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Correct or Incorrect
Every taxi driver likes to get an increase in tariff; it would be
silly not to want one with the rising costs of running a taxi. But the time to
bring in an increase is when the climate is correct. In the following
paragraphs, the opinions given are mine and mine alone.
I speak to many clients, friends, street passengers and drivers.
When the conversation gets to the Mayor of London's increase implemented at the
end of last year, the tone gets to one of being cheated. So is the increase,
which some see as wonderful, a short-sighted view or is there some hidden
agenda by the Mayor. It has come at a time when many firms are cutting back on
expenses, including the laying off of many staff. Whichever way you look at the
last sentence, it means less passengers sitting in the back of our taxis...
My own daughter expressed her surprise when she caught a taxi from
Kingsland Road to her flat just off St John Street and found out how the night
tariff had jumped. She said that the price she paid was nearly the same as she
used to pay from the West End to Dalston! She has never used minicabs and
always told her friends how dangerous it could be to get into a vehicle that
had little or no checks on the driver or vehicle. She now has doubts whether
she can afford the cost on a regular basis. She asked me: "How many young
girls will be now forced into minicabs and take the risk of being attacked or
raped?" If this is the case, how many of you have young daughters or sons
who will be forced into these other vehicles? Will you have a good nights sleep
before they arrive home after a night out? Remember, it is not only
girls that get raped. I believe the increase to be the greatest PR job the
Mayor could have done in favour of the unlicensed trade.
I know many will look at the cost of a TX1 or a Metro, but I, like
the rest, have allowed this to happen. The manufacturers have been allowed to
create a monopoly. Whose fault is that? Well ours of course, so long as
we continue to stand for their inflated prices. You never fail to see taxi
drivers rushing to east or north London and into the arms of the taxi salesmen.
The playing field at this moment is not level, to compete we need a reasonable
priced vehicle and a fare scale that lets us fight fairly.
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Tom Whitbread
Heads in the Sand?
Is it the Mayor's wish to see the public using private hire
more, so that more unqualified people can join their ranks and thereby
bring down London's dole queues?
Then he could have us searching the streets for the odd well-healed
reveller or as an auxiliary ambulance service, as we are the only ones
equipped to carry wheel chairs and the severely disabled.
Is this the time that have to give more account clients
fixed prices, as they are the regular riders in the back of our radio
cabs?
This is not a time when, as in the past, we buried our heads
in the sand hoping our problems would disappear. We did that with Welbeck
Motors and their little Renaults - which so many drivers said would not
last. Well how many thousands of minicabs are there now? That's without
the imitation ones and their straightened out metal coat hanger coming out
of the boot - this last bunch being the worst of all as you do not know if
a mugger, rapist or a paedophile is sitting behind the wheel.
I do not think there is a Board of Management fighting harder
than ours to get more work and retain it. This is borne out by the
redundancies being made by other circuits. Nowadays, the tenders that come
into Dial-a-Cab look more like a copy of the Encyclopaedia
Britannica, I don't think many of you would like to answer that number of
questions.
To Smoke or Not to Smoke
In the last issue of Call Sign, a driver wrote in to castigate
me over backing the 'no smoking' at
Roman Way. May I say that you obviously do not know me. If it had not been
for me, the Old
Holborn company would have gone bust!
Some 2 years ago I was forced into trying to give up smoking,
I say try as very few achieve a full stop. Nobody had more excuses than me
to say why I should not give up, but now I see the advantages. Health
being the first, followed by bad breath and the smell on your clothing
being just a few. Extra money in your pocket is a bonus....
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Many subscribers complained to me in the past after purchasing a new
taxi and taking it to the fitting bay, only to find that on its return the
inside reeked of tobacco smoke.
I now realise how antisocial I was, maybe even greedy, polluting the air
space of anyone near by.
If Mr Williams would like to check in Brunswick House, he
will see that we have to have two canteens, by law we have to supply a
non-smoking canteen. Due to the lack of space in the fitting depot, we can
only have one so by law it has to be non-smoking. I had to go to the
London Hospital before I gave up smoking and had occasion to go into the
smoking room, that's one good reason to give up!
It seems that this subscriber also gives me the impression that he thinks
women are second class citizens. He missed my point completely. You can
now go to Roman Way with a new taxi and the fitter should have clean
overalls on, this way your taxi stays in pristine condition. You can go
into the wash room and not have to scrape the grease off the wash basin
before you use it and the toilet is clean with regular bleach in to kill
germs.
I do apologise if you think that we have tried to give
decent, clean drivers the facilities at the depot that they do not shy
away from using. Maybe he enjoys using the toilet in Horseferry Road
where you need the ability to hold your breath for the duration of your
relief. When he writes of my attitude, I do not think he knows my
political views either otherwise he would not have picked Camden Council.
I'm sorry if my article once again seems a bit gloomy, but
the Editor likes it that way as it provokes comments and letters! If that
happens, then at least others will get a variety of views before they make
a statement!
May I take this opportunity to remind you that if you have
signed to say that you did not want to do shared accounts, then it covers
all shared accounts including the new one with J P Morgan.
And Lastly...
Did anyone notice the picture of Sid Nathan in the March issue?
Was he wearing a mask or is he really the Lone Ranger looking for Tonto!
Also, in the picture at the top of the same page, Keith Cain appeared to
be trying to strangle me! I think sometimes he wishes he could...
Tom Whitbread
Driver's Operations/Complaints |
