by John "the cabby" Kennedy.

Do you believe in democracy ? Do you believe in allowing individuals the right to express an opinion, maybe an opinion on their working conditions.

Well here in London the taxi-cab trade is governed by the Public Carriage Office ( PCO.) who just happen to be managed by Transport for London ( TfL.).

Now TfL is chaired by the Mayor of London and he or she appoints individuals to the board. Now the present Mayor Boris Johnson is a decent chap doing a sterling job trying to balance the books and deliver a better transport network for all Londoners, I congratulated him recently for appointing a representative from the London taxi-cab trade, but why should this trade have had to have waited nearly seven years to gain a seat at the table that decides its future ? Oh before you all shout you can't speak on behalf of your own trade or interest, well I refer you to the Greater London Authority Act.Now I believe the reason why we waited so long is politics, yes mine and your job have turned into a political football where we are at the behest and whim of whoever may gain the keys to City Hall. Thank God Boris Johnson became Mayor because another four years of Ken Livingstone may well have signalled the end of this trade.

However it is not all the fault of the politician's, why didn't our trade leaders question the validity of moving us from Home Office, Department of Transport and Metropolitan Police control ? Let's be clear nobody ever asked me or you after all we're only taxi-cab drivers.

So where is the vision for the future of this industry, well I do not see our future mixed up with mini-cabs, nor do I see us all on a number of mini-cab sorry, radio-circuits. What I do see is the taxi-cab driver with a bigger voice where each badge holder would have a say in his or her future, not much to ask considering we don't strike and cost the taxpayer virtually nothing.

For too long we have sat back and allowed others to set an agenda that has damaged our industry, be they political or internal forces. We the taxi-cab driver must stand up to those within and certainly campaign against those who wish to destroy or create a one tier mickey mouse mini-cab service in London.

Over the next few months I'll put forward a few simple ideas that can take us forward, improve our service levels to the most important people of all, our customers.

But for starters let us ask two things of the new board of transport for London:

1. Create a Private Hire Office to manage mini-cabs.  
2. One Badge One Vote on all issues effecting the London taxi-cab driver. In other words proper meaningful consultation.

Here's one for the future to think about and discuss, who actually owns the Public Carriage Office on Penton Street ?

photo credit: London Daily News all rights reserved