This does not affect your right to question candidates at the AGM on Sunday 6 February…

Keith Cain
I have held a licence for 23 years and have been a member of the Society for 19 years. I have been fortunate enough to be a Board Member for 14 of those years and at present hold the position of Drivers Operations Manager.

Keith Cain
   This role also includes having the responsibility for the over-all day-to-day management of the Call Centre. During my time as a Board Member, I have gained invaluable experience due to the various duties presented to me.  The achievement I am most proud of was being elected by the membership to the role of Treasurer, a position I held for four years.
   I am seeking your support again for re-election to the Board so that I can continue to play a part in the continuous growth that our Society has had the pleasure to experience. Recent implementation of the new licensing laws has seen private hire come more into line with the taxi industry. In order for our Society to remain in the forefront, my belief is we must continue to maintain our prestigious profile and present ourselves as the professionals within an extremely competitive market. Our clients have the utmost confidence in our service and what must be paramount to our future success is that we must secure that confidence in providing the transport service they require.
   Our recent in-house development of new technology will revolutionise the radio taxi industry and is already proving to clients that Dial-a-Cab has the initiative and determination to produce the goods cost-effectively. Such innovation will ensure that primarily our driver-earning potential will continue to grow and the professional business approach that I am very much an ardent supporter of, is maintained.  Dial-a-Cab, like all successful businesses, requires an experienced team to manage its day-to-day affairs. My Board experience and appetite to succeed gives me the confidence to ask you for your support to be re-elected onto the Board of Management.

Darryl Cox
My name is Darryl Cox and I am 53 years old. I have been a licensed taxi driver for 26 years and a member of DaC for 15 years. I have been married for 31 years and have two sons. My eldest son, James, is also a taxi driver and has been a member of DaC for 4 years. Prior to that he worked at DaC for 4 years as a night-time dispatcher.

Darryl Cox
Before becoming a taxi driver, I worked for 10 years at my father's printing and publishing business, employing over 40 people. I worked in all aspects of the business and for 5 years was company secretary.
   I am standing for election to the Board of Management because I am concerned about the direction the Society has taken in recent years and the current style of management. The difficulty in 

obtaining financial information and
 the apparent lack of financial accountability are matters which 
should worry everyone. I believe it is important that we return to the practice of showing, in full, all payments made to Board  
members. It is also imperative
that a comprehensive breakdown of operational expenditure should be readily available.
   The autocratic management style of the current Board is illustrated by the way in which both the introduction of the cash booking fee and the increase in the charge for handling credit cards was imposed on the members without any consultation with the members. A further example of this style was the sudden rule change in July concerning members' voting rights. This also raised the possibility of another attempt to demutualise DaC in the near future. I am totally opposed to this as I believe DaC should remain independent from outside organisations whose aims and objectives are very different from ours.
   My gravest concern, however, is the introduction of Concierge, which was announced by the Chairman in the October edition of Call Sign. This system, which was paid for by the membership, allows clients to book their total ground transportation needs through our call centre. That means we are handling work for private hire vehicles and not merely licensed taxi cabs. This clearly contravenes the constitution of ODRTS as established under the Industrial and Providence Acts 1965-75. Once again, this whole system was implemented without any consultation with the membership.
   I believe that if I were elected to the Board, my previous management experience, my knowledge of the taxi trade and my commitment to the Society would enable me to make a
real contribution to the future of DaC.
   Finally, in compliance with Rule 10 (i), I must inform you that three weeks ago, on 19 October 2004,1 was put on complaint under Rule 21 for not producing my proprietor's license in May 2003 and June 2004.

Allan Evans
I am a licensed taxi driver of almost 28 years and a member on Dial-a-Cab for nearly 19 years. I worked as a new Driver Trainer for six years prior to being elected to the Board and also organised the Marshalling team in its formative years. Marshalling is now big business and events such as Battersea Park have helped raise the Society’s profile and generated additional income for us all, which was my objective from the beginning.

Allan Evans
I have certainly learnt a lot during the past four years that I have represented you, the members, on the Board of Management. I have been privileged to be involved in a number of high profile projects, which has helped me build up an excellent working relationship with some of our most senior clients. I now feel that the knowledge I have gained in office has not only given me a deeper understanding of the Society, but also provided me with invaluable experience. I have made every effort to be as understanding and helpful to all members of our Society and have always given 100% commitment to my position as a Board Member, a position I am proud to hold.
   My role since being elected is to head the Driver Training and Marshalling. During the past eighteen months I have also been jointly responsible for Driver Operations. This has certainly given me a much greater insight into the needs and wishes of you, the members, and my aim was always to put into practice what I would expect as a fellow subscriber. As a working driver, I have met and spoken to many new and existing members during my time in office and I have always tried to be as open as possible and offered help and advice if required.
   This present Board have a great deal of experience; we complement each other and work very hard as a team. I feel that we have performed very well, but we must always strive for continuous improvement to keep our Society ahead of the competition.        Experience and continuity is now more crucial than ever before and I would ask you all once again to support me and elect me to represent you all for a further term in office.

Tony Gillam
My name is Tony Gillam. I'd like to start by giving you a brief outline of my working background. I commenced work as a plumber and progressed to foreman, supervisor and then contract manager. As contract manager I was based in Whitehall for many years and was responsible for contracts both in Whitehall and in government buildings in the surrounding areas, including number 10 Downing Street and the Palace of Westminster. My responsibilities included attending meetings with clients, tendering for contracts and managing a workforce of up to 200 employees.

Tony Gillam
Whilst learning the Knowledge of London, I was employed by Thames Water as a freelance surveyor. Upon passing the Knowledge, I became a partner in a knowledge school and began to take an active role within the taxi industry, attending meetings at the PCO and Transport for London.
   I joined the long waiting list to become a subscriber to DaC because it was the only taxi circuit owned and run by taxi drivers, for taxi drivers as a friendly society.
   I would like to become a Board member because I have become concerned that, in recent years, the threat of de-mutualisation has begun to erode the spirit of the Society. I believe our strengths lie in the fact that we are now the only independent taxi service left in London. I don't know how the introduction of Concierge benefits the Society, for it gives our competitors a foothold in our industry. They are being allowed not only to exploit the experience and reputation for service we have built over the last 50 years, but also use the technology our members have paid for.
   We currently have an advantage over our competitors because we do not have to trade for profit. We only have to cover our overheads, whereas our competitors have to meet their overheads and trade for profit to satisfy investors/shareholders. We should always have the edge over our competitors as we should be more competitive.
   We have recently seen the imposition of a £2 charge for cash hirings and an increase of 2½ % on all credit card hirings, both without prior consultation with the membership. I believe consultation with the membership should take place before this type of decision is made.
   At present the Society's balance sheet gives minimal information. I would like to see a more detailed balance sheet giving a breakdown of where the Society's money has been spent. This would make the financial activities of the Society more accountable to its' members.
   If I am successful in becoming a Board member, you will have placed your trust in me to become a custodian of our Society. I pledge to work in the membership's best interest at all times.
  I am obliged under Rule 10 (i) 
to notify members that I have 2
unresolved complaints registered against me (20 & 25). Both 

Russell Hall (G44)
I have been driving a cab for 21 years and for more than 10 of those years on DaC. My wife, Gill, has also been my journeyman, so we have a deep-rooted relationship with DaC. Since joining the Society, I have seen the company drag itself off the floor, trading on a day-to-day basis back in 1994, to the excellent position of where we are today. I believe that you, the drivers have all had a massive input into the Society to get us there. 

Russell Hall (G44)
I believe in maintaining this momentum; I have the youthful enthusiasm and the knowledgeable experience to 
take DaC on to a higher plateau and keep DaC further in front of our rivals in this ever-competitive business.
   In my former role as a DaC marshal, I developed a good rapport with all you drivers and I believe you know how passionate I feel about DaC. Marshalling led me to represent DaC, as some would perceive, an extension of the Board when meeting our highly respected account customers. They always seemed to be impressed with my proficient and professional approach to every situation that may have arisen. In addition, I have always been prepared to offer advice and assistance to drivers who have approached me with any problems they may have while on the road.
   I have worked days, nights, on the Finz, at the airport, cover all types of account work as I have every possible attribute. My experience working in the Call Centre has also widened my knowledge and experience and given me more of an insight into the workings of DaC and what its relationship with the drivers should be.
   I believe that if I were elected to represent you, I would not let you down in any way. I have the confidence and dogged determination to succeed and believe that working with others, I would create an even more professional unit with fresh motivation in addition to inspirational ideas, thus keeping the continuity at Boardroom level this Society necessitates.
   I am asking for your support to continue the ongoing development of our Society. I would be pleased to answer any questions that you wish to ask either through Call Sign, email or at the AGM. I look forward to meeting you all.
   You have up to 5 votes, but if you want me to help you keep control of your Society, then make one of those votes for Russell Hall.

Mike Son
I cannot believe it’s that time again! As a member of the Board of Management, it most certainly has been an exciting 2 years. I mentioned in my last CV that deregulation would have a profound effect on our industry and this has proved to be a realisation, especially now that the PCO have issued more private hire licences than ever and the legitimacy of many car companies is taking the opportunity to pilfer our work.

Mike Son
   Financially, technologically and with customer service, Dial-a-Cab is the most successful radio taxi service in London - if not Europe. This is because of management, leadership and teamwork. The next few years will undoubtedly be equally challenging.
   I thank you for your tremendous support during the past 2 years and in seeking re-election for the next term of office, I look forward to your continued confidence in meeting any challenges that may lie ahead.

Allen Togwell
My Name is Allen Togwell. Having originally joined the Board to develop a much needed Sales & Marketing Dept, I achieved that aim and in addition to the success this made to turnover and profile, my continuity on the  Board was to allow a rapport to develop with senior clients, which proved valuable when re-tendering for future business.

Allen Togwell
   More recently, whilst when required I still exercise that rapport, the expansion of the Sales dept is now such as to allow me to concentrate primarily, in addition to Board member duties, on marketing, graphic design and tenders. To our longer serving members, I once again ask for your continued support plus, of course, that of those subscribers who have recently joined our successful organisation.

Tom Whitbread
I joined The Owner Drivers Radio taxi Service in 1972 as a driver when it was situated in Shirland Road. A short time after joining, I decided to become more involved with the running of the circuit, so I put my name forward as they were short of telephonists and dispatching staff. At that time, the training was done in your own time and with no payment.

Tom Whitbread
   Once the Board member in charge of the Control Room was confident that I had completed my apprenticeship, he asked me to take over as night Control Room manager. The vacancy arose due to the death of a famous ODRTS character, Johnny Thwaites.
   Over the next 6 years, I held the position of Night Control Room Manager / Dispatcher; it was towards the latter end of this time that I stood for the Board of management. I was successfully voted onto the Board and of this date, I am the longest serving Board member. This gives me some 18 years experience of working in the many departments throughout Dial-a-Cab.
   I currently hold the position of Complaints Officer, a position that seems to make Board Members shy away. This is obviously because it is a job that can make you very unpopular if not done correctly and fairly. During the time I have held this position, I have tried to look fairly at all complaints, although some drivers may not think this was the case.
   During this period, I have dealt with thousands of complaints that usually end up with one side thinking you have made the wrong decision. I have at no time ducked the issue of dealing with a complaint due to making me unpopular or for fear of intimidation.
   Since being in Brunswick House, I have been the Board member in charge of the Call Centre, Roman Way, Drivers Training, Drivers Services, and Drivers Operations. I have also overseen the telephone system in the building and the installation of the new administration telephone system.
   If I am re-elected I will promise you no great changes that I would instigate, because you work as a Board, not an individual. In the past 2 years, the Board have really gelled together and produced the best years for drivers and Dial-a-Cab.
   I would ask you not only to return me, but also the rest of the Board so that we can continue to profit from experience.