Either write to Call Sign at Brunswick House or email us at callsignmag@aol.com

Smoking in taxis?
After many months, the House of Commons has finally decided on the rules concerning the prohibition of smoking in public places. Despite pressure and interference from Scottish MPs over what will only concern England, the outcome as I understand it is that smoking will be banned in all enclosed public spaces and work places. I was wondering how this will affect the taxi trade?
   Since any member of the public is entitled to hail and enter a cab and as it is also a place of work, it would seem to follow that smoking in all taxis will be prohibited with the ban covering drivers as well as passengers. Perhaps drivers will be allowed to smoke when on their way home but not when they are available for hire?
Can any of our distinguished Board members confirm that this will be the case?
Laurence Kelvin (W88)
Laurence, because nothing is yet 100%, the Board are unable to answer the question. I also asked the PCO and Simon Buggey, Senior Service Delivery Manager at the PCO told me: "The latest information from the Department for Transport indicates that it is the Government's intention to include taxis in the smoking ban. As far as I am aware, the legislation has yet to be drafted so we will have to wait for further developments."
   It will be interesting to see whether driver’s wives / partners will be able to smoke whilst in the back of the cab if out socially …Ed

Thanks for the help…
I needed assistance recently (Saturday 25th February to be precise) when my exhaust pipe fell down. As a result, I would like to thank the Call Centre staff and all the drivers who offered to help and especially the driver who came to help.
John Addis  (N26)

Satisfied customer…
Just to say thank you for all the help you have provided me with this week. As a Westminster TaxiCard user, I find the service a lifeline in getting about. My husband broke a toe last Monday and I needed to not only take him to hospital, but to deal with the day-to-day things he normal does for me. Your drivers provided a wonderful service…
Patricia Knight
London NW8
Pleased we could help and hope your husband’s toe heals soon to ease your woe! …Ed

Parking Tickets: Do The Wardens Actual Target Taxis?
Whilst undertaking a TaxiCard trip from Queen Square, I parked directly outside the main entrance of my pick-up at number 8 and went into the reception / waiting room to make contact as per my instructions. I looked around for anyone who showed signs of waiting for a cab. Nothing there, so I moved over to the reception desk and waited until the receptionist finished dealing with a lady booking in for her appointment. I then asked for my passenger, giving his name and the extension number I had been given, but no luck. They did not know the passenger, who hadn’t contacted the desk. They then shouted out the name to those waiting, but again nothing. On the way out, a delivery driver told me to watch out for the wardens. I had been inside about 3 minutes in total.
   Sure enough, one of these green-coated specimens was standing across the road from my taxi and he turned his back to me as I came out and went around to the front of the cab to try an advise arrival. Once done, I called across to the green-coated one that I was picking up a disabled passenger on a TaxiCard. Initially, he tried to seem uninterested, but when he realised I was not about to go back inside the building, he slid over with the dreaded ticket curled up in his hand as if he was going to try and palm it to me without me noticing. Looking directly at it, I refused to let him give it to me and he stuck it under the wiper blade.
   I then had a bit of a verbal go at him saying that it was because of people like him (or words to that effect) that the disabled, elderly and other disadvantaged people ended up waiting a long time for taxis in places like this as drivers didn’t want parking tickets. His reply was: "So what are you worried about, you don’t pay them." He was looking at my door logos and clearly indicated to me that he was fully aware that I would be passing the ticket onto DaC.
   Thinking about it later, I formed the distinct impression that this was partly why he had given me a ticket, reasoning to himself that as I would not be paying it, I wouldn’t be concerned about it. As I was not inside the building for more than 3 minutes, he must have sprinted up to the cab within seconds of me pulling up and entering the hospital, took the necessary details and moved away again to fill in his form and print it - no doubt hoping to deposit it back on the cab and scoot away before I came out. Given that most of the square is connected with medicine in one form or another, this must be a site for easy pickings by these ******* (fill in as you see fit).
   All around the square, there are minicabs waiting for people. These cars have a permit on the dash from Camden Council allowing them to sit there whilst waiting to be given instructions about their next passengers. Incidentally, it is unlikely that these ladies and gentlemen are CRB checked as they are considered to be contract drivers and currently as such, do not come under PCO licensing conditions. Quite rightly, the PCO has objected to this loophole and an amendment to the 1998 Private Hire Bill closing this loophole is progressing though the Gas House. This ridiculous situation also occurs outside London where the 1976 Miscellaneous Provisions rule. Surely if the relevant authorities see fit to close this loophole in London, they should also do so for the rest of the country?
Eddie Lambert (V37)
Thanks for the email, Eddie, it gives a good example of why DaC now appeal every PCN. Whilst I accept your point about why this warden may have singled you out with a ticket, ironically, I also received an agency press cutting on the same day that I received your email. This was from the Ham and High (dated 24 Feb).
   It told of a licensed minicab driver (Omar Mohammed) who claims that the wardens of Camden are trying to "force him out of business." Why? Because he claims that he has received three parking tickets for dropping his passengers at St Pancras on the taxi zone. His claim is that he is a "fully licensed cab driver." He told the paper that he "now can't sleep at night because I feel like a criminal." However, a Camden Council spokesman said: "Only licensed hackney taxis, buses and vehicles used as part of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link works are permitted to enter that part of Pancras Road. As a licensed public hire vehicle (minicab), Mr Mohammed’s vehicle does not fall within those exemptions and this is the reason why Camden has not cancelled the parking control notices." What I think I’m trying to say is that the wardens are after everyone! …Ed

QLink
I thought I’d give you the outline of how we came to hear about QLink. We first saw it advertised in a golf magazine and Alec wondered if it would help with his golf even though his handicap was already seven. So when Charles Clark introduced himself in my taxi. I knew what he was talking about as I had seen the ads. At the end of the journey, Charles began talking to me and said he had noticed the Dial-a-Cab screen in the front plus the Cabvision screen in the back, not to mention my mobile phone and it was all enclosed within a "tin box" – ie my taxi. He asked if I noticed feeling more tired or lethargic when I had finished work?
   There was no hard sales pitch, he showed me the pendant and explained how it worked in simple terms. I already had an idea how it worked from the golf mag.
   Anyway, both myself and my partner Alec decided to buy one each. Alec noticed an immediate difference, as he had been feeling very lethargic (knackered!) over a long period. He had actually been to the doctor twice, but was told it was just the long and unsociable hours he was working. I also noticed differences, but not as quickly as Alec who now doesn’t feel anywhere near as tired as he used to. He feels more alert and focused when he’s working. Unfortunately he hasn’t played much golf recently due to an injury, so he can’t say if it has improved his golf.
Pat O’Toole (T44) and Alec Wilkey (W83)
It was Pat O’Toole who first alerted Call Sign to QLink and we decided to put it to the test. Some of the results should be in this issue …Ed

Taxi depreciation
At this moment in time, one of the great cab debates is whether there should be more competition in the manufacturer supply of London taxis; so perhaps the following will help the undecided.
   In May 2004, I purchased a ‘Bronze’ TXII for £30,691. Twenty months later and with 45,000 on the clock, I was offered £19,000 in part exchange for a new cab – a decrease in value of over £11,500 in less than two year. For those who advocate the call for more competition with LTI, surely it should be game, set and match to them…
Ken Hardy (G36)
My cab is now just over 2 years old with similar mileage (my 45,000 service was at the same time as my second year overhaul), so I do have sympathy for you, Ken. However, whilst not defending any of the LTI agents whose brief is to make money for their companies rather than just to be nice to us, the second you drove out the gates of the garage with your cab, over £4,500 stayed behind in VAT. Our fight should be with customs and excise to zero rate taxis every bit as much as it is with M&O or KPM. I remember talking with Steve Norris on the subject when he was the Minister of Transport. He said it would never happen, but that he couldn’t blame us for trying. After all, how many bus drivers have to buy or hire their bus before they climb into it? And, Ken, I think most people would accept that you would get more selling the cab privately, but with that comes more hassle. You pays your money …Ed

No longer an Arbitrator…
Having now left Dial-a-Cab completely in order to devote maximum time to a growing family business that I am very much involved in, I fully accept the explanations given in view of the manner these things become a reality ie I am no longer an Arbitrator having left DaC. Like so many, I personally am not too overjoyed at changes - even though at times, commercially, they do become necessary.
   My years at Dial-a-Cab were certainly most enjoyable and very pleasant for me. I met many wonderful and really terrific guys and will remember them for the future years ahead. To name but a few.... Phil Messias, Harry Kauffman, Jack Taylor and Rashpal Chana (my friend who was killed in a taxi accident) - God Rest Their Souls. There were also numerous guys and girls who have been part of my life over a large number of years. It’s certainly ironical that in the January issue of Call Sign on page 10, the Dial-a-Cab Flashback recounts the time when I, having formed the commencement of the London Metrocab Club in association with a couple of other guys, wrote one of my many articles on the formation of that club.
   Anyway as always, I wish the Society only the best for the future. Apart from the few idiots that have existed over the years, the Gentleman’s Circuit has remained thus, for which I consider myself and obviously others, proud enough to have contributed.
Ronald S.Colman (ex-J09)

When is a rate not a rate?
Last year I decided to chop in my old fairway and go for the TXII. I phoned up KPM and asked what their interest rates were on a new cab and was told 4.85%. I then went onto the Internet to check the best rates available, this turned out to be 5.5% from Moneyback bank (Alliance and Leicester) and so I decided to go with KPM. I went down and signed up. All I wanted to know now was how much the monthly payments were on £22,000 over five years. £458 sounded ok; after all I was getting the best rate available?
   Seven months down the line and I needed an £8,000 loan for my daughter’s new car. I looked up on the net again, 5.5% was still the best rate, so I decided to dig out my agreement papers to see if I could get the same deal with Black Horse as I did on the cab. To my shock (and embarrassment) I saw that I was actually paying 9.7% apr and that the interest I was paying on my £22,000 was £5580.40, almost £2,500 more than I would have paid had I had gone with Alliance and Leicester. I phoned KPM sales and asked what the interest rate was on their new cabs. Again 4.85% was the reply. I now went down to KPM to have a rant only to be told by a stroppy manager that the agreement I had signed, clearly stated that the apr was 9.7% and that I should have read what I was signing. He also explained that the rate quoted was the base rate (which meant nothing to me). Yes, I’m a mug, I only had to times £458 by 60 to see what it was actually costing me, so I urge you all to read the small print and not be taken in by the sales pitch.
Alan Bioletti (P87)
I think that advice applies to small print everywhere …Ed

Addison Lee article
Having read the article Addison Lee declare war on Dial-a-Cab in the March Call Sign, I wonder if my meter is wrong? As somebody who does work from SW15, I am not getting £40 or so on the meter for jobs going into the West End from there. Do you think I had better get it checked?
Stanley Roth (Y53)
Phone Addison Lee – the prices they quoted suggest that they have their own meters anyway! …Ed

Sgt Hillson and parking on ranks…
Thank you to Sgt Hillson for being so great as to let us know how you are going to improve transport in London for we nice cabbies who park on a taxi rank to have a pee or some lunch. First, I would suggest to him that he stops police cars parking on taxi ranks. I’m not having a go (or not too much) but it is far easier to put other people’s houses in order when your own should come first. We all see police cars parked on our ranks and on double-yellows and outside ATMs etc. If Sgt Hillson finds this action by his peers hard to believe, I’m sure all DaC cabbies with cameras or camera-phones could provide him with the necessary evidence.
   We cabbies have been policing the ranking system quite well for over 300 years. If a butterboy or new cabby takes a liberty (yes, we have some dim cabbies as well as coppers) and leave their cab on a busy - or even slow - working rank, he is told in no uncertain terms just how things are run. If the problem persists, then yes, the police are needed but this is very rare and not a priority.
   We, I believe, have quite a good relationship with the ‘old Bill’ and don’t want it spoiled. I was personally commandeered on 7 July by the Chief Incident Co-ordinator of the City of London Police when parked on the Hanover Square shelter. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. We are working under the most stressful conditions that London has ever known other than the Blitz. Besides security concerns, officious wardens and cameras nicking us just for setting down, we don’t need our police ignoring criminals in favour of an uncomplicated easy nick whilst we chill for a while on a quiet rank.
Jon Trevor (W94)
Sgt Dave Hillson replies: The regulations for leaving unattended licensed taxis on ranks are very specific - it is not permitted. The issue is that, leaving vehicles unattended on both working and refreshment ranks causes obstruction, security issues and prevents those hard working drivers putting on them in the first place. I am inundated with complaints from licensed drivers about this issue. The complaints vary from those of licensed taxis parking on ranks to go shopping, using refreshment ranks to consume their own food and leaving them overnight as free parking spaces. It is a problem that will not be ignored. The issue of lack of toilet facilities for drivers is a Westminster Council issue.

And ticketed for parking on a rank…
I don't know if you can answer this: I was given a ticket on a taxi rank in Bromley, the rank has no restrictions and the warden that issued it was a council warden. The question is can council parking attendants issue cabs with parking tickets when parked on a taxi rank?
Jerry Healey (A92)
Sgt Dave Hillson replies: The answer is yes. However, in Westminster they rarely do. The argument is that if a cab is unattended on a rank, then at that time it is left as such, it is not being used as a cab and therefore a ticket may be issued.

My first AGM…
This years AGM was indeed my first, but unlike some other members I will be going next year. Being an activist for a non-cab trade union, the ODRTS AGM was a little different from what I am used to. The language and hostility were, to say the least, inappropriate and if it wasn't for the £50 fine for leaving the meeting early, I would have done so. I also feel that sandwiches and refreshments at lunchtime would have been a nice gesture and I felt a little embarrassed seeing attendees eating food they had brought and paid for themselves.
   It was an extremely long meeting and as you would expect, very passionate. But had the Chairman not been responsible for answering a majority of the questions, this time could have been shortened. In my experience, the Chair chairs the meeting and the secretary answers the questions. Some speakers were allowed to contribute in debates where their issues had no relevance. Even though Brian Rice acquitted himself in a very admirable, almost faultless manner, how can he be so intensively cross-examined and enforce the meetings standing orders at the same time? Also there was the issue of members voting via the postal ballot system and then by a show of hands on the day.
   Even though the hostility was disappointing, I can see how it arises. To put it simply, it would not be tolerated at other meetings I have attended, but then again all parties deal with one another's representations with a great deal more respect. Brian Rice's has a disrespectful, flippant attitude to people who he disagrees with and by calling people "cavemen" just compounds the issue. Messer's Gillam and Co were right to bring forward resolutions that they thought were acceptable through the democratic process. Members should be encouraged to bring forward things they feel strongly about through the AGM. They should also feel free to write to Call Sign without feeling they might be made a fool of.
   Then there is the issue of "transparency". I think that Brian Rice is making a big mistake by not answering questions about how much he earns. To me, it’s not a matter of finance but a matter of accountability. He is simply not answering a question put forward by members and this just makes people suspicious. What would Brian have said about Tony Blair refusing to answer a question about his son being vaccinated for MMR? Mr Blair was persuading the public to have one injection instead of three, but refused to say what treatment had been administered to his youngest, even though there was an alleged link to autism via the former!
   Again, I read in March Call Sign a very eloquent letter about Heathrow scrubs by Peter Moll (K35). The Board answered by saying that the status quo remains but don't even give him the courtesy of a reason why. Surely this can’t continue?
   Any member who writes to Call Sign should be given an answer to which he / she gets a complete answer to all the issues raised and a reason why it is being offered. If it is more appropriate that the answer be kept out of Call Sign for whatever reason, the member should be contacted personally and this noted in the letters column. I have written to Call Sign on a number of occasions and the respondents answer was based on the answer he wanted to give, bearing in mind that this would bring an end to the matter.
   Finally, there has been much talk about doing away with job rejections, increasing monthly job figures per driver etc. My understanding is that it is the Board’s job to get work covered and there is a financial surplus this year. As members of ODRTS, we are not entitled to a dividend. As members of ODRTS, by us driving the streets of London we actually do the work that creates a profit. So why don’t the board redistribute this profit via incentives through £15 minimum fares or guarantee the £9.30-£9.80 on a TaxiCard job? The Board will make themselves very unpopular by forcing members to do work practices they don't like. As a driver, it is a simple question - should I do this AD job and run the risk of getting paid £8.80 for waiting 25 minutes or do a job that you can see will go £8.80 for waiting 25 minutes or take a street job which will go £8.80 that I haven't waited 25 minutes for? Surely it’s all about the hourly rate, and with a £15 minimum it is a decision that in the current financial climate, should be very obvious.
Richard Potter (T51)
Brian Rice replies: Nice to see the observations from someone attending their first AGM, Richard, and I would agree that the way we do things here are somewhat unusual - but it has always been that way. As much as I would like to have stopped for a lunch break, that was not possible due to the amount of business and the time constraint, as we had to vacate the building by 17.00hrs. Regarding the redistributing of our profits via incentives, that is all very well but if we go along that route, the Inland Revenue would argue that by invoking minimums payable by DaC, we are distributing profits and we would lose our Mutual status. 
   Finally Richard, the only point that I am not sure about in your letter is when you state: "Brian Rice acquitted himself in a very admirable, almost faultless manner." What do you mean 'almost' faultless…!

And from the other side…
I suspect that like the majority of DaC members, I have not felt the need to write to Call Sign because I am very happy with my lot. I joined DaC in September 2004 after having been a Suburban driver from 1998 and then deciding to do the All-London Knowledge in 2002. Soon after getting my coveted green badge, I applied to join DaC because I thought that any circuit with a waiting list must be worth joining. And I must say that it was the best decision I could have taken.
   I don't know about the majority of members, but I am getting bored and irritated by the antics of the minority few. Take Steve Painter’s letter in the March Call Sign. Steve calls these individuals a handful who passionately speak on our behalf. No Steve, they don't speak on my behalf. Contrary to what you suggest in your letter, I, like many others, took the time to read through all the rule changes that were proposed and voted according to what I believed was right for the Society. I didn’t vote for the sake of it or to avoid the £50 fine. Some people have a funny view of democracy; if the vote goes against them then it must be because the people are lazy or not bothered. As you mentioned, there were over 1000 votes in favour of the Board with around 400 against - could that be because the majority have voted for what they believe is best for the Society, or is it only the passionate handful who know what is good for us? I would venture to suggest it is the former and not the latter.
   So we now know that the Chairman earns £34 per hour and Board members earn £26 per hour. What a bargain! In fact the only thing this pathetic argument has proved is how little we pay the person under whose stewardship we have seen the best period in the history of DaC and this during a time when City executives are getting paid handsomely for at times getting things spectacularly wrong. Anyway, as the increase every year is in line with the meter increase, a calculator and back of an envelope should avoid the embarrassing arguments next year and the need to advertise the Chairman’s (incorrect?) salary outside Waterloo station. Any driver who works hard during the evening shift can’t be far off earning what the Chairman gets per hour, thanks to the efforts of the BoM and the rest of the staff at DaC - and this is in February when we are supposed to be having a kipper season! I think the majority of us are very happy and appreciative of the work being put into the back of our cabs and I daresay Concierge has to be responsible for this to some extent. And by the way, where else would you find the dispatchers singing to you while begging you to cover your work! Thanks guys and gals, you do a wonderful job.
   There also seems to an issue with DB using private hire for prebooked long distance jobs. Isn’t that just a fact of life? All firms have a choice and you just have to accept the fact that they may decide to use PH. It’s about time we moved with the times instead of harping on about the good old days. When I joined ComCab soon after getting my yellow badge in 1998, I worked in Croydon and that work was phenomenal. As a nightman, if you were prepared to hang around until the early morning, you would inevitably get an airport or one into the City from the SW area. There was so much work in the early morning that even suburban drivers greatly benefited.
   Then came the sad events of 9/11 and the work began to dry up. What did we as an industry do at this time of hardship? Under the leadership of the LTDA, we went and got rate 3. Fabulous! What an own goal - we practically handed the roaders to PH. The rules have since changed and I can only congratulate the Board on their foresight in bringing in Concierge. We can’t stop our accounts using PH, but at least with Concierge we have maintained some influence and a good earner. And as the figures show, it has actually managed to put more work into our cabs. I want a Board that, instead of thinking the world owes us a living, is actually proactive in working with clients to ensure we have some influence in there. And I think we have a Board that is doing just that.
   Over the past year, we have been through an enquiry by the FSA which, apart from the cost,

PowerPill or emission technology?
The point you make is well put (Editor’s reply March Mailshot): How does TFL / PCO tell if cabs are complying with the Euro-emission standards when using these PowerPills? What immediately comes to mind are roadside spot emission checks, these can be easily carried out and any offence duly reported. There could also be paper checks ie receipts obtained via purchase of pills etc. Compliance procedures are not really our problem.
   An appropriate and far less expensive solution to the problems of emission compliance has presented itself and following the Call Sign tests, it obviously works. With all the resources that TFL and the PCO expound, it is surely not above their technical expertise to find a way around this minor detail.
David Baker (D22)
I tried to get the PCO to comment, but those whose field it falls into were away. The question will certainly be asked again …Ed

To Finz or not to Finz – that is the question…!
It seems apparent to night workers that there is a lot of work in EC5. I think the first thing Mr Rice will say is "look at all the work you have" or Mr Cain will say "get on the gravy train." Well let’s look at this in a realistic way. The reason there is work in EC5 is very simple - drivers don’t go there any more. Since the increase in rate 3, drivers will no longer drive by someone with their hand up in order to run to the Finz.
   With the increase of fixed prices for a certain legal firm that has moved close to the river who want to go home on the cheap, I wonder if I went to this legal firm and asked if they could you do some litigation on my part on the cheap... well I don’t think so somehow. It seems obvious to anyone that has worked the Finz on a regular basis that the quality of work has dried up. I agree your Sales department are doing a great job in taking on new accounts, but where’s it going? Into cars? I was under the impression this was a cab driver’s circuit, however I seem to have got it all wrong.
   I quote Mr Shaller (R75) in the January Mailshot: "How things have changed…"
Patrick Noble (S55)
Brian Rice replies: I am disappointed, Patrick, that you are not happy with the amount or the quality of work we are providing. You suggest the work is going in cars, well if it is then how do you account for the fact that our turnover - that is the amount of work that we have put into our member’s cabs - has risen by £2m over the same period last year (up until the end of January). Secondly, the law firm you are referring to have had their fixed prices increased considerably and waiting time lowered before the FP is removed. In fact so much so that members have actually commented on how good the FP's are! Incidentally, Patrick, I’m not sure how you gather your information because according to our records, you do not undertake fixed price work, so I am a little confused. Neither can I see how you are drawing your comparisons, because again according to our records you have been on the circuit for less than two years, so how do you come to your conclusions? It is a fact that not too many years ago at this time, drivers had a job booking into EC5 as the system would only allow 99 cabs to book in!
   Finally, I really do hope that things improve for you in the future and that you become more contented, after all, if you are not happy being a member of the best radio circuit in London with the most amount of work per mobile than any other - I really do not know what the answer is.

A few issues…?
I, like the other two drivers featured in Call Sign in recent months, left ComCab to join DaC. I would like to raise a few issues that can, hopefully, be taken as constructive criticism and not blatant whingeing. When I first applied to join DaC, I rang up for an application form but was told that I would have to collect one from reception. I had no problem with that and duly did it, returned it to DaC and eagerly awaited my acknowledgement together with an aprox time when I might be accepted onto the circuit. No reply came either by post or phone.
   A few months later, I decided to buy a new cab and rang DaC to ask if it was worth me refitting to ComCab or was I close to my DaC fitting date. Again I received no reply. Then out of the blue 10 weeks later, I received a phone call asking if I was still interested in joining DaC as there were now vacancies. I later heard that this was caused by the expulsion of drivers caught "at it." I had no hesitation in joining because I had heard about the quality of work (especially the Virgin train account of which I was fortunate enough to have a few goes at), the reasonable subs and the 10% gratuity. To be honest, when I joined DaC, I did not even know that it had Society status, so I could not be classed as a carpetbagger.
   Like the other two drivers that left ComCab and who I would guess did so at a similar time (although I do not know them), I find myself agreeing with their criticism of the signals etc. I know that you must get fed up hearing the same thing over and over again, but if it is said often enough then you must accept that there is a grain of truth in it.
   Brian (sorry for being informal) seems to take it personally when anything is said about the equipment and signals etc. I personally thought that the terminals together with AVL distribution we had on ComCab was better, but that is not to say that ComCab was a better circuit either jobwise or in the way it is run. In my opinion, DaC wins hands-down on both scores.
   I have noticed that since the new year, early mornings have been very quiet. I used to get regular rides in from E99 with one in particular for DB, which was about 5 minutes from where I live. I never hung up for the trip and often got it even when number 5 in the queue. I last took this gentleman to work just before Xmas, wished him well and said that I hoped to see him in the new year. When I hadn’t picked him up for a few months, I felt concerned for his welfare and wondered if he had left DB or had an accident. I now discover via Call Sign that he has to - or is advised to – use a car, so contrary to what Brian has said, it does affect us – although that is not Brian’s fault. Perhaps the Sales team or Society as a whole should flex its muscles to see whether the car companies could cope with, or indeed would want, all of the work? I think not! Anyway, resigning myself to the fact that I had been spoilt, I now drive in empty and book into E14 or E1.
   Today at around 2.45am, I booked in E14 and into E140 at 3am. I sat at Canary Wharf until around 4.30am and with no job offers coming, pulled off and booked into E1 and finally out of desperation, accepted a job from E14 to LCA at around 6.30am. In between, I had rejected two cash trips, one from E14 to E14 and another to SE9 (whilst booked into E1). These were the only job offers in over 3.5 hours. There was nothing from CC or MS.
   I’d like to ask a question on the Society’s policy of running cabs further than the job goes. Last week I was booked into E1, when offered a job from Grove Road E3 going AD. It went back to Cabot Square. That is fair enough as MS said AD. The next day I was dropping off in Liverpool Street when a job was called that could not be covered in E15 and which went to the Bids – even though there were cabs showing as being in E15. I bid for and got the job that said Manor Road E15 going AD. Yes, we know what we all hope it will be, but you guessed it – it was West Ham Station to Stratford Station and I had run from Liverpool Street! I didn’t get onto the dispatcher to rant and rave as that isn’t my style and I do believe that these things even themselves out. But I would like to know if there is any policy on cabs running further than the job goes?
   My last question before leaving you in peace, is whether street-hailed credit card rides count towards the 40 job-per-month total, as the way the early work is going at the moment, I will be begging punters to pay by card to avoid receiving a letter from Mr W…!
Ian Skeels (J74)
Brian Rice replies: Interesting letter Ian. I am sorry for the lack of communication when you first endeavoured to join us. What happened? Well I don't know, but I suspect that when you are the most 'sought after' radio circuit in London, sometimes people can become a little blasé. That will now be rectified, but if in the future no one in Driver Services speaks to you - then you’ll know the reason why!
Regarding the work, if you read my Chairman's Report you will see that we are doing particularly well, however, if you book into a zone and get very few job offers in 3.5 hours, then I suggest you are working the incorrect hours. After all, we are in the service industry and we need to give the public a service when they require us and not vice versa. As regards our policy on covering work, well we do not expect a driver to run further than the job is going and that is all I can really say about it, bearing in mind that
we do have GPS and we do know where drivers are at all times. 
   Regarding the trip you weren’t hanging up for, all I can say is that this particular gentleman seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth! He is not travelling in either a car or taxi - bearing in mind that I have access to both. Do Addison Lee still have their Motorbikes!
I get the impression that overall, you are happy with DaC and if you are happy then so are we. 
   Finally Ian, you say that I take it personally when our equipment is criticised? Well, yes I do. You say that ComCab have got it right and we haven't – well sorry but I have to disagree again and would you expect anything different! The difference between ComCab and us was that when they put their system in, they sent the company skint and it had to be sold to Singapore. We put a new system in that was far in advance of anyone else - and still is - and we have gone from strength to strength with ComCab drivers such as yourself leaving a "superior" circuit to join us? Are you telling me that I got it wrong! Hmmm.....

Where are the flowers…?
I am writing this letter to you without my husband’s knowledge. I often read Call Sign and Mailshot after my husband has finished with it and over the years have noticed how members that have been in hospital for operations have received baskets of fruit or flowers and noticed in this month’s Call Sign, 3 people had written offering thanks for their flowers. My question is whether there is a selected group who receive flowers or fruit because between May 2003 and Jan 2006 my husband has been off work three times – twice for 3 months and once for 4 months, 10 months in total. My husband’s letters and medical certificates informed the office of this and I posted them to DaC for him, so I know they went. Never mind fruit or flowers, my husband never even received a get-well card! Perhaps he hasn’t been on the circuit long enough, just 29 years! Please don’t think that we are hard up for these items, it’s just the principle. I thought that all DaC drivers were treated equally, but obviously not. I will be interested in your reply.
   In any case, keep up the good work as Call Sign makes very interesting reading and thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
Mrs E.Meir (Mrs A34)
I looked into your husband’s case, Mrs Meir, trying desperately to find a reason so that DaC could put the blame squarely on your shoulders! But sadly I can’t because it was DaC’s fault! Your husband’s letters were received but sadly – and no one can now know why – they weren’t acted on. Nuala and Val in Driver Services are usually very good when it comes to this type of thing and they hope that you can accept their apologies and that your husband being missed was just one of those unfortunate things that happen in a busy office. Hopefully your husband won’t need to test the system again, but in the meantime we hope that the flowers you were sent now in good health will partly compensate …Ed

Give business to those who give you business?
I wonder if you can print this letter for me in Call Sign? I acquired a credit card (MasterCard) a few months ago and am very pleased with the conditions. And guess what – it is the Morgan Stanley credit card! What I would like to suggest is that every driver on DaC should have one and use it. You also get a small percentage of money back. So why not give business to those that give us business, because if they are doing well then so are we and if they are down (God forbid), we will also be down! So to all our drivers, please help yourselves. To save you looking for phone numbers, it is Freephone 0800 389 4496.
And by the way – I am not getting any commission for this!
Sid Nathan (K88)
Nice sentiment Sid… but I didn’t know you were a Mason! …Ed

April 2006 Call Sign Home Page

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