As many as 40 black cabs are expected at the funeral today of a driver thought to be the first Sikh black cabbie.
Mohan Singh Rathore, who was known to many as Jimmy Singh, died on June 9 aged 67 at his Forest Gate home. His family believe he was the first Sikh black cab driver to hold a Hackney carriage licence.
Mr Singh, who was born in 1947 in what became Pakistan after Indian Independence in August 1947, gained the licence in 1974 and spent the rest of his life driving a black cab, using the taxi rank in Meridian Square in Stratford as his base. A convoy of 40 black cabs are expected to join the funeral procession at the taxi rank in Meridian Square at 3pm today.
He lived in Colston Road, Forest Gate and was working until just before he died.
His son-in-law, Sukchen, ‘Shane’ Singh, also a black cab driver paid tribute to the ‘happy go lucky, simple man’.
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