Being the Chairman…
Which leads me to the role of Board members and in particular the recent announcement in Call Sign on Brian Rice becoming our Society’s longest serving Chairman, to which I would like to offer my personal congratulations. Since joining the Board, I have served with no fewer than 21 different Board members, 4 Chairmen - including Brian - and have experienced pressures at Board-level unlike any in our history, so I feel qualified in highlighting exactly how much of an achievement Brian’s record is and the gratitude we all owe him for reaching that milestone. Being a representative of Dial-a-Cab and undertaking the role expected of an organisation of our size is extremely unique to say the least…
   Unique in as much as the desire to play a part as an officer in making DaC a success is reliant solely on self motivation. In what other industry do those responsible for the success of a company do so without any financial incentives? After all, as the saying goes, there is supposedly no such thing as a free lunch! It’s a point of fact that financially it makes not an ounce of difference to our Chairman or the Board whether we make a million pounds profit or lose a million, so why take on the responsibility, why be subject to personal abuse from certain subscribers, why take on the worry, why have nightmares like those I’ve had whilst waiting for the result of an impending tender or the likely loss of a big client? Why allow the job to become self-consuming? I can speak for myself, I can also speak for several Board members who I’ve worked with closely and I can speak in part for the Chairman. Primarily you have be of a certain character, which includes having a strong affinity with the Society. From that grows a compelling desire to see our Society - a drivers circuit - being more successful than any of the competition, a desire to see ideas bear fruit, a desire to absorb knowledge of the industry and put management skills to good practice. Plus of course, a myriad of other reasons according to each individual.
   One typical example of the job being self-consuming: Whenever Brian goes on Holiday, we all tell him to switch off, clear his mind of the job and come back refreshed. Does he hell! Every day and much to the annoyance of his wife Brenda, he will ring in for an update on the figures and other details. It’s that type of obsession. It’s all the more remarkable when you consider that during his time in office he has suffered a very nasty heart attack, but for him it’s still a 24-7-365 responsibility. And for what? A round of applause at the end of his tenure as given to Aubrey Siteman after a lifetime of serving the Society? No, because it’s that type of job…
   Unfortunately, not many subscribers are aware of this required characteristic when they first join the Board and are in for a rude surprise. To some, joining the Board is an ego trip often lasting no more than one term when they realise the financial implications at being taxed PAYE at source. For others there may be political reasons. There have also been those whose intentions were good and who in my opinion had all the right qualities, but didn’t consider the responsibility, financial return, aggravation and lack of appreciation with the liability that goes with being a Board member.
   For example, few realise that in the event that our Society was to hit a slump similar to that in the late 80’s and continue trading knowing the company was insolvent, each Board member would be personally liable and suffer the consequences. One Board member I served with resigned the moment he became aware of that fact.
   Please don’t think the above is anything to do with this year’s elections. I simply make the facts known so those of you ignorant of the responsibility of whomever 

If It’s Worth Doing…
Talking of doing a proper job leads me onto a subject that I’m sure, like me, drives many of you to despair. In an age where Political Correctness has gone mad, barely a day goes past when there is not a report released turning common sense on its head. One typical report I read recently concerned downgrading standards in the workplace because to achieve a level of quality is to pressure people into becoming perfectionist, a characteristic that in their expert opinion has no place in modern society.
   A couple of days after reading that article, I was travelling to work when I saw a piece of brick wall handiwork that made me wonder whether the person responsible was also the author of that report. It looked as though they had just used any bricks lying around with those bits that actually matched just counting as a bonus! When I was a young lad I was repeatedly told that anything worth doing is worth doing well. After all, it takes the same amount of labour and effort. That is a principle that applies to practically everything we do in life, from the way we speak, act, present or apply ourselves, to the work we do.
   I’ve mentioned on occasions my having once spent a number of years in the fashion trade. It was at a time when to produce quality was often the only way to guarantee repeat business. Most young men started off having their suits made at Burton’s, later progressing to more upmarket local tailors and it was equally common for women of all ages to have clothes made by the many local dressmakers because socialising or going out for the evening meant making the effort to look really smart. Many a time one of my sisters would badger me to quickly make a coat or suit for a coming Saturday evening dance!
   Thinking of those times brings back happy memories, the odd embarrassment but also sadness at what happens when standards fall. One embarrassment that comes to mind concerns a young lady I had arranged to meet on a first date outside Mornington Crescent tube. I was waiting by my car that I had to park across in Camden High St. When she arrived, she waved and like a flash git I ran across the main road and hurdled the railings situated round the edge of the pavement. And as I sailed through the air like an Olympic champion, the jacket pocket of the brand new suit I was wearing got caught on the railings and was completely ripped apart. I’ll never forget that horrible feeling mixed with tears and anger made worse by my dopey date rolling on the floor wetting herself with laughter!
   The repercussions of falling standards, decline of the fashion trade and the eventual demise of my business came when it became fashionable for women to wear jeans and with it a sloppy attitude towards appearance that was never to be reversed. Cheaper imports and immigrant manufacturers with cheap labour churning out inferior quality not only flooded the market, but also became an acceptable standard of dress.
   Still today, watch TV and you’ll see presenters, celebrities including ex so-called footballers, unshaven and dressed like tramps. To say it is making a fashion statement is frankly an excuse for sheer laziness or worse - having no sense how to dress as it was probably last done by their mother!
   Appearing scruffy, particularly in front of the media, in my opinion shows nothing but contempt. It proves nothing but total disrespect for the viewer and a certain arrogance. Needless to say, with a talent level equal to their mentality, these people don’t last. The problem is that those of a similar ilk then replace them. What concerns me is the damage to the Taxi industry when the younger element in our trade copy these so called icons, make a habit of being abusive to their passengers, overcharge, take the longest route or keep themselves or their cabs in an unacceptable state. If that carries on, see how long it will take for the cab trade to meet the fate of long gone British industries that were once renowned for quality.

Tipping, Ageism and the Royal Family…
Those of you who read the trade papers may have seen various articles recently on the subject of tipping. Personally, whilst I consider myself reasonably generous when giving a tip, as a cab driver I often found receiving it somewhat demeaning and also at times embarrassing, particularly when the passenger spends ages searching in their purse, bag or pockets for the loose change. It has been suggested by certain factions in the trade that the tip should be included in the tariff, which I cannot see as being acceptable because in my opinion a gratuity is recognition of a job well done.
   There are 25,000 licensed taxi drivers in London and it would be naïve to think there are not some who are a disgrace to our industry. What right do these people have to be awarded a gratuity compared to those who genuinely deserve it? If a gratuity is acceptable to the authorities, I feel it would be better if it was discretionary with a figure for example of 10% added to the fare, with a notice similar to that in many restaurants that if the passenger didn’t considered it warranted, then it could be deducted.
   I believe it would go a long way to improving standards within the

trade, as every driver would be conscious of the manner in which they were doing their job.
   Another interesting article in the trade press concerns ageism. I don’t know how true the facts are, but it appears from an article in the July issue of The Badge that there are more cab drivers over pensionable age than there are under the age of 30. The article goes on to say that whilst it is not the intention of the LCDC to offend those of retirement age, there must come a time when the whole question of a driver’s age comes into question. Exactly what the LCDC has in mind with regards proposing an age limit on having a Bill to encourage, it argues, more younger people into our trade, I don’t know. However, I found it strange that in that same issue, their Chairman Alan Fleming voiced criticism of the Government’s intention to increase retirement age and the pittance pensioners receive at present.
   I’ve always been of the opinion that in the service industry, standards and quality are more likely to be produced by those of mature years than many of the young. For many people of mature years, just to be active is the essence of life. It is a bonus to be doing something useful and putting to use years of experience and of course the income, no matter how small on top of the pittance of a pension, can be the difference between being on the breadline and retaining a sense of dignity.
   Daily we read of the horrors of the MSSR virus in NHS hospitals caused once again by inferior workmanship. I cannot ever imagine that happening before this work was subcontracted out, when cleaners were mainly women of mature years, those same breed of women we once saw hoards of early in the morning going into clean offices. And when I say clean, I mean to leave polished and sparkling as if it was their own home.
   Standards will never be achieved unless there is a genuine desire to see a job well done and in many instances it is only the older generation who remember and still respect those values. Unfortunately, many of the young are in too much of a hurry. They are happy to cut corners. There is pressure to succeed and meet huge bills and they will compromise quality to achieve that aim. Fortunately for the cab trade, there is still a fair number of middle to senior age cab drivers playing their part in keeping the trade up to standard synonymous with the past. I mean no disrespect to many of the young coming into the cab trade, but sadly I see examples of it far too often. Not even a simple thank you.
   So before certain members of the LCDC and their ilk start putting ideas into Red Ken’s mind about adding aged cab drivers onto the ever-increasing pile of already-destitute pensioners, they should remember that they too will reach that age one day.
   Finally, many of you would have seen in the press on TV and of course in the last Call Sign – incidentally the only paper that had different photos of the event to everybody else - the recent gathering at Clarence House of many people associated with the Cab Trade of whom I was one. I personally found the experience very interesting, if only to be able to judge at first hand the image portrayed by the media of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles. Personally I found them both very charming, easy to speak to, with a genuine tone of sincerity in their answers to questions. When it came to my turn to be introduced, I chose to avoid the subject of taxis, which by that time would have been coming out of their ears. Instead I offered my congratulations on the Duchy of Cornwall organic food products that he is responsible for and of which all proceeds go to charity - a subject they both expanded on with great zeal. Those of you who like a good banger with your breakfast should try them, they are really good.
   The reason I mention the above visit is because of how often we wrongly perceive others by what we hear or read about them, something which can not only be misleading, but can give a wrong perspective when a judgement is deemed necessary.
   I know from myself during the early years as a Board member, the perception that many members had of me changed once they and I had the opportunity to meet face to face. It’s so easy to believe others or what we see in print especially if it suits the purpose. It is one of the things that really annoys me when I see derogatory articles in the press about the Taxi trade by journalists who cannot think of anything else to write about. They will pick up on just one incident involving a cab driver and blow it up out of all proportion. Invariably this prompts the public to have their two pennies worth by submitting letters agreeing with the author and giving examples of similar grievances. There is little we can do about this except being forever aware of the importance of how you leave every fare at the end of your journey…

Allen Togwell
DaC Marketing
allent@dialacab.co.uk