Bad luck with cabs
From Susan Goodsir Sir: Petronella Wyatt (Singular life, 3 April) and her mother seem to have been unfortunate in their taxi drivers. I am the driver of a black London cab. I am not fat, lazy or careless, and nor are any of my colleagues. I am 66 and did not start the Knowledge until I was 53, having been an orthoptist until that time. We do not 'expect' a tip — indeed regular users of cabs often fail to tip — although it is pleasing to be given one. There are some 22,000 licensed London cab drivers, some of whom are bound to be bad eggs. There are strict rules about keeping on or near the cotton, i.e. taking the most direct route from A to B. To deviate from it risks one's licence. If I am taking a woman in the cab, I always wait and watch until she unlocks her front door, and if she has luggage or bags, I get out and help her.
In the old design of cab the driver could lean out of the window and open the door for the passenger. The new design has the handle at the back, making this impossible without the driver getting out, often neither practical nor safe. The passenger cannot open the door until the driver takes his or her foot off the brake. This is an inbuilt safety measure. As soon as one has come to a halt and the end of the fare, the driver switches the meter off. How can cab drivers possibly grumble about the congestion charge? They don't pay it.
Good luck to Petronella Wyatt if she chooses to take minicabs in future. She will find they seldom know where they're going. Oh, and make sure they have insurance which covers hire and reward.
Susan Goodsir
Padstow, Cornwall
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