Call Sign Report by Allen Togwell

It is Saturday 20th May, I just have just arrived home from a trip to Brussels and after a decent cup of English brew, I am urgently following the instructions of Al the Editor and quickly bashing out a report in time for this edition of Call Sign. Not that I mind too much, as it is preferable to watching a bunch of over-paid fairies prancing around Wembley pretending to play football...!

As most of you are aware, Dial-a-Cab have for many years been active members of the ITLA - (the International Taxi & Livery Association). We are also members of the IRU (International Transport Union) which is the European equivalent of the ITLA. Both organisations play a very important role in the furtherance of the taxi industry worldwide and it is through the radio circuits in London that the licensed cab trade as a whole is able to gain representation, offer a voice and benefit from being members of these organisations.
It is also important that apart from taking the opportunity to meet fellow delegates, exchange views, open reciprocal working arrangements with other taxi firms and view the latest technology at the exhibitions, that we are seen to show interest by making an attendance at these conferences whenever possible.
As with the ITLA, the IRU hold several conferences throughout the year. The venues for the IRU are invariably in Brussels, Bucharest and Geneva. This year, the IRU's 27th World Congress - which attracted 1700 delegates from 53 countries - was held in Brussels. As a relatively new member, this was the first occasion that DaC have been invited to an IRU convention. Brian Rice and I took the opportunity to attend.

Brian Rice in Hijack Scare
The journey once again was not without incident, something that is becoming a habit with me. We were booked to fly out of Heathrow at 1600 hrs, but it was only after having checked in our luggage that we were told that there was a strike at Brussels Airport and all flights were being diverted to Ostend. After some considerable delay, we were then told that Ostend was closed due to fog. With the only means of travelling to Brussels now being Eurostar, there was a mad rush to book seats, reclaim luggage and get to Waterloo. In the midst of all this chaos, Brian Rice nearly caused an international incident when he used his mobile to phone Jacqui (the Boards PA) to assist us in reserving seats on Eurostar. In a loud voice so as to be heard above all the noise, he shouted into his mobile 'Hi Jack' when suddenly everybody nearly hit the floor!
Needless to say we were the first out of Heathrow and the first to arrive at Waterloo,

DIAL-A-CAB AT THE IRU CONFERENCE IN BRUSSELS

arriving eventually at our Hotel just before midnight.
The Congress itself was very interesting, impressive and extremely well organised, particularly with so many different nationals, yet so few being able to speak English or French. The opening ceremony was held in the very impressive Heysel Centre Auditorium with the exhibition in the Heysel Exhibition Hall. There was a diverse range of speakers including the Director of the World Trade Organisation, the Belgian Minister of Transport, Vice Prime Ministers including Ministers from the Peoples Republic of China and representatives from the United Nations and European Commission. Also present were various Ambassadors and heads of taxi confederations and unions from Israel to Hungary.
   As with the ITLA, there were a number of breakout sessions covering all manner of subjects including a get together strictly for making business contacts.
   On a lighter note and quite outstanding for size, on one evening the organisers provided a remarkable dinner for all 1700 guests, the venue being the Caves De Cueghem. It was a mass of man made caves below ground, used at one time as an abattoir. For me personally, the one downside to attending these conferences is that the days can be very tiring. Quite often there are lunch or dinner meetings with the evenings invariably extending to nearly midnight. However, it is what's being achieved for our Society that is important and the fact that the profile of Dial-a-Cab has been at the forefront of the three circuits in London for at least the past three years. That is being achieved by the service supplied by both the members and our staff and also by the image generated from behind the scenes.
   In my view, our attendance at this conference was very worth while.