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Irresponsible
When travelling on public transport, it is amazing how stupid or
irresponsible members of the public can be. For example, trying to avoid paying
the fare on the railway can be very expensive let alone resulting in a criminal
record.
A short time ago, a prospective passenger travelling on the railway tried
to avoid payment for the princely sum of £1.60. This ended up in court costing
the person the £1.60 fare, a £150 fine and £100 in costs and if they do not pay
the court - then prison awaits. Then compare that to anyone who runs off
without paying their taxi fare. Assuming you can catch them, you'd have your
work cut out getting the police to act on your behalf because they would
probably advise you to take out a private prosecution. And even if it
eventually got to court, the driver would almost certainly end up out of
pocket. The moral? Besides radio work always being a better bet than non-radio,
I can't think of one other than for us all to buy our own trains...!
And Irresponsible...?
However, the subject of being irresponsible can also occasionally apply to our
industry. On one of my client visits, I was told that a passenger who is in a
wheelchair had problems when using one of our taxis. The driver did not use the
straps provided to secure the wheelchair. Although the passenger was bouncing
around in the back of the taxi, no attempt was made by the driver to rectify
the matter. This is totally unacceptable.
Fortunately for the driver concerned and even more so for the
passenger, there was no injury caused. This lack of care could have resulted in
the passenger being severely injured and the driver taken to court. Drivers
have a duty to take reasonable care of all their passengers. Being safe and
secure is the right of any person travelling in a licensed taxi...
Charge and Credit Cards
I don't like moaning, but there are times when it just can't be
avoided and this is one of them! Some drivers are still refusing to accept
street hails when those passengers wish to use a Dial-a-Cab ChargeCard or an |
 acceptable
Credit Card.
As you are all aware by now with the current economic climate as it is,
customers are looking to make savings wherever they can and transport is
usually the first hit. In an attempt to keep their costs to a minimum, many
members of staff from various companies are directed to hail a cab in the
street, get a receipt and claim back the expenditure. The reason we offer
charge cards is to enable our account clients to keep using Dial-a-Cab
instead of non-radio cash cabs. This in turn means that DaC earns money out
of a trip that we might otherwise have lost.
As I keep hearing drivers use the phrase "it's OUR company," that means
that OUR company is ticking over nicely as against losing money like some
others. Please remember, if you refuse a ChargeCard, it could be matter for
the Complaints Officer.
Charge Cards - A Serious Problem
A client made contact with me a few days ago and asked me to
visit them immediately due to the fact that the Managing Director of the
company had instructed that the Dial-a-Cab account be closed immediately.
Our client told me that he came out of a meeting with a colleague and a
potential client of theirs and flagged down a Dial-a-Cab taxi that had all
the appropriate logos. While sitting in the back of the cab, our client gave
his DaC Charge Card to the driver. The driver told him that he was not
registered with Dial-a-Cab, therefore could not accept the hiring unless the
trip was paid in cash. The passenger got out of the taxi in an extremely
angry mood and telephoned another supplier (a car company).
This is a totally unacceptable situation. The Sales team are working very
hard to obtain new accounts and maintain existing client needs. Dial-a-Cab
is now the most recognisable and professional radio taxi service in London
and probably the UK. |
This one incident has tarnished that image with at least one of our
account clients.
Investigating as to who was driving the taxi at the time of the above
incident, the owner of the cab did indeed rent his taxi to a non-Dial-a-Cab
driver. I would ask all drivers who wish to rent out their taxis, that they
rent them to a Dial-a-Cab driver or, if a new driver, that they must be
registered with Dial-a-Cab, trained in the use of the Driver's Terminal and be
knowledgeable in the rules and procedures of our company.
Dial-a-Cab develops various products to increase the revenue for both the
driver and the financial stability of your company, which includes Charge Cards
and the use of Credit Cards. As I pointed out earlier, non-compliance in the
acceptance of these cards could result in a complaint hearing
PS... After much cajoling, the Managing Director of the account has decided
to allow his company to remain with Dial-a-Cab, but has asked for a review of
the service levels in a month or two. PPS... Please make sure that you have
your CCC sticker displayed prominently on the front windscreen...
And Some of Michael's Good News!
As I've just mentioned, Dial-a-Cab is most certainly ahead of the
race so far as financial stability is concerned. One of the reasons, in
addition to the good housekeeping that we have now become well known for, is
the fact that our Sales team make concerted efforts to win new accounts and
keep up service levels
This includes regular client visits and dealing promptly with any issues
that may arise. In other words, keeping the customers happy. Our drivers are
our company's front liners and 99% of the time, you represent Dial-a-Cab with
courtesy and a good disposition. Your pride in DaC is very noticeable by those
on the outside. A 100% satisfaction rate may well be nigh on impossible, but
that has to be the target we always aim for so as to keep us in our envied
position as the best radio taxi organisation in Europe.
Mike Son
DaC Customer Services |
