WAR TIME
TAXI BLUES!

   During the early weeks of January, at the start of the notoriously quiet trading period known as the ‘Kipper’ season, Call Sign wondered how cabmen of the past had fared during WW2 while suffering the added restrictions of fuel rationing?
   By coincidence, we came across a newspaper report of the time where taxi drivers were claiming allegations of being trailed by police cars, checking to see if the taxi drivers were complying with the Scotland Yard ruling to head for the nearest rank after setting down a job. The directive was aimed at reducing dead mileage as drivers cruised the streets looking for fares and consequently wasting precious petrol - the diesel engine came many years later.
   Several cabmen had complained to the Cab Section of the Transport & General Workers Union that they had been stopped by police, for "making unnecessary mileage" by moving from one rank to another to find fares, or for not heading to the nearest rank to where they had set down their passenger.
   "Drivers cannot make a living working only 3 days and being restricted to 180 miles a week on a petrol allowance of 60 gallons a month," a Union official stated. The Union negotiated an increase in fuel quota to 90gallons a month, the newspaper wrote.
   Of course, had Dial-a-Cab had been around in those dark days, the taxi drivers might have been able to reduce their unpaid mileage quite considerably and also saved the police officers from wasting their own fuel supply chasing cabmen instead of catching the villains of the day!
© Call Sign Magazine MM5

Call Sign: Concierge cost £200K to buy – money we will never get back?
Brian Rice: It has cost less than 25k to build and with all the extra work that we have acquired for Dial-a-Cab, together with the Management fee, we have almost recouped that outlay already – and as the whole of the client’s building only went live on 8^th November 2004, I think you will agree that it has been a remarkable achievement for Dial-a-Cab.

CS: When Concierge is phoned, the automated answer doesn’t even mention DaC?
BR: It actually says: "Welcome to Concierge by Dial-a-Cab."

CS: Concierge means that we have minicab companies working for us?
BR:No, they are still working for the client exactly as they did prior to Concierge, the contract is between the Car Companies and the Client, exactly the same as in the past.

CS: Any client can now call Concierge, but when they do they are offered a choice of 5 PH companies and then Dial-a-Cab?
BR: Totally incorrect! The customer knows the vehicle they want before they phone or book on-line. The only difference is that in the past they telephoned the Car Company direct, they now telephone us, or book on-line. Incidentally, 35% of all their work is going through on-line, which actually costs us nothing.

CS: We have been offered bribes by minicab companies to mention their names first on the automated answering machine?
BR: I take it that is a joke? Private Hire Companies are not even mentioned!

CS: Our workload via Concierge compared to the old way is now one sixth of what it was?
BR: Under the ‘old way,’ we were doing 10% of the taxi work. If you want me to be precise, up to 7 January 2005, 10,127 taxi trips went through Concierge. Under the ‘old way’ we would have done approximately 1,000 trips, however with Concierge we did 5,614 trips which represents 55.4% of the taxi work – an enormous leap as it represents over 4,500 extra trips for our members - plus the extra service charge for Dial-a-Cab.

CS: Can any of our clients ring Concierge?
BR: No, at present it is only with one client who is absolutely delighted with it. The way in which they order their vehicle is only part of the package, what is particularly appealing to them is the way in which we ‘bill’ them. They have one invoice from us together with one set of Management Stats – instead of six under the old regime. Consequently, Dial-a-Cab is the only Vendor that holds a Database of the employees – which makes us pretty crucial to their operation.

CS: Thank you…