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

Power Pill – Driver’s test
I would just like to register my recommendation and results after testing Power Pill. I started putting one in each full tank a few weeks prior to my overhaul and noticed an improvement in the running of my 9 year old Fairway soon after. Over the past 2 years my cab had just scraped through the emissions test, but this time it sailed through with a reading of 1.45 (whatever that is), which I was told is very good. At the next 18000mile service, my mechanic was surprised at how clean the old fuel filter was. Better MPG also followed and all this was before I started the survey in Call Sign. The staff at Power Pill were very friendly and helpful with any questions I had. Now I relish any emissions test while I’m out at work.
   Give it a try, you won't be disappointed…
Melvyn Harvey (E87)
Melvyn’s letter came in response to a special offer in the May Call Sign to readers who were prepared to pass on figures re mileage, smoke emission and general performance to Power Pill re their cab’s performance both before and after using the pills, which were supplied free to those volunteering …Ed

Yellow boxes – buses v taxis
After reading the statistics for yellow box junctions and realising that they must keep a record of such things, would it be possible to find out how many bus drivers have received PCNs and how many cab drivers had? I think we would all put a wager on the bus driver numbers! I have no wish to see a driver lose a days pay through a momentary laps in concentration, but I would like a level playing field and perhaps after the inevitable scream up, TfL might realise that driving in London isn't an exact science and a bit of common sense needs to be applied.
Dave Baker (S07)

Flat tyre
I would like to say thank you to John (K75) who came to my rescue. He took a job to collect my account customer when I had a puncture, however my passenger found another cab, but John didn't mind - he got straight out and began changing my wheel, getting me back working very quickly.Thanks again John, I really appreciated it.
Maggie O'Connor (M72J)

DAB Radios
I have had a DAB digital radio for well over two years now and have had no problems at all. I would thoroughly recommend having one fitted, especially, if like me you listen to Talk Sport all day. I had mine fitted by ComCab at their fitting bay, it is a Blaupunkt system and cost £300.
Ian Skeels (J74)

I have had aerial problems with my digital radio. It leaves some programmes at will and returns when it fancies! However, for ball-by-ball cricket, it is brilliantly super-clear! I had great trouble prior to digi-radio trying to listen on long wave but that is no longer a problem. DAB is making progress but it isn’t quite there yet…
Martin Freeborn (C67)
A driver asked in the last issue whether it was worth getting DAB digital radio. The two replies above were as close as we could get to a for and against response …Ed

Congratulations…
Congratulations on your 100th issue of Call Sign. You've done a great job. The only thing you could do to improve Call Sign would be to bring back Big Al…Tom Carter
DaC Software
Morgantown, Indiana
Why thank you kindly sir. From an American who can count up to one hundred, I’ve just got to be impressed (PS That was Big Al talking and not me)! …Ed

And speaking of counting up to 100 – it’s Stanley!First of all, let me congratulate our Editor, Alan Fisher, on reaching 100. So far as I’m concerned he doesn’t look a day over 90…!
   Replying to the Bernie Silver (G08) letter in the July issue, I’m extremely glad that his trip to LTI was so informative. It’s a shame that no one asked the question why is the TXII such a load of rubbish and why does it not compare in any way with the Fairway which can possibly do 300,000miles plus with hardly any problems?
   Driver Adam McGann (J09) seems to contradict himself when he states that he was impressed with LTI’s quality control process and then goes on to ask how any drivers can get a cab with faults? The answer to that is quite simple; you don’t need Einstein’s brain to know that their quality control is useless.
   The next time Call Sign sends drivers to Coventry, make sure they don’t come back with ‘brown tongues’. Tell them not to suck up to the manufacturers who are doing the cab trade a disservice by not producing a vehicle that does justice to all those hard-working drivers who just want a cab that does the job it was built for.
   Finally I notice that almost every question that was put to LTI was answered with: "We will look into it."
Stanley Frankel (K46)Stanley, how nice of you to turn up as I go into my tenth year. I’m sure I don’t deserve it! As for the rest of your letter, well, I suppose that no one knows more about the Fairway than you. So tell me Stanley, did you throw a party when your cab reached 300,000 miles. That must have been several years ago judging by how it looked the last time I saw it! It’s a pity you can’t speak to the drivers that went on the trip to see how "easy" they went on the LTI management, because I don’t happen to think that was the case at all. Bernie Silver doesn’t suffer fools gladly and went with a whole bunch of questions and came back to tell me that he thought the trip was worthwhile, as did all the others I spoke to. As for Adam McGann’s quote, he wasn’t contradicting himself at all, but pointed out that the LTI quality Control process seemed so thorough that he was amazed anything inferior got through. It’s how you tell ‘em!
   I’ll give you the last sentence. That was my fault when laying out the page. On reflection, I should have listed all the things that LTI took note of and promised to look into rather than give the same answer after each question. You can’t change any vehicle overnight, but LTI do look into all complaints - regardless of what you might

SatNavs and digital radio…
Congratulations Al, can't wait for the next 100 editions! More Spanish Taxi, more Stanley Frankel.... more frogs on the front cover!
   You asked about SatNavs and Digital Radios (July Call Sign). Got a SatNav before Xmas. First job was Heathrow to Mill Lane, West Hampstead. Route offered was the M4 to J2 then North circular to Staples Corner and down Edgware Road, turning left at Mill Lane. The screaming in the back would've been horrendous! However, turn the volume down. I had to put the male voice option on, the female option sounds like nagging: "You're going the wrong way! Turn round!" I ignored it and with no route planned it gives you a rolling map, most useful! I’m getting used to putting in routes, mainly using postcodes and it’s been a very worthwhile tool. But where it comes into it’s own is pick-ups and points or door numbers (although some numbers are not listed) when you are trying to measure your run-in. Not only does it take you to the door, but it also gives a displayed distance to point. And for out of town points eg the Best Western Hotel in Calcot (near Reading) which I went to recently. It also gives you the distance in miles, which allows you to price a job door-to-door. Hammersmith Broadway to Blackheath? Not only does it give you the route, but tells you the mileage, which with a charge of approximately £3/mile tells the customer he needs about £45 to get home.  
However, it still doesn’t stop the punter from telling you to turn left/right when you get all the way to their street without any help or input from them! In fact, 1 or 2 have not been impressed with the final few streets picked out by the SatNav and still tell you ‘the best way’ and how it’ll never replace the Knowledge! It would be really helpful if the Call Centre could give full postcodes at pick up and destination; maybe the BoM could bear this in mind for any enhancements for our own Map and GPS?
   But just because you've got a saw and a hammer, it doesn't make you a carpenter, just as having a SatNav won't make you a Taxi Driver!
   On the downside, they can be a distraction - just as the Data terminal and mobile phones are - and they also lose the signal and get a bit confused - although not as much as losing the data signal… Discard.... Resend.... Discard.... Resend!
   I keep reading in the trade press that passengers won’t wait while you input their postcode? Well, that’s nonsense! It takes seconds and is best done when stationary because of screen size - but I’ve not had one complaint. And it’s great for those destinations where the passenger has just stepped off a plane with their itinerary telling them the address and how the taxi fare will be about £10 (or "my friend said…"). In fact, most customers are pleased and want to ask questions about whether they should get one or to tell you about their model!
   At the end of the day it’s a tool that needs to be used in the right hands, knowing when and if to use it and how!
Digital Radio; I had one put in my cab at a cost of £400 (over 2 years ago) but I’m sure they’re cheaper now. The best thing about digital (although it still can operate conventionally with FM/AM) is that there are more stations to pick up and the sound is CD quality, which, for example means listening to TalkSport and Five Live football commentaries in FM or better. Plus there are extra stations - R5 Live Xtra giving you more football matches to choose from. There are also more music stations and more talk stations. Virgin Groove (Motown / Disco / Soul), Virgin Rock, Planet Rock, Oneword, BBC7, Chill, Choice, SAGA, LIFE etc.
   Unfortunately, the downside is that you still lose the signal, as it seems the signal strength is not at full capacity. Whether this changes in the future, one would hope so as eventually all radios will change from analogue to digital just like TV. There is a current advert on TV showing cars picking up the signal in tunnels such as the Limehouse Link or the Heathrow tunnel. The signal in the advert carries on playing - the signal in my cab, just like our own data signal, does not! Nor can it work properly under the enclosed canopies of T1 or T4 at Heathrow.
I read recently in Call Sign that Credit Card jobs do not count against the 40 jobs a month. When was this changed? The Society earns a good income from this source and drivers are obliged to wait until they are paid by Dial-a-Cab, when alternatively they could use one of the Chip and Pin machines offered FREE by HALT and get their money quicker. It is a mistake not to count Credit Card trips against the 40 jobs a month totals. Dial-a-Cab could lose a vital source of income and new business. The fact that we charge 12.5% against their 10% is already a disincentive to most DaC drivers. If anything, we should be cutting the charge back to 10%. Has anyone ever seen advertising for the ONE NUMBER promo? By raising our charges to match our competitors, we have lost any advantage we had and it was tantamount to cutting off our nose to spite our face! If Ken Livingstone is serious about advertising our services, why does he not start a campaign on bus shelters, the back of buses and in the Evening Standard - not that freebie from him that no one reads! The silence from City Hall is deafening…!
Mark White (B86)
Brian Rice replies: Mark, Credit Card trips have never counted towards the 40-trip rule. Quite simply, DaC are not interested in the trips you pick up from Heathrow that pay by Credit Card. By you doing that trip, how does that satisfy our account clients? We have never been busier than we are at the moment and being mercenary about the topic, how does it benefit the members of DaC or the Society that you are completing a Credit Card trip from Heathrow – we need you to do our account work so that we may retain our client

From a registered blind TaxiCard user…
I wonder if Call Sign could add to the many courtesies I have always received from those associated with Dial-a-Cab by making an appeal to all drivers that when they pick up a person using a white stick or cane, that they should be aware that such a person with sight loss may have difficulty in following them.
   Recently I had asked for a cab to take me to the Soho Health Centre where I had an appointment. Having rung the bell and collected me, the driver walked off and seemed to acquire a companion. The two walked down the cul-de-sac where this address is, turned right and began to walk down Mount Street. I followed as best I could (the pavement was fairly well thronged with other pedestrians) and only on reaching Berkeley Square did I realise that I had lost him and that he had lost me! I hastened back and made phone calls to Dial-a-Cab and also to the Soho Centre fearful of being late for my appointment. With their usual high standard of helpfulness, DaC quickly sent another cab and the driver, hearing of my earlier difficulties, refused to accept my contribution to the fare!
   Like many who are registered blind, I have some residual sight, indeed I count myself fortunate that I have more than many others. I understand that when meeting a passenger who seems mobile enough, that a driver may not be aware of the individual’s problems, but I know that similar difficulties have occurred with other blind people.
   But again, I pay tribute to the very exceptional standards of thoughtfulness and help that I have always received from Dial-a-Cab drivers and telephonists.
Rev J.L.Raybould
Mount Street, W1
Sorry for the problem, Reverend. I must admit that your letter baffled me at first before realising that because the original driver hadn’t accompanied you to the cab, that the person and his "companion" that you had followed was indeed not the driver! Perhaps the next driver to pick up Reverend Raybould would be kind enough to tell him that his letter appeared in Call Sign and that we will all now do our best not to lose him again! …Ed

Rewriting history?
I read in the July Call Sign that Brian Rice defends Geoff Kaley against Barry Hooper’s article in Taxi Magazine. It is well know that those that control the press are able to rewrite history. Brian Rice is certainly right that Geoff Kaley did change the way radio circuits presented themselves. This in itself does not make him a great leader for the cab trade - the whole picture has to be viewed. Geoff Kaley was the head of ComCab when it ran into financial difficulties resulting in the LTDA losing control of the company. He was the first person to impose fixed prices at way under the meter to cab drivers on ComCab. He was the founder of Xeta and that did not succeed. He now works as a consultant for a company that has large minicab interests. I understand that same company has a stake in a minicab school. He has long been a proponent of the need to change the Knowledge so as to reduce the time it takes to complete. This would, he says, result in the Knowledge being persevered and thus standards being maintained. In my view, a consequence if this was implemented would be more cabs on the road.
   In conclusion the whole picture needs to be viewed before a correct judgement can be made.
Steven van Gelder (C86)Brian wrote in his July Chairman’s Report referring to the article by Barry Hooper against Geof Kaley: "What I find particularly distasteful is when these attacks become personal, as was the case with Barry’s article." Because the same article went on to attack DaC and was factually incorrect, the DaC Chairman made the point that if Barry Hooper’s comments about DaC were untrue, how did we know that anything he had written about Geof Kaley was any more true? Brian made no reference to Mr Kaley’s leadership or otherwise of the cab trade. Is it not you who are attempting to rewrite history by distorting a piece from Call Sign?
   Incidentally, Steven, I too feel that without Geof Kaley’s time at ComCab, we and RTG would still be pokey little radio companies somewhere – certainly nothing like one of the major players of Europe that DaC has now become …Ed

More happy pills please…!
Instead of phoning Allan Evans or Keith Cain and having my normal discussions which usually turn out to be about problems that I have experienced during the course of my working day, I thought I would write to Call Sign and let you know of some good news for a change!
   Firstly, since I’ve had my new cab - Lucky Sod 06 You’re Bloody Lovely - I’ve noticed that when I sign on in the morning, I get a signal much quicker than ever before. So if this is anything to do with the way the cab has been wired (aerial in a different position from previous cab aerials) thank you and well done to the guys at Roman Way.
   This morning I was very lucky to get a Eurostar job that took me down to the Portsmouth area. I phoned the Call Centre and cleared the job in Portsmouth, but imagine my surprise when I received a signal allowing me to clear the job off my screen and book into S99 when I was in Grayshott Hampshire! Is this the norm you guys in the southwest?
   Whilst in a happy mood, I’d also like to say that I, for one, think that Dave Ivers does a great job despatching at night. I like the way he lets you know when prebooked jobs are about to fire out, he’s always helpful if you are lucky enough to get stuck out in the sticks and seems to have the right attitude when trying to sell a job. Well-done Dave.
   Just about to take some more happy pills. Resend, resend, resend… not anymore!
Dennis Heavin (A01)
See Allan Evans signals update in this issue and the improvements made to our aerial sites …Ed

August 2006 Call Sign Home Page

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