The TRANSPORT COMMITTEE of the Greater London Assembly is investigating traffic congestion in central London’s retail quarter.
The Committee will look at the problem as it affects Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street. The area, famous for its shopping, attracts an estimated five million visitors every week. Between 7am and 7pm from Monday to Saturday Oxford Street is restricted to buses, taxis and bicycles. Despite this, congestion is a constant problem. At times a bus ride along the mile-long road can take longer than it would for a pedestrian. Pre-recession surveys of taxi occupancy have shown that one in five taxis driving along the street does not have a passenger. Taxi occupancy on Saturdays is even lower.
Knock-on effects of congestion include increased costs to businesses from lost time and a less pleasant shopping environment. There is also the issue of air pollution. Taxis and buses are amongst the most polluting vehicles in London. Taxi exhaust fumes contain higher levels of the pollutants nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter than most other road vehicles. The area in and around Oxford Street has high concentrations of these pollutants compared with other areas of London.
Transport for London (TfL), Westminster City Council and the New West End Company (which represents businesses in and around Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street) have developed proposals for the area in a document called the ORB Action Plan (the name ORB comes from the first letters of the three main streets). The plan covers not only transport but also shopping and the street environment. To help ease congestion TfL is planning a 10% cut in the number of buses that run along Oxford Street for each of the next two years. It is also creating new taxi ranks for several streets adjacent to Oxford Street, many of them will be next to or behind large department stores. The plan includes a general proposal to “work with the taxi trade to implement a series of measures to encourage efficient taxi use.”
What these measures are is not explained but it could mean directional taxi ranks (taxis on a particular rank will only take northbound passengers, for example) or even a taxi sharing scheme.
The Transport Committee is meeting with interested parties as well as inviting written submissions. It will report in the winter.

DIESEL CARS make up a quarter of all cars in Great Britain with 7.2 million of them registered in 2008, according to Government figures. This compares to 21 million petrol cars. The number of diesels has risen from 2.7 million in 1998 (12% of all cars), while the number of petrol cars has fallen from its 2004 peak of just under 22 million. Hybrid petrol-electric cars, such as the Toyota Prius, form a tiny part of the cars on Britain’s roads with fewer than 50,000 registrations in 2008.

Driving a private hire VEHICLE can be a rewarding trade. However, like many professions it makes demands on both body and mind. You are stuck in traffic, your back is hurting, you are hungry, your earnings are down, your passenger is agitated. These and other issues can make you feel negative towards your work. With a little planning and a bit of effort you can keep things in perspective and enjoy your work more. Staying healthy, maintaining a positive outlook and being well turned out can also lead to more earnings because you are likely to be at the top of your game for longer. You will also make a better impression with your passengers. Look after yourself and your body will more than repay you.

Dress to impress: Before you start work make sure you are showered, shaved, and well-dressed in smart clothes and polished shoes. Don’t forget to brush your teeth. All this can help give you a sense of worth which can boost your self-esteem. Ask yourself if your customer wants to see a well-presented driver or someone who looks like an overgrown teenager? If your fellow drivers do not make this kind of effort then you will stand out in a positive way. It could mean that a passenger asks for you the next time they make a booking. If you want to see how not to dress, take a look at some of the black taxi drivers.

You are what you eat: If you have a morning shift, eat breakfast. Choose something healthy and avoid anything with too much fat, sugar or salt. You want food that gives a steady release of energy over the course of the day rather than short spikes soon after you eat. Whole grains such as porridge oats and wholemeal bread are preferable to white bread and sugary cereal products. Eggs are good for the protein. If you have fruit add some nuts to offset the high sugar content. For lunch, whether it is rice, pasta or wheat, choose brown over white. In the evening have a light meal rather than a heavy one. If you work nights arrange your meals to replicate the above scenario.

The power of positive thinking: When you are in your car you are earning, so make the most of it. The traffic may be heavy but if anyone knows how to beat it, it’s you, the professional driver. Focus on the benefits of your trade: you can work the hours you chose, you get a car, you are out and about. Remember also that you are in the service industry. Smile, it can make all the difference.

Conflict between taxi drivers and their minicab counterparts is not new. When minicabs first appeared drivers and operators were subjected to dirty tricks and violence in what the media called ‘the minicab war.’

Minicabs hit the streets of London in the Spring of 1961. The first operator was not Welbeck Motors, as is sometimes claimed. Although Welbeck was formed in the 1940s, it did not start its minicab operation until June 1961. A company called Carline began operating minicabs in Wimbledon on 6 March that year and, in the same month, Pimlico-based Sylvester Car Hire, run by Tom Sylvester, took its first bookings.
Nevertheless, Welbeck became the most high profile of the early minicab pioneers. The company was well funded, not least by the prominent businessman Isaac Wolfson, enabling an initial fleet of 400 Renault Dauphines, making it the biggest of the early minicab companies. The fleet was highly visible as the vehicles carried third party advertising and the Welbeck minicab became something of a poster child for the new trade, spawning Dinky toy models and serving as a prop in the odd fashion shoot. For a few months Welbeck’s boss Michael Gotla was the media’s face of the trade.

The new mode of transport generated a lot of publicity in these early days. There were debates on television and in the House of Commons about what it could mean for the black taxi trade whose fears were soon realised. “Little Cabs off to a Big Start” read the headline in the Westminster and Pimlico News as Tom Sylvester claimed his 25 minicabs were almost fully booked in their first week of operation. At the launch of Sylvester’s company MP Rupert Spier said that minicabs were needed as overseas visitors to London were not getting the service they deserved from London’s black taxis, of which there were around 6,500 at the time. In its first week Carline took 500 passengers in its 12 Ford Anglias. A journalist from The Times went across Wimbledon with Carline. He found the smartly-dressed driver “efficient and polite”, and the fare about two-thirds of the black taxi equivalent.

The minicabs could only legally be booked by telephone but this led to things quickly turning sour. Within a week of launching Sylvester said that he had received hundreds of bogus requests for cars. One of his vehicles was hemmed in by black taxi drivers in their Austins for around an hour in Belgrave Square. After the driver radioed for help the police arrived to sort things out. The driver told Time magazine: “There must have been a hundred or more [black taxis] in the square and side streets.”

Other incidents in ‘The Minicab War’ followed the Belgrave Square encounter, including cases of wilful damage to minicabs and violence against drivers. Some of the offending taxi drivers and their associates eventually received jail sentences but in most cases there was a lack of evidence. Meanwhile taxi drivers were complaining that some minicab drivers had been illegally plying for hire and in 1961 the Metropolitan Police secured 24 convictions for this offence.

The Minicab War remained newsworthy for a few months. The Foreign Press saw a juicy story with articles appearing in Time magazine and German magazine Der Spiegel. There were also questions in the House of Commons to the Home Secretary.

By and large the new mode of transport was welcomed. The Times leader column of 20 June said: “The reaction of the hard-done-by travelling public to the coming of minicabs is – the more the merrier.” In another editorial in August, under the headline “What the Public Wants”, it wrote: “It is fairly obvious that for many people in London finding a taxi has become too chancy and paying for it too stiff.”
The minicab pioneers met with other obstacles. Carline manager RW Heath said it was difficult for him to find good drivers taking on only three from 181 interviewees in one recruitment drive. Meanwhile Michael Gotla felt his profile could be harmful to the business and he stepped down in November 1961 as Wolfson sold his stake in Welbeck.

However, Tom Sylvester remained upbeat, boosted by demand “We are proving very popular on the longer runs,” he told the Westminster and Pimlico News, “taxi cab drivers do not seem to like undertaking these fares.”

London’s minicab trade has undergone many changes since those days. Austin taxis, Renault Dauphines, Welbeck Motors and Michael Gotla are no longer on the scene, but as this look back almost half a century suggests, some things do not change!

Which factors have been the most influential in shaping the private hire trade over the last 40 years? Here is the first of a few candidates:

Number 1 - The Two-way Radio

Despite plenty of demand, the supply of passenger services is restricted by the rules covering plying for hire. Almost 50 years ago a few enterprising fellows set up businesses to take telephone bookings from the public and farmed them out to fleets of cars on the road. The minicab was born. The key to keeping in contact with drivers was the two-way radio. It may not be the most earth-shattering bit of kit ever to have been invented but it is an important communication tool in many sectors and has been indispensable to private hire. Nowadays, with GPS and mobile phones, the days of the radio may be numbered. The masts may be coming down but perhaps we should erect one in bronze somewhere as a tribute to the system that helped get millions of people home.

Number 2 - The People Carrier

In Echo 99’s Spring 2008 issue we profiled the Renault Espace, the granddaddy of the multiple passenger vehicle (MPV). A whole host of similar vehicles followed. In fact the first MPV was the Chrysler Voyager in the US, the latest incarnation of which can be seen on London streets, many with PCO licence stickers. The MPV has meant regular business for the trade: families on their way to the airport, groups on a night out, wedding parties and corporate delegations. In these eco-conscious days the emissions per passenger can also work out very favourably.

Number 3 - Competition

What makes private hire so vibrant is that it does not suffer from the limits imposed on the black taxi trade. Customers can chose from hundreds of companies, many different makes and model of car and a range of prices. Operators use a variety of factors to distinguish themselves from the competition: fleet size, value for money, driver experience, environmental impact, local knowledge…and long may it last!

Number 4 - Licensing

It took a long time coming and the black taxi trade with their political friends did their best to scupper things but common sense prevailed. Private hire licensing in London is not perfect and it could be simpler but it is here and it works pretty well. Most importantly it serves the people who should be put first when deciding transport issues - the travelling public.

Number 5 - Satellite Navigation

The value of satellite navigation lies not only in route guidance. GPS, the technology which underpins it, also enables vehicle tracking. Tracking data can help resolve disputes whether it involves the passenger, the driver, the operator or the authorities. It also improves the efficiency of allocating vehicles to jobs, which means less empty driving time and better customer service. The effects of this technology will continue to be immense.

Number 6 - Text Messaging

A customer receives a message on their mobile phone telling them that their car is on its way and receives another message when it has arrived. This simple use of available wireless telecommunications technology has positive effects in terms of fleet efficiency, customer relations and passenger safety. The more switched-on private hire firms have been quick to embrace technologies which serve them, their drivers and their customers well. Those that sit still are often left behind.

Number 7 - Online Booking

The internet is not a threat to the trade but an opportunity. Websites can help improve the image of operators and the trade in general. Only around a quarter of London operators have websites and many of these do not say much. However, many websites let customers book cars online as an alternative to call centres. Mobile phone booking is next in line.

What do you think is the most important development? Let us know your thoughts.

FOR thousands of years travellers have looked to the stars for guidance on their journeys. Today even short trips involve contact with the skies as in-car receivers communicate with satellites.

You may already have an on-board satellite navigation system (sat nav). Perhaps it is a dedicated device such as those made by Navman and TomTom, or it may be displayed on the screen of your mobile phone or handheld computer. Mobile phones with built-in sat nav receivers have become more popular and some motor manufacturers have begun to incorporate sat nav systems into dashboards.

A sat nav device works by receiving signals from several satellites simultaneously and using these signals to fix a position at a single point in time. This position can then be represented on a digital map. It can also be sent to a control centre to inform others of where you are.

Currently most sat nav receivers use a system called GPS (global positioning system) based on the constellation of US military satellites. A civilian system, called Galileo, which has been developed by the European Union and the European Space Agency, aims to add 30 satellites over the next five years. The first test satellite has already been launched.

Although the project is in danger of stalling over a funding dispute, if all goes to plan once Galileo is in operation, sat nav systems will potentially be more accurate. Your position will be determined down to about one metre – currently positioning can vary up to ten metres. More importantly for drivers following a route, the signal will not be lost as you drive under trees or between tall buildings, as can happen nowadays.

However any improvements for a driver will be more to do with whether the digital maps in the sat nav are up-to-date and the technology that sets the route is good enough. Problems associated with sat nav today are often down to failures in these areas rather than interrupted satellite signals.

When integrated with other services such as real-time traffic information, the sat nav will choose the best route, which may not necessarily be the shortest route by distance. Your sat nav will cleverly guide you away from congested areas, roadworks, traffic hazards and blackspots.

“Current systems are rather limited in that they know the road network but not the road conditions,” says Dr. Paul Firmin of the Institute for Transport Studies at Leeds University. “Combining network data with current traffic information is the next big growth area for in-car sat nav systems and it is not very far away from being a market reality.”

More and more information is being integrated into sat nav services. “We are collecting data on speed limits, height and width restrictions, time of day restrictions plus the locations of hundreds of points of interests,” says Peter Beaumont, a Marketing Director at NAVTEQ, which supplies geographical data on the road network to a number of the sat nav service providers.

Government agencies, companies and transport organisations may use advances in technology and data gathering to develop new and improved services. For example, if you break down on the road your position and even the problem with your vehicle could be diagnosed and transmitted automatically to the breakdown service. Similarly, when there has been a traffic accident the emergency and recovery services can respond much quicker if they know instantly where it occurred.

If your vehicle is stolen then, with the right kind of on-board technology, the police could track it in real-time. It may also be possible for them to cut off the engine and seal the doors!

Of course, the speed and extent to which many of these future scenarios become reality will depend on society allowing aspects of privacy to be invaded.

For the private hire sector there are also great opportunities. Satellite navigation can bring a fare and a driver together much more efficiently as Dr. Firmin explains: “Someone on a night out in need of a cab can use his or her mobile to send a signal to the car firm which will know exactly where the caller is, without speaking to them. Instantaneously, another message is then sent to the nearest available driver, again without a conversation taking place, telling them to pick up the fare and where it is. This is great for improving the efficiency and response time of private hire car services.”

What you see on your sat nav device or mobile phone screen is set to change too as the technology gets better. A number of companies have developed digital maps showing buildings and hills for a more realistic driver experience. Eventually you may even see photography, choosing from a number of viewpoints such as aerial, birds-eye and through the windscreen.

As with many technologies, consumers may become more demanding and there will be pressure to provide additional features. However, there are dangers as more sophisticated sat nav devices could lead to driver distraction, something the Department for Transport is taking seriously.

Satellites do not actually track vehicles but when in-car sat nav receivers send signals to collection points the potential for control of drivers routes is possible. If enough vehicles send data to the same control centres, the transport authorities or companies, for example, will be able monitor traffic flows in city centres and re-route drivers accordingly, although this raises privacy issues.

For private hire drivers there is obvious value in your control centre monitoring where you are and directing you and your passenger away from trouble spots, but you may not want to have your position known to the local authority or central government.

Transport authorities could use the technology to introduce more sophisticated congestion charging schemes and even road pricing. Drivers could be charged by the second when their vehicles are in traffic hotspots or even instructed not to enter them at all at the risk of a penalty. Road-pricing could mean an end to road tax and perhaps even fuel duties.

Your maximum speed and your distance from other road users could even be controlled using satellite navigation and other in-car or roadside technology.

Dr. Firmin is in no doubt as to how dramatic future developments will be: “Satellite navigation technology will have as big an impact as the mobile phone and the internet,” he claims.

A European Union funded project has already looked into how future technologies could enable driverless vehicles.

The project was called Stardust perhaps because it seems like science fiction, but you have been warned!

It seems that hardly a month passes without tragic news of the murder of a minicab driver in some part of the country.

In addition there are all too many non-fatal attacks that can leave drivers maimed, off work or traumatised. The freedoms enjoyed by being a driver in the private hire trade – not tied to an office, working the hours you wish - carry a very nasty potential downside. Working alone, at night, in an enclosed space and often in unfamiliar locations, drivers risk exposure to some of society’s problem elements: the opportunist thief, the pre-meditated murderer, the violent racist and the mentally unstable or drunk passenger.

Recently some sections of the trade have called for measures compelling passengers to pre-register and give passwords to drivers. Other solutions include in-car CCTV cameras and alarms, money safes, cashless cabs and shields between the front and back seats. All of these have pros and cons.

WHEN TAKING GROUPs to social or sporting events, it seems you cannot do enough planning. Many things can result in the late drop off of a passenger at the match, concert or show. It may not be your fault but the customer does not always see it that way.

Following a few basic tips could be the difference between distinction and disaster.

1. Work out in advance the best spots to park. Check with the venue to see if there are any restrictions. Special temporary measures may be in place for particular events meaning that cars are diverted or roads are closed.
2. You want to get your customer as near as possible to the venue but if everyone has the same idea then you may end up in a traffic queue. Ask yourself if there is an alternative to ‘route one’ and if the ‘front door’ is the only way in or out of the venue.
3. Ask the customer. They may be a regular visitor to the venue and may prefer you to take a certain route or drop off at a specific spot.
4. Appoint an event co-ordinator to ensure that the service matches the client needs and that everything runs smoothly.
5. Remember who is the face of your company. Drivers will have to deal with issues such as traffic, anxious passengers and uncooperative security staff. This is where their training, knowledge of London and client skills will be put to the test.
6. If you are taking groups in several vehicles, try to stay in convoy. As a back up, agree a suitable meeting point at which all your drivers can drop off and all passengers can meet.
7. Double check pick up and drop off times and locations with the client beforehand.
8. Make sure you have your passengers mobile phone numbers so that you can inform them of any alterations. People can cope with delays but they hate not being told.
9. Treat every passenger as if they were your only passenger. Better still treat them as if they were royalty. Even better still treat them as if they were your mother!

“If you want to get ahead,” a witty 1930s advertising slogan advised, “get a hat.” Hats may once have been required for professional advancement, but not these days (not even for chauffeurs).

Perhaps more contemporary advice would be: “If you want to get ahead, get a qualification.” A qualification? Why does a minicab driver need a qualification? What can a chauffeur learn in a classroom?

Last academic year around 6,000 private hire and taxi drivers around the country entered the classroom to take the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 2 in Road Passenger Vehicle Driving. This course, specific to drivers in the passenger transport sector, was introduced in 2007 and backed by government funding to enable self-employed drivers to take it. Funding is administered by a government body and the course is overseen by GoSkills, a government-licensed organisation responsible for promoting skills development in the passenger transport sector. The NVQ itself is delivered by private sector training providers and private hire firms which have set up training centres. These centres are approved by awarding bodies such as Edexcel.

As a vocational qualification, the course is for drivers already in the trade, with the aim of reinforcing what a driver learns on the job. Although the best teacher is experience, and many drivers may find that they are familiar with much of the course content already, learning of this nature can help to underline this experience and promote best practice.

“I’m a bit more aware about things,” says Thomas Myers, a driver with West Ferry Cars, who gained his NVQ in November, “You learn to look after your passengers more.”

For some drivers it can be an eye-opener. “There are a lot of things about health and safety and customer service that I’ve learnt which I didn’t know about,” says M.Z. Hussain of Megna Cars, “I will be using it. It will make me more confident in my work.”

Already, graduates are recommending the course to their colleagues “I heard good things about the course from other drivers but, in fact, it has exceeded my expectations,” says Adeleke Fadele, a driver with Addison Lee. “It’s great to interact with drivers from other companies,” he adds.

Drivers can complete the qualification at their own pace, but generally the course takes about 30 hours, made up of both in-class instruction and on-the-road observations. To gain the NVQ drivers must prove competence in areas such as health and safety, customer service, coping with emergencies and dealing with difficult passengers. Additional optional units cover issues such as vehicle cleanliness, community transport and defensive driving.

In most cases drivers pay nothing to do the course or they get paid by the training centre at which they take it. A lot of effort and knowledge is required to set up a school, and much dedication and expertise is needed to run it successfully. Unfortunately some training providers and brokers have falsely suggested that the course is compulsory. This is to get more drivers to go through their school. GoSkills has stated that there is “no basis in the statement that NVQ qualifications are to become a legal requirement for licensing.” However, some licensing authorities outside London have insisted that drivers do the course, or one like it, as a condition of licensing.

Qualifications can represent an extra level of career development, helping to keep good people in a trade in which high turnover is a fact. For many drivers the NVQ is the first qualification they have achieved. Drivers who already have a high level of academic achievement may not qualify to have their fees paid but it is worth checking with the training provider for advice on this.

The attractions for drivers are obvious. As well as getting a bit of extra cash and a qualification at the end of it, a canny driver will arrange their training in a quieter work period. Even under present economic conditions there is still a driver shortage so work opportunities are high and barriers to entry are low, yet there may come a time when the NVQ becomes a selling point for a driver approaching an operator.

“The course is good for me and good for the customer,” says driver Ahmed Kobir, currently with Charlton Minicabs, “My advice is that all PCO-licensed private hire drivers should do this course, it will help them become better and more confident drivers.”

So, perhaps today’s advice for private hire drivers should be: ‘If you want to get ahead, get a school cap.”

A EUROPEAN UNION DEAL, if ratified, will require Europe’s carmakers to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to an average of 130 grammes per kilometre (g/km) per vehicle by 2015, and then to 95g/km by 2020. Carmakers will be fined if they fail to meet these and other targets. The current European average is 158g/km.

The targets relate to an average across a manufacturer’s entire range, so those carmakers that sell large numbers of electric cars, hybrids and small diesels may still be able to justify producing larger vehicles and keep within the emissions requirement.

Many carmakers have been adapting technology and making modifications to vehicles in order to bring emissions down (see feature on page 24). This will lead to more fuel-efficient people carriers, saloon cars and luxury vehicles, the traditional mainstays of the private hire sector.

Lobbying by British politicians and others has meant that black taxi maker LTI does not have to abide by the EU emissions figure. As a small scale manufacturer of purpose built vehicles, LTI has been given an exemption.

Therefore there is likely to be a greater disparity between CO2 emissions of people carriers and taxis. Current CO2 emissions for the LTI TX4 are 233g/km for the automatic.

Transport for London’s Environmental Report 2008 reveals that taxis and private hire each contribute an estimated 250,000 tonnes of CO2 (see table, below). There are more than twice the number of PCO licensed private hire vehicles as taxis.

Tonnes of CO2 from taxis and private hire vehicles in London (estimated)

Source: Transport for London