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Late October saw Dial-a-Cab Chairman Brian Rice make a
five-day visit to the Taxicab, Limousine and Paratransit Association (TLPA)
convention in Reno, Nevada. Although he also attended the half-yearly
meeting held at London’s Royal Kensington Hotel, the Nevada meeting was a
full convention as against a mid-term interim meeting, and contained a huge
trade show with the latest in taxi technology, taxi equipment, computers and
software. It was attended by taxi representatives from all parts of the USA,
Canada, Europe, Australasia and China. Brian told Call Sign: "There are many things that the London Taxi trade does better than any other country in the world, but there are some things that other countries do that we can learn from. So I felt it important that someone from Dial-a-Cab should go to the TLPA convention. I also believe in the principal of having a worldwide taxi organisation sharing ideas of how to better the trade." And as we have been told on many occasions that Dial-a-Cab’s computer technology is the best, did he see anything of use? "Definitely, there were items that had only just arrived on the scene. One thing made me smile though. Six years ago in 1997 when we were looking for the terminal that our drivers now have, I sourced many different companies only to be told that what we were looking for, ie a touch-screen PC, would never happen. It was just too impractical for use in a taxi. Well, we finally had them made and now all those companies who told us that it couldn’t be done are selling in-cab touch-screen PCs! But I |
BRIAN RICE GOES TO RENO, NEVADA
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 Brian with the outgoing President Gene Hauck and new Prez Judy Swystun have to tell you that our system with its associated software, is still the best in the world – a remarkable achievement when you realise how quickly computer software becomes dated. But that doesn’t mean we can ignore what’s going on around us. But yes, there was one brand new American product on show that I particularly wanted to see and have demonstrated and I wasn’t disappointed. I hope that the company involved will be coming over here shortly to display it to the rest of the Board." Brian went on to add that the name of Dial-a-Cab is known worldwide and we’re also known as the good guys – that is to say that we work entirely above board. What you see is what you get and the Americans certainly appreciate us because of that. "Image and profile are so important," the DaC Chairman added, "and our attendance at conventions such as this one is, in my view, very important. Our image over the past seven years hasn’t gone up by accident, a lot of people have put in a lot of time to hep it and I’m delighted that the name of |
Dial-a-Cab is so well known around the world. With travelling taking up two full days and the other three days spent at the show, there was no time for anything else other than a nightcap with other delegates at the hotel bar afterwards, but the trip was most certainly well worth going to." Were there any amusing moments? "One incident really made me smile. There were three TXIIs on show and one guy from San Francisco approached me knowing that I was from London to ask what I thought of the vehicle and how I thought it would perform with San Francisco’s hilly terrain. I told him that it worked well in London but that I had no idea how it would perform in SF*. All I could suggest was that he bought it and tested it out for himself. I was staggered when he actually went ahead and bought it and then drove it from Reno back to San Francisco!" The TLPA was established in 1917 and is a non-profit trade association of and for the worldwide private passenger transportation industry. It helps provide members with a network of programs, services and support to help enhance their ability to effectively and profitably serve local public transportation needs. *Had this delegate read the last issue of Call Sign, he would have read our SF reporter, Charles Rathbone, review the TXII performance in San Fran! |
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