Opinion: the VC’s rampant taxi abuse makes a mockery of the university’s sustainability policies

I would absolutely love to take a taxi everywhere I go in London. The plush seats and ample legroom would make me feel like an MP, a hedge fund manager, or the editor of a successful financial magazine.

Sadly, I am unable to be chauffeured around the capital in a black cab as I am nothing more than a lowly student. We students, for the most part, are poor, and the famous hackney carriage is a luxury reserved for drunken group travel on a Friday night when the last orders bell has long since rung.

Not only is taxi addiction an expensive habit, but it harms others around you as well. According to Transport for London, taxis are the leading producer of dangerous air particles in central London, accounting for 34% of the emissions.

Why then should the vice-chancellor of our university be allowed to claim taxi journeys of only a mile or less on his expenses – most of which come from our tuition fees?

Paul Curran’s wanton use of taxis on the university’s tab makes a mockery of the Travel Plan put forward by City, as well as its numerous sustainability policies.

The Travel Plan, from 2013, states that there is much work to be done in terms of infrastructure and facilities in promoting walking and cycling to University. It advised that taxi use should be discouraged, and if their use is absolutely necessary they should be low-emissions ‘green’ taxis.

City appears to pride itself in its green efforts, so for the head of the university to turn a blind eye is rather hypocritical. The Green Dragons would be ashamed.

If Mr Curran wants to be a widely-respected leader, it would be wise to show that he is indeed down to earth. Taking a taxi from his residence to the Cass building is rather absurd, especially since the vice-chancellor lives in a rather large house in Myddelton Square – merely a hop and a skip away from most of the university buildings.

He should follow the example of the many students who live in halls, the overwhelming majority of whom stick to the principles put forward by City’s sustainability policies and Travel Plan – either through choice or necessity.

I’m not sure whether I’m surprised by such hypocrisy from the university’s top brass. It is symptomatic of establishment positions, such as vice-chancellor, that come laden with perks and expenses.

Mr Curran may have been bathing in this sort of lifestyle for such a long time that he has forgotten that being the leader of an institution such as City means upholding its values as well.

The Square’s expenses uncovering is also quite perturbing when you remember that the vice-chancellor, a few years ago, intended to cut jobs of lecturers and professors that ‘just teach’ – a crude attempt at boosting the university’s research ranking. This only further illustrates that Paul Curran has lost touch with students, staff, and the real world.

Perhaps one day I should invite the vice-chancellor to pay for my taxi to university in the morning so that my dream of feeling like a Goldman Sachs boss can finally be fulfilled.