You can also email your letters to: callsignmag@aol.com

EC5, MARSHALS AND CREDIT CARDS
Re February's Call Sign and articles regarding Finsbury Square (EC5) and another on credit card acceptance: Firstly, may I say that the introduction of Marshals at the Finz is absolutely brilliant and my congratulations to all those Marshals involved who now make the rank move so smoothly and quickly.
   My second comment is regarding the article by Allan Evans on credit cards. Surely in this technologically advanced era when our new terminals make the acceptance of these credit cards so simple, it must surely be possible to accept and carry out these trips without the need to return a copy-receipt to the office? Naturally the driver should have to keep a signed copy for several months, but why do the office need one? Surely they have an unsigned copy in the system when the driver accepts the job?  I'm not certain, but I don't think that either of our two main competitors require their drivers to print a third receipt to give to their office.
   I look forward to a response...
   Michael Kaye (N04)
   Allan Evan replies: I'm glad that you like the introduction of Marshals at EC5 Michael; it is proving to be a success and the rank running much smoother and fairer. It is also helping to keep the rank free from traffic congestion - a major concern for the Islington Police.
   Your second point relates to my article on Credit Card procedures; Dial-a-Cab are now strongly advertising our Credit Card facilities and at the last Board meeting it was agreed to enquire and make the necessary changes at the earliest convenient time to enable all members to accept the cards without the need to return a copy receipt to Brunswick Place, in keeping with  the other circuits you mentioned.  In answer to your question, this will be implemented in the near future.

CREDIT CARD TRIPS FROM EUROSTAR
In the last issue of Call Sign you printed an article from the Chairman, included in which was a statement saying he wished us to accept more credit card bookings. The very next day, I was taking a friend to Waterloo (Eurostar) and encouraged him to use us instead of a rival chauffeur car service when on his return, he needed to go to Woodford. Later that night he phoned from the train but was told he that he had phoned too early to accept a booking and to call 15 minutes before the train was due to arrive at Waterloo. He duly called back, but was then told they would not be able to supply him with a taxi and could not accept the booking because they do not accept bookings from major terminals. Could you please explain the reason for this, as it could have been a lucrative job for somebody going home. It could also have been the start of something new and very big, as this man is an executive in a major bank in the City.
   In summing up, the Call Centre on a Sunday night refused to take a £30 job without even putting it on offer for rejection. I would be interested to receive a reply from a Board member and to hear the reaction of other drivers in a future issue of Call Sign.
Mark Tiller (K90)
Read Keith Cain's response in his Call Centre Report ...Ed

CONGRATULATIONS FROM MRS JACK TAYLOR
Congratulations to you, Alan, and to Alan Green for the front cover of the January Call Sign featuring Mike Son, David Lessman with that wonderful painting of my husband Jack in the background.  The coverage of the changeover of Chairmen for the London Taxidriver's Fund for Underprivileged Children was also brilliant and my congratulations go to Mike Son as new Chairman of the Fund.    The taxi trade, together with Dial-a-Cab, should be proud of those in the LTFUC for working so hard and putting in so many hours of their own valuable time in aid of such worthwhile causes.
    I for one, am very proud and honoured to be associated with both Dial-a-Cab and the LTFUC. As you may be aware, the Fund's continuing support of the Jack Taylor School is something I especially feel very proud of. The Headmaster and teaching staff and everybody connected with the school warrant a mention in Call Sign for their excellent performance at the school's Christmas production, which included all the school including the staff and the  Headmaster himself!
   There was a lump in my throat and quite a few tears in my eyes seeing the children perform - in itself an achievement - and this was echoed by the happiness and enjoyment coming from the vast audience. I feel sure that drivers on Dial-a-Cab who collected and delivered the school's students, realise that Jack would be so proud of everything that is being done in the taxi trade in the name of charity.
   Thank you once again for your kindness in sending me Call Sign each month. I can assure you it is well read by all...
Edna Taylor
Barkingside, Essex

TO SLIDE OR NOT TO SLIDE - THAT IS THE QUESTION?
My telephone has been ringing off the wall with reports from London cabbies concerning LTI's latest round of adverts which have appeared in much of the trade press. Most are angry that the taxi mags are even prepared to print such obviously anti-competitive advertising, but I am afraid that I cannot bring myself to become even slightly bothered by it. It's just plain silly.
   Their latest advert features a passenger stepping out of a vehicle with a sliding door and appears to suggest that in traditional taxis, the punter is encouraged to fling the door open into oncoming
traffic to alert them that he is about to step out into the road. What...?
   Now, I'm sorry Mister Editor, but that's absolute nonsense. My guess is that one of LTI's new whiz kid political directors came up with that one because that's their job at LTI; to ensure that the London Trade do not get the opportunity to benefit from open competition - but really! If it had been done a little better I may indeed have taken the advert as an attack on our products and got as mad as the rest of the guys in London who see it as an attempt to prejudice the Authorities against such free choice, but no one in their right mind could take such obvious garbage seriously and I firmly believe it represents nothing more than LTI's version of Custers Last Stand.
   I do not blame the taxi mags for printing the adverts - it's what they do to earn revenue and many of these magazines have been brave enough in the past to print articles advocating varying degrees of support for a better choice of taxi for London Cabbies. I will not be foolish enough to be dragged into a handbag fight with LTI's girlie PR gurus, but I can see our responding advert in my mind's eye:
   A series of photographs perhaps depicting TXI doors being flung open onto lamp posts, smashing into babies in push chairs or even cyclists and yes, the very same punter that LTI used in their advert, watching lamely as the taxi door is obliterated by an on coming truck leaving him with just a bemused expression and the passenger door handle in his hand.
   My advert headline could be a punchy "It wasn't my f***ing door anyway," or maybe just a little more subtly . . . . "Whoops!"
Mike Holland
Eurocab Taxis

THANK YOU CALL SIGN
I would just like to say a big 'thank you' to Call Sign Magazine.

I was lucky enough to win the caption competition in the September 2001 Call Sign winning two tickets to any West End show. 
My partner wanted to see My Fair Lady and because it was booked so far in advance, we asked for that show. 
We went on my partner's birthday in late January and had a brilliant time. The show is fantastic. Once again, thank you...
Peter Ellis (L077)
The prizes in Call Sign are always worth winning. Ask the winner of the two-night stay for two in a luxury Paris hotel, together with a first class return trip on Eurostar in this issue ...Ed

ME TOO...!
I must say that I was well and truly thrilled to hear the news that I had won the caption contest in the January issue of Dial-a-Cab's excellently produced Call Sign Magazine (I hope I haven't gone too far over the top!) and the prize of any 5 CD's. And as for my winning caption to the photo of the DaC taxi with dogs in the driving compartment of "Not another staff outing!" well, before  I receive any abuse from the DaC staff, I'd just like to say that it was very much 'tongue in cheek!'  Having said that, the poodle did remind me very much of a certain Board member, so I'd better leave it there!
   Once again, many thanks...
Russell Hall (G44)
FIXED PRICES
Until last night, it was never my intention to accept any fixed price trips, but as I noticed that it wasn't really busy, I decided to take one. It was from one of our accounts, a law firm in the Holborn area. The journey was from there to Croydon and was fixed at £36. When I arrived at my destination, the meter read exactly £40. If you then add the 10% tip, that makes a total of £44 and a deficit of £8. By my estimation, I am about to be paid £2 less than before our last fare increase. If this is in the words of our Chairman "being competitive," then I'll eat my hat!  As you know, our tariff is fixed by the PCO and has nothing whatsoever to do with the driver, whereas lawyers think of a price and then double or treble it! As  Jackie Mason says: "The next best thing to a mugger is a solicitor - that way you can do it legally!"
   As far as I'm concerned, I will not accept any further fixed price fares, because this to me is not being competitive. It is a matter of principal that I get paid the full amount that is laid down by law. What I would like to know is if every driver decided to accept less than the fare shown on the meter, where would that leave those cabbies who are prepared to work as per PCO regulations?
Finally I would just like to ask what the meter would have read during my journey if the traffic had been really heavy and there had been serious hold-ups? Come to think of it, I can answer that myself! So far as I am concerned, I have already been held up to the sum of £8.
By the way Alan, if you publish this letter it will only encourage me to write in again. Mind you, that might at least stop me talking!
Stanley Frankel (K46)
It is always nice speaking to you Stanley; it's just that you usually keep me for about two hours so I'm passing you over to Allan Evans...Ed
Allan Evans replies: Fixed prices are offered showing both direction and the amount paid to the driver. Trips with large amounts of waiting time or changes of direction will of course revert to the meter in accordance with account procedures in the normal manner. Surely a driver living in the Croydon area would be only too pleased to cover this type of trip which may be slightly less than the meter fare, but none the less a terrific end to his/her working day? Even for a driver returning to town, you would be back in around 75 minutes. Hardly terrible work for £36 is it? When private hire firms offer lower prices than our fixed prices, does this mean that we should turn our backs on this type of journey and in so doing, lose a large and lucrative account? Many of our customers now require and demand price assurances, especially after 8 p.m. and especially on longer jobs. Does this also mean that we should no longer service Euston (ES1) and Eurostar (WS1) because according to you, trips to the length and breadth of England are not viable because they are on a fixed amount instead of full meter fares? These trips are very lucrative, even on fixed prices, and I'm sure that if we charged full meter fares we would no longer be able to hold on and service these types of account. I hope that provides food for thought...

TAXICLICK.COM
I've just read the latest edition of Call Sign and Vince Chin's article about searching on-line for a used cab (Feb Computer Chinchat). I was part of the small team that designed and developed www.TaxiClick.com and I would like to thank you for giving it a mention and for your positive comments.
   I would just point out though, that visitors to the site don't actually have to register before they can search for a cab. From the home page, anybody can just enter their postcode and then click on the TX1 or the Fairway, depending on what they're looking for. A full list of all the available vehicles closest to the entered postcode will then be displayed. To further the communication process, the user then simply clicks the "email now" button on any of the adverts for the vehicles they may be interested in and they will then be presented with an email entry form, which is sent direct to the dealer concerned. The only time the site asks for the registration of a user is when they want to carry out a more selective search, say on price, age or mileage.
   You will find a similar facility at www.MannandOverton.com . Visitors to the site just click on the M&O dealer of their choice and then "Used Cab Search".  Again, the only time registration is required is when the user requests more information, which then provides the dealer with the necessary details to respond to that request. There is also a range of other facilities available at www.MannandOverton.com where visitors can configure and price a new TXII, request a brochure, book a test drive and request a service booking.
   Trusting you find this information of some help and thanks again for visiting our site...
Peter Rigden
Mann & Overton, London

SMOKING AT ROMAN WAY
How nice of Mr Whitbread to make Roman Way a 'No Smoking' environment (Feb Call Sign). There is ample ventilation unless it has altered in the last week and where is the provision for smokers to use the canteen?  Or are we second-class shareholders!
   With regard to the women's touch, what is he on about? All I want is the fault fixed and to be on my way. It matters not one jot what a fitter wears so long as long as he competent in what he does. With your attitude, you might be better suited to apply to Camden Council for a postion. Glyn Williams (K28)
Call Sign would like top hear from other readers on the question of smoking ...Ed

CALL SIGN LIBRARY SITE
Just printed off the complete A-Z of towns listings from your library site - GREAT! But I could not find the calculation into money table that Alan Nash mentions.   Perhaps you could let me know where I can find it exactly ie page number and issue. Or, have you a new formula for calculating fares on the new tariff 1,2 and 3 based on the mileages? Look forward to hearing from you...
Ronnie Marlow (L81)
To Ronnie and others who have asked, I haven't included any Nash's Numbers in the Library site that are likely to become dated and fortunately for us, fares do go up! However, Nash's Numbers featuring mileages, clubs, hotels etc are in the Library site on a permanent basis.
 Anybody requiring the Nash's Numbers article on current 

fares that went with the mileage chart, 
send an email to callsignmag@aol.com and I'll attach it return. If you do not have email, write to the usual Call Sign address and ask for a printout of the Aug 2001 Nash's Numbers and I'll send you a copy of it ...Ed

AND ME...!
You recently printed in Call Sign a small block of mileages and approximate costs in relation to tariffs 1, 2 and 3 in a Nash's Numbers 'extra'. Unfortunately this information that had I printed out and kept in the cab, blew away with the recent wind! I have tried the website and cannot find it. Any chance of another copy...?
David Marks (R22)
Sorry to hear about the wind, David. Apparently Andrews Liver Salts can help! As I have been inundated with requests to republish Alan Nash's supplement to the fare increase, I have bowed to pressure (and threats of the wind) and it's somewhere in this issue ...Ed
THANK YOU TO DAC DRIVERS
I would like to thank Call Sign and all at Dial-a-Cab for the assistance you gave in the Rolling Rank action held at Smithfield on Friday 1st February and also the following week. Considering the very short notice given for these actions and the lack of publicity, they were outstanding successes. Dial-a-Cab drivers taking part, along with drivers of the other circuits, deprived the touts of the lucrative work that comes out of Smiths Restaurant and Fabrics Club. The assistance of the City Police was also much appreciated, although the touts may not have thought so as the Police paid particular attention to them!
   The amount of quality work that comes out of these two venues from 11 pm onwards has to be seen to be believed - and the punters want licensed taxis.  So all you drivers, please stop the touts and reclaim your legitimate work. Service these and other places that touts have claimed as their own. Those actions were the first in what will be an ongoing campaign to rid our streets of the scum that steal our wages...
John-Paul Pace
Northweald Basset, Essex
GIB QUERY
I was recently recommended to your library website and find it extremely interesting. I drove a taxi in London from 1955 to 1979 before moving to Gibraltar due to health problems. I don't know whether you can help settle a dispute that is currently doing the rounds in my local pub - we have them here too! I'm trying to convince some friends that the London taxi trade is over 300 years old, but they say that this cannot be. Can you help?
Jack Rosen
Gibraltar
    
Yes, you're right Jack. No doubt I'll be corrected if wrong but cab trade history says that the first Hackney coaches to be licensed in London came in 1662 when a yearly licence cost £5. In 1679, the first 'conditions of fitness' were brought in which referred to the size of the coach and horse. However, licensing was a rather hit and miss affair until 1694 when the forerunner of the PCO, the Hackney Coach Commission, became permanent and that year was accepted as the official beginning of the trade making us now 308 years old.   The HCC continued until the Hackney Carriage Act of 1831.   Hope that solves your problem and that if there was any money at stake, you'll send me half ...Ed

BERNIE PRESSMAN
I was very sorry to hear that Bernie Pressman had passed away. I used to enjoy his articles in Call Sign over the years and also found them to be very informative.
   May I wish his family a long life...
David Marks (R22)
Many drivers have asked that I send their condolences to Mildred Pressman and those sentiments have indeed been passed to his family. Courtesy of Bernie's family, Call Sign today publishes the last article he wrote for this magazine... Ed

BERNIE PRESSMAN
I was very saddened to hear of the passing of Bernie Pressman.  Although we only met on the occasional rank, I was always impressed by his vast knowledge
of different aspects of London and its history. He was a very nice guy and I'm sure that he will be much missed by all those who knew him. Please convey my sincere condolences to his family.
Sam Harris (S95J)

NEW TERMINAL AND SAM HARRIS...
May I through Call Sign express my sincere thanks for the outstanding new screen which I have just had installed into my new taxi. It is without doubt a superb piece of modern technology which really has improved my working environment. It is so much easier to use, plus the map facility that is just brilliant. My compliments to all concerned in its development and of course to you for an outstanding publication in Call Sign.
   I would also like to say how much I have enjoyed reading Sam Harris's excellent articles and may I say personally that it is people like Mr Harris who should be on the Queens honours list for the manner in which they have served this country.
   May I also congratulate the Board of Management on an excellent job. Well done...
Morris Abrahams (R85)
Thanks for a lovely letter Morris, it's always nice to get praise ...Ed

MORSE CODE - AND SAM HARRIS!
The following was sparked by an exchange of job related dispatch messages with our esteemed back-channel operator Joe Brazil together with reading Sam Harris' February letter ending with his regrets about computers. With these messages, Joe had surmised that I had teenage children and that I was good at texting. In reality, his reply had brought a smile long before any comprehension!
   However, it set me thinking of my previous life of 30-odd years ago as a radio officer on the P&O liner Oriana before switching to the other end of the Morse key at Sydney Radio, Australia. Abbreviations were an absolute necessity to speed things up - hence ETA, which everyone is familiar with, and AS, which in Morse means wait, being the two best examples. Then there was the dreaded Q code to learn.    Here every letter combination from QRA to QRZ, QSA to QSZ and QTA to QTZ had a specific meaning. For example: QRA: What is your name? QTP: I'm going to enter port. This avoided language problems as it was in international usage and by using three letter combinations in place of whole sentences or questions, it achieved brevity far beyond today's text messages.   Hence, nothing is new - only the format or the medium changes.
Re mobile phone texting; I have never sent one and I have to admit that I failed to open the 'envelope' the last time I was sent a message - perhaps if I wasn't so lazy...! So, Sam Harris, you are not alone; we can be technophobes at different ages and to different degrees. I'm sure membership is open to all!
Alasdair Kay (C47)
Fortunately for Call Sign readers, Alasdair, I notice that you missed out the ruder combinations...Ed

CALM ENVIRONMENT IN A CAB?
Re the Stress Competition in Call Sign: A calm environment in the back of a taxi could be created by having a hologram on the window partition behind the driver - perhaps of a fish tank?   As the cab moved, it would give the illusion of the fish swimming around a tank - similar to a doctor or
dentist waiting room, some of which have fish tanks to calm patients.
Eddie Lambert (V27)
My dentist has a dummy pair of choppers with holes in for you to look at! ...Ed

Editor's Note: Letters regarding the AGM will appear in the next issue...

March 2002 Call Sign Home Page

Powered by NetXPosure