With the shock news that the London taxi trade is to lose for an indefinate period of time the use of much of the Bishops Bridge feeder rank between the hours of 11pm to 5.30am (hours that affect us are actually 11pm to 1am) you would have thought matters could not get any worse.
Well shock horror to hear via a newspaper that the Secretary of State for Transport Phillip Hammond will be suspending the use of the M4 bus lane by coaches/taxis and motorbikes from the 24th of December 2010 at the latest. John Kennedy RMT London taxi branch Chairman led the concerns of London taxi cab drivers on PM/Radio 4 and other media outlets. Go to http://www.rmtranksandhighways.blogspot.com/ and click on the link.
The London taxi trade has experienced a very dark week and those within our trade who have laid claim to be sitting at the table must surely realise the table appears to have no legs and may have even collpased (maybe it's a fold away table). The whole of the London taxi trade was ignored by Westminster City Council, TFL and finally the Secretary of State for Transport. It is time for the ordinary hard working self employed London taxi-cab to join the only union able/prepared to stand up for your hard earned right to "ply for hire".
The RMT London will be deabting/discussing these issues and many more at our regular well attended branch meetings. Join the RMT online at www.rmt.org.uk
