Around 30 black taxi drivers from Croydon joined hundreds of others to protest over the numbers of new cabbies flooding the suburbs.

The demonstration outside the GLA headquarters, in Marsham Street, SW1, early on Tuesday November 27, was a plea to London mayor Ken Livingstone for a survey of black cab demand in outer London.

The results, say drivers, will be self-evident.

The ever-increasing amount of suburban licences issued by the Public Carriage Office are making their lives a misery, with Christmas looking particularly bleak.

Trainee drivers can do the Knowledge over four to five years for a London-wide badge, or opt for the shorter nine-month study of a suburban area which they are restricted to once they have a licence.

Many trainees prefer not to advance to the more difficult Knowledge, resulting in a concentrated surplus in the suburbs, Croydon cabbie Ken Mills has claimed.

He said the Croydon area has around 250 black cab drivers a surplus of a third resulting in a rise in the number of hours they now need to work to take home the same amount of cash they used to.

"We used to be able to earn quite a comfortable living in an eight or nine hour stretch, but now it's more like 12 to 14 hours, with more drivers waiting for the same number of punters," said Mr Mills.

He added: "It's not unusual to see 50 or 60 black cabs parked near East Croydon Station and in Cherry Orchard Road.

"And there are another hundred black cab drivers with the Croydon area Knowledge waiting to be given licences by the Carriage Office."

He warned that when they get their licences the situation could become dangerous, with drivers struggling to stay awake to earn a living.

He suggested Mr Livingstone takes advantage of the pending overhaul of the way the Carriage Office works, and begins a system of means-testing the ranks and only issuing licences when new drivers are needed.

Other drivers say the solution might be to enlarge suburban patches so that drivers could legally pick up passengers in neighbouring areas.

Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association (LTDA) executive officer John Thomas said the demonstration had been peaceful with at least 400 drivers from outer London joining in.

A GLA spokesman said the points raised would be considered.

December 3, 2001 14:00