A Capital idea... but for whom?
Don’t know about daymen, but the Capital Hotel in Basil Street
doesn’t seem to require my services as a licensed taxi driver very often,
considering it is one of London’s longest standing hotels. If memory serves
me right, it was in the same place that it is now with the same name when I
did the Knowledge in 1969. Mind you, it didn’t need me then either!
They are now advertising across the US about their Capital Idea
package, which gives tourists ‘peace of mind’ in knowing that regardless of
£/$ fluctuations, the price they order their 3-day break for is the price
they’ll pay regardless of any currency crashes. Great so far!
The fixed-dollar rates for three nights are $1200 (£730) for a
single and $2530 (£1540) for a junior suite. So what does this have to do
with Call Sign? Well, included in the price - besides
breakfast - is what they call a luxury chauffeured car to and from Heathrow,
London City Airport or Eurostar. Dunno about you, but I don’t seem to enter
into the equation. However, as you get older, you begin to dislike change…
and obviously nothing much has changed there since 1969!
And speaking of change…
I received a bit of flack from several drivers following last
month’s issue of Call Sign. This magazine belongs to everyone
associated with DaC and as such, you should feel free to complain when you
don’t like something within its pages. It is probably no surprise to you to
know that I’m talking about the Mercedes Vito. The complaints were fairly
unanimous that the November Call Sign was an anti-Vito issue.
Well, my feelings about the Vito are no secret. It’s a nice vehicle… but
even with a ‘for hire’ sign, it ain’t no London taxi! But I don’t run the
cab trade, so whether I like it or not the Vito is here to stay if drivers
want to buy it.
I do find it sad though, that no one could come up with real
competition to LTI – ie a taxi that no one other than a licensed taxi driver
can use. It makes me smile when Vito drivers tell me about "booked" trips
that they now do for below the meter, because that is my point exactly. They
become private hire in a PH vehicle.
But back to the question of whether it was an anti-Vito issue? Well
not in my view; I was sent some articles from DaC drivers who chose to buy a
new TX4. I didn’t beg them to write, they chose to and because of that,
several drivers complained to me. The strange thing is that when in the
previous issue to that, there were two articles from drivers who did buy the
Merc and said they were delighted, no one complained! Is there something
here that I do not understand and should I remain quite? Well, I’m sorry,
but those that know me will understand that isn’t my way when I perceive a
threat to the business I love.
As I’ve said many times now, a real competitor to the TX4 is
long overdue, but one that is exclusively a taxi because, repeating myself
yet again, once |
we all drive the same vehicles, the next stop along the line is plying for
hire. Several PH firms are already "demanding" that they be allowed to
install partitions to "protect the driver." We know that what they really
mean is to protect the passenger, but they can hardly admit that! Then, once
they have a partition in their people carriers, they will be as much of a
taxi as the Vito is. Can the request be refused? After all, we have now
taken one of their vehicles, why shouldn’t they take one of our safety
features?
Constructive views from Vito and TX4 drivers are always welcome
(see Divyesh’s report on his Vito in this issue), as would the improvements
that Call Sign drivers who went to Coventry were promised from
LTI.Cycling in London
In the May issue of Call Sign, I wrote about the
tragic death of two female cyclists. Meryem Ozekman was crushed by a truck
between it and the railings at the Elephant and Castle roundabout, while
Rebecca Goosen suffered a similar fate from a 32 tonne cement mixer when
turning left from Old Street into Goswell Road. Both were said to be
experienced cyclists.
A recent inquest at St Pancras Coroner’s Court into Rebecca
Goosen’s death recorded it as accidental, after the driver claimed that
Rebecca’s bike was caught in his mirror’s blind spot. There is a case for
mirrors that cover a larger area and as I said earlier, both cyclists were
said to have been experienced and would have ridden their bikes in a
responsible and safe way, but there are too many cyclists who do not have
the vaguest clue as to how you should ride a bike safely. Many continue
overtaking on the nearside, even though vehicles in front are indicating a
left turn. The only surprising thing is that more aren’t killed.
We currently have a Mayor in London who is very pro-bike and who is
talking about legalising the two-wheelers making left turns even when the
lights are red – I thought they did that anyway! The plain fact is that many
cyclists are menaces on the roads. The new breed are not only aggressive
while ignoring traffic signals and pedestrian crossings, but travel at
excessively fast speeds dressed as though they had just returned from the
Tour de France.
The answer is easy. Make every cyclist take a cycling proficiency
test and question them on the cycling section of the Highway Code.
Then make them display a licence plate. Is that too difficult if it means
that no more young cyclists are tragically killed?
Maybe next time?
I like to think I get on reasonably well with those in Boris
Johnson’s Mayoral press office, however, it’s difficult not to notice that
with no election looming for the Lord of City Hall, answers to questions are
becoming more difficult to get hold of. |
The Mayor has answered DaC
drivers questions for me, given answers to queries involving traffic and
even gave a personalised greeting to Call Sign readers last year. But
this year, responses haven’t been forthcoming quite so quickly.
I recently asked if he was willing to sponsor the Westminster
TaxiCard for the two week period of the Paralympic Games of 2012 so that
any disabled passenger would be able to use their TaxiCard to the Olympic
Park for just £1.50, regardless of how much the fare came to. I also asked
whether he could speak to the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
and ask whether taxis carrying wheelchair passengers could be accepted into
using the Olympic Route Network, after all, the Paralympics is about
them. I mentioned in passing about the reputed £97million being spent on
Green Park Station in order to make it wheelchair friendly before 2012 –
even though that wouldn’t make it any easier to get onto the train. I
pointed out to Boris that my scheme could be reckoned as costing
multi-thousands and not multi-millions.
But despite many emails and phone calls between us, I still have
nothing. Perhaps I should have waited until closer to the next Mayoral
election!!!Call Sign
Speaking as modestly as I can, I really appreciate the lovely
comments about Call Sign, especially since it went to
all-colour. And, not wishing to alienate myself from any good feelings
subscribers care to throw my way, can I emphasise once again that it is not
my magazine... it’s also yours! It belongs to everyone connected with
Dial-a-Cab, from the BoM to drivers, to the members of staff working at
Dial-a-Cab House. Judging by the number of ex and just retired subscribers,
it sort of belongs to them too!
But, and I hope you accept this in the way it is meant, if it
belongs to you, then I’d like you to take more of an active part. You can do
that by letting me have your stories if they involve you or something
connected to you. A picture is always welcome to accompany the story. I
don’t need political stuff, I already have access to as much of that as I
want, but if something interesting happens to you and you have email, please
send it to Call Sign with an added photo. As I said,
Call Sign belongs to everyone at DaC...
Congrats boss!
My sincere congratulations go to Dial-a-Cab Chairman Brian Rice on
the recent arrival of his and Brenda’s first grandchild. Charles William
Rice was born on Wednesday 18 November to their son, Billy and his
partner Sam – although we believe it was Sam that did most of the work! Many
DaC staff will remember Billy from his time in the Brunswick House Call
Centre. While Brian claims to as many as will listen that he is far too
young to be a granddad, we think there is going to be one very spoiled
little grandson in the southwest!
Alan Fisher
callsignmag@aol.com |
