Security
Over the past 6 months we have had 3 breaches in security at the
Dial-a-Cab offices, these have endangered the smooth running of the Society.
If we look at the darkest side, it could have put us out of business had the
con men that tricked their way into the building, got onto the computer
floor. To combat this threat, we have put in further security measures to
ensure that computers and staff are protected.
The reception doors of the building will be locked at 17:00
hours until 07:00 weekdays and 17:00 on Friday's until 07:00 on Monday
mornings. Any driver wishing to gain entry must show his / her bill or badge
before the security person will unlock the door. Any other visitor must show
their company photo card or some other means of identity.
The door leading from the drivers reception to the rest of the
building will also be kept locked at all times. Please do not embarrass the
security person by requesting to go further than the reception area. The
security persons are under strict instructions not to let any person other
than an office employee pass the reception area, if they break this rule
then their employment with Dial-a-Cab could be at risk.
Damage to the main computers could endanger the livelihood of
both drivers and office staff.
Rule Breakers
Our GPS facility in the new terminals is now up and running and
will enable us for the first time to assist the honest and genuine driver to
work without fear that others are trying to bypass the system. By the middle
of June, some 40 drivers had been put on complaint for cheating. These were
mainly for false positions ie booking into areas contrary to the rules set
out by the Society.
I will once again list some of those rules:
If you are booking into a postal area, you must be able to get
to the furthest point of that area within the given run-in time. The onus is
on you to know the traffic conditions at that given time of day. As 50, 51
or 99 outer London areas are physical zones, you must be within their
boundaries before booking in. As for London Airport, you must be within the
Perimeter Road or in the taxi feeder park.
If you pick up any passenger - be it cash or credit - you must
put your meter on. If it is an agreed cash price from anywhere, you must
book off the zone.
We have caught drivers booked into EC2 who were in Waltham
Abbey and Goodmayes, whilst one driver booked into the Airport with a
passenger in the back and the meter off, allowing him to retain his position
in WW00.
Debbie and Tom Carter, our software programmers, have built
into the system a report that shows if a driver has tampered with the GPS. I
must remind you that this is a procedural complaint, which could lead to
suspension or expulsion.
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DRIVERS OPERATIONS / COMPLAINTS
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All sentences at Complaints hearing are judged by also taking into
consideration a driver's past complaints history. Sentences stays on a
drivers record for 7 years.
Free Tickets
I did ask in my last article for drivers to show their thanks for
freebie theatre tickets I have obtained for them by helping the theatre
involved. The Strand theatre supplied a great many of our drivers with
tickets to see Abba Mania, a really splendid show that had the audience on
their feet singing and dancing.
All they asked in return was for drivers to collect the show
'fliers' from our Driver's Reception and give one to their passengers
together with a Dial-a-Cab receipt. Then, in return for the passenger
presenting both the flier and receipt to the Strand box office, they would
get a £5 discount off the ticket price.
To say the take-up on the distribution was dismal would be an
understatement. I try hard to get these little bonuses for drivers, but it
sometimes seems that they do not appreciate this goodwill gesture from
theatre managers. They enjoy the tickets, but do not want to put anything
back. Gents, the fliers are still in reception. PLEASE, try to promote this
wonderful show in return for the freebies we've enjoyed.
New Terminals
We are near completion of our fitting programme for new
terminals, which will hopefully be by the end of the month. When they are
all fitted, we will from time to time ask you to return to Roman Way or
another location for a software update. We are the only circuit with this
fully computerised system, which allows us to upgrade your computer so
easily. You will have experienced this on the last upgrade, just plugging in
a disk drive and within a few minutes you are away. Not all upgrades will be
compulsory, by this I mean you can still work with the older version, but
you would not have the advantages of newer versions that could make
completing computer functions easier or give you access to more information.
Overhauls and Taxi Plates.
Many drivers are still failing to inform us of their new plate
numbers after their yearly taxi overhaul. This takes about 2 minutes of your
time with the forms needed being located in Driver's Reception. If you
prefer, you can just send me a photocopy of the actual licence you
receive after your taxi has passed. This allows us to keep within the rules
that are agreed between the Registrar of Friendly Societies and DaC. It also
makes sure that we do not have drivers plying for trade within the Society
illegally and taking work that should go to correctly registered
subscribers.
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Roman Way Depot.
Some of you may have noticed that the Roman Way depot has been
opening at the earlier time of 07:00; this is to accommodate more drivers.
When the refitting programme has been completed, we will be looking into
extending the opening hours until 20:00. Extra fitters taken on for the
refitting programme could enable us to adjust working hours to accommodate
evening drivers.
May I ask you to check your terminals to see if they have been fitted with
the full 8 channels that are available to the Society? If you find you still
only have 6 channels, please contact Shelagh at the depot on 020 7607 6422
to arrange to have your radio modified. The 2 extra channels are located at
Shooters Hill and Tolworth Tower, so you should get better coverage both in
the East and West.
DaC Credit Union
We have some drivers who disappear on extended holidays but do not make
provision for repaying loans back to the Credit Union during that
period. Although it is called the Dial-a-Cab Credit Union, it
not connected to the Society. It holds the name due to CU rules which
state that you have to be a member or affiliated to a member of DaC to join
their loan system. If you are going on an extended holiday or are
unfortunately off work due to illness for a long period, please make
alternative arrangements if your normal method of payment is through your
credit money.
Any drivers who go into debt with the Society should we
inadvertently pay your CU and then find you do not have enough funds, will
have the money reclaimed from the Credit Union.
Not making provisions for your payments when you do not have
enough credit money within the Society, means you are expecting to get an
interest free loan from the Society to cover the original loan you accepted
from the Credit Union.
Subscriptions.
The society claims payments for your subscriptions on the 1st day
of the month and these are collected on your next payment date in that
month. If a driver fails to make provision for his or her subscriptions by
not completing enough credit work, they could become a debtor and if a
driver fails to clear this debt within 28 days, they are deemed in the
rulebook to have ceased their membership. If due to illness or some other
misfortune you are not able to work, make a quick phone call to me so that
we can try and assist you.
And Finally...
May I take this opportunity to thank all drivers for the patience
they have shown during
the refitting programme. I know some of you are still experiencing minor
problems but we
are trying hard to rectify these in the very near future.
Drive safely...
Tom Whitbread
Drivers Operations / Complaints Officer
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