Whether
you read call sign from cover to cover or
skip some pages and read just what looks
interesting, I’d like you all to take note
of my report this month, as primarily I want
to explain to you the functionality of the
West Coast Train account and the work
schedule for the coming month (May).
In August
2002 we commenced the operation of Dial-a-Cab
supplying taxis to West Coast Trains
for their vulnerable passengers during the
long-term engineering works scheduled on the
main line from London to Glasgow. Initially,
a driver was paid to just sit and wait and
if a passenger was granted a taxi journey,
then a fixed mileage rate was paid for that
journey. Our brief was to run a service from
Euston to Milton Keynes taking in Watford
Junction and Hemel Hempstead.
While the
terms of the contract are still basically
very much the same, we have seen an increase
in the number of journeys and stations. This
has been caused by WCT giving us the
responsibility to transport their staff from
station to station and from their homes to
stations. This particular area of our
service has developed to such significant
levels that WCT can now confidently
transport drivers and train crews into
position on time. Punctuality has
substantial cost savings to WCT that could
amount to many thousands of pounds should a
train not leave on schedule. I’m pleased
to say that the method of operation Allan
Evans and I put into place in the beginning,
has contributed to drivers being able to
meet these times and which in turn, for the
first time ever, has allowed us to
tentatively give guarantees of service to a
client.
Our
service reputation during these past twenty
months has lead to WCT offering us the
chance to participate in their operation
between Watford Junction and as far up as Birmingham
International and Birmingham New
Street stations.
We have
obviously accepted the opportunity and are
very busy planning an operational strategy.
This is why every driver must - and I repeat
MUST - play their part should they
wish to participate in the operation.
How the
Operation Works…
The whole operation at Brunswick House is a
manual process. After driver selection has
been completed via our V6 system and using
the WCWC booking in procedure, everything
else is carried out by a team of ten staff -
lead by Garry Gates - working over two
shifts.
Even
when WCWC is open to make driver selection,
it has to be overseen. It is crucial that
driver messages are read correctly and the
instructions are strictly followed. The
first message prior to the opening time of
the WCWC zone will ask for ONLY those
drivers who have not been selected since 1
January 2004. We wait for about five minutes
and if the zone is not filled, the next
message sent would ask for those who have
ONLY been selected ONCE since 1 January. A
short time period will again elapse and if
we still have not filled the zone, a further
message is sent. If you are fortunate enough
to get a queue position, it is important
that you do not book off from the WCWC zone
before being sent a message to do
so.
At
every stage, a print of the screen is taken
and call signs logged. The final print
should show the full number of cabs for any
particular week, however, this does not
always happen because some drivers as soon
as they receive a queue position, take it
upon themselves to book off. With the zone
set for a precise number of cabs, if one
driver books off it allows another to book
in and replace him/her. This results in us
having to sit and evaluate many screen
prints and check each call sign to ensure
fair play and that the correct drivers are
selected.
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Some drivers
also apparently find it necessary to just book
in to see whether they can get a position,
knowing full well that they are not eligible
to do so. Why do they want to waste everyone’s
time…?
Some
drivers also book in knowing full well that
they are trying to jump the queue. Our
selection process is tight, as many of you
will have experienced when the team have
contacted you and told you you’re not on. In
the past we have threatened that complaints
would be issued if this continued and this
report is the final warning to you. Messages
are very clear; it will not be accepted as a
reasonable excuse for anyone not to follow
message
instructions in the future when booking into
zone WCWC.
After
booking in, we need to contact you to confirm
a start time, station or pre allocated trip
details. Not being contactable just prolongs
the process for our staff and delays others
being informed. As your mobile phone is
crucial to the whole operation, will you
please keep your phone with you and make sure
it is switched on from the time you receive a
queue position, until the last job of your
shift has been cleared. You never know with
WCT, their best plans and trip information can
change at any time and if this happens, we
need to be able to advise you and save you any
unnecessary time or mileage.
And another
point, despite messages we’ve sent in the
past, many drivers still persist in contacting
us for details of their shift. I ask you not
to do this in future as it holds staff up. We
work from station lists and searching for your
details involves more than one member of staff
and can become confusing. Please, once you
have been selected wait till we call you. It
is part of our procedures that every driver
taking part must be spoken with personally
prior to their workdate; so don’t worry if
you think we have forgotten, we haven’t…!
Health and
Safety at stations has recently come into
question because of both Bus and Taxi drivers
failing to follow instructions. Milton Keynes
station for example is set up as a one-way
system from front to back. It also has a 5
mph speed limit that applies to all traffic!
The speed limit has been virtually ignored and
police have now set up speed checks on station
roads. We have been instructed to advise all
drivers that the 5 mph speed limit will be
enforced and not only will drivers be reported
for speeding, but they will also be told to
stop participating for the rest of the day. If
this happens to you, we will have no
alternative but to carry out those
instructions. All stations, in fact, have a
5 mph speed limit. Please comply because if
you don’t, Dial-a-Cab will not be in a
position to help if you are prosecuted…
DaC Marshals
Roles
Our marshal’s role has also become a crucial
part of the operation. Please ensure that on
arrival at every station, you make yourself
known to the marshal. From time to time they
are given pre-booked journeys to allocate to a
driver at their station. When allocating these
trips, they will give the driver plenty of
time to locate the pick-up address and to
arrive on time. The passenger’s telephone
number will also be given so that drivers can
make contact en route to confirm, if
necessary, exactly where the address actually
is or more importantly, if a delay occurs.
Delays must be notified to the passenger and
operations room at Brunswick House.
Any trips
allocated by a marshal are done so in the
order of them receiving the trip. If there are
two
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pre-booked
journeys required for the same time, then it
will be the Dial-a-Cab trip reference number
that will decide where the first cab in the
queue goes. When more than one passenger
requires a taxi at the same time, it will be
the WCT docket number that will denote who
gets the first cab. Drivers are not permitted
to pick and choose and by using this method of
selection, marshals are not intimidated in
allocating the trips.
Drivers
are not permitted to accept trips through the
system prior to starting their allocated shift
unless authorised by a controller. Once
working on a shift, a driver must be prepared
to accept any trip allocated to them. Any
driver refusing a trip will have to answer a
complaint. Only very long distance trips in
which the journey time is expected to exceed
three hours will be considered for
reallocation.
Drivers
must also ensure that they have sufficient
fuel prior to arriving at stations. Complaints
from passengers concerning drivers filling up
with them on board will have to be answered.
We have
also recently had some comments regarding the
attire of certain drivers. While this is
primarily weekend work and many of us more
often than not dress down at weekends, please
ensure that when working on WCT work, that you
are appropriately dressed for the occasion.
Polo shirts, slacks and shoes are a minimum
request from WCT and we really will have no
hesitation in issuing a complaint should a
driver be reported to us.
Drivers
must ensure that for their own records, the
marshal gives them a docket reference number
prior to beginning a trip. Then, apart from
making a note of your starting mileage, you
must make a note of the actual time you set
off with the passenger. We have found that
there have been a number of occasions where
the docket time differs by some 15/20 minutes
and with WCT checking every trip for journey
times, it is very important to have answers.
And Future
Trips…
As I’ve already said, the next major block
of work will involve a complete shut down of
service from Watford Junction to Birmingham
for the nine day period commencing Saturday 29
May to Sunday 6 June, 2004.
Participation selection will be made on a
daily basis using the WCWC zone method and we
hope to start this on Monday 7 May.
We are
still to make a decision on what the selection
criteria will be for booking in and as soon as
a decision is made, messages will be sent via
your terminals. We will also produce an
information sheet that will be available from
Driver’s Reception. We are still awaiting
the actual number of Taxis required, but if
our guess is right then we will need to treat
the nine-day block separately from the weekend
shift work. We believe that every driver has
had the opportunity since 1 January to book in
for a shift and the only reason why it may not
have happened would be down to their own
personal choice. However, because we are
opening the zone some two weeks prior to the
start date, restrictions will apply to stop
drivers booking in for more than one of the
nine days. In saying this, it could alter our
decision if we find it difficult to find
drivers not wishing to participate. We will
advise everyone via fleet messages, so again,
please read the messages on your terminals…
WCT are
expecting this block to be busier than last
August. Last year, many commuters were on
holiday and the Motor Show was not on at
Birmingham. This year it is on so the number
of taxis required could amount to 150 a day
and this means that drivers may be taken away
from supplying a service to our other clients.
In all, a very busy period is expected for
everyone. I know that you will give all our
clients the best possible service over the
nine days and I thank you all in advance for
your assistance during this time.
Keith Cain
Driver Operations Manager
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