Hello Ladies and Gents, I have now just completed my first three months as a member of the Board of Management and I am about to be relocated to a new office sharing with Michael Son, my office telephone extension number is now 225.
   This first period has flown by, but I feel I am fitting in well and as the weeks pass I'm getting more and more involved in different aspects of the Society, which will broaden my knowledge of Dial-a-Cab and prove invaluable in the weeks ahead.

Training
Training, as you all know, is ongoing, but increasing our fleet size is a delicate subject and the BoM realise that there must be an equal balance between supply and demand in order to keep both our members and customers happy.
   As you are aware, a driver trainer has been on site at the DaC fitting bay every Wednesday afternoon between 14.00 hours and 17.00 hours to assist members who may have problems using the new terminal and as long as this facility is used, we will continue providing the service. Please do not feel embarrassed to visit Roman Way, no matter how small you feel the problem is. A training video is at present being produced for the new terminal, which will be an excellent aid and this should be ready in the very near future. It is short and to the point and will simplify the transition for members changing from the old MDI to the new 'touch screen terminal'. You will

of course all be informed when this video is available.
   If you are carrying out a Debit card trip through the new terminal, the handling charge will actually show on the screen  although the amount shown is not charged to the customer after it is cleared. This part of the fee will not be invoiced and the software is being modified to correct this problem.

Marshalling
Since the BoM have implemented the new procedures at Cabot Square, a number of drivers have voiced their opinions and a few problems have occurred. Drivers are still booking into the E14C rank when they are much further away than the allowed 15 minutes from the pick- up, which is against the society rules and is answerable to a procedural complaint. This greatly lengthens the queue positions; it causes problems with arrival times, increases run-ins and is unfair to members who are booking in correctly.
   We are looking at ways that will help us overcome these anomalies; the first is to make all trips non-rejectable on E14C between 18.00hours and 24.00hours and the second option which may be available,

is to set up a designated radio rank which up to now has been refused by Canary Wharf Security. The software programme for the first option will need to be modified and it will also provide us with additional information on drivers incorrectly booked in and of trips that are allowed to 'time-out'. A meeting to discuss option two has also been arranged and the BoM can then make the necessary  decision.
   Due to the current economic climate, Morgan Stanley is looking at ways to reduce expenditure across the board and this includes taxi usage. Together with the quiet Bank holiday periods, this exaggerated the situation but we have been told on good authority by Morgan Stanley that work should increase throughout the coming months back to somewhere near normal levels. It is now even more essential that we maintain a first class service, especially as there are now numerous private hire companies waiting for us to falter - we must not let this happen. In fact we are also exploring ways of increasing our share of work from Morgan Stanley.
   With summer fast approaching, there are already requests for a number of marshalled events and I expect more enquiries in the coming weeks.
   Finally, can I remind you that a £1.80 per mile tariff outside of the M25 now applies to trips taken from late trains at Euston Station (ES1) and Waterloo Eurostar (WS1)

See you all out on the road...

Allan Evans