On 04/08/2016 13:54, Robin9 wrote:
TfL have released the following statement:

QUOTE
Sadiq Khan has committed to a dramatic expansion of the
Transport for London (TfL) team responsible for tackling
touting and illegal activity affecting the Capital's taxi and
private hire trades.

The new officers will be funded through changes to private
hire operator licensing so that larger firms pay a greater
share of the costs of enforcement.

TfL and its partners regularly carry out operations to deter
and disrupt illegal minicab activity in the Capital and protect
the public from touts. Operation Neon is a joint operation
between TfL, the Metropolitan Police Service and Westminster
City Council that takes place every weekend. An operation
running between May 2015 and July 2016 has seen the
following results:

Operation Neon results:

•127 Operations.
•9699 private hire drivers advised and moved on to keep roads
clear for taxis and booked private hire cabs.
•448 private hire drivers were reported for not having a badge
and were stopped from working for the remainder of the evening.
•5116 private hire drivers were reported for not wearing their
badge.
•65 private hire drivers reported for plying for hire offences.
•1265 private hire drivers reported for parking on taxi ranks.
•2916 Parking tickets issued.


Were no black cab drivers picked up on any infringments (however small)
or is Operation Neon solely targeted at the private hire trade?


I'm not sure how public safety is increased by giving private hire
drivers parking tickets, and I suspect most people using minicabs
don't care if the driver is not displaying his badge. It will be
interesting to see if the new mayor will have any really
constructive ideas in his "wider programme."


Indeed - and in particular with Uber you know who the driver is from the
app and can recognise them from their photo. Uber also track their
drivers activity and it's very easy to complain about them if they do
the wrong thing - something that's nowhere near as easy with
conventional private hire companies and/or black cab drivers (if a black
cab driver takes a circuitous route, what's your come back when the only
person to complain to is the driver themselves and there's an absence of
proof of the route followed)