Latest news with #LTDA
Metro
05-08-2025
- Metro
Black cabbie returns £100,000 Hermès handbag to rightful owner
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A black cab driver has been hailed for his honesty after returning a £100,000 designer handbag to its rightful owner. Terry quickly went viral after finding the Hermes clutch bag in his back seat and returning it safely to her fancy central London hotel the next day. After giving the grateful woman a cheeky thumbs up, Terry said: 'I noticed the bag on the backseat after the fare got out. I could see straight away this wasn't an ordinary handbag. 'I drove straight back to the hotel to return it. That's just what we do. This is why London black cabs are the best in the world — we're trusted.' Returning the bag, which appears to be either crocodile or alligator skin, the tattooed driver bonded with the woman over his love of Dubai's golf courses. The person who posted the video claimed Terry received a £200 tip and a flights-included stay in Dubai at the hotel the grateful customers owned. Hana Al Ha later posted a heartfelt message on social media, thanking the driver for his incredible honesty. In her post, she wrote: 'It's rare to meet someone with such integrity and genuine care for others. More Trending 'Please know how much I appreciate the trouble you went through, and how deeply grateful I am for your actions. You turned what could have been a stressful experience into a reminder of the goodness in people. 'Thank you once again for going out of your way — I won't forget it.' The Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association (LTDA) highlighted the act of good will as proof of why London's black cab industry must be safeguarded. In a statement, the LTDA said: 'London's cabbies continue to set the gold standard in service and trustworthiness. This driver's actions exemplify why black cabs remain the safest and most reliable form of transport in London.' MORE: Boxer who punched Princess Anne's kidnapper wishes he hit 'mollycoddled killer' harder MORE: Thousands of Santander bikes not working across London after software upgrade MORE: Man slashed in the arm with samurai sword in Canary Wharf
BBC News
19-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Black cabs could vanish from London by 2045, report warns
The black cab will vanish from the capital's streets by 2045 if something is not done to reverse decline in the trade, according to a study, by think tank Centre for London, said measures including simplifying the Knowledge - the memorisation of the roads in the city - would "reflect the reality of modern taxi operations".TfL said it would soon be publishing a new Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan "to ensure black cabs continue to play a vital role in the capital's transport system".Steve McNamara, the general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) said the report was a "worst case scenario prediction", and said he hoped it was preventable by TfL. The Knowledge Introduced in 1865, mastering the Knowledge can take up to four years and involves learning all the streets within a six-mile (9.65km) radius of Charing for London suggests Transport for London (TfL) should make the exam less complex, simpler to study and easier to complete. "The course duration should reduce as a result of removing outdated and unnecessary aspects of the Knowledge," the report said. Mr McNamara of the LTDA said: "The knowledge is needed to keep a gold standard, we still need to be the best in the world, but the testing itself needs to be modernised."He suggested the exam became digitised, and broken down into modules, to make it more manageable. He added: "It's still relevant and important to know where you're going. There's no comparison with a sat nav." But Mr McNamara said the process had not been updated since the second World War, and "in that time the world has changed massively". The Centre for London report also suggests a number of financial benefits to the trade be introduced, including interest-free loans to help new drivers buy McNamara said taxis currently cost £75,000, but this increases to £100,000 when bought on finance. He agreed with the report and called for a system similar to Scotland, where taxis can be purchased through interest-free loans. The report also recommends establishing a 10-year strategy to recruit and retain drivers, as well as finding better ways to share information and notes that "London's Black Cab trade has declined dramatically over the past decade", with the Covid 19 pandemic "accelerating the rate of decline". Figures show that more than a quarter of all black cabs on the roads before the pandemic are no longer in operation. A TfL spokesperson said: "We recognise that black cabs play a vital role in the capital's transport system."We will soon be publishing a new Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan to ensure they continue to play a role in ensuring Londoners can move around the capital safely, sustainably and added: "TfL has already provided more than £50m in funding to the taxi trade across a range of initiatives to encourage taxi vehicle owners to retire their older, more polluting vehicles and encourage the uptake of clearer, greener vehicles."As a result, we are very proud that more than 60 per cent of the taxi fleet is now zero-emission capable and the fleet will be part of our transport system for the foreseeable future." Iconic Mr McNamara said: "What we're hoping with this report is that the Mayor recognises this is where we'll be without action, and we're hoping he'll take action before any of this happens."He called on the Mayor to recognise black cabs as part of London's public transport system, and asked for more freedom to travel around London. "If we can't access the roads – then it's not cost affective for our journeys," he said. He pointed to the exclusion of black cabs from certain roads in London, and the problems caused by Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs). "This report says we are iconic in London, it's true," he added. "The phone boxes are gone, the police officers are gone, it's just us and the buses left. But the Mayor needs to recognise us as more than just an icon. "Driving a cab around London is still a great career – people can earn a lot of money. "Let's confine this report to the annals of history."
