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LTI and the TX4 Hello again, it’s been a strange month! The last issue of Call Sign was first to break with the news that the PCO had agreed that LTI’s remedial work on the batch of early TX4s deemed to be in danger of self-igniting, was the answer to the problem and that once the affected cabs had been fixed, they could return to work. News that M&O were going to work around the clock in order to get cabs back to work as quickly as possible was also welcomed. However, Call Sign has received many calls from concerned drivers, who at the time of writing were not only still waiting for the work to be done, but still patiently waiting to be told when their cab was going to be started on. In years gone by, LTI were never known for their exemplary treatment of drivers – ie their customers. However, it has to be said that in recent years that has greatly improved although still probably not up to the standard you’d expect from a major vehicle retailer. This was their chance to show how much they care about public relations. I accept that this recall is a huge undertaking and at an estimated £4million, it is going to wipe out any profit from the sales of what must be their best cab ever. Most drivers who have bought the TX4 have agreed that it leaves every other taxi they have driven a long way behind. Many – perhaps quite astonishingly – have even accepted that these things happen and just want to move on. So what have LTI done? More to the point, what haven’t they done? Well, LTI claim they are doing the recall in VIN order, but according to every single one of the calls I referred to earlier, these drivers cannot get a clue from LTI regarding their position in that queue so they can at least have an idea as to how much longer they will have to wait. That isn’t good enough. There are even suspicions that some garages have managed to jump the queue. If so, that would delay the ordinary bread and butter drivers. That too, if correct, is not good enough. Mercedes Benz isn’t a fly-by-night company and financially could wipe the floor with Manganese Bronze. That isn’t what most drivers want, but after spending around £35,000+, they want to be treated with respect, but more importantly as a valued customer. That isn’t what is currently happening. Call Sign has asked LTI for a comment explaining the current situation. Unfortunately the only person that could help was on holiday… |
 Cyclists The last time I mentioned cyclists on this page, one driver phoned and threatened me, as he didn’t like my comments. The brave man refused to give his name. Well sorry, but if anything, they are now worse than ever with those stopping at traffic lights being looked on as freaks by their compatriots! At a time when the Mayor is contemplating allowing them to make a left turn even if the lights are red (did anyone realise that they couldn’t???), I must tell a story that happened to me recently. I was approaching a pedestrian crossing where the car in front had stopped to allow several young ladies to get across. I stopped behind him, when suddenly shooting through at top speed on the inside was the usual cyclist with the regulatory uniform of Tour de France type top and shorts that appeared to have been painted on. He had no intention of even slowing down let alone stopping, but got closer than even this dimwit thought he was going to and as one of the women held her hand out thinking she was going to be hit, her handbag became tangled up in the handlebars of the bike. Both the cyclist and the woman fell to the ground although, thankfully, neither was badly hurt save for a few grazes. The woman was crying, while the cyclist never even asked how she was; he was just swearing at her and threatening to take her to court if his bike was damaged. Sadly it seemed to be ok. Both the driver of the car in front and I told the cyclist what we thought of him, but he could not have cared less. The temptation was to drive over his bike but the woman that had been hit talked us out of it. The cyclist then got up, gave a one-finger salute and drove off. Unusual? No, most cyclists are just lucky that they get away with it and give the good ones a bad name. Meter increase |
biggest problem has moved from fuel
costs to just finding passengers to pick up. Mondays and Tuesday are pretty
ropey with Wednesdays to Fridays a bit better. But there is no doubt that
much of the work we once claimed, is moving over to private hire. Any passenger who has made the move, if honest, will admit it is purely because of the price and that PH still cannot match our service – although Addison Lee are now saying that their fleet is as big as ours. Their big advantage is that the PH company owners don’t worry about the drivers. They get a proportion of the fare and cannot argue. That’s why their fares to corporates are so keen, they offer fixed prices that bear no relation to what the drivers get. We still seem to be holding our own to a certain degree, but I can’t help but wonder what effect next April’s fare increase is likely to have on our business. By the very nature of it and by the time the Evening Standard slag us off for getting an increase each year, we automatically lose some clients but usually get them back. This year, in all probability, we will not only be officially in recession but will be looking at huge unemployment figures as well. If we go in for the fare increase we undoubtedly deserve, we are going to get an almighty kick in the teeth from clients and we could possibly lose many of them forever. As usual, your comments – agree or disagree - are welcome. Anniversary time Surprise return? Hope to see you all again next month when it will almost be Christmas! Dear oh dear… where has 2008 gone! Alan Fisher |
