 An interesting call came in recently from Dial-a-Cab driver Bernie Silver (G08). He had just spoken to his passenger and the resulting conversation had left him somewhat shell-shocked, so much so that he felt he had |
A Dial-a-Cab driver asks the question… |
| to pass it on to
Call Sign. We, in turn, are asking you whether you agree
with Bernie or the driver concerned… The passenger told Bernie how he had ordered a DaC taxi to pick him up at London City Airport on the morning of Monday 5 January – probably the quietest day of the year – and how he had been irritated by the driver’s constant moaning. The trip wasn’t a good one – only going to Cabot Square. However through no fault of his own, the passenger had been delayed by 2.5hours. The driver would probably have been offered a scrub, but obviously chose to wait and for that short journey probably took more money – using hardly any fuel – than many drivers would have taken on the whole day! "But according to my passenger," said Bernie, "the driver just would not stop moaning. I just wish I had a job like that every day! You just can’t help wondering just what it is that some drivers want!" If anyone has a view, feel free to send it in to Call Sign… |
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John Fisher: "Insurance increase is a liberty!" |
| John Fisher
(C45) considers himself to be a good
driver and his maximum no claim bonus with Westminster
Insurance was testament to that. But last year the Westminster,
after many years of covering London’s taxi drivers, was taken
over by Tradex. Drivers were told in a final letter from
Westminster that nothing would really change, so most went along
with the transfer – one of those being John Fisher. "Indeed nothing did change," John told Call Sign, "until just before Christmas and a few days before the policy was due to expire, when a quarterly cover note was sent to my home. I was told that the rate had increased from £540 a year – which I paid at £135 each quarter - to £655 a year. However, that was if I paid the lot! If I wanted to continue paying |
quarterly, that rate would
increase to £786 via £196 a quarter. I thought it was a real
liberty." Because of the holiday period, it was too late for John to look around for another insurance company so he paid up. Call Sign spoke to Tradex and we were told they knew nothing about it, but that a Manager would call us back. Unfortunately no one did, so we have to assume that John’s case is now the norm. If you have suffered a similar occurrence or found a better insurance deal, let Call Sign know. It’s also worth bearing in mind that you no longer have to visit your insurance broker, so it really doesn’t matter where the company is based provided they offer the correct cover for London taxis. If Tradex would like to comment, the space is theirs… |
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WCHCD GREEN BADGE GUIDES AT THE WAR ROOMS DaC drivers walk in Churchill’s footsteps… |
| A group of taxi drivers,
including several from Dial-a-Cab who had passed their Green
Badge Cab Guide Course, recently had a private tour of the
Cabinet War Rooms, the bunker from which Winston Churchill and
his Cabinet ran the country during WW2. The tour allowed them
privileged access to the key rooms of the Museum including the
Cabinet Room, which has been perfectly preserved since 1945.
Call Sign’s Bob Woodford said: "It really was an excellent tour and we’d like to thank Operations Manager Gerry McCartney and Melody Allen of the Museum for organising it." The Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms are open daily from 9.30am until 6pm (last admission 5pm). For entry fees or details on booking private tours, visit their website: www.iwm.org.uk/cabinet. For details on the next Green Badge course, contact course co-ordinator Graham Woodhouse on 07968-791117 or e-mail at info@cabguide.com. |
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