Letters to the editor: Taxi market is just too crowded

 
Taxi drivers at an earlier protest in central London
30 June 2015
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There are now 82,000 licensed minicabs in London, far outstripping demand for their services. That not only means a massive contribution to London’s congestion and environmental problems but also a race to the bottom for drivers in their attempts to get the next fare.

While oversupply can mean lower prices for passengers, there is only so far fares can drop before the minimal profits minicab drivers make are no longer viable. In the meantime, residents around transport hubs see their streets turned into virtual taxi ranks as drivers wait for the next fare.

Talking to some of those drivers it’s quickly clear how the oversupply of minicabs leads to fewer fares for each driver. In some cases drivers were only taking a handful of passengers a day, nowhere near enough to make ends meet and forcing them to work longer for less. Combine that with new companies such as Uber encouraging a further influx of mini-cab drivers into the already saturated market and you’re left with a real threat to both the minicab and black taxi industries’ future.

We need new powers to regulate the number of cabs on our streets to stop it getting out of control but also far more should be done to make the most of TfL’s current powers. Ever growing numbers of minicabs serves neither passengers nor drivers.
Val Shawcross AM, Labour’s London Assembly transport spokesperson

Sir Peter Hendy wants to limit the number of minicabs in London because they cause “huge congestion” [Comment, June 26].

Sir Peter has a generous salary, so he probably views minicabs as vehicles cluttering up roads that ought to be kept free for a chauffeur-driven limousine. Unlike private cars, however, minicabs often carry more than one passenger, so they actually reduce congestion.

For many Londoners, minicabs are a lifeline. Unlike black cabs, they are affordable and will even venture south of the river. And let’s not forget that every one of those 82,000 licences represents a job for someone.

Hendy’s call for a minicab cull is typical of the out-of-touch attitude of so many of London’s planners and transport bosses.
Stephen Spark

As a London cabbie, I would like to respond to Stuart Gulvin about accepting card payments [Letters, June 26].

Firstly, thank you for using London black cabs — your custom is greatly appreciated. In my case, there are two reasons why I do not have a card machine anymore. The first is that I don’t agree with the customer being charged in most cases 12.5 per cent for using it and also, when I do a job, I like to be paid there and then. I don’t want to wait four working days to receive payment.

It’s not about cab drivers getting up to date with the time — it’s about card providers making it easier and cheaper to pay by card.
Stephen Robinson

Killings are not in the name of Islam

My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the Tunisian massacre. It is truly horrific and barbaric that innocent tourists are now being targeted by Islamic State.

I don’t know what IS hopes to achieve by killing innocent people or what their actual cause is but it is truly sickening. It means I, for one, will not be booking my summer holidays anytime soon because I am truly scared — it is sad because countries such as Tunisia rely heavily on tourism for their income.
Joyce Wokoh

Those who carry out barbaric attacks on innocent unarmed civilians are not representing any true religion and would be condemned — not condoned — by any god. It is hard to justify even calling them humans.

They seem determined to provoke a conflict between the West and Islam and even between the two main branches of Islam, the Sunnis and the Shias. We must not let that happen. All true human beings from all the religious faiths would totally condemn these acts of terror.
Roy Luxton

Bus speed limiters are long overdue

Transport for London’s trial of speed limiters on buses is welcome but it should have been brought in years ago. Newly-released TfL figures show that in the first three months of this year 250 people were injured and four killed in bus collisions in London. As Mayor, Boris Johnson has failed to make roads safer and the enforcement of speed limits a priority, despite the dreadful human toll.

I hope the next Mayor of London will just get on with this simple step that could save lives and cut the number of injuries suffered by so many Londoners.
Darren Johnson, Green Party member, London Assembly

Is a new runway really necessary?

Ahead of the Airports Commission announcing its final recommendations for the future of airport expansion in the UK, we want to put on record that we question the need for any new runways at either Heathrow or Gatwick.

This option has been missing from the past two years of debate but it does remain a sensible position if we are still serious about meeting our climate change targets and to avoid massive increases in noise and air pollution.

The economic arguments for expansion also don’t add up. In fact, the UK already flies more than any other nation per head and if aviation paid its environmental costs there would be no need for a new runway.
Natalie Bennett, Green Party leader, John McDonnell MP (Labour), Caroline Lucas MP (Green), Lord Teverson (Lib-Dem) and 12 others

London needs a mayor with vision

Like every capital city, London is faced with a significant number of decisions about how to move forward in a world where consensus is impossible. Sadly, London is never represented by people capable of steering the best long-term course.

Neither of the last two Mayors have been fit for purpose and it is about time we had a slate of mayoral candidates who have the skill and experience to take the right decisions.
Mark Chambers

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