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LTDA General Secretary warns ‘INCREDULOUS’ TfL app-booking tariff proposal could remove payment for taxi drivers’ waiting time
The Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA) says Transport for London’s (TfL) proposal to prevent taxi meters running while drivers wait at app or radio bookings would shift the cost of dispatch time onto drivers or customers.
Steve McNamara, LTDA General Secretary, criticised the TfL tariff proposal that would prevent taxi drivers from starting the meter when they arrive for an app or radio booking.
In comments published by Taxi Newspaper, McNamara said the proposal was “incredulous” and urged drivers to respond to TfL’s fares consultation.
“This year, it is more important than ever that as many drivers as possible take just a few minutes to respond to it, especially regarding the incredulous proposal to prevent drivers starting the meter when arriving at an app or radio booking or when hailed by a hotel doorperson,” he said.
McNamara argued that the time and resources involved in handling bookings need to be paid for. He said radio circuits had previously introduced a £2 booking fee after arguing that someone had to cover the staff, equipment and airtime needed to accept and dispatch a cab.
He also recalled that some radio circuits had run-ins of up to £4.80, agreed with customers through their terms and conditions, to encourage drivers to service account work rather than take street-hail fares.
“Someone had to pay for the staff, equipment and airtime involved in accepting and dispatching a cab; it’s either the driver or the customer but, at the end of the day, it has to be paid for,” McNamara said.
He said the booking fee had been accepted as part of the tariff for at least 35 years, before TfL was even established, and criticised the consultation’s apparent suggestion that it be removed.
For licensed cabbies, the effect would depend on the final tariff rules, but preventing the meter from running while they wait could leave time spent at a booking unpaid. A delayed passenger or a longer handover could therefore reduce the effective return on a job, particularly where the driver has already travelled to the pick-up point.
The change could also affect how drivers weigh app and radio work against street hires. If booking jobs involve unpaid waiting, some drivers may see them as less attractive, especially when dispatch and account work take them away from opportunities to pick up passengers on the road.
If the cost is not recovered through the tariff, booking fees or another arrangement, drivers could end up having to absorb it through lost working time and lower earnings per hour. Alternatively, operators or passengers might face pressure to cover the cost through separate charges.
