Independent Taxi Alliance

Category: Taxi Group

The Independent Taxi Alliance (ITA) describes itself as a “proactive driver led group fighting corruption through legitimate protest, lobbying, negotiation and the justice system”.

The ITA has organised protests and blockades against a number of local transport schemes across London designed to improve air quality by restricting road traffic. It has claimed London authorities are deliberately trying to cause congestion in order to implement clean air policies.

The group has been highly critical of the ride-hailing app Uber, having organised protests against the company.

The ITA has worked with the United Cabbies Group, another taxi group, to bring legal challenges to “anti-taxi councils”, according to its Twitter feed.

Funding

The ITA is a voluntary group.

Air Pollution Lobbying

The ITA has claimed Transport for London and the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan have “manufactured congestion in a bid to raise pollution levels, to enable a clean air tax” which it says “results in longer journey times, thus higher fares”. It did not offer any further details in its tweet on how the Mayor of London allegedly did this.

The group has staged multiple protests against what it argues are “anti-taxi” transport measures, designed to improve road safety and reduce air pollution.

In September 2019, the group protested at the introduction of a “bus gate” in Tower Hamlets, East London, preventing cars and taxis from using Tredegar Road. Taxi drivers were accused by some local residents of “aggressive behaviour and harassment of council staff”.

Sean Paul Day, an organiser of the group, later tweeted that “hassling councillors who don’t live locally pales in comparison to the punitive measures that they intend to force on local residents.”

For a period of time in mid-2019, the group held weekly protests in Parliament Square opposing restrictions to taxis on certain roads, including one in July supported by the RMT union’s London taxi branch.

In January 2019, the ITA blocked Tottenham Court Road in protest at plans to close parts of the street to all vehicles except bicycles and buses during the day. It said in a statement that allowing taxis to use bus lanes would be “liable to enhance the efficiency of the London road transport system”.

In November 2018, the group organised a blockade of London Bridge in protest at a number of schemes restricting taxi access, using the slogan “where buses go, we go”.

It has rejected concerns about “manufactured” climate change and described climate activists as a “climate change mob”.

Key Arguments in Order of Prominence

Giving taxis access to bus lanes makes London’s transport system more efficient
Transport for London and Sadiq Khan have “manufactured” congestion in order to raise pollution levels and introduce emissions charges
The issue of climate change has been “manufactured”

Areas Active

The ITA is solely focused on London.

Key Actions

January 2019

The ITA organised a week of protests against the closure of Tottenham Court Road to all vehicles except bicycles and buses during the day.

September 2019

The group protested at the introduction of a “bus gate” on a road in Tower Hamlets, preventing cars and taxis from using it. Taxi drivers were accused by a local resident of “aggressive behaviour and harassment of council staff”.