A recent news article about taxi drivers in Beijing, China, got me thinking about the unlicensed minicab trade in London.

Last week, 300 registered cabbies rioted in Beijing, host to the recent Olympic games, in protest against the ever growing illegal taxi industry.  Thankfully, there were no injuries or arrests, but the problem in this small city has clearly stirred up strong emotions amongst the legal drivers, concerned about loss of trade at a time of economic concern.

So where do we stand in London on this issue?  We’ve all seen them.  You might be leaving a theatre, restaurant or night club (I can just about remember what a night club looks like) and you hear a chorus of multilingual offers for a ’minicab mate?’  We’ve also read the horror stories of arguments and assaults made on passengers traveling in unlicensed minicabs.  So just how big is this problem in the capital?  Ken Fuller, of the Transport and General Workers’ Union, recently claimed that as many as 3,500 of London’s 22,000 cabs are unlicensed.  Clearly, this is a significant percentage and the hope remains that heavy penalties will continue to be served on those breaking the law.  In fact, regular fines of over £1,000 are handed out to minicab drivers prosecuted for not possessing a license.

Over the years at Addison Lee, this issue has often been at the forefront of our business plans.  A uniformed fleet of black people carries (now once again displaying our company logo) ensures that passengers can always be confident that they are getting into one of our vehicles.  Text message alerts, detailing the registration of the car and also giving the driver’s mobile phone number, also helps the client to feel completely safe when embarking on a journey with us.  Our driver training programme focuses heavily on the comfort and safety of our passengers and we transport tens of thousands of clients around the clock every month.  We must be doing something right.  In Addison Lee’s 33 year history, there has never been a successful prosecution made against one of our drivers.

With Christmas just around the corner, the vermin that is the unlicensed minicab driver will be out in force looking for a cheap buck to take you home from the office party, or the Oxford Street shopping scramble.  Why risk it?  Put this number in your phone and call us.  0844 800 66 77.  We might not be able to do anything about your hangover, but we’ll get you home safely - every time.

After reporting the success of Tohier Adams at the Go Skills Transport Awards, there’s more great news for 2 members of Addison Lee staff.  Shauna Lightbourne and Shirley Lewis have both successfully completed NVQ level 3 in Customer Service.  These awards require real commitment and the girls are the first Addison Lee employees to achieve a level 3 pass.  Great stuff girls.

At risk of blowing our own trumpet, Tohier, Shauna and Shirley are great examples of what sort of company Addison Lee is.  To some people, working for a minicab company may appear an unglamorous career, but these are the people that simply don’t understand the scale of our operation.  Including drivers, Addison Lee employs nearly 3,000 people and due to the training initiatives we have in place, every one of our staff has the opportunity to learn and progress within the company.  Personally, I’ll never tire of the statement that Addison Lee is not your avearge minicab company.

Speak tomorrow.  Jeremy

Far be it for me to ever recommend a minicab company other than Addison Lee, but I must say I’m tempted towards a ride in The Ultimate Taxi, should I ever find myself in Aspen, Colorado.  Jon Barnes has been running his one car fleet since 1984, but I think it’s fair to say he may offer a slightly different service from the Addison Lee experience!

Jon has completely stripped out his 1978 Checker minicab and replaced the interior with four red lasers, a laser projector, black light effects, light washers, light orbs, mini-strobes, color changing fiber optics, a sound system, stage lights, a mirror ball, a fog machine, a keyboard, digital drums, a digital camera, a DV cam, a notebook computer, a printer, and much, much more.  Jon even throws in a pair of 3D glasses for this once in a lifetime experience.  The journey itself lasts for approximately 40 minutes and throughout the ride he constantly plays an organ and horn (at least he wont be talking on his mobile!).  As a souvenir of the experience, photos and a dedicated web page are provided.

This incredible experience has become so popular that Jon is booked up for months in advance and the list of celebrities who have enjoyed the ride include Clint Eastwood, Jerry Seinfeld and The Beatles.

As London’s largest and most successful minicab company, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before Addison Lee start supplying mobile discos in all of our cars.  During the credit crunch, it might just brighten up the days of some of our Canary Wharf clients!

http://www.ultimatetaxi.com/