Railways and Theatres
We are currently getting a lot of drivers not clearing theatre or railway trips correctly. They are forgetting to add the supplement when clearing the job, then a day or so later trying to get the girls in driver's services to add it to the invoice. This practice will not continue after December 1 as it means the client gets 2 invoices for the same job and makes the Society look amateurish. All jobs are automatically transferred from the data despatch system to the DP department for entry onto the clients invoice at approximately 00:30. If we do not change it before that time, then we have to produce 2 dockets.

Borough Cards
We still have a few drivers picking up disabled persons as street hails who have Borough cards; the only ones we are allowed to pickup off the street are Westminster account holders. If a passenger stops you in the street to try and gain a Hail and Ride and it is not a Westminster TaxiCard, explain to them in a diplomatic way that they have to phone in for a taxi.

Keeping Accounts
In the past few weeks I've received approximately one complaint a day from clients expressing their disgust at the rudeness of particular drivers. At this particular time I do not think that we can afford to lose any client to the opposition. But as I've said before, we as Licensed Taxi drivers do not have the God given right to expect anyone wanting to travel to get into a licensed taxi. The travelling public have so many options, that we have to show them that the service we are offering is second to none. That means a clean and polite driver, clean taxi and a competitive service.
   I was travelling behind one of our taxis the other evening and had a very clear view of his meter, which was glowing red. It showed him on tariff 3, yet he had still added the night charge in the extras. This is the type of driver who loses us accounts, the greedy ones. These drivers think they are being clever, but they cannot be further from the truth. It is these stupid people who encourage clients to go to other forms of transport.
   I had occasion to be in the Call Centre on a recent Saturday morning and watched as drivers rejected work; some jobs were £30 to £40; others were in town and the £10 to £15 type of trip. The jobs were being rejected time and time again; it was not until I started to put messages out asking for the work to be 

covered, that it was. It's when you are standing next to a telephonist who is trying to  explain to a client that on a quiet Saturday morning, we do not have a taxi to take her from Highbury to Marylebone Registry Office that you sense the embarrassment coming from the telephonist. At the time this job was in the system, there were 3 drivers booked into the area.
I do not know how many times I have to put it in print, this is your  Society and you are the shareholders - self-employed businessmen and women. Why do we have to plead with you to cover work? It is a known fact that if work goes to the opposition, it can take forever to get it back. Please do your best...

Waiting Time and Regular Jobs...
In the October issue of Call Sign, I told you how to clear the correct waiting time with the new terminals, but we still have drivers clearing incorrect amounts. If you are unsure how to use the new terminals in any way, please, contact us at the office and ask. As you would have seen in the complaints meeting results, the committee and honest drivers do not like people who cheat and try to hang up to gain an unfair advantage over other subscribers. As soon as I stop one set of
drivers from hanging up for a job, another lucrative job pops up. At the moment it is a job that comes out in SE4 worth about £120 that goes morning and afternoon - but we're watching!

Software Upgrade
In the next few months we will be upgrading software in all the new terminals; all drivers will have to come in and have it done by the date given in January, otherwise they will be at a disadvantage when work is being dispatched.

Roman Way
Some of you may know that Peter Thurston has been missing from the depot for the past 2 months due to illness. He has informed us that he will be off until at least Christmas. If you have attended Roman Way in the past 2 months, you will have noticed that Shelagh, my former assistant, now has an office in the fitting centre. Shelagh will be doing the admin work for the depot and also the paperwork for new drivers and their training.
 

You will also notice some other new faces, a new Assistant Manager and 3 new fitters. So with Shelagh (Mother Theresa) overseeing the cleaning and appearance of the staff, you will notice a big improvement.
   There are also a few new rules; No Smoking in the depot and drivers are not allowed in the fitting area whilst their taxi is being worked on, this is for safety reasons. When you arrive at the depot, even if you have an appointment, please do not drive straight in. The Health and Safety Officer for Islington has been to Roman Way and said this was a dangerous practice and must stop immediately, due to it endangering the safety of staff working behind the plastic screen.
   The Roman Way opening times for the depot over Christmas are as follows:
December 24: 09:00 to 12:00 December 25: Closed
December 26: Closed December 27: 09:00 to 12:00
December 28: 09:00 to 12:00 December 31: 09:00 to 12:00
January 1: Closed January 2: Open as Normal

Fixed Prices
No fixed prices have been changed since the Mayor of London's increase; we do not think it prudent at this time to hit the clients with across the board increases. However, we have installed software that allows you to see the fixed price before accepting the journey. If you accept it at the price shown, please do not come back and ask for an increase. The only time an increase will be given is if there is an excessive amount of waiting time. The only account that will not show the fixed price is the House of Commons, which comes off SE75, as the Sales Team are in negotiations regarding a tender at this moment.

Christmas
May I take this opportunity to wish all the subscribers to Dial-a-Cab a very Happy Christmas and a profitable and Healthy New Year.
   You may not think that I love you, but your family does, so spend some precious time getting to really know them over the festive period. This way, if you do have to work long hours they will know who you are when you get home.
   Please remember that your tax bills will be due in the early part of the New Year, so please make some allowances for them. It saves a lot of bad feelings when we get numerous calls from drivers with excuses to get us to repay their Roller Bonds before they mature.

Tom Whitbread