Over the last two years during covid my frustration over the lack of missing Taxi plates. They’re not being replaced when being taken down and new Taxi ranks are not having new plates appointed.
This has a major knock-on for other drivers not knowing what the rank is and one of the ranks that is suffering from no plate is the feeder at the shard as drivers that don’t want to feed overstate it’s a separate rank, it’s a feeder rank and should work like one.
The other problem is that traffic wardens will not enforce a rank without a blue taxi plate which makes it legal and easier to enforce.
Now the problem is twofold and as you guessed it all lies at the doorstep of TFL and TPH.
During the lockdown, the company that produced the plates went skint. The TPH ranks team have been trying to procure a new company not only to produce the plates but also put up and I estimate around 60 plus plates missing or requiring a new one.
Now the second problem comes down to budget at the moment the TPH ranks team have not been told how much they’ve for the budget this year as money is short or so they say with TFL/ TPH.
Also, the TPH ranks team have been notified that all ranks in Lambeth now will start at 15k for any rank which is way above what other boroughs charge not even Westminster want that much. They’re simply trying to price TPH and us out of the market it seems.
To be honest this is not good at all as we know bus stops would always get a bus stop or roads all get their new ULEZ signage but try and get a plate we get fobbed off to a point now the ranks committee have had to ask Senior reps to takes this up at Senior Reps meeting.
Hopefully this might get TPH to free up our budget and get production started. I’ll keep you updated when I’ve got some more news.
Alan McGrady
