Bojo's black cab plans contested...

Boris Johnson's critics have found a treasure trove of complaint-worthy material in his new policy on London's black cabs. The plans, which Bojo feels will make life easier for cab drivers by cutting out the abundance of red tape in their lives, will essentially involve reducing the number of obligatory inspections that cabs have to go under, from twice a year to just once. There will also be a reduction in the cabby licence fee.

As is to be expected, cabbies are rubbing their sticky hands with glee, as would anybody who has just discovered that they have been treated to a 50% reduction in the amount of time that they have to spend filling out overly-complex forms, paying for the privilege, and then been treated like crap by some snot-nosed bureaucrat in a badly-wallpapered and distant government office.

Unfortunately, opponents to Bojo's move don't see things in quite the same light....

One of the main arguments against the proposal is that taxis are used constantly, sometimes shared by more than one driver over shifts, and therefore more likely to be in need of servicing. The most common fault with the vehicles is that the brakes wear out quite quickly, the problems with which are obvious.

According to the blurb on the Greater London Authority website, London cabs are used by about 250,000 people everyday. Do we need to wish them all luck? Or will the end of the red tape prove to be a boon?

The Worst-Case Scenario website has a guide on how to deal with cars that have no brakes. If you're one of London's taxi users we urge you to read it, just in case, and then continue to get on with your life.

Photo: Flickr

Written by Oli Anderson on 15 May 2008 11:31 AM. Permalink