Call Sign December 2001 - Page 29 - Licensed Private Hire

Taxi drivers have been telling anyone prepared to listen for many years that we are licensed vehicles, whereas minicabs aren't; consequently any passenger using us would be getting a much safer vehicle / driver / insurance cover etc. Also with a licensed taxi, any prospective passenger could be sure that their driver hadn't just come out of prison having raped his previous two passengers while touting as a cab. They could never be certain of that if using a minicab... Well now the Public Carriage Office has licensed around 2000 minicab offices, transferring onto them the title of Licensed Private Hire. Ok, so we know that it is just the office and not the driver which has the licence, but few passengers will realise that and with our recent tariff increase, it seems probable that many Licensed Taxi users will cross over to PH because they perceive them as having the same stature as us now, but at a cheaper price. Alan Green (E52) took these photos outside one of the newly	LICENSED Private Hire!
	Licensed by... licensed premises. The electronic sign changes every few seconds to inform passers-by that the company known as 'Teksi' are now licensed by the PCO and goes on to give their licence number etc. All in all, they may appear to the average person as a genuine licensed operation and so far as Call Sign is aware, they are! The difference is in their prices.	*Public Carriage Office* Alan made enquiries and came up with the following: Heathrow Ł23...Luton Ł35 ... Stansted Ł38... Call Sign is also somewhat perplexed to find that Teksi have obtained their licence but are still allowed to use the word Teksi by the PCO - it is obviously designed to confuse passengers into believing they are real taxis. They'll never be that...

Michaels Logo
Win Comes At The
Right Time

   A Ł300 win in the monthly logo draw is always welcomed by whoever wins it, but the November winner Michael Collins (L50), was probably happier than most to receive it because he has been away from work for some considerable time suffering with serious back problems and is even contemplating possible surgery.
   "My wife, Louise, and I manage, but the longer you are off work the harder it becomes to keep track of money, so this logo win will come in very useful."
   Michael has been with Dial-a-Cab "off and on" for around 32 years and has been driving a licensed taxi for two years longer. He and Louise live at Leigh-on-Sea in Essex.
   Michael's two main hobbies have been seriously curtailed due to his back problems. He is the co-manager of the very successful Sunday Park League premiership side Marshside and Glenthorne "... but I don't know how much longer I can contribute any time with this constant pain."
   His other hobby is golf and he has all but given up hope of playing again "...and I've got such a well-stocked golf bag too!"

MELISSA KHAN LEAVES DAC TO BECOME A DRIVING INSTRUCTOR

After ten years at Dial-a-Cab, many of them with the responsibility of Staff Trainer, Melissa Khan has now decided to follow a route that she has always fancied - to become a Driving Instructor!
   Friday November 16 saw Melissa leave her third floor office for the final time. Following a short trip to Ireland to visit family, she will be linking up with the British School of Motoring to begin studying the art of driver instruction, followed, hopefully, by successful examination results.
   DaC Chairman Brian Rice said of Melissa: "She is a lovely, smart and extremely presentable young lady who is not only popular with staff members, but also well-respected for her very capable manner of training. I wish her every success for the future."
   And so do we all...

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