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For the fifth time,
Call Sign has organised a trip for Dial-a-Cab
drivers to visit the LTI Vehicles factory at
Holyhead Road, Coventry. It took place on 5 March and in
addition to Editor Alan Fisher, saw drivers Daniel
Andrews (O92), Paul Willet (V12), Paul Heatley
(V09), Trevor Denton (Y18), John Dixon (B67),
Mark Tiller (K90), Brian Fox (G35), Eddie Lambert
(V37) and Gerry Dunn MBE (S84) taking a day off work. The trip began and ended in the best possible way thanks to the wonderful sponsorship of Virgin Trains who sent us there and back First Class. There can be few better ways of travelling! Arriving in Coventry an hour after leaving Euston and feeling content following a smoked salmon and scrambled egg breakfast on board the wonderful tilting train, LTI sent two new TX4s to pick the 10 drivers up and take them on the short ride to the factory. LTI Government Affairs Manager, Richard Daniels, then gave an introductory talk while the group had some coffee. Richard also introduced LTI’s International Marketing Development Director, Matthew Cheyne, to give the Call Sign group an update of how the partnership with Geely in China was progressing. The first taxis to come of the Shanghai line are expected later this year and one of the pleasing things was hearing that the cost of parts could eventually come down thanks to the partnership. Then came the part that most of the drivers had been waiting for – LTI’s ongoing Listening Group. This gave those interested the opportunity to question Trevor Hattersley MIMI, the Customer and Technical Support Manager and the man who must know more about the workings of a London Taxi than anyone else on the planet! The drivers really dug deep so as not to waste the opportunity and the 90 minute session flew by with |
ANOTHER CALL SIGN TRIP TO LTI COVENTRY
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 Gerry Dunn is shown the door! |
 Trevor Denton looks for a DaC terminal! |
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questions ranging from why some bulbs burn out quicker than others, to the explanation of why some TX4s make ‘farting’ noises (EGR valve breathing), to why there have been problems with radiators and turbo pipes (hopefully all sorted now). Trevor asked Call Sign to thank the DaC drivers for their input. There were questions on squealing brakes, hybrid engines, more comfortable driver seats from DaC’s 21 stone, 6foot 4inch driver Trevor Denton! And of course, why aren’t the TX4 rear headrests removable so that you can clean the window (in case passengers remove them and attack the driver). Lunch followed, but our inquisitive drivers wouldn’t allow Trevor to have any peace and continued with the barrage of questions. Fortunately the Customer and Technical Support Manager didn’t appear to mind! Richard Daniels told Call Sign: "We thought your group were |
excellent and the feedback on driver issues
very useful." Then it was a tour around the factory and it soon became apparent that a large proportion of the 350 or so people that work there were very proud of the TX4. It seems strange to find so many in one business that don’t just use it to earn money, but actually take pride in the end result. It’s easy to see why LTI Vehicles are such a well-respected business in Coventry in addition to being the UK’s largest motor vehicle manufacturer. Call Sign’s tour began with a sheet of metal and moved around until the sheet – some two weeks later – became a polished London taxi ready for delivery to various different parts of the globe. On behalf of all the DaC drivers, thanks once again to LTI Vehicles for a very informative day and pleasant lunch and also to Virgin Trains for sponsoring the trip. The next trip will hopefully be towards the end of summer… |
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