Not a day goes by, without a comment by either the media, our customers, TFL or even our own, to accuse our London Taxi Trade of failing to move with the times.
To some extent, I can see where these comments derive from. And to some extent too, I can see that we ourselves, have given people ammunition, for such an accusation.
Naturally, we have probably all done something whilst driving a cab, that may have come across as eccentric. After all, we are a special breed !
But looking at this under the microscope, what actually are "The Times" and what is required to "Move with them ?"
I have always interpreted the phrase "Moving with the times" as keeping up with technology, new and latest ideas, thinking, and state of the art equipment, leading to better service and customer experience.
I am very close to my 60th birthday. I doubt I am alone at my age, whereby I don't find myself saying on a daily basis either to myself, or aloud " they didn't have that problem in my day" or "we did it a much better way when I started work ".
I agree emphatically, that during my lifetime's experience, immense advancement has been made in so many areas of our lives. I also agree that many of these new ideas have been genuine enrichment.
But the more I ponder over this, the more I can pluck out instances, whereby "moving with the times" has actually sent us backwards.
There cant be many frontline Metropolitan Police Officers who joined the job previous to Hendon Training College closing in 2007, who actually truly believe with hand on heart, that the Met were "moving with the times" when it closed its doors for the last time, in respect to the 5 month training course ?
These days, potential coppers take a new "slimline entrants course" known as the Initial Police Learning & Development Programme. Sounds great doesn't it ? But rest assured, that this was actually going backwards with the times, as the current level of police expertise with new recruits will testify.
Sometimes, when I am on my way home from London after driving the cab, I stop in a Tesco Super Store, and load up with groceries. My wife has been seriously ill of late, so I find I do most of this stuff myself. I load up the trolley, go to the check out and..............you've guessed it !
Not one solitary cashier available, and my only chance of getting my grocery is to serve myself, using those immensely annoying self service tills ! Iv'e done a day's work knocking my pipe out pushing a cab round Central London. Im tired, wound up like a spring, dying for a wee, and haven't even took the dogs out yet.
Ive got fingers like a bunch of Fyfees Unripened, and now I have to put seventy quids worth of shopping over a scanning machine, all by hand, and the bloody thing screaming " you have put an unidentified item in the packing area!"
Did Tesco honestly think, with hand on heart, that these tills were "moving with the times ?"
I took my family to a well known and quite expensive restaurant about a month ago. We weren't exactly celebrating, but discussing an issue that was important to our family, in hushed tones, and so as no other diners could hear.
During the whole of the main course, there was this jumped up, obnoxious rude city merchant, talking about hedge funds, who he thought would win the FA Cup and where he was going on his holiday.
Did Tesco honestly think, with hand on heart, that these tills were "moving with the times ?"
I took my family to a well known and quite expensive restaurant about a month ago. We weren't exactly celebrating, but discussing an issue that was important to our family, in hushed tones, and so as no other diners could hear.
During the whole of the main course, there was this jumped up, obnoxious rude city merchant, talking about hedge funds, who he thought would win the FA Cup and where he was going on his holiday.
He wasn't actually shouting, but he was talking loud enough for the whole dining room to have to listen to him. My wife broke the ice and awkward silence from our table, by reminding the kids that if that had of happened when me and Dad were courting, old city boy's table would have gone up in the air, followed a split second by his Confit of Duck and Slow Braised Red Cabbage !
We have all had to listen to these rude twerps, but is actually being able to do what our rude boy did, an example of "moving with the times ? " I doubt it.
We have all had to listen to these rude twerps, but is actually being able to do what our rude boy did, an example of "moving with the times ? " I doubt it.
Have any of you ever managed to get that very last parking space, feel absolutely lucky that you got it as you straightened the car up to the kerb, gone to pay, and then seen that they only accept text payment ? It was easy to put a £1 coin into the slot on the meter, but apparently, texting and phoning, in an area where there is little or no phone signal is "moving with the times". Not in my life, it isn't.
Which leads me to my point. The London Licensed Taxi Trade has been going for over 300 years. West End stores brag about their heritage without having a patch of our service history time to quote. To continue trading and successfully driving a huge array of people across London, for such a long period................must surely suggest that we have got our business right ?
To be respected across the whole world and be depicted on post cards as a flagship of not just our wonderful city, but our United Kingdom also, must surely indicate we have a service that is working correctly ?
If this is the case, then why is it, just because an inferior service attempts to trade cheek by jowl with us, accepts payment in a very modern form of mobile phone app, and can by virtue of their inferior professional standard offer journeys at suspiciously low tariffs....................why is it assumed that we refuse to "move with the times ?"
Which leads me to my point. The London Licensed Taxi Trade has been going for over 300 years. West End stores brag about their heritage without having a patch of our service history time to quote. To continue trading and successfully driving a huge array of people across London, for such a long period................must surely suggest that we have got our business right ?
To be respected across the whole world and be depicted on post cards as a flagship of not just our wonderful city, but our United Kingdom also, must surely indicate we have a service that is working correctly ?
If this is the case, then why is it, just because an inferior service attempts to trade cheek by jowl with us, accepts payment in a very modern form of mobile phone app, and can by virtue of their inferior professional standard offer journeys at suspiciously low tariffs....................why is it assumed that we refuse to "move with the times ?"
Why is it then, that just because Uber come into the market with their cheap brand, that our established, iconic, trusted and proven business model, is expected to diminish our standards, to match their cheaper service with apparent cheaper prices ?
"Moving with the times?" Not on your nelly !
As previously mentioned, not everything in the modern hi-tech world is proof of moving forward. People pay an awful lot of money to travel on the Orient Express. Why don't they just get a cheaper ride and jump on a Euro Star train to Paris, or the fast HS1 train to Dover ? They value their unique and superior service, that's why. As old as the Orient is, its first class service has become the flag bearer for the industry that it is in.
Don't get me wrong. I love a bargain. I adore the 6 chocolate & almond ice lollies in Lidl for two quid and the pork loaf in Iceland for 3 quid is surely a fantastic deal.
But surely, some things in life are sacred ? Harrods is a very expensive grocery store, but be fair, their stuff is a different class. You ever had the beef from Allens opposite the Connaught ? A bit dearer than anyone else, but again, a different class. Could you imagine either of these two iconic businesses reducing their prices to compete with Lidl ? Of course not ! So why should our great iconic taxi service compete in a price war to oblivion ?
I believe that any attempt to try and compete with an inferior service by matching their cheap price structure, would be a disaster for our London Taxi Trade. Our standards of vehicle, insurance, running costs and personal licence are high for good reason. Our vehicles are purpose built, our personal licensing criteria is complex and long winded, and our CRB Criminal record checks are thorough, concise and strictly vetted. If Uber or any other mini cab app company attempted to compete with us using our standards, they wouldn't survive a week ! The London Taxi and it's drivers are of the very highest calibre indeed.
So really, Its not all about cheaper and cheaper still is it ? Despite the lollies from Lidls and the pork loaf from Iceland being a bargain, the fleece I bought from Aldi flew up my back like a venetian blind when I done the zip up !
Sometimes a good deal isn't as good as it really looks.
The London Taxi Trade is a jewel in the Crown of London's rich heritage. Leave it alone. It works as well now, as it always has. Yes you probably can get a cheaper ride home if you look for it, but by and large I feel that our service is still the best taxi service in the world bar none.
Sitting here in my armchair and seriously thinking of the future of our trade, I came to the conclusion that if working 120 hours a week, without washing, running on red diesel, and navigating London's streets and roads using satellite navigation to undercut the professionals is " Moving with the times " then I am more than happy enough to be accused of being the dinosaur I always thought I was.
London Licensed Taxis..........Once again voted The Best Taxi Service In The World.
Be lucky all.
8829 Semtex.
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As previously mentioned, not everything in the modern hi-tech world is proof of moving forward. People pay an awful lot of money to travel on the Orient Express. Why don't they just get a cheaper ride and jump on a Euro Star train to Paris, or the fast HS1 train to Dover ? They value their unique and superior service, that's why. As old as the Orient is, its first class service has become the flag bearer for the industry that it is in.
Don't get me wrong. I love a bargain. I adore the 6 chocolate & almond ice lollies in Lidl for two quid and the pork loaf in Iceland for 3 quid is surely a fantastic deal.
But surely, some things in life are sacred ? Harrods is a very expensive grocery store, but be fair, their stuff is a different class. You ever had the beef from Allens opposite the Connaught ? A bit dearer than anyone else, but again, a different class. Could you imagine either of these two iconic businesses reducing their prices to compete with Lidl ? Of course not ! So why should our great iconic taxi service compete in a price war to oblivion ?
I believe that any attempt to try and compete with an inferior service by matching their cheap price structure, would be a disaster for our London Taxi Trade. Our standards of vehicle, insurance, running costs and personal licence are high for good reason. Our vehicles are purpose built, our personal licensing criteria is complex and long winded, and our CRB Criminal record checks are thorough, concise and strictly vetted. If Uber or any other mini cab app company attempted to compete with us using our standards, they wouldn't survive a week ! The London Taxi and it's drivers are of the very highest calibre indeed.
So really, Its not all about cheaper and cheaper still is it ? Despite the lollies from Lidls and the pork loaf from Iceland being a bargain, the fleece I bought from Aldi flew up my back like a venetian blind when I done the zip up !
Sometimes a good deal isn't as good as it really looks.
The London Taxi Trade is a jewel in the Crown of London's rich heritage. Leave it alone. It works as well now, as it always has. Yes you probably can get a cheaper ride home if you look for it, but by and large I feel that our service is still the best taxi service in the world bar none.
Sitting here in my armchair and seriously thinking of the future of our trade, I came to the conclusion that if working 120 hours a week, without washing, running on red diesel, and navigating London's streets and roads using satellite navigation to undercut the professionals is " Moving with the times " then I am more than happy enough to be accused of being the dinosaur I always thought I was.
London Licensed Taxis..........Once again voted The Best Taxi Service In The World.
Be lucky all.
8829 Semtex.
