DaC racing team?
Well done Jensen Button for winning the FIA World Championship this year, following on from Lewis Hamilton. But I think we could make it three UK winners by entering a DaC team for next year.
   I was travelling down Wellington road at midnight, empty with hire light on, when in my rear view mirror a cab was approaching. As we reached St Johns Wood roundabout, he took the racing line and went past me into Park Road. I think he may have been on softer compound tyres and had a lighter fuel load. In the 'Baker St straight' he then pulled over for a pit stop - but filled up with passengers instead of fuel.
   Surprisingly this was a fellow DaC driver. Surely we are on some sort of team orders? Lets play fair. 
James Whiting (E83)
   Funny you should mention that subject, James, a similar incident happened to me recently - except that I was the racing driver! But before anyone condemns me, let me say what happened. I was crossing Vauxhall Bridge Road coming back into town and following a non-radio cab with a driver I had briefly recognised as being ex DaC. I followed him down the road, intending to bear left along Lupas Street when a message came on screen saying there was work at the Vic. Plan changed and I just carried on behind the other cab. He, in turn, was following an elderly man in an old jalopy who was "cruising" along at around 23mph. So I pulled out and flashed the other cab that he too could pull out in front of me and overtake. But he obviously didn’t want to. I waited and waited until eventually I got fed up in case the queue diminished before we got there. He wouldn’t have known about that. I touched my TX4 throttle a¢ la Jensen Button and left him to follow his friend. We still hadn’t reached Warwick Way. When I got to the Vic, I could see that the message had been correct with not an empty cab in sight. All I had to do was wait (and wait and wait) for the lights to turn green so I could enter the station and receive the acclaim that the waiting passengers would no doubt offer me! But the stalled car in front of me meant that it was to be two changes and of course the ex driver caught me up as I finally went in. Had there been no queue, I’d have waved him round, but it was huge so I pulled up, loaded the passengers and moved off. But not before my "friend" had pulled alongside and called out in a sarcastic tone: "Hello Al, lucky it’s busy isn’t it?" I mentioned briefly about trying to get him to overtake the car but it was a waste of time in the 4 seconds I had. Life in the fast lane – or should that be the racing lane. Other than that, I agree with you James. I would never have picked up a job had someone put their hands out before I got to the Vic, but it does beg a question: How slow does the cab in front have to go before you can decide to pass him and then how far in front before you can pick up a job? …Ed

Thank you Tom
I don’t know what hold Tom Whitbread has over those theatres to get them to give us freebie tickets, but whatever it is, please keep it up! The most recent one in Tom’s repertoire was Change – the one-man show starring Arturo Brachetti that Tom called amazing in the November Call Sign. It really was that good and if it’s still on, it is even worth paying to see!
Thanks again to Tom…
John Davis (V41)

An inconsiderate ranker?
Tue 20th October was a milestone for me. It was the day my 37 year previously undisturbed record was disturbed. It was the day I breached sub sections 19 and 21 of the 1853 Hackney Carriage Act. It was the day PCO Compliance Officer No. 53, Mr S Wyborn, recorded on my file the offence of leaving my vehicle unattended for 6 minutes on Rank No. 5323, thus preventing fellow drivers from using this central location. Furthermore, 'any further breach could result in a penalty of up to £1,000 under level 3 of the Act'.
No, I am not making this up! So to those who regularly work the Half Moon Street Rank, I extend my sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused. PCO Vehicle Compliance Officer, Mr S Wyborn's appraisal is fully justified; I am indeed an inconsiderate ranker!
I dispatch this letter from the TWA Terminal Rank Russell Road, Olympia, loading a bale of hay with one hand while peeing

Yellow box victory
Re the story in the November Call Sign in which Howard Flavin (A18) successfully challenged a Penalty Charge Notice at the yellow box junction of the Eastway and Osborn Road, just by the Olympic Park; I too received a PCN for straying into that box and also wrote to Hackney Council saying that the size of the box was illegal as it overlapped the corner of the road. They cancelled it and returned my £60. My advice to ant Dial-a-Cab driver who received a PCN there – even if you have already paid it – is to write to Hackney Council and demand the return of your money.
Bernie Silver (G08)
   Well done Bernie. The only certainty is that Hackney won’t voluntarily pay back any PCNs that have already been paid unless you ask them! ...Ed

Brian for Chancellor?
I have just been reading the Chairman’s report on the last financial year (Nov Call Sign). This seems to be a classic case of fixing the roof while the sun shone - something that our Government failed to do. Dial-a-Cab having £6million in reserve despite a 32% drop off in work, surely puts them in great shape once things pick up. So well done! It's a pity we can't have Brian Rice for Chancellor! Oh yes, and Tom Whitbread as Home Secretary. They would get my vote anyway.
Terry Farmer (ex-T55J)
   Hmmm... saving money while getting free theatre tickets? Can’t be bad! ...Ed

Gisajob?
To anyone who is out there; on Monday I will be signed on for about 10 hours, booking into the relevant postcodes all night long. If at any point you have an uncovered job close to me, feel free to send it down because soon I will be owing Dial-a-Cab money at the end of the month! Remember the good old days when we used to get told off for not doing 40 rides? Aaahhhh, happy days! I recently saw a Board member in a well known W2 watering hole and asked him his opinion about the lack of activity on our terminals. "What do you want me to do," was his reply. I wish he was joking...  
Nick Steventon (J65)

Gotajob
At last! After a few unpleasant months, the number of account trips I’m accepting through the system has shot up. In addition, the waiting time on EC5 – even if you put on at number 90 – is down to 20 minutes or so, while the quality has gone noticeably gone up with £40 / £50 rides returning. If things carry on at this rate, the word recession will soon be resigned to the bin for another ten years!
Divyesh Ruparelia (V59
   Sorry Nick, I have to agree with Divyesh. While some days will always be harder than others (Monday does come to mind), generally speaking, the number of account trips I’m doing now is around double that of three months ago ...Ed

Vito at Xmas!
Dearest darling Alan#
   I have gone off with a German called Vito. But look on the bright side – at least you won’t have to buy me a Christmas present! Why don’t you go to Coventry for Xmas, although I’m not sure if they will be having a barbeque this year? Must dash as my smooth Vito awaits!
   Lots of love and kind regards...
Gary Cox (O46)
   Are you trying to tell me something...! Ed

Request to the Call Centre...
A small request for the evening crew in the DaC Call Centre. On any evening from Tuesday onwards, it’s VVVHT on the Embankment WB, A4 and M4 WB, Euston underpass EB and The Highway EB. None of it is news! Nor is the closure of Rotherhithe Tunnel on Monday nights. So what is the point of messages to that effect? We get messages about road closures that have been in effect for 3 weeks from drivers who have just got back from a four week holiday! We know! Messages about road closures are important, but the regular stuff I am sure we can do without. Just a thought...
Divyesh Ruparelia (V59)
   You sound like a bit of a troublemaker to me! ...Ed

Protecting hooray henrys?
Although not a cabbie myself, my family has a history going back to horse-drawn hansom cabs in the late 1800s / early 1900s. My great-grandfather, Joseph Elisha, and his brothers / partners were also involved in horse-selling as well as driving a cab around London.

Rear window advertising
Now that the ban on rear window advertising is to be lifted, how about a competition for the best slogan? Perhaps something like: Dial-a-Cab: The only way to go or Dial-a-Cab, often copied but never equalled.
David Kupler (Y74)
   Brian Rice replies: Thanks for your suggestion Dave - always nice to get some positive ideas. However, in this particular instance we are in the process of producing a rear window advert, subject to PCO approval.  It will bear our name, telephone number and website address. I believe Allen might have a 'mock up' somewhere in this issue.

Spooky?
Dear Alan
   You probably don’t remember me. I knew you from Davenant Foundation Grammar school, Whitechapel in the late 1950s. I now live in Tucson, Arizona with my wife and eight dogs. Yes, it is pretty crowded here and I may have to let the wife go!
   The reason I’m writing is in connection with a UK television program I watch regularly over here. It’s called Spooks and is about the British secret service. I read an article recently in Call Sign Online (I never miss it as I drive a cab over here and we have nothing like it) re your MI5 and MI6 organisations. My question is that I take an interest in anything to do with real life spying and have been to MI5 headquarters in London – although just the outside – during my several trips back home. I’ve been told that the program is supposedly based on fact, even though the storylines obviously aren’t. So where is the building they show as the front entrance? It certainly isn’t the building I’ve stood outside while imagining myself wearing a Tux, a beautiful woman on each arm and a small halo above my head! The Spooks building looks so real, I can’t believe they built it just for the program. Hope you are keeping well...
Terry ‘Tiger’ Lawson
Tucson, Arizona
   You’re right Terry, I don’t remember you! Nice to hear from you anyway. As for the MI5 building in Spooks, the next time you are over here, take yourself along to the Masons Hall on the corner of Long Acre and Drury Lane and you’ll see the lovely building used in Spooks. Come on, as a possible spy, you surely didn’t think MI5 would allow Spook’s producers to show the real gaff with real spies possibly poking their heads round the door! And the next time you come over, phone up Dial-a-Cab and they’ll put you in touch with me. I’ll give you a free ride to Masons Hall. But don’t forget the Tux! ...Ed

Winter Wonderland
Just wanted to say thanks for the tickets/wristbands we won in Call Sign for the opening night of Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park. The kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and I’m sure that there will be lots of work for us whilst it’s on for the 6 weeks.
Ian McCarthy (R064)
   A brilliant night at Winter Wonderland for me and the kids and a great competition prize to win!
Alex Constantinou (N05)
   Just to say how much my family and I enjoyed Winter Wonderland on Thursday night. It was a nice surprise to receive your call saying that I had won the tickets, especially as I forgot to tell my wife I'd entered the competition, and she was planning a family trip over the Christmas holidays! Once again thank you...
Tim Pearce (S38)
   Call Sign gave away 100 tickets for the launch night in the last issue. We had 524 entries asking for over 2000 tickets between them! ...Ed

December 2009 Call Sign Home Page

Powered by NetXPosure