Hello Ladies and Gentlemen...
The AGM has now passed and I am looking forward to my second year in office representing you, the members. I'm sure it will prove to be a busy year and one that we can all look forward to with optimism.

Marshalling
As you all know, there is a Marshal in attendance at Finsbury Square at various times of the evening. From telephone conversations with many of you and discussions over at the Square itself, most regular EC5 users feel that this has been a success and has already improved not only the fairness and smooth running of the rank, but has also helped to keep the area free from traffic congestion - the two main objectives when the trials began in early January.   Work is now picking up and the Marshals will be on site at various times for the foreseeable future. Please help them to help you by switching on your hazard warning lights after gaining a queue position in EC5 and please also provide the Marshals with the information that they request just before you are asked to free the area. If the Marshals are not on site, Call Centre staff will monitor the rank, again please take notice of their messages.
 Since the night tariff was raised in November, one of our largest  customers has had cause for concern over run-ins and of the amounts on meters at the time of

Allan Evans

arrival. Please remember that unless otherwise authorised, the maximum should be £3.80 on the majority of accounts and this will now be checked by our team of Marshals at all regular locations.
   MS recently complained that some drivers are not advising arrival through their terminals at Cabot Square and will in future refuse to pay for trips if this is not done, or if passengers are not notified in the correct manner.  Between 18.00 hours and midnight when the DaC Marshals are in attendance, an AAR must still be sent to the Call Centre via your terminal.
   Our credit card facility - a good source of additional income for us all - has been underused and, as you may already know, there is a marketing plan in progress to bring this service to the attention of the general public. If you have any difficulties or problems processing these types of trips, please contact me on 0207 251 0581 ext 225 and I will arrange for a trainer to help you, no matter how small the problem may be.

Training
As I have previously mentioned, although the waiting list for new members is steadily rising, there

 will be no increase in the number of members until such time that the BoM feel that the work has sufficiently expanded to warrant an increase in membership.
   The terminal exchange programme at Roman Way is now well on the way to completion and as of this date, a longer and more flexible working day will come into effect at the fitting bay to allow both early morning drivers as well as evening /night drivers the chance to book a more convenient appointment time in keeping with their daily work patterns.
   The new times are Monday to Friday 7am until 7pm. This will help to speed up the exchanges and allow us to fully fit the entire fleet with new terminals sooner than we had previously expected. If you have not already been fitted with the new touch screen terminal, Shelagh Atkins will contact you to arrange one.  Please keep to your correct appointments. In addition, all existing new terminals will need to be upgraded, allowing you to accept the new software changes that have recently been made by our IT department. A date will be set and a suitable and convenient location will be arranged in the very near future. You will, of course, be notified of these arrangements as soon as they are in place. The changes will benefit you all, and those of you that are soon to have the new terminal fitted, will certainly appreciate the many advantages that it has to offer.
See you out on the road...

Allan Evans