The latest copy of Taxi Globe (issue 647, 24 November) carries a very worrying announcement issued by Heathrow Taxis (HALTS) on page 4.

What troubles me, is that after making it clear that there will be no more cash payments for voucher jobs, and then retracting that condition after huge pressure from the trade, this contradictory piece of information appears in one of the most respected journals in the taxi trade! 

As my previous post pointed out, the "no cash" option was abandoned because of the furore that it created. True to form, Heathrow Taxis then posted a leaflet in the HALT notice board stating that cash payments would only last until they had sorted out a credit card style option. How can you trust people who go back on their word as soon as they make a commitment? By the way, the directors of HALTS have no right to use the "HALT" notice board, this belongs to HALT members, not the directors of HALTS to promote their own company.

Now it appears from this piece in Taxi Globe that there never was an agreement to pay cash to drivers after the 8th November, despite the fact that they are doing so as I write. But this is not the most worrying part; they are now encouraging drivers who don't have access to their own bank account to use someone else's!!! Why not have it paid into your kid's piggy bank, or even better get paid in M&S vouchers. Do they not realise how irresponsible their suggestion to use someone else's bank account is?

Drivers who may be struggling to get their finances on track are told to use someone else's bank account!!! How low are HALTS prepared to go to force EVERY driver at Heathrow to sign up to their questionable scheme?

I have been posting an "Urgent Notice" on the entrance door of the canteen at Heathrow taxi feeder park for the last week or so, and every day it is torn down by someone who obviously takes exception to the information contained within it.


Undeterred, I keep obliging by putting up a new one.


But what is in this notice that provokes such dedicated attention? I can only assume that someone finds the contents objectionable!
Everything in it has been taken from HALTS (Heathrow Taxis) own literature.
You can see the contents of the notice below.


(Double left click on the image to enlarge, and press the "back button" to return to this page.)

Blue Vouchers at Heathrow

This is what the new Blue vouchers look like.


I have erased the drivers badge number for obvious reasons as he was kind enough to allow me to take a snap of the voucher.
This particular driver was somewhat put out by the fact that he couldn't cash the voucher in the canteen as before, and was further dismayed to learn that he couldn't redeem it until 7 days later. He was due to go on holiday in two days time, and needed the money before he goes.

Over the last weekend the directors of HALTS (Heathrow Taxis) assured the trade that cash payments would be possible after much pressure from drivers and BAA, but a leaflet from HALTS has now appeared in the canteen at Heathrow stating that this is for a limited time only!!!

It appears that they are planning on issuing a credit card style card that will be issued to drivers who do not have bank accounts, --and there are some-- and they say that there will be no more cash payments once this new "facility" is up and running. If their website is anything to go by, it could be a very long wait. The website was launched in March 2010 and it is still assuring visitors that the credit card booking facility will be up and running soon.....eight months later.

Click on the following link into your browser and you will see what I mean.... http://www.heathrowtaxis.org/booking.html

Colin Evans and Howard Kaye of Heathrow Taxis do not seem to be aware of the level of growing discontent within the taxi feeder park. The drivers who have signed up so far are but a tiny proportion of the number who use the airport on a regular basis. This discontent is growing, and it is only a matter of time before militant action is taken to demand an end to this outrageous situation. I only hope that BAA come to their senses and stop passing on a proportion of the feeder park entry fee to the directors of Heathrow Taxis. This money is the property of HALT members, and nobody else.

***STOP PRESS***

         ***Stop Press***

Colin Evans of Heathrow Taxis (HALTS) has bowed to pressure from various sources, and has now conceded that drivers cannot be forced to sign up to his hugely unpopular scheme.

From Monday 8 November, 2010. all drivers will be able to accept the controversial "Blue Vouchers" and have them cashed five days later.

Finally, BAA seem to have woken up to the discontent that Heathrow Taxis (HALTS) has created in the Taxi Feeder Park. Any new system will only work with the consent of the majority of drivers at Heathrow; there can be no exclusion, as the RMT has been saying all along.

The RMT will not rest until control of the taxi system at Heathrow is conducted with the consent of the majority of drivers who use the facilities that they pay for. No interlopers will be tolerated.

Stop Press added, 6 November 2010.

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What's New In The Feeder Park?

I have a well respected insider who has given me information that raises concerns over the integrity of Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis Society (HALTS), otherwise known as Heathrow Taxis.

I have been banging on about the farcical situation with the Heathrow Taxis website for some months now, and it would appear that my concerns are more than justified. A member of Heathrow Taxis has passed on an email that he has received from the offices of Colin Evans and Howard Kaye, the directors of Heathrow Taxis, and it seems as though they are really struggling with the problem of offering a booking facility on their website!!!

It has now become apparent that the online booking system is to be put out to tender!!! This means that any driver that becomes a member of this company will be agreeing to have all their personal details passed onto a third party company. Will the directors of Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis Society (HALTS)  reveal the details of this new "partnership" to those who bother to attend the inaugural AGM planned for later this month? I doubt it very much! But drivers that do attend this AGM must demand to know what is happening after all the reassurances that their best interests are at the heart of Heathrow Taxis.

Blue Voucher Scheme

The Blue Voucher scheme is due to be rolled out from Monday 8 November 2010, according to Howard Kaye, but I can only see problems occurring when drivers who accept these vouchers realise that they won't be able to cash them in the feeder park canteen anymore. Instead, they will be required to enter their banking and personal details onto the back of the voucher. Only then will they receive payment.....7 days later.

Watch this space for further developements in this sorry saga.

HALT Accounts.

HALT or HALTS? There is a difference, even though the directors of Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis Society (HALTS) would prefer it if there wasn't.

HALT is a mutual society that is supposed to operate for the benefit of taxi drivers at Heathrow. Whereas, HALTS is a private company, limited by guarantee, that works for the benefit of its directors.

Colin Evans and Howard Kaye are both acting executive committee (AEC) members of HALT. They are also company directors of HALTS. Could there be a conflict of interest here, perhaps?

Any member of HALT, or any person that has an interest in the funds of HALT, is entitled to a copy of the annual accounts 7 months after the end of the mutual society's financial year. In the case of HALT this is on the last day of August each year. This is not just part of the rules of the society, it is also the Law of the Land and any reluctance on the part of the AEC to supply them is a criminal offence under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act. I sent a request to the registered office of HALT a couple of weeks ago by special delivery, but so far I haven't received a reply.

This is an ongoing problem with the HALT acting executive committee that is performed every year until they finally give way to the real threat of legal action. This year the accounts could prove to be very tricky for them; how can they justify running a private company with the money raised from the Feeder Park entry fee? They just don't want members snooping around and asking questions. I wonder why?