LONDON CABBIE FINED £60 FOR DROPPING OFF DISABLED PASSENGER IN LONDON

A London black cab driver has been hit with a £60 parking fine after stopping briefly to help an elderly woman with a cane to her door.

Gary Taylor, a 20-year-old veteran of the capital's taxi trade, received the penalty after dropping off the passenger at 10.30pm in the Brentford Lock area.

Despite explaining to Parking Collection Services (PCS) that he was a professional licensed driver assisting a vulnerable customer, his appeal was rejected.

The company stated that conditions of parking apply to all motorists and that "being a taxi driver does not provide an exemption" to the terms on nearby signs. Mr Taylor, 58, was warned the charge would rise to £100 if unpaid and is now considering an independent mediator.

“I am normally very careful as it is so easy to get a ticket when driving in London these days, so I was completely shocked when this one came through,” he said.

“I had no idea it was private land and I did not see the signs as it was dark. I was on double yellows, but cabbies have an exemption to let customers out. We are normally permitted to stop and allow customers in and out of the cab safely.”

Local MP Ruth Cadbury expressed deep concern over the incident, calling it another example of a private parking firm acting unfairly against a driver who was simply helping someone home.

She noted that cabs are a vital lifeline for constituents with limited mobility and expressed disappointment that the company showed no discretion or common sense.

Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association, slammed private parking firms for operating like the "Wild West" with a "licence to print money".

He said cab drivers increasingly struggled to do their jobs in the capital without being caught by fines.

He warned that heavy surveillance via CCTV and automatic number plate recognition traps law-abiding road users while criminals who can doctor number plates evade detection.

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