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Dial-a-Cab driver Sid Nathan (K88) has always come up with ideas that he
believes could improve the working conditions of DaC drivers. Some have been
incorporated into our system, while others remain on the back burner. But one improvement that Sid has been going on about for a long time is something that this company could do nothing about - a 'pause' button on the meter. He asked Brian Rice whether he would have any objection to Sid writing to the PCO on the subject and the DaC Chairman said that he had no problems with it. So Sid wrote to Dave Stock at the Public Carriage Office and made his suggestion. He started by explaining that he had been a London taxi driver for over 30 years and had been on Dial-a-Cab for most of that period. He went on to ask whether the PCO would consider letting the meter programmers allow radio drivers to have a pause button so they could pause the meter when it reaches the £3.80 maximum amount they are currently allowed to run in with. Sid explained to Dave Stock about the problems associated with gauging run-ins. "There are times," said Sid, "where you can travel several hundred yards in traffic and already be at the £3.80 mark, which means that you have to constantly restart the meter - something I would still rather do than arrive with a large amount on and a possible dissatisfaction complaint from the customer." Sid went on to ask: "With a pause button, we could pause the meter for however long or far we have travelled and restart |
DaC's Sid Tries for a Meter "Pause" Button
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it at the appropriate time - ie when we arrive or at the pre-booked
time." Sid ended by explaining that whenever we had to restart the meter, we would be losing money especially if a driver has travelled a substantial distance to cover the radio trip and was almost at the pick-up. He added that DaC - unlike some other circuits - did not charge a cash booking fee. Sid also asked the PCO to allow reflective strips on the exterior door mirrors to help us be seen on dark roads. Their reply shows how difficult change within the licensed taxi trade can be when Dave Stock, the PCO's Head of Vehicle Inspections and Standards, replied to Sid with the following... Thank you for your letter regarding a taximeter pause function for radio circuit drivers to better facilitate the 'run-in' charge. Having read your letter, I can understand the difficulties some drivers may have judging accurately when to set the taximeter running to obtain the nominated 'run-in' charge. As the setting of taximeter tariffs is not my area of responsibility, I have |
passed your letter onto the parties concerned within the Public
Carriage Office and Transport for London for their consideration. In response to your request to fit reflective strips to door mirrors to make the vehicle more visible at night, could you please submit to me a more specific and detailed proposal. This should include information such as the material to be used, how it would be attached, what area it would cover and most importantly, your interpretation of how legal using such material would be i.e. would it be consistent with the 'Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations'? Just one day later, a letter arrived at Sid's north west
London home from the PCO Head of Business Services, Len Simkins. He told Sid
that the PCO would look at the technical and operational implications when
they next consulted with the trade at a tariff review and thanked him for
his "constructive suggestion." |
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