Dear LPG,

I recently heard that, for the moment UBER Cabs have been banned from London’s roads because the company have, at least for a short while, lost their license to operate in our area.    

I am a relatively young pensioner and I am quite lucky because I cannot remember the last time I have had to use a cab, I drive myself.  As a result I have no idea of how you hail one.

I understand that you can only really access an UBER cab by using an app on your mobile phone, which is good for the young who want everything to be electronically easy and instant.

A friend of mine has been visiting a patient who is in Lewisham Hospital and I have learned a very valuable lesson. If you arrive at seven in the evening it is possible to be one of the four cars that are able to park on the single red line in the bus lane on Lewisham High Street, in front of the Registry office next to the hospital building. 

I offered to take my friend and wait for her one evening, not so long ago, and we arrived just after seven o’clock; early enough to get one of the four free parking spots.  Having occupied the parking space I did not rush to leave the car.  My friend went to make her visit and I stayed in the car to look at a pamphlet that I forgotten about, when to my great surprise, the back door of my car was flung open by a young man, who swiftly made himself comfortable on the back seat, as he said just one word to me, it was “Uber?”  It all happened so quickly that his was one continuous and quick action.   While working through the shock and sorting out my reaction to what had just happened, I said “No”, and he was out and the door shut before I had time to draw breath?

I understand that the company are required to improve some of their practices before their licence will be reinstated, and I have no idea as to which of their practices are deemed not up to standard, but I have to say that I found the experience harrowing to say the least but I do blame myself.

The experience has reminded me that no matter what time of day or night it is, if you are sitting in a parked car you need to take advantage of the central locking system.  Even if I were not looking at the pamphlet when this happened, it would have been impossible to see all the doors at any one time.  So please remember the importance of locking yourself in.

HA, Catford.