During my time on the Board, some of my closest cab driving friends became subscribers on DaC but all of them have since left for various reasons. However, one in particular left claiming that he could not make it pay. The decision to leave came soon after a difficult meeting I had with him to discuss his subscriptions which were several months in arrears.
   This was in an attempt to get him to change his mind and also to assist in any way I could - as any friend would. I was also curious to know why any driver should be unable to get sufficient credit work to cover subs - let alone 40 trips a month, so I asked him if he would give me an example of his average working day.
   Whilst difficult for me to comprehend, I later discovered from the details he gave me that he is not unique. I have since heard similar stories from a number of other drivers on our circuit regarding the hours and the manner in which they work.
My friend, who is in his mid fifties, lives with his partner less than a mile from Brunswick House. His cab is singled, which means that he could if he so wished work any hours he chose to. In his case it was 8:45am to 5pm.
   Intrigued to know why exactly 8:45, his answer was that there was no particular reason, "...force of habit I suppose". He proceeded to tell me that each morning after signing on to the system, he would book into EC2 and was annoyed that there were always over25 cabs already in the zone. Despondent, he would pull off and head for a similarly over-subscribed zone. Having repeatedly pursued this pointless task and with it the obvious failure at obtaining a credit ride, he would scratch around doing mundane cash work in between meeting up with his friends at a regular watering hole before going home at 5pm. Needless to say you don't need the brains of a rocket scientist to conclude what his earning power was and why being a subscriber of DaC was, in his case, a liability.
   Fortunately for me, being a close friend I was able to criticise his method of working and offer suggested solutions without him taking offence, not that he took much notice of me anyway as he's still doing the same hours and still barely making a living!

Service Levels
Why do I mention the above? Well, the simple reason is that it appears we have far too many subscribers on our circuit with a similar work pattern to my friend and it is having a detrimental affect on our service levels. Like it or not, if we are to retain our account customers - particularly our most senior clients - then we must have sufficient numbers of vehicles out working when demand is at its highest. At the moment, this is not happening.
   The two most obvious peak times during the day are of course the morning and evening rush hour and a very busy period between 20:30 and midnight. I fully understand the resistance against working unsociable hours and the many genuine reasons why working late in not possible. But we are in the service industry and like every other service-orientated business, if it involves retaining regular clients then working unsociable hours or longer than normal hours or specific hours of the day has to be accepted as part and parcel of the job.
   I can already see a great flurry of indignant drivers blowing a

gasket and tripping over themselves getting to their PCs to bang out letters of protest and howling that having a badge and owning their own cab gives them the right to work the hours that suits THEM and not the client. No one is dictating the hours you should work, however being part of a radio circuit which involves contractual agreements with clients, does require certain commitments and disciplines if we are to meet our written obligations. At this moment we still have an unacceptable number of drivers not achieving the required minimum 40 trips a month. Having underused equipment in their cab is an unnecessary liability for our Society, particularly as we have a huge waiting list of high earners from other circuits eager to join us. We also have a large number of drivers who are not out working when the demand is at its greatest ie during rush hours. To these drivers I would ask; for the sake of our clients and your future business, please seriously reconsider your working arrangements. Could I please suggest you discuss with your partner (your loved one, not journeyman) the possibility of perhaps alternating your working pattern to take in perhaps one or two late days a week. Or if you live in town perhaps you could try starting earlier - 7am instead of 8. Or starting earlier, having a break and working a little later. There are numerous permutations worth trying, but whatever it is, the ultimate objective is to play your part in securing your future business. Who knows, a change in work pattern could become financially and socially advantageous.

More Money - More Tax?
Another point worth considering that I know is a touchy subject, is to increase your recognised earnings. Paying the extra tax on longer hours worked is a difficult pill to swallow, but we all suffer the same penalty. Try being on the Board and paying 40% at source with no tax relief from your cab. It might be worth discussing it with your accountants.
   The other solution is to increase the fleet, which we hope to do the moment we take delivery of our new MDC's. The Board and several factors will determine exactly how many we increase the fleet by. Two in particular will be coverage and likely potential new business. Needless to say, the decision on the increase in mobiles would be considerably assisted if we were to improve our service at peak times. Also, if we were to get a resurgence of activity from the 300 or so mobiles that are doing less than 40 trips a month, plus a change in working pattern from those who work office hours.
   I know that many of the issues I involve myself in appear contentious and because of it I get the backs up of a number of our members. I assure you that I get no pleasure from it. Unfortunately, being an 'Aunt Sally' through having to protect our clients goes with the job and I accept it. But the Sales and Marketing teams together with the Board can only do so much to prevent our clients from taking their business

elsewhere. Our clients need to get to, and get home from the office, if we can't do that then they will find a company who can.
   Remember that very soon the threat won't just come from our two main competitors whose instincts are as predatory as they ever were. Even behind all the smiles and friendly handshakes, they will pounce at the first opportunity. There will soon also be organised private hire backed by big money men for us to contend with.
   So it is entirely up to you. Your future and the future of your Society is in your hands and ALL of you can assist in that future by undertaking one simple task. And that task is TO COVER ONE MORE JOB A DAY THAN YOU NORMALLY DO AT A TIME WHEN YOU ARE MOST NEEDED....

TIP-UP SEAT ADS AND CLOTHING!
At the time of writing this article, I have just taken delivery of a newly designed tip-up seat ad. The subject of the ad is our Web site, which I'm pleased to say is steadily developing into a worthwhile marketing tool. E-commerce has made enormous strides during the past three years and has become such an integral part of business that it is almost taken for granted. So please play your part, where possible, in promoting your society by advertising our Web Site on your tip-up seats. Those of you who missed the article in last months Call Sign, I will repeat the announcement that all drivers carrying the new DaC door logo will have their monthly subs reduced by £5. However drivers NOT carrying the new door logos will have their subs increased by £20.
   With the exception of metro owners where seat ads do not apply, replacing the Fairway seat-ad is simple enough by removing a few screws, however the TX1 is a little bit fiddly as the frame cannot be easily removed so the ad has to be inserted from the front. Anyone wishing to have the new ads fitted by DaC can do so at Roman Way or if you wish to do it yourself, they can be collected at Brunswick House. Please remember the large ad is for the Fairway and the small is for the TX1.
   On the question of marketing, members suggesting that we make available items of clothing that would create a professional image continually approach me. Following their requests, I have had discussions with a clothing manufacturer who specialises in 'promotional clothing'. One item in particular is a lightweight 'hooded rain jacket'. It is in navy with yellow inside collar trim and on the left front breast would be our embroidered company logo. I am having 20 samples delivered in the hope I can persuade the board to purchase the said items to pass on to our members at a 50% discount.
   To purchase 1800 and give them away completely free would be very costly, however from past experience, to ask the members to buy them at full price, no matter how low the cost is, there are likely to be very few takers. Again it will be another contentious issue with the freedom of dress brigade. But image is a powerful commodity in the promotion of business and it cannot be ignored for the sake of the shortsighted few. No one is forcing you to wear it, but to those that do, then at least our clients will see we are making the effort. The 20 garments will be in an assortment of sizes and I will be looking for 20 members to wear them.

Allen Togwell