The 3,648 applications for decommissioning has caused a massive shortage of available Taxis to rent. Instead of having the affect of encouraging drivers to upgrade to electric vehicles, the offer has encouraged rental garages to reduce their fleets, by trading in their older stock for a one off cash bonus.
Drivers with older vehicles have taken the decommissioning grant as a stopgap measure to pay off mounting depts, but haven’t really thought about a replacement and are now without a means of working as spare rental cabs have disappeared.
Another done deal?
Another ill thought out knee jerk reaction?
Why wasn’t the £10,000 ring-fenced and only granted as a deposit on a new cab?
This is another mess from a Mayor and a Licensing authority that appear to be bent on destruction by stealth of the London Taxi Trade.
New LEVC Taxi rentals have recently increased by as much as £20 a week, because there is now a waiting lists of drivers anxious to secure a rental deal.
Every day, the total incompetent of TfL becomes more apparent.
Inside Palestra is a whole floor of technology where the capital’s transport systems are controlled. They have the ability to change traffic light phasing with a tap on a keyboard, to speed up congestion....badly parked vehicles can be observed and dealt in minutes, using their network of CCTV cameras.
But it’s obvious the staff in ‘centre comms’ are not up to the job, like most of the staff who work for TfL.
But there is hope on the horizon and that is the fact that the United Trade Action Group are crowdfunding to bring these woefully inadequate management to book.
Some garage will now only rent out vehicles to new drivers with #UTAG direct debits.
Ex Director of TfLTPH famously said "if you don’t like what we are doing, take us to court"...and that’s exactly what UTAG intend to do.
The more drivers who support this action, the quicker when can bring ‘these people’, the ones who are bringing about the demise of our trade, before the court