Diamond Jubilee

Hi folks

I was just thinking how long it was since my last post and felt the urge to do another one.

Well the weather seems to have finally made its mind up and here in London we have been enjoying some record sunshine. Previously, we had been treated to two weeks of constant rain, which bought some relief to the beleaguered water companies, some of which have had to impose hosepipe bans.

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee is almost upon us and the final preparations are being put into place for this weekends festivities. What does that mean to us cabbies? Roads closed left right and centre. The main route from the Victoria area to the west end is via Buckingham Palace but the whole area has been shut now for almost two weeks. Traffic is now squeezed into smaller roads that can’t cope and the resulting chaos adds stress to an already stressful job.

I did a job from Paddington Station to the Haymarket Hotel on Monday. Normally a £12 ride. I pulled up at the hotel with £28.60 on the meter and she wasn’t a happy camper I can tell you but funnily enough I still got a tip!!

Back to the festivities and Sunday promises to be a difficult day for us as all the bridges across the Thames ( except Vauxhall Bridge so I’m reliably informed) will be closed to traffic from morning till night. So if someone gets in on The Strand and wants say Waterloo Station they’re going the long way round and will have to pay for the pleasure.

Jane and me plan to go into town on one of the days but I think we’ll take the tube.

Last time I spoke of the cab there were three or four major faults that would need to be sorted out under the warranty. I’m pleased to announce that they were indeed sorted and my cab now doesn’t emit any black smoke or have any leaks and runs like a dream.

The day after I got it back I dropped Jane at work and went to sit on St John’s Wood Rank to get my first job of the day. An American customer came to the window and asked to be taken to Merrill Lynch in Newgate Street. I told him to jump in and then watched him struggle to open the door. The handle came away in his hand and he handed it in to me through the window apologising for trashing my cab. I told him it wasn’t his fault but he would have to take the cab behind me. I pulled away and called my garage. The door handle would be another warranty job but it would make financial sense for the garage to buy the part and fit it themselves, which is exactly what they did. Anyway, I pulled out of the garage and drove towards Camden and another passenger flagged me down wanting to go into the centre, Piccadilly I think. I noticed that the door swung out more than it usually did and wondered if the safety strap had broken. When they got out I checked it and it had indeed become unstitched and would need fixing before a strong gust of wind doubled my door back on itself. Back at the garage they got the emergency kit out for fixing safety straps…….a tube of superglue and a stapler!!! I had to laugh. The old mechanic put a generous dollop of superglue on the strap, pressed the two pieces together and fired about five staple into it to finish the job. Sure enough it looked like a proper job. He opened and shut the door several times exclaiming, “job done!!” I drove away again and eventually trapped a job and guess what? It snapped as soon as they opened the door. I haven’t bothered to say anything as I’m waiting till I have to pay the cab rent next week but I’ll be interested to see what they attempt next.

I got an email today from Hailo. If you remember previous posts they are a company I subscribe to to get work. Well they said in the email that I’ve only been accepting 10% of the jobs offered to me and that wasn’t acceptable to them so they might have to cancel my subscription. What they don’t seem to realize is that most of the job offers are way too far away and are not viable if it’s busy on the streets. I’ve had some job offers up to 2.7 miles away!! The must be having a laugh if they think I’m gonna run for that.

Anyway check back soon for more riveting gossip from my world.

God Save The Queen!!!!!

Take Care.

L.C.

An Evening With Chris

Hi folks
Thought I'd better post again as it's been almost 2 months.
So, what's been happening in my world?

Personal stuff first.
I recently turned 50!!
It doesn't feel any different to me but others I've spoken to say it's a big turning point in their lives. I, on the other hand don't have time for turning points and have to plod relentlessly on the way I have been just to keep my life on track.

My partner, Jane, having family in Suffolk, has decided she'd like a weekend bolt-hole to relax in after a hard weeks work here in London. So the weekend just gone was spent moving into a little 2-bedroom cottage just outside Ipswich. My taxi was packed to the max with all her stuff and her little Fiat 500 was too. We left at 6am on Saturday morning and got there just before 8am. There wasn't a stick of furniture in the place so we spent the day getting a mattress to sleep on and lot's of soft furnishings to make the place look homely. The technical aspect of moving was my department so I had to try and get us some working TV stations. The roof ariel didn't seem to be connected to the sockets in the cottage but luckily the previous tenants had Sky TV and left the dish up. I was able to connect an old Sky box we had with a working card and we at least had all the basic digital channels to keep us amused. The internet and phone signals out in the country are weak to non-existant but I managed to locate a corner of the house that gave us the best signal for the internet dongle. The phone signal was a bit more tricky and we found that to be able to talk without getting cut off mid way you had to stand on the landing at the top of the
stairs, a bit of a pain but better that nothing at all. There is a nice pub literally next door and we went in there for a meal but everything else is at least a 15 minute drive away.

I had to return on Monday as I had to work but Jane has stayed on as she has a week off. Her daughter, who recently had a baby girl, has been enjoying seeing her mum and Jane has already babysat which is what she's always dreamed of doing. I'll be returning there probably tomorrow night after my shift for another few days and we'll return to London on Sunday afternoon as it's Mothers Day here in the UK and I haven't seen my parents for almost a month. (Shame on me as they only live 20 minutes away)

Once we cab drivers hit the big five O then we receive a letter from the Carriage Office inquiring into our health. We have 28 days to get a medical passing us fit to drive for another five (i think) years. Well, I never got that letter but I did get a reminder saying that they haven't received my medical form back in the allotted time. I had to call them up, get a new one sent out and then the fun began. My doctor, a very nice Chinese lady, decides everything has to be done to the letter. What's wrong with that I hear you all ask? Nothing is wrong with that but she is now sending me hither and thither for tests that I don't need just to satisfy what she already knows by reading my medical history. I went for an ECG the other day. She's looked at it and decided I have to see a cardiologist. The same thing happened last time I had an ECG and the cardiologist told me there was nothing wrong with me. I went to Specsavers yesterday for a very very thorough eye examination and passed with flying colours. She still hasn't given me an appointment for the actual medical where she will fill in and stamp the form for me because she has too many patients on her books. I've told her I have to get the form back to the PCO asap but it doesn't seem to make any difference so I have had to call the PCO and buy myself a bit more time. They've given me another month to sort everything out so hopefully by next post I will still be a working cabby and not a suspended one....on the breadline I might add!!

My cab has recently taken to spewing out loads of black smoke. I took it to the garage last Friday and they changed the air filter and told me to give it a good thrashing on the motorway when I went to Ipswich. I belted it all the way there and all the way back. Although the smoke did stop for a while it seems to start up again after I've restarted the engine. Whilst working last night the smoke was terrible, especially as cars behind me had their headlights on and made it look even worse. Occasionally for no reason at all the smoke would stop altogether and the cab would pick up speed and run smoothly then it would start all over again and run a bit lumpy. I've got a feeling it might be the fuel filter. The garage seems to think I may have filled the tank with contaminated fuel somewhere along the line. I'm due to go there tomorrow to pay my weekly rent so hopefully they'll have some answers as I need it to be ok for my trip back to Suffolk.

On the work front I can't really complain as I've had a couple of decent weeks. The Hailo service I told you about recently has been providing a steady stream of work to compliment the street work. The money goes in like clockwork every Friday and I'm very pleased with it.

I had a nice couple of runs out to Heathrow last week. 2 on one day followed by another the following day. I very rarely get jobs out that way during the day but it proves that they are out there and you just have to be lucky.

When Jane's away I take that opportunity to work a bit later into the evening. Before I met her I was always a night man and most of this blog prior to the last year was made up of posts where stuff had happened at night. Day work can be very boring and tedious with just normal people going to the office or the shops or the station. Traffic is horrendous and adds to the frustrations of most drivers.
Night work is always more eventful. You pick up more colourful characters, go to more interesting places and most importantly, earn your money a lot quicker. Having said all that I did a late one last night and all that happened was that I took my money a lot quicker, which is fine by me. It did give me an opportunity to catch up with my old mate Chris aka @titaniccabby to whom things have always happened and probably always will because he is such a volatile guy. We generally phone one another up and stay connected for pretty much most of the shift as it's free to talk on our present calling plans. During that time you'll probably hear Chris's horn blast about 20 times, hear him have three or four arguments, fare disputes, route disputes, hear him burst into song and generally keep me entertained for most of the shift.
Last night he picked a couple of guys up in town. They asked for the Canary Wharf area via a McDonalds for some food. Now, knowing Chris, I was surprised he agreed to take them to McDonalds as he doesn't like people eating in his cab but he never said anything and took them into the one at the Highway. They got their food, returned to the cab and started eating it. I should add that they were very drunk. By the time they arrived at Canary Wharf most of the food was all over the floor including fries, lettuce and a big blob of barbeque sauce. Chris being Chris couldn't let this go and started arguing about the mess and they all started a slanging match ending in the two drunken passengers refusing to pay. The doors were locked so they weren’t going anywhere until they did pay. Negotiations were taking place and they offered Chris half of the £20 fare. Not good enough. Chris threatened to call the police. They told him to go ahead and call them. At this point I had to hang up but after it was all over he told me that he had the police on the phone and the operator was listening to the ensuing argument and could clearly hear all the swearing and insults going back and forth and decided to send out a patrol car. At the same time a passing fellow cabby had witnessed the events, had pulled up next to Chris and got out to offer assistance. Now that there were two cabbies to contend with the two drunk guys came to their senses and produced the required £20 note. Chris's released them, slagging them off as they walked away, thanked the other cabby and informed the police operator, who was still listening that all was well. This sort of thing happens to Chris more often than any other cabby I know, as he just seems to attract all the undesirables. I'll be out there again tonight so let's see if it's as eventful (for him not me).

Take Care

L.C.

Knicked again!!

Hi folks

As the title says I was yesterday penalised for exceeding the speed limit in Regents Park.
The policemen were in plain view with their hairdryers extended but I was too busy faffing about with all my gadgets to see them. As I looked up from whatever I was doing I was being waved at by the copper to pull in. As he approached the cab I humbly said " sorry about that how fast was I going?" to which he showed me the speed gun which had 40mph on the display "forty miles per hour and I'm afraid that I'm gonna have to report you for that so can I see your drivers licence and bill (cab drivers licence)" That was it, so final!! No warning, no bollocking, no "don't do it again". Mind you, I have to say that over the years the police have been very fair with me and I've been let off more times than I can remember so I suppose it will eventually catch up with everyone but it's still hard to take. He'd taken my two licences back to his car to run some checks and he duly returned them to me also handing me a producer which means I have seven days to present my paper licence at a police station of my choice to recieve my 3 penalty points and to pay the £60 fine. He never said much more than that and from experience I never uttered a word although the word "jobsworth" sprang to mind. I drove away totally disillusioned with the job that has seen me incurring fines at an unsustainable rate recently.

Before being stopped I had been on my way to the cab garage to pay the weekly rent and to get new ads put on. They all had a laugh when I told them I'd been ticketed again as it is now becoming a joke. Maybe they think I'm a joke and were laughing at me. Well who can blame them it sure looks like I love laying out all of my hard earned cash to pay these fines.

On a happier note the cab owner had been due to knock something off the rent at Christmas but hadn't got round to it so I reminded him about it and he deducted £50 which is almost the cost of the fine so I was well pleased with that result. The new adverts are nothing to shout about either just a picture of a worn pair of shoes to indicate that the owner of the shoes would visit every client personally to discuss their investments.

As mentioned in the last post I recently signed up to Hailo and have now done a handfull of jobs both cash and account. The passengers have all been very enthusiastic about the service and I think it will grow to be something amazing. I think if you use London cabs you should get the app and try it out. When we are allocated a job we head straight for the address and the meter isn't started for 5 minutes after arrival at address or as soon as you get into the cab if before 5 minutes. Card payments don't incurr any charges unlike most of the radio circuits which charge between 10 and 12.5% so it's a win win situation. Give it a try you won't fail to be impressed!!

I'll end this latest post with the news that my partner Jane has just become a grandmother for the first time. Her daughter Anna had been in labour for the last four days and at 8.10pm yesterday a bonnie baby girl they've named Taylor Jane was born in Ipswich Hospital in Suffolk. Jane has been in Ipswich for the last five days awaiting the birth and as we speak she is babysitting young Taylor whilst Anna gets her first full nights sleep for five days. My best wishes go out to Anna and her husband Dan and to Taylor too.

Well folks that's all I have for now but check back soon for more news.

Take Care.

L.C.

Hailo

Hi folks
Yesterday I signed up as a Hailo driver. It's a new service that enables you, the public, to call a cab via an app on your smart phone. It locates the nearest cab to you and sends it to pick you up. As of yet I'm still waiting for my first job on it. Download the Hailo app for iphones and android and I could be turning up at your door to pick you up!!

I recently had to swap cabs for a week whilst mine went to M&O's for a new radiator. It had got so bad I was refilling it twice per shift. The TX2 I was using was a right old cart and the suspension was non-existant. When I got mine back yesterday it felt like a Rolls Royce.

The work is slowly getting better but it's still taking me a whole shift and a few extra hours to earn my money. I generally try to be finished around 5pm and be in a position to collect Jane from work. Lately, that very rarely happens as a street hail can go anywhere. The last few days have seen my last job going to places suchas Tooting, Heathrow Airport, LCA (City Airport) and beyond all meaning that Jane has to walk home in the dark and often in the rain. My poor baby!!

Well I'm at present sitting on the Berkeley Square rank awaiting my next job whilst typing this on my iphone. Hope it's a good job!!

Take Care

L.C.

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Location:Acacia Rd,London,United Kingdom

The Secret Life Of The Earl St. Maur

Hi folks



Got back from Scotland ok and went back to work this morning to find that the work was only marginally better than last week.I guess everyone is waiting for their first payday since Christmas before using us again, which is of no use to me or the thousands of other cabbies who have bills to pay.

I recieved a letter in the post from our licensing authority, namely, The PCO (Public Carriage Office). Inside were two ID plates that now have to be displayed at both ends of the cab. They will distinguish All London Drivers (Green Badge Holders) from Suburban drivers (Yellow Badge Holders) so you can expect to see these plates on display immediately although the official start date is March the 1st. See photo above.

Whilst at the 60th Birthday Bash in Scotland I got a chance to speak to my Uncle Joe about a book that he's had published. He's been researching it for years and finally put all the information together in a book. If any of you are interested in genealogy then you might like to check out this website. The Secret Life of The Earl St. Maur traces the pro-military, patriotic and amorous meanderings of the war-crazy, heroic, back-packing, 007-style, once-balloonist Earl St. Maur - son and heir of the Twelfth Duke of Somerset and Jane Georgiana Sheridan. Choosing war, rather than dukedom, parliamentary, estate and protocol duties, he refuted the concept of Christian marriage. Wars in Persia, the Indian Mutiny and Garibaldi claimed the Earl's youthful attention. There's a link to buy a copy of the book. Enjoy.Well I haven't much more to say tonight so check back soon.

Take Care.

LC

Scotland!!!

Hi folks Just a quick post to let you all know that I am currently with some of my family in Bonnie Scotland. I'm here with mydad, sister and 2 brothers to celebrate my eldest cousins 60th birthday. We travelled up from London yesterday in a hire car. I didn't think my year old TX4 would make it on acount of it having a faulty radiator which needs filling everyday. So we hired a Vauxhall insignia and made the journey in about 7 hours including a stop off for lunch. We have just had our breakfast at the Premier Inn and are about to leave for home via a stop off in Newcastle to pop in to see Some family. After a really bad week last week I am hoping for better next week so watch this space. Take Care LC - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Livingston

Busted Mirror

Just almost flattened a cyclist at the junction of Elgin Avenue and Shirland Rd. He cut across me, realized he wasn't gonna make it the pulled out of the turn in time to whack my mirror. The glass fell out and smashed on the road, he came off the bike and my female passenger screamed. I U turned and went over to him and he apologized claiming he never saw me. How could you not see a great big black taxi?
My mirror casing was also broken but as we all know cyclists get away with murder and the garage gets to pick up the tab. I was on my way over to the garage anyway to pay the rent and get new ads ( Heathrow Shopping this time). I rang the owner en route so he could order me a new mirror but on closer inspection the whole casing had to be replaced. I waited at the garage whilst he took my cab to get the mirror at a cost of £86 to himself and drove away an hour later with everything intact.
I did a few jobs but the Central London traffic at the moment is horrendous so called it a day.
Back to my normal routine tomorrow.
One more fixed penalty to report. I was penalized for waiting in the zig-zagged area just before the begining of the taxi rank at Harrods. £65 less to spend at Chistmas.
Incase i go missing again heres wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!!!

Take care out there.

LC


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