Taxi Driver of the Year Show and Private Hire...
While the overall attendance was slightly up on previous years, it seems sad that the trade cannot support its own show to a much greater degree, because Olympia should have been packed with drivers and their families out on a sunny summers day with no entrance fee and free parking!
   Contrary to what other trade journals have written, I thought it was better than of recent years but nothing can compensate for a lack of atmosphere caused by echoing voices. Certainly Dial-a-Cab's stand was excellent and while the content was nothing to do with our day to day working, it was probably the most useful stand ever to display at the show. The ability to defeat stress in our business is paramount...
   Speaking of trade shows, in this issue you will see an ad for the London Private Hire and Taxi Exhibition to be held over two days at Sandown Park in Surrey. When the Editor of Private Hire and Taxi Monthly approached me about inserting the ad in this issue, I had strong reservations about advertising a show that I still perceive as representing the opposition. After all, would Harrods advertise Selfridges in their in-house mag...?
   However, after thinking about it and bearing in mind that some taxi operators also have stands at the show, I decided that I should give DaC subscribers the opportunity to attend should they wish to do so. So I have accepted the ad but am making no charge so that no one can say that I am taking it to boost Call Sign's meagre coffers...!

Phil Warren
I'm rather selfishly sorry to hear that Phil Warren has decided to call it a day and retire to Australia. Phil is a Past Master of the Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers and one of the driving forces in its journey to become a liveried Company. More importantly to me personally, Phil is this trade's historian and has the most incredible collection of taxi memorabilia. There is little about our history that Phil doesn't know about and at some time or other, written about.
   Many is the time that I have phoned him up to ask a question about something that has occurred in this trade's past and not once has he ever said "sorry I'm busy." He was and is proud of his knowledge and so he should be. Whether I get the same kind 

Call Sign Software Power!
Call Sign receives many letters for publication - although at this time of year Mailshot usually suffers from recent family holidays with subscribers having the nerve to enjoy themselves rather than write in!
   Some letters ask about possible software changes and these requests are always passed on. Some are acted on while others, perhaps, cannot be without spending a small fortune on something that is not really needed. The most recent update, which you will be having soon if not already, contains two facilities originally requested through Call Sign in addition to general improvements.
   The first was from Brian Cohen (C81) who said that when accepting credit card trips, did we really have to take a copy of the trip to the office? Well, once you have the upgrade, you will no longer have to drop the copy in. You will just give one to the passenger and keep one for yourself.
   Request number two came from David Ammar (L75) who asked that on taxis where two drivers shared the same vehicle, each other's trips should be hidden from the other. That has also now been done. So if you share a cab and go into "review", you will now only see your trips and not those of your partner. All suggestions are looked at except the physically impossible ones...!

TaxiBank
Darlington doesn't get many mentions in my Editorials as we 

are yet to have a DaC taxi sent there! However, the situation regarding the company known as TaxiBank is getting very serious and could quite easily affect us eventually.
   Two issues back, Eddie Lambert (V27) wrote an article in Call Sign explaining the situation up there. You can remind yourself of it by going to www.dac-callsign.co.uk the Call Sign on-line library, then clicking on 2002, then August and then page 28 - "Is this the taxi trades biggest ever threat?"
   Next week, on October 5, a meeting will be held in Darlington and if it goes against the licensed taxis, it could mean them having to leave the station taxi rank while TaxiBank move their own fleet in. Any licensed taxi driver wishing to stay would have to "lease" a space from TaxiBank and pay them £336 per month. They currently pay £100 per month and TaxiBank are almost quadrupling that sum.
   TaxiBank also say that vehicles working at the station must be up to "TaxiBank standard" and naturally they have appointed themselves as the cab inspectors! TaxiBank's ultimate aim is to take over every GNER station...
London's Kings Cross is owned by Railtrack but is the finishing point for GNER trains. If Darlington falls, how long before TaxiBank look at London? If we are asked by any trade association to help in some way, I hope that we can do that. What happens in Darlington today could so easily happen to London tomorrow...

EC5 and GPS
I've been asked to point out to all drivers who work on EC5 that due to complaints by some drivers against a small group of their fellow subscribers, that EC5 will be monitored by GPS as well as being marshalled. So if you are one of that small minority who believes that the rules only apply to others, then watch out because you are being watched! That includes bypassing the cab in front and stopping next to your mate or the tea stall...

Never Mind Islington - Watch the Bus Stop!
I've as yet had no confirmation, but word has arrived on my desk that TfL are now talking about issuing the same £80 but-£40-if-paid-within-14-days fines to anyone caught on camera picking up or setting down at a bus stop. Did I not say that Ken was an unashamed busman? Anyone else will be out of luck...

Alan Fisher