Last month, I had to have a medical, inline with the terms and conditions, of my TfL Taxi driver licence.
Both myself and my doctor are of the opinion that because of the way driver medical procedures are currently set up, TfL have made it extremely easy for anyone (of a mind), to produce a fake medical certificate.
At present, medical application forms are sent out to drivers, who then take the form to the doctor to be completed at the surgery. On completion, the form is given back to the applicant, who then has to provide an envelope and a stamp.
It is then up to the applicant to post the form back to TfL.
It is extremely easy to produce a copy of the form, which the doctor will then fill in and return to the driver.
The applicant could then transfer the information to the original form, changing details to insure a pass.
It is also extremely easy to stop this abuse.
All it would take to stop this abuse, is for a stamped return envelope to be sent out with the medical form. That way the doctor could fill in the form and post back to TfL without the need to return the paperwork back to the applicant.
It would cost very little (under £1 per application) to produce a stamped addressed return envelope and even if TfL were to decide not to cover the cost, a small amount could be added to the licence fee. The safety of the public should transcend such a small amount.
My doctor said he would be more than happy with this procedure, as it would stop future fraudulent abuse.
A simple idea to say the least, but then the best ideas are normally just simply common sense.
TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT:
Blast from the past.
We all read the expose' below in the Sun (also carried by other national publications) in October last year. But since the article hit the headlines, like everything Uber/TfL related, the scandal soon became a wall of silence.
ROGUE GPs are coining it from minicab and Uber drivers by lying on vital forms about their fitness to carry passengers.
Three doctors caught by The Sun were happy to sell a faked medical all-clear — required to get an official cab licence.
• Have these two doctors 'Dr Ashraful Haque Mirza and Dr Abdi Issa Creek' been struck off ?
• A third doctor in Barking was also I'm,I acted but unnamed in the article.
• Have the drivers who paid for fake medicals had their licenses revoked ?
The Sun's investigation from August 2016:
Are 13,000 Uber drivers, without proper DBS certificates, currently picking up members of the public?
Last month, it came to light that over 13,000 Uber drivers have been licensed by TfL after presenting fake criminal record check DBS certificates.
Helen Chapman took it upon herself last month, to defend these drivers at a meeting with Taxi trade orgs, saying (in her opinion) all drivers would subsequently pass a proper enhanced TfL certified DBS.
As a result, all 13,000 were given 28 days to re-present.
Helen also appears to be quite happy with the fact that 13,000 drivers without adequate checks have been picking up members of the public since January. TfL actually said nothing about this scandal, until the story was given to the Sunday Times by the LCDC.
When asked why Taxi drivers (caught up in a backlog of licence applications renewals) weren't being allowed to carry on working, Helen Chapman said she wouldn't be able to live with herself should a Taxi driver without a certified DBS commit an offence, while waiting for the enhanced criminal record check to go through.
We wonder what suddenly changed her attitude when it came to 13,000 Uber drivers without proper DBS clearance?
Taxi Leaks would suggest that any member of the public who has been a victim of an attack by one of the drivers without a proper DBS, should sue TfL, who have admitted they knew about this and chose to say nothing for 10 months.
Another question that should be asked:
Are Uber currently paying a licence fee to TfLTPH whilst appeal going through?
Or operating for free, courtesy of TfL?
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