In an interview with Steve Kenton published last Friday, Helen Chapman referred to the 13,000 Private Hire drivers with fake DBS as a 'Myth' and that the number was actually 2,640.
Were we seeing Ms Chapman, deliberately playing down the situation in the same vein as the statements made to the GLA of...
'Yes they have a landline!' and
'all their drivers have on/off insurance policies!'
made by ex Surface Transport Director Leon Daniels.
So where did this 'Myth' come from?
Taxi leaks posted an article after we heard that Helen Chapman had bought the figure of 13,000 up, at a senior reps meeting last September.
(We've since confirmed that this was the case with senior reps who were at that meeting).
So why did she bring up this statistic? (You may well ask)
At the meeting, TfL allegedly* told our senior trade representatives, they (TfL) had known since January 2017, that 13,000 private hire drivers needed to reapply, after using a discredited, unauthorised company which supplied their DBS certificates.
At that meeting, Helen Chapman allegedly* added that 2,600 out of the 13,000 drivers had already been identified, who would need to reapply.
She also allegedly* said she envisaged no problem would arise and would personally vouch for these drivers. (Wonder how many of these Uber drivers amongst the ones recently jailed for rape, were vouched for by Helen Chapman?)
(*)Notice that we've said allegedly*....we only have the trade reps word on this, and although we believe what we're told by our senior reps, there were no recorded minutes taken at the time....so officially, the meeting didn't take place and no one was actually accountable for anything that may have been said !!!
This figure referred to in Steve Kenton's interview, was never a myth, it wasn't plucked out of thin air, it was the figure given to the senior trade reps at this meeting by Helen Chapman herself. (According to the senior trade rep we spoke to)
By December it had seemingly all gone quiet again.
Helen Chapman made this reply to Steve Garelick (GMB), who was inquiring 'what had happened about the 13,000 drivers who had used an unauthorised third party for their DBS enhanced checks?'
She wrote:
"All London PH drivers must do an enhanced DBS check. After reviewing the 13,000 records, we identified and contacted 2,600 drivers who needed to request a new enhanced DBS check with our approved provider."
Not quite what she had told the trade reps in September, but again the figure of 13,000 was actually mention (so, not a myth then).
It appears (in our opinion), Helen Chapman was using this interview to play down and finally sanitise the issue which keeps popping up in articles on Taxi and Private Hire media platforms and publications.
Because this has appeared in print unchallenged, she will in future just keep referring to the issue as ‘fake news’.
It would now appear that we can no longer believe anything that Helen Chapman says or writes in future!!!
This is the reason why all trade orgs, in a 100% united voice must refuse to meet with TfL under any circumstance unless the meeting is fully minuted.
Just to put a finer edge on this issue, at last weeks meeting, the man who called Taxi drivers, protesting to save their jobs LOONIES...The man who insisted it was a done deal that all CC readers should be fitted in the rear passenger compartment....told other trade reps he was now telling all his members to get themselves a hand held unit to use in the front of the Taxi.
You couldn't make this up.
One wonders if there's been a done deal to sell these units from the reception of Taxi House???
But again, we only have the other trade reps word on this as there are no minutes recorded.
We must never be put in this position again!!!
What Helen Chapman has actualy done by her alleged false statement, is to prove the absolute need for all future meetings with TfL to be minuted, because without formal minutes, no meeting has officially taken place. Without formal minutes, no one is accountable and there are people on both sides of the table that this has suited for far too long.
When we're told "we've threatened TfL with this"... how do we know this is factual if there's no minutes as proof?
Chapman knows that other than the statement she made to Steve Garelick, there is no record anywhere, so she can say whatever she likes!
It would be nice to see drivers drop the tribalism and unite completely behind this issue. It's up to you the drivers, to put pressure on your respective trade orgs to insist all future meetings across the board with TfL, no matter how small, can no longer take place without full minutes of the meeting being recorded.
We don't want Chairman, or General Secretaries coming out of a secret squirrel meeting with TfL, professing that 'It's all a done deal" in future!
What we do need is total transparency, not a word of mouth gentlemen's agreement.
TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT :
Another Faux Pas was made this week by Uber when their legal team referred to... ‘the driver app Meter’.
Funny that...didn't they go to court in London to prove it wasn't a meter?
* Still no landline!
* Still working outside their licensed area!
* Still many Uber drivers with no hire and reward insurance!
* Road traffic collisions escalating at record highs!
* UberRape alleged to be running at one a week!
* Another perverted, seedy driver jailed yesterday!
* Still drivers cancelling jobs for no reason other than racking up the pounds.
* Still charging for imaginary clean ups.
One hit and your out, fit and proper Emma...don't make my laugh.
But then, we said years ago that the meter case was a complete and utter waste of licence fee money.
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