 

“I hear they’re planning to turn 

party political broadcasts into TV 

game shows. Anyone who can spot a 

genuine promise gets a prize. 

Personally, I hate watching TV, but 

it’s the only pleasure I get. I worked 

it out that I have been watching TV 

for 40 years on and off. And to be 

honest, I prefer it off. I’m fed up with 

those commercials that say ‘this is a 

once-in-a-lifetime offer that cannot 

be repeated,‘ then a quarter of an 

hour later, they repeat it.” 

“Aren’t dentists expensive 

nowadays? When I went to mine he 

made me stick out my tongue and 

say ‘owe.’ He said the treatment 

would improve my smile. It didn’t. 

But when I paid him it improved 

his. He pulled two of my teeth and 

when I go the bill I thought he was 

pulling my leg as well. He 

promised my cousin that, if he had 

a full course of treatment he’d wind 

up with teeth like a star. Now he 

does have teeth like a star. They 

come out at night.” 

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD 291 

Across: 1 Income, 4 Eke out, 9 Springy, 10 Aptly, 11 Alibi, 

12 Opinion, 13 Right-angled, 18 Shampoo, 20 On ice, 22 Idiot, 

23 Incubus, 24 Tie-up, 25 Lib-Dem. 

Down: 1 Inseam, 2 Corgi, 3 Mannish, 5 Khaki, 6 Outlive, 7 Trying, 

8 Myxomatosis, 14 Imagine, 15 Gnocchi, 16 T-shirt, 17 Jetsam, 

19 Put-up, 21 Imbed. 

Congratulations 

Issue 291 winner 

L. Bayman, London 

Just for fun 

Follow @TheLTDA on Twitter for news, updates and warnings 

Have a go at 

this easy 

level Sudoku 

puzzle. Fill 

the grid so 

that every 

row, every 

column and 

every 3x3 box 

contains the 

numbers 1-9.


KPM Mercedes-Benz Taxis 

£2,000 Scrap Out 

No deposit 

TX1 owners 

If you own a TX1 or similar older cab and take out our finance on the purchase of a brand 

new Vito Taxi then you will qualify for our £2,000 scrap out offer. Take it as a cash-back, 

use it as a deposit against your new taxi – the choice is yours! Providing your taxi has at 

least one month still to run on its plate and road tax then you can trade it in and drive off in 

a new Vito with 3 years 150,000 miles warranty. 

 

Call our sales team on 020 7375 1179 or visit www.kpmmercedes-benztaxis.com 

Mercedes-Benz 

are registered trademarks of Daimler, Stuggart, Germany 


Business users only. Finance subject to status and approval through our approved finance company. Scrap out part exchange required to be a current plated London taxi with one month’s road tax and one 

month’s plate. Finance subject to minimum balance of £25,000. 4% PAF/ 7.9% APR. Example: £2,000 deposit, followed by £809.44 per month x 60 months. Terms and conditions apply. Not available with any 

other offer. We reserve the right to remove the off er without notice. E&EO.


JV Bright Taxi Parts 

(0207 803 0803) 

Buckinghams Seats 

J V Bright Taxi Parts 

47-51 Great Suffolk Street 

London SE1 OBS 

As of the 

1st of September 

2012 Buckinghams Seats 

are now part of JV Bright 

Taxi Parts - We will 

offer the same level 

of quality service. 

Call: 0207 

803 0803 

Driver’s Seats from £84 

Recaro Express 

£645 

Leather Driver 

Seat £240 

Rear Carpets from £35 

All TX range & MERCEDES VITO 


A selection of our numerous 

Distribution Points 

n A1 Taxis, Sidworth Street E8 

n Abacus Accounts, Southbrook Road, 

Lee SE12 

n Astral Café, Regency Place SW1 

n Bubbles Car Wash, E2 

n C & S Taxis, Dunbridge Street E2 

n Cabsurance, Seven Kings 

n Camberfield Taxi Services 

n Computer Cab, Mitre Way W12 

n Coney Allen, Dunbridge Street E1 

n CP Beehive Service Station, Beehive 

Lane, Gants Hill 

n Cricklewood Carriers, Cricklewood 

n Dial A Cab, City Road N1 

n Edgware Station Rank 

n Euston Station Rank 

n G & L Taxis, Crayford Road N7 

n Globe Transmissions, Cudworth 

Street E1 

n The Ham, Brentford 

n Heathrow Airport Canteen 

n Hexagon Garage, Lukin Street E1 

n Jet Garage, Clipstone Street W1 

n Knowledge Centre, Caledonian Road 

n KPM, Hemming Street E1 

n London City Airport Canteen 

n LP Motors, Dunbridge Street E2 

n Martin Cordell, E3 and Stanmore 

n Paddington Station Rank 

n Public Carriage Office, Penton Street N1 

n Putney Bridge Taxis, The Arches, 

Putney Bridge Station SW6 

n Richmond Road Taxi Centre, E8 

n Safewise Supermarket, Harrow 

n South Bank Service Station, Great Suffolk 

Street SE1 

n TAXI HOUSE W9 

n Temple Place Shelter 

n Tent Street Taxi Centre E2 

n Turbo Accessories, Three Colts Lane E2 

n Waterloo Station 

n Wimbledon Station Rank 

n WizAnn Knowledge School, 

Watts Grove E3 

PUBLISHED BY 

LTDA 

Taxi House 11 Woodfield Road, 

London W9 2BA 

T: 020 7286 1046 | www.ltda.co.uk 

@TheLTDA 

MANAGING EDITOR Steve Still 

T: 0207 121 0508, 

F: 0207 286 2494 

E: taxinewspaper@ltda.co.uk 

THE MASSETT FILE Richard Massett 

THE CHAIRMAN SAYS John Thomas 

TWO FINGERS Al Fresco 

TAXI TALK Alf Townsend 

OVERHEARD Brad Ashton 

LICENSED TO CHAT Musher Meg 

PRODUCED BY 

Century One Publishing ltd 

Alban Row,27-31 Verulam Road 

St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 4DG. 

T: 01727 893 894, F: 01727 893 895 

E: enquiries@centuryone 

publishing.ltd.uk 

www.centuryonepublishing.ltd.uk 

DESIGN & PRODUCTION 

Sarah Astington 

ADVERTISING SALES EXECUTIVE 

Dave Challenor 

T: 01727 739 196 

E: dave@centuryonepublishing.ltd.uk 

PRINTED BY Century One Publishing Ltd 

COVER IMAGE Shutterstock.com 

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be 

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any 

means electronic, mechanical or by photocopying without 

prior permission of the publishers. The views and opinions 

expressed in this publication may not necessarily be those of 

the publishers. Please note that the last day for inclusion of 

Classified lineage advertisements is five working days prior to 

publication. No liability is accepted by the publisher should 

advertisements not appear in the requested issue(s). Whilst the 

publisher will take every care to ensure accuracy, no liability 

can be accepted for loss or damage resulting from errors. 

CENTURY ONE PUBLISHING 

IS THE UK’S BRIGHTEST 

AWARD-WINNING 

CONTRACT PUBLISHING 

AND ADVERTISING SALES AGENCY. 

WE WORK EXCLUSIVELY 

WITH MEMBERSHIP 

ORGANISATIONS GENERATING 

ADVERTISING REVENUES 

AND MANAGING 

ALL OR PART OF THE 

PUBLISHING FUNCTION 

To plan your ad campaign 

in TAXI magazine contact: 


t: 01727 739 196 

e: dave@centuryonepublishing.ltd.uk 

w: www.centuryonepublishing.ltd.uk


CLASSIFIED 

Accident Management 

CORONATION CABS! 

SIMPLY THE BEST FOR ACCIDENT MANAGEMENT!! 

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• Based in Kingston 

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Tel: 0208 5499 541 

APP Accountants 

8A Endeavour House 

2 Cambridge Road 

Kingston Upon Thames, KT1 3JU 

app@accountspluspayroll.co.uk 

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BUTLER’S 

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ask for Tom or Charlie 

email info@cabitaltaxis.com 

MEM’s 24hr Breakdown Service ✽ Spare Cabs always Available 

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Call today: 020 8740 7444 / 07786 025814 

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The Licensed 

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Cabs for Rent 

Cabs for Rent 

CABS WANTED 

URGENTLY 

CASH BUYER 

ALL TXI’s, TXII’s 

and TX4’s 

PLATED OR UNPLATED 

Contact John on 07956354671 

jj.fowell@ntlworld.com 

Kingston & Wimbledon Taxis 

Taxi MOT check and testing from March 2013 

Fast fit servicing appointments for TXI, TXII & TX4 

Mechanical repairs & servicing 

Lucus & Cygnus meter agents - please book & bring your log book 

Garage services open mon /fri- 8am to 5.30pm & sat 9-12.30pm 

Taxis for hire from £170.00 ,all taxis available from our large fleet 

Mercedes front & rear discs & pads for only £320.00 + vat 

TX2 Battery £85.00 + vat Tyres £52.00 + vat 

Bodyshop for accident repairs - CCTV for your insurance reduction 

Non fault accident specialists-no excess to pay 

We buy all Taxis at top prices 

The Dell, Clayton Road, Chessington, KT9 1NN 

Just off the A3, at the Hook turn off 

0208 391 1600 sales@taxigarage.co.uk 

WWW.TAXIGARAGE.CO.UK 

TX4 SILVERS 

FOR RENT 

■ Very competitive rates 

■ Available now 

■ Single drivers only 

Please call Steve: 

07799 113046 

Advertise here 

in TAXI magazine 

For all your TAXI advertising 

requirements contact 

Century One Publishing 

CALL DAVE ON 01727 739 196


CLASSIFIED 

TAXIS WANTED 

BEST PRICES PAID 

K.W.TAXIS.CO.UK 

FOR ONLINE QUOTE 

OR PHONE 

01708 373786 

FOR VALUATION 

Cabs Wanted 

Thinking of 

selling your cab? 

Want the best price? 

Fairways, TXIs and TXIIs wanted! 

Non-runners considered 

Ring 078 8937 8639 

Drivers Wanted 

Wright MOT Centre Limited 


TXI’s to Vitos – Full Back Up 

Competitive rates 

Running repairs, 

MOT’s & Bodywork 

Advertise here 

in TAXI magazine 

Century One Publishing 

CALL DAVE ON 

01727 739 196 

LTDA Branch Meetings 

LDTA Branch Meetings 

SW and SE 

First Monday of 

Jan and third 

Tuesday of March, 

May, June, Nov 

NW and NE 

Last Tuesday of 

Jan and last 

Monday of April, 

June, Sept, Nov 

Restaurants 

Services and Repairs 

The Best Kebab 

Free Sky sports 

1st tea on the house for 

taxi drivers* 

2 for 1 cups of coffee* 

Half price humous 

and taramasalata* 

After 7pm free parking 

All kebabs served with rice 

*Eat in only 

Tel: 0207 336 7036 

118 Old Street 

EC1V 9BD 

Arin Garage 

Cab hire, Running repairs, Overhauls, Crash repair 

TXII, TX4 Engine rebuild specialists 

TX4 Reconditioned Engine £1,900 

(2 Year or 50,000 miles warranty) 

FREE MOT & FREE ESTIMATE 

First and second MOTs free for 

cabs over £400 preparation costs 

TXIs, TXIIs, & TX4s £160-£200 pw 

Devon Wharf, Leven Road, E14 0LL 

Cabs 

Available 

Now 

0203 069 8352 / 07951 321566 / 07951 110152 

Services and Repairs


CLASSIFIED 

Cabs Wanted 

LINAGE 

Accountants 

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS 

specialising in the taxi trade. 

Accounts and tax returns £295inc. 

Based in North London & City. 

Home visits. Call Andy Belej 

02083601446/07967444687 

CWA PROFESSIONAL 

ACCOUNTANTS - Specialising in the 

taxi trade, Accounts & Tax Returns 

£180inc., Based in Islington & City - 

Call 020 7998 7242 For Free Advice 

www.cwaaccountants.co.uk 

Air Conditioning 

MOBILE AUTO air conditioning 

service and repair for taxis, London 

and beyond, Telephone Nick on 

07785900006 7 days 

Cabs for Rent 

ALL MERCEDES Vito’s for 

rent, Starting from £230pw, Full 

Back-Up, Excellent Service, 

Call 07508977592 

CENTURY ONE PUBLISHING 

IS THE UK’S BRIGHTEST 

AWARD-WINNING 

CONTRACT PUBLISHING 

AND ADVERTISING SALES AGENCY. 

WE WORK EXCLUSIVELY 

WITH MEMBERSHIP 

ORGANISATIONS GENERATING 

ADVERTISING REVENUES 

AND MANAGING 

ALL OR PART OF THE 

PUBLISHING FUNCTION 

CHEAP TAXIS – TXIs / TXIIs / TX4s 

from £150pw, Full Back-up, Bethnal 

Green, Call Eric 07766542798 

E16 RENTALS - TX4s available, 

Ascotts maintained. Pay by Cash, 

In bank, Online, Driver friendly 

fleet - 07957 465423 / 

www.e16-taxirentals.co.uk 

TXI & TXII’S FROM £160 p/w. VITO’s 

£210 p/w. RAC Cover. No Adverts. 

Garage Back Up. Essex Area. 

Call 01708 373 786 

TXIS / TXIIS / TX4S / Vitos available 

for rent, Full/Half Flat, Part time 

drivers welcome, Full back up, 

Garages around London - 

07816 856797 

TXIS / TXIIS FROM £160pw, SW area 

- Call Brian 07940 592367 

TXIS FROM £170PW, TXIIs from 

£180pw. 24hr back-up system, Clean 

cabs – 02076132436, 07947644541 or 

07702221672 

TXII, 03-REG, FULL GARAGE/AA 

back-up, North London, £185pw – 

Sam 07956 173969 

Cabs for Sale 

TXI, R-REG, BLACK, 9 Months plate, 

New tyres, Buyer gets £500 adverts, 

A bargain £3,500, Stanmore – 

07956 891517 

Cabs Wanted 

AUSTIN FX4 or nice Fairway taxi. 

Also chrome bumpers wanted. Cash 

waiting, quick viewing & decision. 

Graham 07435 562759 

graham.waite@yahoo.co.uk 

CAB WANTED, 2-3 days p/w, 

Woodford Green, Tony 07866 794591 

CASH PAID for all TXIIs and TX4s - 

020 8150 7560 

FAIRWAYS AND TXIs taxis wanted, 

instant decision - cash paid. Tel: 

07973335739 or 01253407500 


ELEPHANT & CASTLE AREA, TX4, 

£220pw – Call Dennis 07717 315800 

To plan your ad campaign in 

TAXI magazine contact: 


t: 01727 739 196 

e: dave@centuryonepublishing.ltd.uk 

w: www.centuryonepublishing.ltd.uk 

Garage for Rent 

BETHNAL GREEN/E2 Area. Fits 5 

Cars. Call 07947644541 or 

07702221672 

LINAGE RATES: 

Up to 10 words £20, 

up to 20 words £30, 

up to 30 words £37, 

up to 40 words £40 

(Plus VAT) 

To book your linage in 

Taxi contact 

Century One 

Publishing 

and talk to Dave 

on 01727 739 196 

or email 

dave@centuryone 

publishing.ltd.uk 

PLACE YOUR LINAGE 

IN TAXI ISSUE 294 

BOOK BY WEDS 22 MAY 

CALL DAVE ON 

01727 739 196


TAXI RENTAL PRICES 

GOING UP & UP? 

For a great deal visit justtaxis.com or call us on 

01268 795895 

0203 1190015


Free Insurance 

No deposit on 

a New Vito 

What could be better than to drive away in a brand new Vito Taxi and get your insurance 

paid for! Well, you can when you buy a new Vito and you take out our finance, at a very 

competitive rate of 4% paf (APR 7.9%). We can even offer you zero deposit. Don’t delay, 

this is a limited period offer. 

Vito Taxi Economy Space Comfort 

Call our sales team on 020 7375 1179 or visit www.kpmmercedes-benztaxis.com 

Mercedes-Benz 

are registered trademarks of Daimler, Stuggart, Germany 


Business users only. Finance subject to status and approval through our approved finance company. Free insurance offer up to a maximum of £2,000. Finance subject to minimum balance of £25,000. 4% 

PAF/7.9% APR. Example: zero deposit, followed by £849.44 per month x 60 months. Terms and conditions apply. Not available with any other offer. We reserve the right to remove the offer without notice. E&EO.

Issue 293 - TAXI Newspaper

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