Some helpful soul contacted Taxicab News and had the RMT advice not to join the Heathrow Taxis (HALTS) credit card scheme printed in issue 144.

 The advice, which was originally posted on this blog-site 12 July 2010, was a follows,

The RMT London Taxi Branch (Heathrow) advises all taxi drivers who are registered with Taxi Expert, the tagging system for entering the Feeder Park, not to sign up with Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis Society (HALTS).

We have grave concerns regarding the integrity of HALTS, and will not sanction its validity by signing up to, what we believe is, a flawed system.
The RMT cannot subscribe to a scheme that excludes non HALTS drivers from obtaining work from the Terminal Taxi Desks. All drivers contribute to the costs of these desks through the Feeder Park entry fee, and are therefore entitled to whatever jobs are brought out to the rank from inside the terminal building by taxi desk staff.
There can be no exclusion.


Michael Moran, RMT Heathrow rep. London Taxi Branch.

Now, I don't know who had this advice printed in Taxicab News, but I would like to thank whoever it was for doing so.

I'm sure it reached a bigger audience as a result, but one person who definitely did see it was Mr. Howard Kaye, who happens to be one of the directors of Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis Society (HALTS), what a mouthful, no wonder they use the trading name of Heathrow Taxis!!!

Mr. Kaye took umbrage to this advice and felt compelled to respond by sending a letter to the editor of Taxicab News. This letter appeared in the September 6 2010 issue, number 145, and went as follows;

Dear Editor

With reference Mr Michael Moran’s advice (in issue 144of TaxiCb News) to Heathrow’s RMT members. May I begin by referring to his questionable statement about HALTS integrity.


Indeed perhaps Mr Moran should look at his own integrity as he has made statements that are scurrilous and completely untrue. We at HALTS are pleased to state that any driver holding a Heathrow tag is welcome to use the facilities offered including the use of a credit card machine and the ability to accept any voucher work that will come to the point of the rank. We insist on the “first cab first job” principle. Indeed we have many RMT members that quite happily use our facilities and may I suggest that Mr Moran must firstly base his opinion on fact and not mistruths and secondly not to put into print as Heathrow Branch Rep an untrue article that could be deemed to be RMT opinion.


On 26th and 27th July Heathrow Taxis had an open day some 150 yards from the taxi feeder park and Mr Moran would have been very welcome to gather the facts before writing his article. Unfortunately he chose not to attend. Doing ones homework first means better results later.


Thanks for the right to reply.

Thanks, Howard, you've given me the opportunity to talk about the very company that we at the RMT have grave mis-givings about.

I have contacted Taxicab News with my response to Howard's response to the advice.....well I hope you know what I mean! It's a bit long winded, but it is worth the read.
Anyway, it's printed below:

I don’t know who sent Taxicab News the RMT statement advising taxi drivers not to subscribe to the new private company which trades under the name of Heathrow Taxis, but Howard Kaye’s “reply” to it has given me the opportunity to explain why we gave the advice in the first place. I would also like to thank the person that got it published in Taxicab News.


Firstly, I want to address one or two of the comments made by Howard Kaye. Howard has accused me of printing mistruths (lies) about the conditions relating to membership of Heathrow Taxis (HALTS). The RMT advice to its members was posted in the Heathrow canteen on 15 July 2010, almost 2 weeks before the so called Heathrow Taxis trade show held at Capital Place, Harlington and the facts, as stated were correct at the time. Changing your modus operandi and then accusing me of lying won’t wash with me, Mr. Kaye.

This is relevant, because at that time we were being told that drivers who sign up to the Heathrow Taxis credit card business would be given a sticker with the letter “V” to put in the windscreen of their cabs so that they could be identified by taxi desk personnel when they brought a credit card job out to the rank. The information, at that time, was that only drivers who had signed up would be eligible to accept these jobs. This can be confirmed, and our advice had the full support of Eddie Symes, the chairman of Heathrow Airport Taxi Drivers United (HATDU). It is also interesting to note that the LTDA has distanced itself from officially supporting the scheme.

Howard Kaye has been forced to back peddle on more than one occasion in the face of criticism from fellow drivers. A classic example goes back to the middle of 2009 when it emerged that the newly formed HALTS - or Heathrow Taxis, as they prefer to be known - had in its Memorandum and Articles of Association the following paragraph:

“3. The objects for which the Company is established are:-

(k) To give or award pensions, annuities, gratuities, and superannuation or other allowances or benefits or charitable aid and generally to provide advantages, facilities and services for any persons who are or have been Directors of, or who are to have been employed by, or who are serving or have served the Company, and to the wives, widows, children and other relatives and dependants of such persons; to make payments towards insurance; and to set up, establish, support and maintain superannuation and other funds or schemes (whether contributory or non-contributory) for the benefit of any such persons and of their wives, widows, children and other relatives and dependents.”


This revelation quite rightly caused uproar at Heathrow and led to Howard Kaye protesting to angry drivers that he had no idea that these provisions had been made, despite the fact that he is one of the directors of HALTS. Is it conceivable that the contents of a company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association are a mystery to its directors?


In February 2010 the four directors and company secretary held a meeting at the Holiday Inn Ariel hotel, Bath Road, Harlington to amend the Memorandum and Articles of Association, thus removing the offending paragraph, but only after being forced to by the furor that it caused. Would it have been changed if it hadn't been spotted by a vigilant driver? 


Another area of concern relates to the Heathrow Taxis website, which went live sometime in the middle of March 2010. I have made numerous visits to this site via the BAA Heathrow website, and I have discovered a very worrying fault with it! Any potential passengers who want to book a taxi from this site are met with a message stating,


“Please check back soon………….we will notify you when our booking facility is up and running.”


So you can’t actually book a taxi on this site!!! But now we have another option, because on the same BAA web page Addison Lee DO take bookings and they are accessed by the same “taxi” link button that leads to the Heathrow Taxis website!!! Are the  directors of HALTS, not aware that they are effectively putting taxi passengers in the back of private hire vehicles?


I’ve looked into the background of the Heathrow Taxis website, and it transpires that the registrant of this site once worked for Radio Taxis as Head of Marketing!!!


As I understand it, this same person is now working full time for Heathrow Taxis at their new offices in Capital Place, just across the road from the Feeder Park. Now it may not be a crime to move from one company to another within the same industry, but surely concerns must be raised after the attempt by Radio Taxis and Addison Lee to gain a foothold in terminals 3 and 5 in 2009. Has Radio Taxis found a way in through the back door, I wonder? Addison Lee are already BAA's preferred supplier of private hire vehicles at Heathrow.

I could list a whole catalogue of concerns that I have about Heathrow Taxis, but I think the above is enough to justify the RMT advice to stay away. I would not raise these concerns if I didn’t have documented evidence to back it up, so Mr. Kaye, please be careful before you accuse me of lying in print.



Michael Moran.

Airport strike risk hits travellers

The travel plans of thousands of people are in jeopardy because of threatened strike action at some of Britain's biggest airports. 

Those booked on flights in the next few weeks face uncertainty after staff at BAA's six airports, including Heathrow, voted to take industrial action in a row over pay.
But travellers were offered a glimmer of hope after conciliation service Acas said it was arranging a meeting between BAA and the workers' union Unite.

Unite said no decision over the form or date of any strike will be taken before Monday which would leave the weekend open for talks.
The earliest a strike could be called would be Monday August 23 - just ahead of the busy bank holiday weekend.

With the Unite members including firefighters and security staff, any walkout would have a devastating effect on UK air travel which was already hit by a separate dispute involving British Airways' cabin crew, also represented by Unite.

Despite only half of the 6,185 Unite staff voting in the ballot, its leadership said BAA faced "a total shutdown" of its six airports - Heathrow, Stansted, Southampton, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Of those who did vote, almost three quarters (74.1%) came out in favour of strike action.
BAA said it did not believe the result provided "a clear mandate for strike action".

Prime Minister David Cameron said a strike would "do nothing but harm" and would damage business, jobs and tourism. Transport Secretary Philip Hammond urged both sides to seek an "amicable solution".

Unite national officer Brendan Gold and the union's national officer for civil aviation, Brian Boyd said the union would meet its shop stewards on Monday to decide what form of industrial action members would take.

Editor's note;

BAA need to start talking to the RMT, because even those they do "recognise" don't seem too impressed with the treatment their members suffer at the hands of BAA.

If a picket line is created as part of this impending industrial action, will Unite taxi branch members be prepared to cross it?

Heathrow Taxis, A New Beginning?

Heathrow Taxis is the trading name for Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis Society (HALTS) and they are holding a "Trade Show" on Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th of July.

As the poster shows, there will be a number of trade exhibitors at this event. But I wonder how many of these exhibitors are aware of the progeny of this company? It will be interesting to know their views once they are informed.

Heathrow Taxis, which is a private company limited by guarantee, is funded from the entry fee that all taxi drivers pay when they enter the Taxi Feeder Park at Heathrow airport. Traditionally, the fee (£6.30) charged to taxi drivers each time they enter the TFP was made up of two parts; the main part of the charge went to BAA to administer the running of the Feeder Park through their contractors, and the smaller part of the charge (76pence) went to the taxi drivers' mutual society Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis (HALT). This was an arrangement that was recommended by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Competition Commission.

Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis Society (HALTS), now trading under the name of Heathrow Taxis,  was incorporated with Companies House as a private company limited by guarantee in January 2009, and sometime between then and 1st June 2010, the smaller part of the entry fee has been passed onto Heathrow Taxis and not HALT. This new arrangement was because of the result of a so called survey that BAA conducted with the directors of Heathrow Taxis (HALTS) which claimed that there was overwhelming support from HALT members for such a change. What BAA and Heathrow Taxis (HALTS) failed to explain to drivers is that this "survey" has no legal standing whatsoever, and the transfer of funds from the drivers' mutual society, Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis (HALT), to the private company Heathrow Taxis (HALTS) is questionable.

It is my opinion that Heathrow Taxis is heading for some tricky times to come if there is a legal challenge to their claim that they have done this with full legal and democratic integrity. I shall be keeping an eye on any further developments when drivers begin to realise the full implications of the changes that have taken place in the Taxi Feeder Park.

I note that no taxi trade organisations are mentioned in the list of exhibitors! There are three "recognised" trade organisations in the taxi trade, and there have been rumours that they are beginning to have reservations about Heathrow Taxis because of the above reasons. This is despite the fact that Unite the union (taxi branch) has had very strong links with some of the directors of Heathrow Taxis in the past.

I will be happy to discuss any of the issues in this article with any other taxi trade representative, if they wish to do so.

Michael Moran RMT Heathrow rep (London taxi branch).

Please email me at   Roman@rmtmail.org.uk

Heathrow Taxi Rank Agents

The parking and enforcement giant, NSL, took over the running and administration of the taxi system at Heathrow Airport from Meteor Parking at the beginning of 2010.

There are a number of concerns that have emerged regarding the levels of professionalism shown by NSL staff since this company won this lucrative contract. One of these concerns has been highlighted below, and the RMT London Taxi Branch (Heathrow) is taking steps to ensure that this issue is resolved as a matter of urgency.

Taxi Rank Agents: The Limits of Their Responsibility.

Reference Jenny Croft, NSL.

There appears to be a trend emerging on the terminal taxi ranks where agents are overstepping their authority. There have been a number of instances where taxi rank agents have held back passengers who are either travelling in a group of 6, or are in a smaller group with a lot of luggage. Some agents have been telling passengers that they should wait for a Vito taxi, as these are able to accommodate their needs.


Most passengers fully expect to have to use more than one taxi in these situations, but are under the impression that the rank agent has the authority to hold them back. There is evidence to suggest that some passengers have been held up for up to 30 minutes in this way.

There are a number of issues here:

Firstly, the taxi rank agents’ job is to ensure the smooth running of the ranks, to request the passengers’ destinations, to make sure that the first cab on the rank takes the first available job, if the driver is legally obliged to do so, and to feed drivers’ details into the local journey system if and when appropriate.


Secondly, rank agents must not discuss prices, advise passengers on the suitability of taxi type, nor put themselves up as arbiters to decide how much luggage a taxi can carry, regardless of the number of passengers that might be travelling in a group. Taxi drivers have a duty of care towards their passengers, and as such, it is for the individual driver to decide what constitutes an unsafe load.


Finally, some of the taxi rank agents appear to be either poorly trained, or seem to think that they have the authority to interpret the rules to suit themselves. This has caused consternation on a number of occasions, and has led to unnecessary arguments and complaints as a result.


Whilst the taxi trade at Heathrow accepts the need to have a regulating presence on the ranks, it cannot accept any undermining of its duties or responsibilities, nor any misinterpretation of the law. No driver that has lawfully driven onto a rank can be forced to leave by any rank agent without a job if a taxi rank agent suspects there has been a contravention of either Hackney Carriage law, or any Heathrow byelaws: Neither primary legislation nor Heathrow byelaws make provision for this.


If a driver has breached any relevant legislation there are established procedures in place to deal with them. It must be noted that when Metropolitan Police Traffic Wardens administered the ranks, there was far less strife and misunderstanding of the rules because of their superior level of training.


We suggest that these issues form part of any training program that taxi rank agents attend before they are deemed qualified to regulate any taxi rank at Heathrow Airport.




Michael Moran, RMT Heathrow rep. London Taxi Branch.

The RMT London Taxi Branch (Heathrow) advises all taxi drivers who are registered with Taxi Expert, the tagging system for entering the Feeder Park, not to sign up with Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis Society (HALTS).

We have grave concerns regarding the integrity of HALTS, and will not sanction its validity by signing up to, what we believe is, a flawed system.

 The RMT cannot subscribe to a scheme that excludes non HALTS drivers from obtaining work from the Terminal Taxi Desks. All drivers contribute to the costs of these desks through the Feeder Park entry fee, and are therefore entitled to whatever jobs are brought out to the rank from inside the terminal building by taxi desk staff.


There can be no exclusion.


Michael Moran, RMT Heathrow rep. London Taxi Branch.

England World Cup Dates.

The World Cup is upon us!

No doubt there will be times when taxis will be in short supply, especially when England is playing. Here are the dates when "Our Boys" will have all eyes glued to the box for the 1st round.




Saturday 12 June England v USA, kick-off 19:30  Result..........England 1    -    USA 1

Friday 18 June England v Algeria, kick-off 19:30  Result..........England 0   -    Algeria 0

Wednesday 23 June England v Slovenia, kick-off 15:00............England 1    -   Slovenia 0

USA ended up first in the group stages with England second.....now the second round knock out stage begins.....

Sunday 27 June England v Germany, kick-off 15:00.................England 1   -   Germany 4

I will post all other confirmed dates and times as they become known.

Come on England!!!!!!

Showdown at the Feeder Park

BAA has consistently refused to acknowledge the growing number of taxi drivers at Heathrow who have decided to join the RMT.

We now have a large number of RMT members who have let it be known that they want the Heathrow RMT Sub-Branch to represent their interests as Tag holders.


Until recently, BAA have only sat down with trade reps from Unite the union, Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA), London Cab Drivers Club (LCDC) and Heathrow Airport Taxi Drivers United (HATDU). But even this now seems to have changed since news of the last Feeder Park entry fee increase.

It turns out that there were no discussions with any of the above before the recent rise in the entry fee, so it looks as though BAA doesn't want ANY taxi drivers' organisations to have a say at Heathrow. It seems as though BAA has finally thrown down the gauntlet, and is prepared to risk industrial action from the taxi trade. We will not accept this situation, and we are having discussions to seek a way forward to address this problem.


Please keep an eye on this site for updates on the situation.