MAILSHOT
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CARS ON THE CIRCUIT
I wonder if the three radio circuits could open a dialogue with the GLA regarding a licence for a Mercedes MPV. It would solve the problem of cars on the circuits. If they are good enough for other towns, there is no lawful reason for a refusal and we will get a one-stop shop for our clients.
Owen Murphy (B8)
Brian Rice replies: Although I am not privy to any negotiations, I understand that there are two manufacturers who are in dialogue with the PCO. Like you Owen, I will have to wait and see if there are any developments.

APOLOGIES FROM ED
Congratulations on another fine issue of Call Sign and especially your reply to the letter from Terry Hamston. It is refreshing to find someone admit a mistake and apologise, rather than waffle or make excuses. Bravo.
The feedback from Tom Carter about the new terminals was interesting but on 5 out of 20 queries he said the matter should be taken up with the BoM. Why was there no response to any of these points from a Board member?
Laurence Kelvin (W88)
I'm not sure whether being praised for apologising when wrong is actually praise, but I'll accept it wherever I can find it!
   As for Tom Carter's article, the idea was always that he just gave an honest answer to each question and that any driver wanting to make a particular suggestion regarding the new terminal's software - now knowing that idea was possible - should raise it with the Board. Few things are not possible, however, sometimes the cost of a software change can far outweigh its usefulness. A note to Tom Whitbread is the start. If he considers it to be a useful possibility, he will take it to Brian Rice and it could eventually come into being ... Ed

THE RULES OR NOT THE RULES - IS THAT THE QUESTION?
Dear Brian
Thanks for the reply to my letter in Mailshot. Your reply was much as I expected. Once again you take the tack that I am confused. Perhaps you can enlighten me and unravel my confusion? My understanding of the rules of the Society is that the rules are set out in the rulebook. It is these rules that bind a member. The only sanction that the Board can invoke against any member is incorporated in rule 7 of the rulebook.
7. Suspension And Expulsion Of Members.
   "Any member who contravenes the rules of the Society or, by his actions prejudices the interests of the Society....". etc.
   The rules that rule 7 alluded to are the rules set out in the rule book and no other. The only actions that can prejudice the interests of Society are actions that flout the Society's rules.
   Therefore would you mind explaining to me whereby the validity of the procedure rules comes from? These rules do not bind the members. If you say that they do, would you mind giving me explicit detail as to your reasoning.
   On another note, in your Chairman's report you say that 100 new mobiles are to be added to the fleet per month. How many months? One, two, four, or maybe, twelve? As this is members' circuit, do you not think the members should have a say on how many mobiles should be added?
Maurice Haben (G17)
Brian Rice replies: If you choose to quote Rule 7, part of the rule states... 'by his actions prejudices the interests of the Society'. That is broken down further into the Procedural Rules which safeguards Members, the Society and Clients alike and which would all prejudice the Society if flouted. What you are actually advocating is anarchy and I don't believe that is what the members want.
   Regarding extra mobiles; I don't believe that we have one member who can't see that we are snowed under with work at certain times and that we need to improve coverage. I believe that your attitude is extremely archaic, Maurice, because more mobiles equates to better service, which equates to attracting more work. It's about time we fought back against the unlicensed trade and I hope that you agree with me. I will fit extra mobiles until Members and Clients alike receive the service that they both deserve from DaC. The members elected me to run their business and that it exactly what I and the remainder of the BoM have done and will continue to do. If the members believe that I have not done a good job for them, then they and they alone will have the ultimate say by removing me.

OI VEY... I GOTTA NEW TERMINAL!
I must say how much I love the new terminal. It is absolutely wonderful. The 'soon-to-clear' and 'temporary off' timers make life that bit easier / shmeezier - whatever it is, I like it! The facility to restart the 'waiting time' clock is also very helpful - especially when the customer says halfway home: "Please stop while I get some shopping." You push the 'time' button and you no longer have to make notes and try to look at your watch in the dark - daymen substitute 'traffic' for 'dark'! I especially like having the choice of on-screen colours and the 'zoom' facility; it makes reading the screen so easy. The 'print out' is also very useful and saves the need to write notes or keep receipt pads.
   I have only one complaint and one suggestion. The map facility is absolutely brilliant but why, when it goes off after three minutes or so, can you not just press 'map' again and go back to where you left it?
   The suggestion is that Dial-a-Cab speak to the PCO about a facility that allows the meter to continue after you stop it. That way, if you accept an account trip after having to run a fair distance and then over-estimate the run-in, you can stop the meter and continue it when you arrive. That would also stop the problem of excessive run-ins. After all, when you run to pick up a trip, you are reluctant to have to re-start the meter because you suddenly hit a hold-up. If you could push 'stop meter' and then 'continue meter' it would solve the problem.
   Otherwise, I am a very happy person. Mind you, tomorrow I may think of something nasty to say!
Sid Nathan (K88)
But do you like the terminal, Sid! Re your map suggestion, see the reply to Laurence Kelvin's letter and write to Tom Whitbread. As for your idea to continue the meter after voluntarily stopping it, I spoke to Brian Rice asking if perhaps the next JRTA meeting could take it up. However, the Chairman had already beaten me to the punch. In the early days of his Chairmanship he asked the PCO for a 'pause' facility so that the driver could stop and then re-start the meter. For example, if the run-in was £3.80 and the driver had that on his meter but had not yet arrived at the pick up, he could 'pause' his meter and re-start it when he arrived. The PCO rejected the idea because they felt it might be abused as meters with the 'pause' facility would have to be obtainable by the whole trade and not just those taxis or radio ...Ed

RHYMING TIME ON THE GOING HOME LINE - CONTINUED
Allow me to introduce myself, Shaller is the name, and just like Mr. Stroulger I find EC5 a pain.
I have lived on that rank for many years as one of the mob, even one of the 'faces',
   Now I'm somewhat disillusioned, cause I don't see faraway places!
Lots of bread and butter, but I pray and dream, wouldn't it be nice to have my share of the cream.
   But why Mr S, should I be denied a lengthy job cause someone's going home?
   I'd like to see Southend on Sea 

THANK YOU FOR THE FLOWERS
Thank you for the beautiful flowers that you sent for our Golden Wedding party, they were the first of many and were greatly appreciated. The party was a terrific success and my phone was red hot with people ringing to say what a wonderful time they had. Besides that, the Macmillan Nurses Cancer Care will benefit to the tune of about £1000 thanks to those who responded to requests to donate money to that wonderful cause rather than bring a gift.
Bernie Pressman (M31J)
Fifty years of married bliss is something to celebrate, Bernie. Our best to both you and Mildred and may you keep Call Sign readers entertained with your articles for many years to come ... Ed

DAYMEN v NIGHTMENv BOM
I am writing to you to voice not only my concerns, but also the concerns of many other night drivers. The Board would appear to be showing total disregard for drivers who work at night.
Whilst I do appreciate that a vast majority of the fleet do work during the day, the drivers who work at night are treated poorly by comparison. I list below the major areas of concern:
1. The Control Manager only works daytime hours and therefore has no comprehension of the problems that can occur during an evening. If he were to work a split shift, he would gain a better knowledge of the differences in driving a cab during the daytime as opposed to night-time, which are considerable.
2. Whilst I believe in democracy with regard to code 77, the format is heavily weighted towards day drivers without any thought given to night drivers, but in particular to our valued clients.
I would like to take the opportunity of putting the following fairer recommendations to you:
1. A driver who has done no less than 5 credit rides can activate code 77, but unlike the system at the moment, the driver will still get their one bite of the cherry but to only postal districts. For example, if a driver lives in Ilford he would be offered a job to say Wanstead, which is neither greedy nor abusing the system and he would be grateful for this. This in turn, will prevent our major clients in the city being unable to understand why the cab going out of town has turned up in a matter of minutes while the one going to Chelsea has taken almost an hour.
2. With particular reference to City work, (I am in a good position to comment on this as approx 95% of my work is on credit), once a driver has accepted a job in the city, why can he not see how old the job is instead of the ludicrous system we have at the moment where a message follows the job to do a delay advise? However, once the new code 77 as referred to above is brought in, coverage in the City will improve considerably with most of the night drivers returning.
   Finally, I should like to point out that the Board are voted in by the members and a good idea would be to hold a Forum once a month where grievances and suggestions can be discussed by all, as opposed to the aloof and patronising answers I read in Call Sign.
Paul Samuels (T85)
Brian Rice replies:
You raise many points in your letter, Paul and state that there is a total disregard for nightmen. May I suggest that your views are actually weighted heavily in favour of nightmen. I'm glad you say that you agree with democracy because that is why we have the 'going home' facility as most members want it. Because you don't happen to agree with it is neither here nor there, you only happen to favour democracy when it suits your point of view. Sorry Paul, it doesn't work like that.
Your first recommendation really means that you can only get a job to a London postal district on the 'going home' facility; you then say that members would be grateful for this - oh really? So if I understand you correctly, a dayman would never get a 'roader' - they would be reserved for nightmen - hmmmmm.
   Regarding your second point, the reason the entry time is not on the trip offer is because if a trip is starting to getting 'old' some drivers will not accept them for fear of being berated by the customer for being late, so he either lets the trip 'time out' or he puts his meter on. All that does is to exacerbate the situation. We also found that some trips were being covered immediately and other trips were 'sticking', but since EC5 entry times have been masked, clients are getting a far more consistent service with any delays being distributed equally, thus giving ALL clients a more consistent service. Neither is there any longer a difference in the waiting times between 'roaders' and normal trips.
I would be delighted to have Members Forums once a month, in fact I did mention the subject some months ago and asked any interested members to contact this office if they were interested. Do you know how many members showed an interest in having a forum? Not one - not even you, Paul...

THE 'BUTTERED' DRESS CODE VIEW...!
To say that I'm a 'butter' on the circuit would be an understatement - in fact I was only let loose on our customers on November 1. During the training session, we had a visit from Chairman Brian, who handed us all a copy of Call Sign. While riding home on the on the nightmare known as the Central Line, I was browsing through it when my attention was drawn to a couple of letters about that dreaded old chestnut of a 'dress code' for drivers.
   I've had my bill a mere 10 years and in that relatively short period, it has never failed to stagger me how polarised the pro and anti lobbies are. At one end of the scale, there are those that would have us appearing ready to attend an investiture at the Palace, while at the other end there are a group of people who would be better suited to occupying a shop doorway along The Strand! I've got some news for both camps. There's some perfectly acceptable middle ground, which is being totally ignored.
   In the winter months, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a clean pair of jeans and a decent shirt, while during the summer, even the most pompous of golf clubs will allow tailored shorts and a polo shirt. So why not our customers?
   Whenever this topic arises, I tend to speak to a few account punters to see how they feel on the matter and they - the vast majority - usually say the same thing: They want their cab on time and in an acceptable condition. They also want their driver to be courteous and helpful. While some have passed adverse comments about the swim shorts and flip flop brigade (a view that I totally agree with), they have no objections whatsoever to 'smart casual'. Let's get realistic here folks - we don't need to dress like 'Man at Oxfam', nor should we need to pop down to  Versace or Armani for our working togs. It would be a real shame to remove the wonderful individuality of the London Cab trade, just because of a lack of commonsense on the part of a minority.
Leon Benjamin (N50)
Welcome to DaC Leon and congratulations on being Call Sign's first 'Nova' representative ...Ed

THE HUGO BOSS DRESS CODE?
I read with interest Mr Shaller's article regarding a dress code and I entirely agree with his point of view and support it. However, I find it strange that these comments come from him, as he is not exactly the Hugo Boss of EC5. Before he intends to speak in support of any such proposition, he should put his  own house in order.
   I'd also like to say how much Call Sign has improved since you took it over. Keep up the good work and well done...
P.Noble (S55J)
Thanks for the compliment re Call Sign, Pat, I sometimes wonder whether I would have accepted the job had I realised how difficult it would be!
   As for your comments on Steve Shaller, I must disagree with you. I am reprinting a small part of his article from the October Call Sign which

CALL SIGN - WHICH WAY SHOULD IT GO?
Let us be clear about one thing; Call Sign is a professionally turned out magazine and it is plain to be seen that a lot of dedicated hard work has gone into its production. The quality of Call Sign is above reproach. It is, nevertheless, an in-house magazine and it is this premise that invites comment. Certainly, with over 2000 potential contributors reluctant to put pen to paper, the Editor of any in-house magazine would be frustrated more than somewhat. And with access to the Internet readily available, we now have contributors from the four corners of the globe. Call Sign has undergone a metamorphosis. It is now no longer an in-house magazine but a glossy with an international readership and would appear to vie with the likes of 'Hello' and 'Oui!'
   My wife works for Waitrose, which is a member of the John Lewis Partnership. As you no doubt know, it is a co-operative not unlike our own. Their in-house magazine is 'The Gazette'. Their Editor explains that the main function of The Gazette is the availability of information, explanations, exchanges of opinions and debates between Management and managed. Management profiles and the Company's future aspirations are outlined and opinions sought Reader's letters are welcomed, signed or anonymous, from members past and present. Surely this is what an in-house magazine is designed to do and anything fundamentally extraneous disqualifies it from this status.
   Is there another in-house magazine that is read worldwide? I doubt it. However interesting these articles may be from the cab trade around the world, they should not be included in an in-house magazine. Ongoing debates and criticisms (constructive or otherwise) expressed in Call Sign are for the members of the house (Dial-a-cab) and no one else. You know that feeling you get when you discover the postman has accidentally given your neighbour your bank statement to read...!
   By the way: I have received two e-mails. The first from my dentist telling me how much he enjoyed last month's editorial and the other from Addison Lee re my suggestion for a dress code. It read "You guys look cute just as you are." How sweet...!
Steve Shaller (R75)
Thanks for your comments Steve. The subject of Call Sign's status is not quite as simple as you make out. When I applied for the position as Editor, I told the BoM at my interview what I intended to do to Call Sign based on the views of drivers that I spoke to at the time. The Board have never interfered during my tenure and I believe that the mag now represents those original views pretty closely. If you read my first Editorial in the June 1997 issue, you'll see some of my thoughts at the time.
   So what should an in-house mag contain? Well, it used to be a 12-16 page magazine of which 6 pages were taken up by BoM reports - all invariably similar - writing about coverage. There was little in the way of genuine information because BoM policy was to keep everything close to its chest. Consequently, Jery Craig had the unenviable task of producing a magazine with very little assistance. The natural progression to that was that few drivers bothered writing (other than in the days of the so-called 'gang of four'). That led to the problem of some drivers no longer bothering to open the envelope with Call Sign in it and just binning it. That wasn't Jery's fault, but today's modern driver doesn't just want to read reports. He/she is used to having a vast array of newspapers and magazines to read and while I don't pretend that Call Sign is anywhere near to being up there with the best, I like to think that it can pass an hour or so for drivers and staff (who also work for Dial-a-Cab) and their families (who want to know what their husbands/wives are up to). One of those wives even writes for the mag, as does the daughter of a driver.
   If you look at every issue that I have produced over the past three and a half years, you'll see on the front cover under the Call Sign banner: 'From the home of Dial-a-Cab International'. From day one, one of my hopes was to assist in making the name of Dial-a-Cab recognisable around the world - note that I said DaC and not Call Sign. That has now happened and whereas many used to think that the London Cab trade was called Computer Cab, they now call it Dial-a-Cab! DaC are invited everywhere and while not all invites are accepted, the fact that they are even sent, represents a tremendous success story for this company. Directors of taxi companies from around the world ask if they can visit Brunswick House. Yes, the Internet has changed everything - for better or worse. However, Steve, I believe that you are perhaps exaggerating the "read worldwide" factor. While there has been the occasional letter from various different countries, they are few and far between when you compare them to DaC driver's contributions. There is also the occasional article from drivers in other countries, but usually in connection to London. We recently were the only magazines to run an article on the TX1 in California including colour pics. Yet that cost us nothing thanks to the Internet and the time spent on Call Sign's behalf by our guy in San Francisco, Charles Rathbone. We have a report in this issue from Wim Faber in Brussels on the IRU transport conference in Budapest last month. Had DaC not been members of the IRU, I wouldn't have bothered, but we are and this is the 21st century and like it or not Steve, the world is a big place and DaC have to keep up. It may not be of interest to everyone but as you know Steve, you can't please everyone. After all, I seem to remember a Call Sign series of articles in the 1980's called Spanner in the Works that gave details of how to carry out repairs to DaC drivers cabs; They were written by a young man called Steve Shaller. Undoubtedly interesting to some, but in-house and of interest to everyone? C'est la vie ...Ed

WAS IT WORTH IT?
Although I haven't been with ODRTS since 1988 due to ill health, thanks to the kindness of my neighbour's son, I keep up with the trade news via the trade papers and magazines. Before making my point, can I say that Call Sign is by far and away the most enjoyably readable of them all.
   In the November issue, there was an excellent article by Sam Harris who, speaking of the Cenotaph remembrance service asked if it had all been worth it. He pointed out that pensioners - many of whom were ex-war heroes - were not treated with the respect they deserved and went on to mention minicabs touting as and when they wished on our streets. Well, Sam, you are right, but you could have mentioned the disabled as well. I wasn't injured in the war but through my disability, I meet many that were and the treatment they are given by HMG is nothing less than scandalous. Take the recent award to those who survived the Japanese hell-camps in WW2. Most of them are now at the tail end of their lives, yet they have had to fight non-stop to gain a few thousand derisory quid.
   Of course we have to ask whether it was worth it and I guess we all know the true answer to the question, but Sam, thanks for giving me the chance to have my say.
V. Grimlet
Dorking, Surrey

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