Who'd have thought it all those years ago, Dial-a-Cab and ComCab,
the best of friends? Not so many years ago it was always Lords and
Mountview. Even after they became Dial-a-Cab and Radio Taxis London, the
twosome were always thought of as an inseparable pair. Their births took
place within a few months of each other and even though ODRTS founder
Chairman Bonnie Martyn and RTL's founder Joe Stern never really liked each
other, a bond formed early on which stayed in place for many years.
But time moves on. All three circuits have achieved success
independently, but two have been drawn together - DaC and ComCab. Several
successful joint tenders has led to the biggest account of all has been
secured by joint tender - the London TaxiCard Scheme. No one in his or her
right mind could honestly believe that this co-operation has come about
because we all love each other, just as if the appalling financial
conditions of the 1980's ever returned, we all know that friendship could
go out of the window leaving survival as the main task.
However, financial considerations are good and look like
staying that way and you have to say that this situation of working
closely, while still keeping our independence, is not just good for the
two companies and their accounts, it is good for the trade because it
keeps the licensed taxi business in the forefront of the industry.
Between us we offer 5000 licensed taxis and that's a lot in
any language. Can the relationship get closer? Even ending as a merger?
Had we gone PLC, would we have tried to take them over? We will never
know, but in the meantime, joint coverage has showed the large corporates
that there isn't a private hire company in the country capable of holding
a candle to our sort of coverage.
Perhaps the most amazing sign of the growing trust between us and ComCab
is when DaC software expert Debbie Carter, working on our GPS system,
asked whether ComCab would allow her to look at their system. Amazingly,
they agreed and it demonstrated that this new found alliance was also
built on trust when Graham Lambert at Woodfield Road showed her everything
she wanted to see.
I would not have been surprised to find out that had we needed to borrow
radio equipment, ComCab would have said yes...Would any other taxi company
do that? Hmmmm...
Where will it end? Who knows. All I know is that we are much
better as friends than enemies...
THE ENEMY WITHIN
Beware the enemy within! Call Sign's computer expert Vince Chin
recently said these words as he pulled the plug on the taxi trade's first
real effort at uncensored speech. With publicity from Call Sign, Vince set
up DISCUSS almost three years ago to enable the taxi trade to enjoy
uncensored discussion. For two years, it worked well. It solved little,
but enabled drivers to get their ideas across to other drivers,
manufacturers, radio personnel and even Manganese Bronze Chairman Jamie
Borwick joined.
Then during the third year, a very small, disruptive element
moved in. They were happy to give their views and delighted to hear anyone
who agreed with them. My view on the LTB for example, didn't coincide with
theirs. I believe that while it is far from perfect - especially since the
LTDA walked out - it is the best of a bad bunch. That is my view, rightly
or wrongly. This small group carried on and on accusing me of giving my
views because I was the stooge of Brian Rice. I continued to give my
personal view while they, obviously didn't like it. Fine! That is
democracy at work.
Even Vince, who in addition to driving a cab and writing for
Call Sign, is a whiz with the computer keyboard and builds web sites like
I used to build sand castles, was against the LTB and spoke out several
times in the DISCUSS forum.
But by the time the list closed, Vince had changed his view.
NOT, I hasten to add because I had convinced him, but because of the
antics of this small group. Vince's closing remarks on his last email were
these:
"I've listened to all the arguments and received some
private emails describing some of the intimidating tactics being used
against members of this list. It appears that if you disagree with certain
members then you will experience a tirade of physical threats & racist
taunts. This is certainly not discussions and therefore I have no other
alternative than to shut the list down tonight at midnight. It was good
whilst it lasted but too many members have hidden agendas and there are
too many s***-stirrers on the list for it to be productive.
I finally agree now that the best way
forward is with the current LTB as this list has shown that we have no
future anyway... Beware the enemy within!"
If that was all, then most of us could have put up with it, but
it wasn't. One loyal DaC member of staff for almost 15 years, who had never
even heard of DISCUSS, lost their job because of the same small group.
I won't go into precise details, but it involved borrowing more
from the Credit Union in 1994 - yes 1994 - than the rules permitted. There
was never any attempt at anything deliberately fraudulent, just an attempt
to borrow money that this person needed at the time. It was paid back with
the interest in the normal way and in fact took half the allowed time.
Confirmation from the Credit Union accountants was also received to say that
no money was missing and they were happy that the matter was dealt with
correctly.
Suddenly a DaC subscriber found out about the loan and passed
the information on to a third party to have published on DISCUSS - not
having the guts to do their own dirty work and without ever attempting to
speak to the person involved first. This put the staff member involved in a
situation where they felt they had no option but to resign from DaC - six
years after the event and even though the only connection between DaC and
the CU is the name and description of who can be a member.
Let me make it plain. What the staff member did was wrong - it
broke the Credit Union's rules, and the person held their hands up
immediately admitting as much. That was six years ago. The person had to
leave DaC last month in floods of tears...
The only good part of the story is that the Credit Union is now
much stronger and learned a valuable lesson. The former DaC member of staff
is still out of work.
I too learned a valuable lesson. 99% of drivers are regular
nice guys, but the other 1% can so easily pull them down. My apologies to
those who didn't understand a word of the above story, but we are dealing
here with the enemy within. Be assured that now they have won this battle,
they will be looking for fresh meat.
ROY TAYLOR
The London taxi trade is much the poorer for the tragic death at such an
early age of Roy Taylor (L84). As I sit here at the Call Sign printers on
Friday 25th August, Roy is taking his final journey. My deepest condolences
to his family.
