London's taxi drivers are planning to protest in the streets tomorrow against TfL, who they claim are 'failing to regulate the taxi industry.'
Members of the United Cabbies Group (UCG) plan to gather on Oxford Street tomorrow afternoon as they call on TfL to meet a series of demands.
It follows a long-running dispute between taxi drivers and TfL regarding the use of taxi apps, such as Uber, in the capital.
Drivers claim the transport regulator is failing to tackle illegal minicab touting, while app services are unregulated and no checks are in place to check if drivers are legitimate.
A statement on the UCG website said: “This demonstration was born out of the frustration that a lot of drivers are feeling.
“We all went through years of knowledge, missing time with our family and friends so we could become one of the elite, the best in the world. Since the Olympics we’ve seen a steady erosion of our business.”
It added: “We all know there is no enforcement in the West End on any night of the week, which is infested with minicabs unhindered by compliance officers or the police.”
Len Martin, chairman of UCG, said: "Our protest is to make as many Londoners as possible aware of the serious threat to public safety. They don't undertake private hire enforcement."
Last year a mass protest took place in Trafalgar Square as around 5,000 cab drivers ground traffic to a halt on a “go-slow” demo in a dispute with TfL over their regulation of Uber.
But it backfired as the number of subscribers to Uber rose by 850 per cent the day after the protest as more people became aware of it.
Helen Chapman, TfL’s General Manager of Taxi and Private Hire, said: “We are aware of a planned demonstration by taxi drivers tomorrow.
“This demonstration is not supported by any of the recognised trade bodies or associations and the reasons behind it are unclear.
"We would urge the organisers not to cause unnecessary disruption to other road users.”
The demo tomorrow, entitled ‘Enough is Enough’ by the UCG, is set to take place from 2pm.
