Congratulations to former ODRTS Chairman Jack Russell who turned 90
in early September. Jack was Chairman from 1964 when he took over
from Eli Solomons, until he stood down in 1969 and handed the reins
over to Jack Taylor.
Jack underwent a triple heart by pass operation in 2002 at the
age of 88 that he described to Call Sign at the time as a major
irritation because it stopped him from driving!
"I’m fine now," Jack told us just after his 90th
celebrations. And indeed, he looked very well as he scooted around
the 2004 Taxi Driver of the Year Show at London’s Brent Cross in his
motorised wheelchair. "I wouldn’t normally bother with the chair,
but it’s a bit warm today," he said as the temperature gauge hit
88degrees.
There were many memorable moments during Jack’s tenure in the
Chairman’s hot seat and Call Sign will relate just one of them. This
involved one of the first trade "battles" with the PCO, because up
until that point the PCO were considered to be "untouchable."
Jack had wanted to advertise in the back of our cabs that you could
go to Heathrow for "50/-" – that’s £2.50 for the younger members of
the Society! So he
arranged an interview with Mr.Collins, who was in charge of the PCO in the mid-sixties,
regarding the question of ODRTS hand out cards being displayed in our
taxis. |
Jack Russell
However, the ruling came back that by drivers displaying these
cards inside the cab with the price of 50/- to L.A.P on gave the
impression that the price has the blessing of the Assistant Commissioner
and secondly, it deprived drivers of the right to bargain for the fare –
something that was common outside of the 6-mile radius in those days.
The PCO also worried that if they allowed us the option of
advertising, it would set a precedent and "…everybody would be doing
it!"
"You win some and you lose some," said Jack!
Once again, happy birthday Jack…
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