VOLUNTEER CABBIES: Poppy Cabs marks 15 years of free taxi rides for veterans on Remembrance Sunday

Image credit: Poppy Cabs

Poppy Cabs, the free taxi service for veterans on Remembrance Sunday, is gearing up for its 15th year of operation. This year’s service will take place on Sunday, 10 November 2024, as it continues to play a crucial role in enabling veterans to attend the annual Remembrance Service and Parade in central London.

The initiative, which now provides over 1,000 free taxi rides in just two hours, is particularly vital for veterans with mobility challenges, especially wheelchair users. Without the assistance of London’s licensed taxi drivers, many veterans would struggle to participate in the commemorations at the Cenotaph.

London taxi drivers, knowledge students, and their families volunteer their time, with many committing their entire day to the effort. The service operates from several key locations across the capital, including Kings Cross, Liverpool Street, Victoria, and Paddington. Taxis are also pre-arranged for those with specific needs, such as wheelchair users or veterans with ambulatory issues.

Most veterans are taken to Admiralty Arch for the main service, but others are transported to Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park Corner, and Grosvenor Gardens for additional ceremonies. Following the service, return trips are organised from Westminster Bridge, with a dedicated pick-up point at Admiralty Arch for those in wheelchairs.

Mike Hughes, a London cab driver, has independently coordinated Poppy Cabs for years, matching drivers with veterans requiring special assistance. The support from the taxi community is essential to the smooth running of this initiative, ensuring veterans can mark Remembrance Sunday with ease and dignity.

Mike Hughes, Poppy Cabs Coordinator, said: “In 2009 the taxi trade didn’t realise just how much our veterans relied upon London’s Black Cabs to get to and from the annual Remembrance Sunday service and parade. What started with 15 taxis lined up on Westminster Bridge to mark the 11th hour while waiting for veterans, has grown into something supported by several hundreds of taxi drivers every year. The Poppy Cabs apolitical and non-political ethos is one which encourages all members of the taxi trade – drivers, family members, suppliers and general supporters – to come together to help honour our veterans. The emotional atmosphere is something that you cannot put a price on. It’s amazing to think that this is our 15th year. In that time, we’ve grown to the point where we are considered an essential part of the event for those attending.

“Funded entirely by the drivers themselves, this is seen, alongside events organised by The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, as one of the highlights of the taxi trade year, when taxi drivers make a special effort to pay back part of the debt owed to our military veterans.”