i work for a courier firm… we also have PCO drivers… when they come for an interview with give them a knowledge test because we dont like our drivers to rely on Satnavs in central london… if they fail then we tell them to go to Addison Lee to get some experience… then come back when they think they are ready !! :Dalso… if the driver passes the knowledge test… then gets complaints about bad driving… they are let go… as we dont want to lose our clients… we hear they tend again to go to Addison Lee… because they phone us up asking for a reference… lol !! :w00t:
plus iv seen A.L. drivers really lose it on the road… lol… one memorable one was a driver tried to knock a cyclist off… then he had to stop at the next set of lights… he gets out to have ago at the said cyclist only to be confronted by about 10 other cyclists who witnessed this… couple had Vids on the helmets… another taking photos of his reg & himself… he retreated quickly… i was so impressed with the cyclists looking out for their own… bit like us lot !!
I sadly had a moment with one AL driver in East India road around the 8pm mark yesterday, if you hear of a biker trying to pull the driver out through the window, that was proudly me after he cut up nearly killing me and then told me fuc.k off.
as much as I hate to have to do this I will have to defend AL…they are the biggest minicab company in London and use the same cars and are branded hence they of course will have the most incidents and are the most memorable. Your brain is more likely to remember the ford galaxy with ad lee in a big logo cutting you up than some non descript Toyota Carina. I used to work for them (got fired for telling a controller to go **** himself so hold no love for the company) and unless things are have changed they were really hot on checking licenses, points etc.
You also had to do a knowledge test……………whilst not the hardest test …………you still had to do one.
Also if someone complains about your driving/riding the controllers check to see if you were there at time of complaint if you were you get a verbal warning second time a written warning and third time fired. This happened a few times when I worked there so I know they took it seriously.
I havent worked for them for a few years so maybe things have changed drastically but when I was there I found it to be very professional compared to other courier companies I worked for and always on the forefront of technology.
I’ve first hand experienced some very aggressive driving from AL “taxis” (in my opinion, it’s not a taxi unless it’s a black cab or the driver has the same qualifications and the car is inspected in the same way). The drivers didn’t seem to care about other (weaker) road users. I’m sure there’s good and bad ones, but the name is on the car, so ultimately AL are responsible for their drivers.
I don’t use them, never will, never will respect them.
I don’t know whether it’s as a result of this topic (?!) or not but all the Addison Lee drivers I come across go out of their way to move over when they see me on the bike! We had an account with them at my previous company where they would drive us to and pick us up from the airport 10-12 times a year and we never had a negative experience. I must have missed something!!
In light of Superoli’s inside info wouldnt the best policy be for us all to report the driver/reg to AL rather than the rather futile rants at the driver? Satisfying at the time it may be. Dont get me wrong i can ‘express myself’ at the time the same as everyone else but ultimately doesnt achieve anything. Same goes for red light jumping buses, black cab, branded vans etc etc
When filtering I can guarantee that every AL Galaxy will have 2 tyres on the white line. When I do manage to get past they will always be leant over fidding with phone or something on the passenger seat.
I try to stay clear of them or get around them quickly before they know I’m there.
Addison Lee are not being very nice to me :(… they’re still pursuing an insurance claim against me for alleged accidental 1" chip to a wing mirror housing worth 30 squids…and trying to get 175 plus out of me for it…:crying:. One thing for certain I will never be using Addison Lee for anything…unless they bring out a brand of toilet paper that is.
Ms mad-dog works inthe call center and hears lots of storys.
She told me one driver reversed into a private jets wing in a air hanger & a driver got sacked for having a w**k in the car while waiting for booked pick up:w00t:
Better to have a w**k while waiting for your passenger than to do it once they’re in the car I guess…!!
The private jet thing could have been nasty if no one noticed!! A colleague was flying to Italy the other week during the snow chaos when the pilot announced that “they wouldnt be flying on this plane because they’ve just found a hole in it…someone appears to have driven into the plane” (presumably in one of the luggage / fuelling thingy’s…and hadn’t reported it!)
