What Have Demos Ever Won Part Two : DDD The Straw That Broke The Camels Back ?

After seeing the Flash Demo outside the Spanish embassy in Belgravia, Spanish taxi authorities end Uber strike after licence limits agreed. 

Spanish taxi drivers ended a six-day strike late on Wednesday after the government agreed to set tough limits on licences for online ride-hailing companies including Uber, the latest setback for a company that has faced protests in many countries.

Thousands of taxi drivers across the country had blocked major city streets with their cabs in protest against competition they say works under less restrictive regulations that make it impossible for them to compete.

The government agreed to pass new regulations in September guaranteeing a cap on licences for Uber and similar services at a ratio of just one permit for every 30 taxi permits.

A representative of the ride-hailing services said some taxi drivers had attacked its members during the strike. Spain's taxi association said it condemned all violence.

Ride-hailing services, which offer rides that undercut taxi prices online rather than being hailed in the street, have become increasingly popular worldwide in recent years.

Backed by investors including Goldman Sachs and BlackRock and valued at more than $70 billion (£53.4 billion), Uber views Western Europe as an increasingly important market.

It has pulled out of China, Russia and Southeast Asia, and its future in India, where it is battling local rival Ola, is in question.

London cab drivers are considering bringing a class action suit against Uber after the mobile app was granted a temporary licence renewal to operate in the British capital.

The explosive growth of for-hire vehicles in New York and a rise in suicides by yellow taxi drivers struggling to compete has prompted the municipality to consider capping the services, the first such restriction in the country.

If the new regulation in Spain is not fully enforced by September, taxis would strike again, National Taxi Association president Julio Sanz said in a statement.

The legislation would prompt the layoff of thousands of drivers from Uber and ride-hailing rival Cabify as they currently have 9,000 permits compared with 70,000 for taxis, far from the 30:1 ratio agreed with unions.

The ride-hailing services reported a significant number of attacks against their members by taxi drivers during the strike.

There were "very serious incidents including cars being stoned, cars overturned, gun shots and a great number of drivers treated for stress and bruises," their representative Eduardo Martin said.

The taxi association said its representatives condemned all aggression and violence, and urged members to keep all protests peaceful.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT :🤣

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Statement Frim The Barcelona taxi drivers

The assembly has decided to give back service

We have won an important battle but the war will continue in September if the agreement is not fulfilled

Thank you all for your support!!

Workers of the Unios world !!! 💪

See you on the street!!

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What Have Demos Ever Won For Us.....Are You Kidding!!!

It's all getting a bit monotonous, with drivers saying demos have never won anything, or we've never got anything from protesting.

Is their memory really that bad, or have the victories been blotted out by the fake news put out by orgs who refuse to upset TfL and call any protesting Taxi Drivers 'Loonies'.

Let's just reflect on the list of victories that protests, demonstrations and Flash Mob hits have achieved. 

A massive demo and coordinated rest day in the seventies stopped us having to collect VAT for the government on Taxi fares!

Another mass protested at the old GLA HQ stopped speed bus being introduced across London in segregated bus lanes similar to the cycle lanes we see today, which would have created large no-go areas for Taxis across the capital!

We demonstrated at Westminster Council House to stop Westminster council introducing licensed Private Hire offices across the west end, it proved successful even though the LTDA told its members to stay away!

Jim Wells led many night time protests which saw:

• Mr Ali's illegal operation finally closed down

• Rank extension at the Victoria Sporting Casino

• The booking desk at the Hippodrome removed

• Cab rank outside Stringfellows

•The lines of touts moved from outside Hombre and The Sports Cafe 

• Ranks appointed in Coventry Street.

Under LCDC's chairman Jim Wells leadership, we also created a data base of the registration numbers of virtually every private hire vehicle in London. Ideas was to have an on line data base that people could check to see if secondhand cars had been used as Minicabs. 

All these victories where achieved by rank and file driver protest, flash mods and demonstration. 

 

When TfL sublet the bus stand in Whitcomb street to a private hire operator (WestOne Cars) with Marshals touting sending potential passengers to a booking office in Leicester Square, we had a massive demo and the cars were forced to moved into the car park on the courier of Panton Street. Once out of view, it finished them off and the Marshals (financed by Westminster) disappeared. 

Killer on the Knowledge fiasco : 

We then heard through in insider at TfL, there was a Private Hire driver, (who had murdered his wife and also seriously assaulted his daughter) on the knowledge, we held two mass demos outside Penton Street and not only was he slung off the KoL, but the Managing Director for TfLTPH (Ed Thomson), was moved on. 

The TaG hit squads Flash demos at Tiger Tiger, Charing Cross Road and Swallow street led to new ranks being appointed as did the driver led action from the Mayfair Mob at Nobu, Hakassan and Novikov in the WestEnd and the Forge rank in the City. 

Not forgetting the night time demos and flash mob protests at Smithfield to get ranks at Smiths and Fabrics.

 I had a conversation over the weekend with a driver sitting on the Shard taxi rank who said "demos don't work". I pointed out to him, that the only reason he was able to sit comfortably on the Shard rank, was the fact that the LCDC had organised a protest at Palestra over Peter Hendy saying it was impossible to have a rank in St Thomas street for the Shard.

If protesting for the salvation of the trade that gives you and your family a living makes you a Loonie in the eyes of the LTDA general Secretary, then sign me up to the asylum

In my eyes appeasement for an easy ride and a seat at the table, is treason towards your trade and your fellow drivers.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT : by Lenny Etheridge. 

Let's not underestimate the great British right to protest.

If the police got lemon - it would show the world how undemocratic the United Kingdom  is (not via the BBC obviously).

The last #ITA 5 day demo got our message into the newspapers and onto TV, on all 5 consecutive days!

How do you think the rape stats got into the media and public consciousness?

Proper on foot #DDD marches with bespoke placards, banners and leaflets.

The public and TV cameras could not unsee our message.

The Christmas sticker campaign went smashingly.

I still see them around London, eighteen months later!

A demo without a message, is worthlessness.

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What Have Demos Ever Won For Us.....Are You Kidding!!!

It's all getting a bit monotonous, with drivers saying demos have never won anything, or we've never got anything from protesting.

Is their memory really that bad, or have the victories been blotted out by the fake news put out by orgs who refuse to upset TfL and call any protesting Taxi Drivers 'Loonies'.

Let's just reflect on the list of victories that protests, demonstrations and Flash Mob hits have achieved. 

A massive demo and coordinated rest day in the seventies stopped us having to collect VAT for the government on Taxi fares!

Another mass protested at the old GLA HQ stopped speed bus being introduced across London in segregated bus lanes similar to the cycle lanes we see today, which would have created large no-go areas for Taxis across the capital!

We demonstrated at Westminster Council House to stop Westminster council introducing licensed Private Hire offices across the west end, it proved successful even though the LTDA told its members to stay away!

Jim Wells led many night time protests which saw:

• Mr Ali's illegal operation finally closed down

• Rank extension at the Victoria Sporting Casino

• The booking desk at the Hippodrome removed

• Cab rank outside Stringfellows

•The lines of touts moved from outside Hombre and The Sports Cafe 

• Ranks appointed in Coventry Street.

Under LCDC's chairman Jim Wells leadership, we also created a data base of the registration numbers of virtually every private hire vehicle in London. Ideas was to have an on line data base that people could check to see if secondhand cars had been used as Minicabs. 

All these victories where achieved by rank and file driver protest, flash mods and demonstration. 

 

When TfL sublet the bus stand in Whitcomb street to a private hire operator (WestOne Cars) with Marshals touting sending potential passengers to a booking office in Leicester Square, we had a massive demo and the cars were forced to moved into the car park on the courier of Panton Street. Once out of view, it finished them off and the Marshals (financed by Westminster) disappeared. 

Killer on the Knowledge fiasco : 

We then heard through in insider at TfL, there was a Private Hire driver, (who had murdered his wife and also seriously assaulted his daughter) on the knowledge, we held two mass demos outside Penton Street and not only was he slung off the KoL, but the Managing Director for TfLTPH (Ed Thomson), was moved on. 

The TaG hit squads Flash demos at Tiger Tiger, Charing Cross Road and Swallow street led to new ranks being appointed as did the driver led action from the Mayfair Mob at Nobu, Hakassan and Novikov in the WestEnd and the Forge rank in the City. 

Not forgetting the night time demos and flash mob protests at Smithfield to get ranks at Smiths and Fabrics.

 I had a conversation over the weekend with a driver sitting on the Shard taxi rank who said "demos don't work". I pointed out to him, that the only reason he was able to sit comfortably on the Shard rank, was the fact that the LCDC had organised a protest at Palestra over Peter Hendy saying it was impossible to have a rank in St Thomas street for the Shard.

If protesting for the salvation of the trade that gives you and your family a living makes you a Loonie in the eyes of the LTDA general Secretary, then sign me up to the asylum

In my eyes appeasement for an easy ride and a seat at the table, is treason towards your trade and your fellow drivers.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT : by Lenny Etheridge. 

Let's not underestimate the great British right to protest.

If the police got lemon - it would show the world how undemocratic the United Kingdom  is (not via the BBC obviously).

The last #ITA 5 day demo got our message into the newspapers and onto TV, on all 5 consecutive days!

How do you think the rape stats got into the media and public consciousness?

Proper on foot #DDD marches with bespoke placards, banners and leaflets.

The public and TV cameras could not unsee our message.

The Christmas sticker campaign went smashingly.

I still see them around London, eighteen months later!

A demo without a message, is worthlessness.

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Justice Must Be Seen To Be Done : Wendy's Wheels Loses Licence For Being Not Fit And Proper

In the recent case against Uber, chumoxcracy judge Emma Arbuthnot, tried Uber not on the evidence presented to her, which clearly and indisputably showed (on Uber's own admittance) them to be 'not fit and proper', but on what the company might aspire to become in the future. 

It's like the judge saying to John Reginald Christie "we know you killed these women and that child, but if you promise not to do it again, you can carry on walking the streets of Ladbroke Grove as a special constable". 

Justice must not only be done....it should be seen to be done! 

Below is a case reported in the Yorkshire post which shows how Uber should have been judged. Let's hope that in the upcoming case against Uber in York, the case is heard in front of an unbiased, impartial recorder such as Angus Whithington and not one of the Tory faithful such as Emma Arbuthnot. 

The Case Of Wendy's Wheels :

A private hire firm in Bridlington has ceased trading with immediate effect after a court decided one of the owners was “not a fit and proper person” to hold an operators or drivers licence.

In a final bid to continue operating, joint owners of Wendy’s Wheels, Wendy Jackson and Andrea Noble appealed to the crown court in a bid to overturn the decision of East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s licensing committee made in March 2017 to revoke their operator’s licence as well as Jackson’s driver’s licence.

The committee made the decision on the basis they showed a lack of compliance, poor standards and conduct as well as a lack of responsibility for promoting the aims of the licensing policy, which is there to protect the needs of residents and visitors to the East Riding.

Jackson and Noble appealed the revocation but in November 2017 magistrates agreed the committee had made the right decision and dismissed the appeal.

They took their final appeal to Hull Crown Court and after hearing the evidence Recorder Angus Withington, sitting alongside two magistrates, also agreed with the decision of the committee and magistrates and dismissed their claim.

Giving the judgement, Recorder Withington said the evidence that he had heard related to Jackson and there was no criticism of Noble.

He added that, despite a final written warning, Jackson had “consistently failed to comply” with requests from the council’s licensing officers and that after going through an amber traffic light three weeks after the appeal hearing at the magistrates’ court, “pushed the matter of legality to the absolute limit” and he was satisfied she did not meet the criteria of being a “fit and proper person”.

Recorder Withington said:

“We are perfectly satisfied there has not been the consistent and engrained compliance and approach towards all requirements placed on a driver and private hire operator. 

We are quite unable to say the decision of the licensing committee was wrong. It is our judgement and finding that the respective appeals made by Ms Jackson both in relation to the private hire operator’s licence and the drivers licence are dismissed. 

We therefore uphold the decision of the licensing committee in relation to both her and Ms Noble.”

Jackson and Noble must also pay council costs of £12,000. 

Paul Abbott, interim head of service for housing, transport and public protection at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said:

“This is the first time that the council has had a case which has gone through two appeal processes but we are pleased, after hearing the evidence, the courts agreed with the decision of the licensing committee and dismissed the appeal.

The council’s licensing team have been working closely with the drivers who were working under Wendy’s Wheels to ensure they have alternative work and this decision does not affect the number of drivers or vehicles available in the Bridlington area as bookings can be made with other licensed operators or Hackney carriages.

The council takes the conduct of its operators and drivers and the impact on the welfare and safety of the public very seriously.

We work very closely with private hire firms to ensure they have policies and procedures in place in order to protect their customers and we will take appropriate action where those standards fall short or an individual is no longer fit and proper to continue to hold a licence.

The council will deal with any breach of law, licensing policy or risks to safeguarding or public safety from licensed operators or drivers in a robust manner

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