Issue 293 - TAXI Newspaper

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18 <strong>TAXI</strong> |14 MAY 2013 www.ltda.co.uk | @TheLTDA 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
More readers than the rest put together! 14 MAY 2013 | <strong>TAXI</strong> 19 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 Travel Money & Overseas Payments Exclusive offer Show your Taxi ID & enjoy special rates We offer better rates than Banks, Post Office, M&S, Thomas Cook, Travelex & other major competitors. Strand Branch (Head Office): Victoria Branch: 402, The Strand, 141 Victoria Street, London, WC2R 0NE London, SW1E 6RA Liverpool Street Branch: Unit 17, The Arcade, Liverpool Street, London, EC2M 7PN Cannon Street Branch: 131-133 Cannon Street, London, EC4N 5AX Hammersmith Branch: Unit 3, Broadway Shopping Centre, Hammersmith Broadway, London, W6 9YD www.thomasexchangeglobal.co.uk - 020 7240 1214 - info@tegforex.co.uk
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Issue 293 - TAXI Newspaper

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