The Black Cabs' history goes back to the time of horse-drawn cabs which were called Hackney Cabs. The term comes from the French word haquenee referring to the ambling horses used to pull the original Hackney Carriages. The Hackney Carriage originated in London, England in 1625. The cabs still come under some of the old rules from the horse-drawn days. The Black Cabs are the only taxis that are allowed to pick people up from the street. There are also mini cabs in London, however they can only collect someone if they have made a prior arrangement by phone.

Before a taxi driver gets his Hackney Cab Licence he or she must pass a test called 'The Knowledge'. This is a difficult test and requires the cabbie to know the streets of central London like the palm of their hand. Mini cab drivers do not need to pass this test.
The Knowledge

Taxi drivers in London undergo a demanding and arduous testing of their knowledge of the city, its daily traffic patterns and the fastest routes between locations. Estimates suggest that gathering the basic understanding needed to acquire The Knowledge involves a full-time year of study, absorbing the information provided by street maps and travelling around the city itself.

The result is that drivers of official London Hackney Cabs are renowned for their detailed and intimate knowledge of London's streets and attractions. Strangely enough, scientific study has shown that possession and expansion of The Knowledge increases the size of the anterior and posterior hippocampi of the brain - the area that handles spatial memory and spatial navigation.

Compared with baseline controls and inexperienced cabbies, long-serving taxi drivers possessed considerable more developed hippocampi.

The Vehicles

There are currently 3 makes of vehicle licensed to ply for hire in London:

LTI (London Taxis International) - FX4 taxi, Fairway taxi, Fairway Driver taxi, TX1 taxi, TX2 Taxi & TX4 taxi.
Metrocab - Series 1 Metrocab, Series 2 Metrocab, Series 3 Metrocab & TTT Metrocab.
Eco City Vehicles - Mercedes Benz Vito Taxi.
All of these vehicles have to conform to the conditions  of fitness as set out by the PCO (Public Carriage Office).

http://www.taxi-london.net/

Why Use a Taxi Firm?
Taxis and private hire vehicles now offer an invaluable service to those people who need to get to work on time, who prefer not to drive at times or who don?t have a car or can?t drive. Using a taxi or hired car helps avoid using trains, tubes and buses, all of which may come with congestion, difficulties and delays. Many taxi firms allow the setting up of accounts or ongoing arrangements for regular journeys.

There are hundreds of taxi firms that provide transportation services to major airports, including Heathrow, Manchester, and Birmingham Airports, Gatwick Airport, Leeds Bradford Airport, Newcastle Airport, Luton Airport, Edinburgh Airport and Aberdeen Airport from a home, hotel or other location. Using a taxi means no worries about traffic delays, parking, or timely arrival. If using a taxi to catch a flight make sure to book a pick-up time well in advance of the check-in time. Taxis also provide transportation between airports for connecting flights. Taking a taxi to the airport is convenient and cost effective.

Alternatively, when on holiday, a car hire firm may be more suitable — especially if there a few days free to explore surroundings, discover hidden sights and visit secluded villages, for example. Many will offer a free service to pick up and drop back at the airport if the car is hired for a week or more. This option allows time to explore at a leisurely pace. Prices start from ?30-?35 per day, depending on the duration of rental and type of vehicle.

How to Choose a Taxi Firm
When hiring a taxi in advance, use one from a reputable firm. Make bookings by phone or have the hotel arrange the hire. There will always be a registered taxi rank inside/just outside airports and train and bus stations. In many cities and towns taxi can be hailed down in the street for short journeys — in others they may have to be picked up at a taxi rank/office. Don?t be tempted to use unlicensed taxis or mini-cabs — especially late at night in pub/club districts — as this can be dangerous.

Care Hire Tips
If hiring a car for a longer journey/longer period then these tips will be useful:
Be sure the taxi or car hire firm carries insurance.
If the vehicle insurance policy is from an EU based insurer (including the UK), it will cover third party insurance in EU countries. But third party cover can be inadequate to cover all costs and it is safer to have more insurance when hiring a car. Check with the insurance company to see that there is adequate cover for the countries involved.
Take photos of the hire car before driving off and make notes on its condition. Before returning the car, take more photos and notes on its condition and sign them. This is valuable evidence should any dispute arise. The hire company should also note the condition of the car on the contract.
If an accident occurs, get a written estimate of the repair costs. Check with the hire company as to what to do next, but a written estimate should help avoid disputes regarding repair costs.
Return the car on time.
Check all paperwork and ask for a copy of the final form. Then no one can change the report or charge extra later. Check the contract thoroughly and ask for explanations of anything that is not clear. Be aware of extra costs like petrol/mileage, child seats and taxes.
Choosing a Taxi Firm Online
There are advantages to choosing a taxi firm online:
Price quotes are provided in advance via e-mail or the website.
No queues.
Ensures dealing with a known taxi firm.
No need to worry about language barriers.
Convenience.
Trade Bodies
There are many trade bodies/associations for taxi and private hire vehicle services including:
The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA)
The London Motor Cab Proprietors' Association (LMCPA). Contact the LMCPA on Tel 020 7275 7589.
The Licensed Private Hire Car Association (LPHCA)
The National Private Hire Association (NPHA). Contact the NPHA on Tel 0161 280 2800.
The National Taxi Association
Setting Up a Taxi Account
By using a taxi firm consistently, they will get to know the journeys made regularly by the passengers and any needs they may have. Sometimes discounts are offered for regular use or regular trips. This also saves paying for a taxi as it is used as it will be charged to the account to be settled up later. Make sure to have the contract read thoroughly by an appropriate person in the company to check it is OK. Most importantly, do check that the firm is registered with an appropriate association and that they have full insurance cover. This will save time, hassle, and money.

Consider using a taxi firm or car hire for transportation instead of driving or using trains, the tube or buses. This could save a lot of hassle, time and money in the long run.

Addison Lee will only carry people to NW10 - which includes Harlesden, Willesden and Stonebridge - if they are using credit cards or accounts.

There have been about a dozen muggings in the last six weeks, "normally going to or from NW10", said MD Liam Griffin.

But local councillor Anne John said she was "fed up" with "slurs" on the area.

"I've represented Stonebridge for nearly 20 years now; it's changing rapidly," she told BBC London 94.9.

"It's an area that's coming up in the world very, very quickly indeed, and I'm very pleased to see that for the people in Stonebridge."

Mr Griffin said the restrictions would apply between 1900 and 0700 each day, unless a booking was made in "a way in which we can verify exactly who we're picking up before the driver gets to the passenger".

However too many drivers were being lured into danger and having their cars or takings stolen, he said.

"It's a lazy mugger's way of getting a victim," Mr Griffin added.

"People were basically using this as a method of bringing the victim to them, rather than finding them.

"They've turned it into something of a sport."

London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "Any crime which disrupts the lives of Londoners or the invaluable work of businesses in the capital will not be tolerated."
 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7452334.stm

Bamidele Soyoye, 46, was arrested at Gatwick Airport on suspicion of taxi touting in July last year.

He was then arrested again in September for driving whilst disqualified in two separate vehicles.

And in January of this year, he was spotted at Gatwick Airport again, after previously been banned from entering the airport by BAA.

Now fed up police chiefs have decided to crack down on the increasing crime, and as a warning crushed Bamidele's grey Chrysler Voyager yesterday.

http://www.crawleyobserver.co.uk/news/VIDEO-Touting-cabbie39s-car-crushed.4148075.jp

Addison Lee continually strive to look after their two most important resources, their customers and their drivers, as well as taking responsibility for the environment very seriously. Using Magenta’s dynamic scheduler, Addison Lee expect to be able to increase the number of Jobs fulfilled in 2008 by 10% and at the same time still meet their target for cutting emissions in 2008 by 6%. The new tool also enables Addison Lee to consider and meet the mini cab drivers’ personal requirements and to provide an even higher level of service to new and existing customers.

Addison Lee chose Magenta’s Scheduler for its ability to dynamically schedule new mini cab jobs in real time in an effective and intelligent way. Magenta’s solution schedules passenger orders as they are taken, reacting to car positions, driver and customer preferences and other real world events to ensure maximum utilisation, trip efficiency and customer service.

Liam Griffin, Managing Director of Addison Lee, stated “Having already successfully worked with Magenta to implement the Shamrock booking solution we were confident that the initial results from the new Magenta scheduler would be good. However they are even better than we expected. Our existing car controllers, who have been scheduling mini cabs for over 20 years are surprised and impressed with the scheduler’s performance and this is proof in itself of a successful result. I am certain that in 2008 Addison Lee will build on this initial success to achieve groundbreaking results in vehicle scheduling and customer service.”

Frank Lee, Executive Chairman of Magenta Technology, added “I am extremely pleased that we were given the opportunity to implement Magenta’s dynamic scheduler at Addison Lee. The fast moving mini-cab business shows our unique scheduling capability at its best in terms of improved efficiency and customer service. We are confident that the cost benefits the new solution will provide Addison Lee in 2008 will be significant. Magenta looks forward to working with Addison Lee on other leading-edge dynamic scheduling applications for the transportation industry and helping them to extend their market leadership.”

About Magenta Technology

Launched in 1999, Magenta Technology provides two types of solution to our customers - Scheduling and Development Projects (SDP) and Mobile Resource Scheduling (MRS). SDP is used to create complex custom solutions for the most challenging of business problems, whereas MRS can be rapidly and simply implemented in any size of organization and is delivered as a service over the internet. Magenta provides dynamic scheduling systems, and enables our customers to realise significantly higher utilisation of their assets and deliver superior customer service at a lower cost than is currently possible.

Magenta has established a blue-chip client base including world-leading car rental, oil tanker, trucking and taxi firms. Although traditionally Magenta has had particular strength in transportation and logistics, we now offer Dynamic Scheduling services across all industries.

Magenta has over 140 highly skilled developers based in Samara and Togliatti, Russia. There are also sales, account development and customer delivery staff in the UK, USA and in Germany. Magenta has been consistently backed by the same Venture Capitalists for the past 8 years and forms part of the Eurovestech (EVT) portfolio of companies (http://www.eurovestech.co.uk).

For more information about Magenta Technology please go to http://www.magenta-technology.com 

About Addison Lee Plc

Addison Lee Plc was established in 1975 and has grown to be the market leader in moving people and parcels in London - for corporate clients and individuals. Addison Lee has been built on service with over 2000 people carriers enabling them to offer a twenty minute on-demand service in central London for both car and courier services. Over 10,000,000 people each year trust Addison Lee to move them and their parcels around London. Addison Lee's 450 plus office staff helping to support those on the road include customer service agents and our driver liaison department who ensure that Addison Lee's high standards are maintained.

Addison Lee was the first company in the industry to be awarded both the ISO 9002 and Investors in People accreditations. Addison Lee has been largely involved in setting the criteria for private hire car trade in London which has recently become licensed, with many of their working practices being adopted by the legislation.

http://www.addisonlee.co.uk

http://www.newdesignworld.com/press/story/2657

Married father-of-three Nazrul Islam, 35, of Bruce Road, Bow, attacked the 29-year-old victim on June 15 last year after he dropped her off at her house in Orpington.

Despite denying the offence, Islam was found guilty on Monday of sexual assault at Croydon Crown Court and was sentenced to 14 months in jail as well as being ordered to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.

The victim caught the cab with a friend in east London and after dropping him off in Blackheath, continued on to her home where they arrived around 2.25am.

When she went to pay him, Islam said: "I don't want your money, I going to stay here" and "I can be your boyfriend".

He then snatched her hand, started kissing it and grabbed her around the waist, picked her up and attempted to force her into the car.

During the struggle he grabbed her breasts and pulled up her skirt. She managed to break free and rushed into the communal area of her home, forcing the door closed. Islam tried but failed to open it.

http://www.bromleytimes.co.uk/content/bromley/times/news/story.aspx?brand=BMLYTOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsbmlyt&itemid=WeED04%20Jun%202008%2014%3A47%3A58%3A240

Nazrul Islam, from Bow, was sentenced to 14 months in prison for attacking the 29-year-old as she left his VW Bora cab in the early hours of June 14 last year.

Islam, aged 35, had tried to kiss and grope the woman after dropping her home in Orpington after a night out.

She managed to escape before Islam, a married father-of-three, chased her and attempted to force his way into her building.

Islam was arrested at his home on June 17.

He denied sexual assaulting the woman, claiming there had been a disagreement over the fare.

But he was found guilty at Croydon Crown Court.

He was placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years.

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/topstories/display.var.2315758.0.minicab_driver_sexually_assaulted_woman.php

Mohammed Ali, 36, of Benworth Street, Bow, prowled the streets of Soho looking for passengers desperate to get home.

He spotted his 35-year-old victim in Greek Street and offered her a lift, claiming to be a legitimate driver.

But when the woman, who had been drinking after a tiff with her lover, told Ali she had no cash, he drove her to a friend's place in the Isle of Dogs, forced her to strip and beat her before raping her.

The woman had earlier told Snaresbrook Crown Court that when Ali, who is married with two children, had made a pass at her, she snapped: "I'm not going to have sex with you."

But then the leering monster barked: "Take your clothes off."

"He beat me into submission then raped me" she said.

Full story in today's Tower Hamlets Recorder.

http://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/content/newham/recorder/news/story.aspx?brand=RECOnline&category=newsTowerHam&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsnewham&itemid=WeED04%20Jun%202008%2008%3A51%3A36%3A343

Bamidele Soyoye, 46 was arrested in July of 2007 for touting illegally for business and then was arrested again later that year in September for driving whilst disqualified. The final straw came for authorities in January of 2008 when he was seen at Gatwick Airport once again after being banned from the airport by BAA. The police took the step of making an example of him by crushing his Crysler Voyager vehicle as a signal to illegal cab drivers that their actions will not be tolerated.

Tahir Bilal Baig, 33, of Rusholme, was fined £700, plus £350 costs at Manchester Magistrates' Court after admitting illegally plying for hire.

The court heard he was spotted touting for business in his Toyota Avensis after a Reds clash with Newcastle.

Two fans were trying to flag down black cabs when Baig, of Rainbow Cars, asked them where they were going and beckoned them into his vehicle, before being confronted by a Trafford council official.

Baig claimed he had been called to the ground to pick up a fare which didn't turn up and was taking the opportunity to make up the shortfall.

Old Trafford has become a magnet for rogue drivers hoping to cash in on match days.

Earlier this month, it emerged a Bury driver was breaking the law by picking up fares in Old Trafford and demanding £20 for a two-mile journey.

Black cab drivers are not supposed to pick up unbooked fares outside the local authority area which granted their licence. Meanwhile, private-hire drivers are not supposed to pick up fares in the street anywhere.
Licensing enforcement officer Martin McKinley said: "Private-hire vehicles can't ply for hire as black cabs can.

"Old Trafford is unique as we get people from all over the country and the world here on a regular basis and it's our job to protect the public.

"If a driver isn't licensed to pick people up, he isn't insured."

John Connaught, of Trafford Hackney Drivers, said: "On one day during the West Indies cricket Test Series last year there were 12 Trafford Hackney drivers and 76 private hire drivers from places like Bolton, Oldham, Manchester, Salford and Trafford.

"Some of them were demanding £50 to go to the airport and £25 to the city centre.

"Drivers even come in from towns like Nelson, Colne and Burnley.

"I would urge fans to use licensed Trafford black cabs and when they use private hire vehicles, to book them by phone."

http://www.theasiannews.co.uk/news/s/1052157_fine_for_rogue_driver