RAF veteran, Roy Nash, 89, wanted a platform to say a few things to London cabbies and the Mayor of London...
Salt of the earth heroes
"I wanted to talk to Taxi to praise the fantastic London black cab drivers who are the heart and soul of our wonderful city of London. These often-unsung heroes continue to support many charities even when they have seen their livelihood ruined by the pandemic. Taxi drivers are the salt of the earth and I am so annoyed by the way Mayor Khan has not shown support towards the drivers during the pandemic. In my view it’s quite simple, his policies, or lack of appropriate policies, are destroying the cab trade."
No hesitation
“I have met so many London cabbies though the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans and it is heart-breaking to see what is happening to their trade. They are struggling so much, yet if the Taxi Charity asks for volunteer cabbies to take us to appointments, collect shopping or more recently to take us for our Coronavirus injections, there is no hesitation to offer their help, from these amazing men and women.”
No respect
“I know cabbies struggled to make a living after the banking crisis in 2008, but in the years since, matters have been made worse as London’s streets have been flooded with thousands of Uber drivers relying on their sat nav’s to get from A to B! Our licensed cabbies are reliable and friendly and know London like the back of their hands after studying The Knowledge, so why aren’t they being treated with the respect they deserve?”
Pensioners dreading ULEZ expansion...
“The never-ending number of road closures and restrictions the Mayor has brought in is simply unbelievable. Meanwhile, thousands of pensioners like me are dreading the expansion of the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone. I am a member of the Puddenecks Club in Barnet, an organisation which supports the elderly. Before lockdown, I visited the club regularly, but I can’t afford to pay £12.50 each time I want to attend so I won’t be able to go as often, if at all. It also worries me greatly that when my wife or I visit our local hospital in the future, it will cost us £12.50 per visit as it’s inside the extended zone. How can people on limited incomes be expected to pay for this?”
Thank you & be lucky
“But my greatest sympathy is for the Black Cab drivers who have put up with so much with all these road restrictions and now to top it all need to find £60,000 for an electric cab! So many people don’t know how much cabbies do to help veterans and children through the different trade charities, and I want to say a huge thank you to all the drivers and wish them the best of luck for the months ahead as London reawakens.”
About Roy Nash
Some years ago, a WWII veteran introduced Roy to the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans and Roy very quickly learned just how special London cabbies are. Roy lives in Chingford and loves being part of the Taxi Charity family and many of the cabbies who volunteer for the charity have become great friends.
Roy said: “To do my bit, to pay back for everything the charity does, I became a collector. I stand at tube stations with a bucket relying on the generosity of the commuters, generally starting between 06.30 and 07.00am until around 5pm. It's a long day for an 89-year-old like myself, but it’s something I feel very passionate about. We haven’t been able to collect for almost a year and as the charity totally relies on donations, I hope we will be able to get
back to collecting soon.”