Touting throughout London is completely out of control, not only has it having a huge impact on licensed London taxi drivers, it is also exposing the domestic traveller and the unsuspecting tourist to being overcharged for their journey, carried out in unsafe vehicles and carry no insurance along with the possibility of being assaulted either sexually or physically. Just walking around the Covent Garden area during the evening, you will find yourself inundated with
approaches from touts, a very similar activity you would expect to be subjected to in a third world country.
At this moment in time TFL the Metropolitan Police and the City of London Police forces are doing nothing whatsoever to make any impact at all on this illegal practice, not only are we very concerned about reduction of earning this is having on our members and the licensed taxi industry as a whole, but public safety, drivers with no insurance, vehicles that are not roadworthy, drivers with convictions for sexual offences and violent crime.
These issues need to be addressed immediately. The LCDC are at a loss to understand how individuals are able to be so openly breaking the law and nothing being to combat this criminal activity.
For instance if there was any desire to enforce this criminal activity, how many satalight mini cab offices and clip board jonny’s could be arrested on any one evening by just a few enforcement officers or police? The fact of the matter is none, not one of the authorities we have in the industry or travelling public rely on to carry out their duty to uphold the law for the protection of all.
As part of our licence fee is put towards providing enforcement, there success can only be judged on their convictions, they are very few and far between, where is our value for money, we pay for a service that is not clearly not provided to us.
We will continue to fight for the enforcement of this criminal activity until it is being taken seriously by all the authorities and eradicated from the streets of the capitol.