There are several mentions inside this issue regarding the events of September 11, but really there is nothing that can be said here that has not already been said 1000 times. All I can do is to send my deepest sympathies to those who have lost family, friends or work colleagues. Let us hope that the perpetrators of these crimes against humanity are speedily brought to justice and that the world as a whole stops to take a careful look at itself ...

Call Sign On-Line
To say that I am delighted to have brought the UK's first on-line taxi library to Call Sign would be a gross under-estimate. It has been something that I have wanted for the past year and the work that my Computer Chinchat man, Vince Chin, has done has been amazing. Much patience has been needed because as we climbed a wall, we seemed to face yet another one.
   But now the Call Sign Library is up and running and available for any of you to use. Instructions on how to use it are inside this issue and an A-Z of the nuts and bolts involved are contained in Vince's column.
   As a brief guide, the Call Sign Library contains every issue during my time as Editor that has gone on line. That means most issues from 1998 onwards are now available for you to browse through on-line, but what makes it even better is the 'search' facility where you can ask the Library to find you a particular item by just giving a clue to the article name or even the author. Perhaps you want to check up on a letter you wrote to Call Sign in 1998? Type your name into the search box and you'll be given however many pages your name appears on. Then just select whichever one you want and that page will appear in all its glory!
   My plan is also to add to the library by putting in some old Call Signs from previous eras, but that will take time, and in the meantime, if you have any comments or suggestions, please write to Call Sign and let me have them.

Florrie Culverwell
Yet another person involved in the beginning of ODRTS has now 

been taken from us. Florrie Culverwell was involved right  through those early days when Bonnie Martyn, together with Arthur Cutmore, Frank Duncan, Doug Naismith, Albert Hall, Eric Stoffel, Alec Cobden and David Fiertag formed a Committee of Management to see the Society which was later to become famous as Dial-a-Cab, through that difficult founding process.
   It was staff such as Florrie who tied the loose bits together. In the front of our Pentonville Road office, Florrie would take phone calls, make the tea, clean and even look after the BBC account. A future issue of Call Sign will look at some of the memorabilia that Florrie had, courtesy of her son Michael - a driver on DaC. But for now, all our sympathies go to the family of a much-missed servant of DaC.

Taxi Driver of the Year
Congratulations to Dial-a-Cab's Howard Kott on becoming the 2001 Taxi Driver of the Year. He proves the maxim that if at first you don't succeed ...!
Having spent a few hours at the event, in all honesty I felt a bit disappointed. Whether it was the right venue is irrelevant - let's face it, nothing can compete with Battersea Park - but what disappoints is the apparent lack of interest that many in the trade take in the event. There aren't that many events that the licensed taxi trade put on, so you'd assume that a once-a -year bash exclusively for the trade would be mobbed. But you'd be wrong.
   We are all - including me in the past - very quick to blame the organising committee, but if we don't all put something in, then the event cannot survive. For many, all they need put in is an appearance with their family, after all, the private hire industry manages quite well and now need two days!
   Perhaps the idea of a Taxi Driver of the Year is dated and the show should become just a 

trade show with added entertainment for the families who aren't so interested in new cabs etc. Whatever is decided, it cannot carry on with so little  support. Like many others, I remember days at Battersea Park with thousands present having a great time. The radio circuit stalls were always busy as was Radio Lollipop for the kids. I remember dog shows and various displays which all helped to make a great day. Will they ever return...?

Westminster 'Special Needs'
I've been contacted by two Mountview drivers who wanted to give their views on the Westminster 'Special Needs' account in a letter to Call sign but with their names left out. Suffice to say neither was very complimentary at the prices they were now being given. I don't know whether either driver has been on DaC, but I have decided not to publish such a letter as it cannot help the trade's good name at all.
   One quoted a regular trip involving a run-around from W2 to SW1 to Putney and back to W2 while the other spoke of doing a SW1 to NW8 and back to SW1. Both drivers told me that the prices on offer were now so low that they would not be doing them again.
   My only comment is that, if the only way Radio Taxis (London) could get this account was by massacring the previous fixed prices, then they should be ashamed of themselves. They will have harmed the good name of the trade and if they think these comments are just sour grapes, then they are wrong again...

Happy Hols to All
Last year I was 'told off' by the daughter of one of our drivers for wishing Jewish drivers a Happy New Year and Christian drivers a Happy Christmas while missing out her holiday of Eid. I said then that I didn't want to upset anyone and consequently there will be no individual greetings, although there will be a Christmas issue - albeit a totally non-religious version.

Alan Fisher