London cabbies are being driven off the road
AS A newly retired taxi driver, I have seen many changes on London’s roads. Emissions are at worryingly high levels, but I believe this is down to a wrongheaded approach by the authorities. Transport For London (TfL) boasts about its eco-friendly buses that ‘allow us to breathe’, but outside rush hour, they carry few passengers. Despite being almost empty, buses clutter our streets so traffic crawls along at an average speed of 5.2mph — slow speeds are a major cause of air pollution. Designated cycle lanes haven’t helped. Out of the rush hour they are barely used yet account for almost 20 per cent of Central London’s road surface. The result is more congestion and pollution. Mini-cab firms have been undercut by Uber, so many firms have sold up or gone under. Meanwhile, Uber drivers barely make the minimum wage. Licensed taxi drivers — regulated to facilitate the needs of wheelchair passengers and soon compelled to drive electric cabs costing well over £50,000 — hang on by a thread. Even Uber, with all its resources and financial clout, which allows undercutting, has made little profit. If talks with TfL about renewing its licence fail, there are other app-based companies waiting to take over. There have been a shocking number of sexual assaults by unregulated drivers and Uber has avoided responsibility for insurance claims made by passengers by passing the onus onto its drivers, without the necessary checks. The congestion charge, if set at a prohibitive rate, would ease London’s traffic considerably, but TfL knows this would kill the golden goose.
BOB WILLEY, London NW7.