Call Sign May 2009 - Page 14 - Drivers payments now fortnightly - City smash and grab…

All drivers would have received a letter by now from our Financial Controller, Warren Smith, which confirms the alterations to driver payments that we originally notified of some six months ago. I wanted to add additional information to hopefully prevent rumour or any misunderstandings and I’m also trying to reduce the number of calls to Driver Services enquiring about the changes. Firstly, let me confirm that the changes have been made solely to bring our payment frequencies into a more manageable and sensible accounting practise. Our auditors for many years have always suggested we look to do this and while there has never been a good time to do it, we hope that having given a long notice period, drivers have made allowances for the change. Those weekly paid drivers will be affected the most, but only by one week. However, because	Drivers payments now fortnightly
	we will be deducting the subscriptions every two weeks, hopefully this will help a little at the changeover. The deduction of subscription every two weeks has been calculated as follows. At present our monthly subscriptions amount to £124.00 plus VAT = £142.60. Multiply this figure to calculate the yearly amount (£124.x12 = £1488 + VAT = £1711.20). Then divide these totals by 52 to calculate a weekly amount, then multiply this	figure by 2 which is £57.23 + VAT = £65.81. If you apply the same calculations to drivers that pay second driver subscriptions, these equate to £30.92 + VAT = £35.56. Another change that will be noticed is the cut-off day for trips. Instead of a Thursday being the cut-off day, we will run through till midnight on a Friday. Your money will then be in your bank account the following Friday. I must stress that these changes have been made purely due to accounting procedures and nothing else. Any other reasons you may hear as to why they have been done should be dismissed as being untrue… Keith Cain Call Centre Manager Driver Operations Manager

City smash and grab…

The spate of taxi break-ins, as recently reported in the trade press, is not confined to the Paddington and Marylebone areas.
Dial-a-Cab driver Paul Latimer (Y89) left his cab locked on the taxi rank at the Thistle City Barbican Hotel EC1, while he quickly nipped across the road to grab a take-away coffee and sandwich. He returned to the cab a few minutes later to discover the vehicle had been broken into and several personal items had been stolen, including his IPod, SatNav and £45 in change that had all been hidden in a sports bag.
"The little sh*t was seen doing it by a passing motorist only moments before I came back to the cab," Paul told Call Sign’s reporter. "There was broken window glass everywhere. A hoodie-wearing kid around 15 years old and riding a bike,

obviously for a quick getaway, was the culprit. My pal and I chased round the streets trying to find him, but he’d disappeared," a still irritated Paul told us.
   He then went into Shepherdess Walk police station and waited about 45 minutes to even be seen, before eventually finding a policeman leaving the station in a van who, when he heard of Paul’s plight, took off with his blues and twos going in an effort to find the culprit.
   "It was a bit too late by then," the DaC driver moaned.
   Paul was eventually given a crime number at Islington police station near the PCO.
   "I was pretty unimpressed with the police response, however the people at Autoglass were really helpful and got me sorted very quickly," he added.
   "I had to pay £75 excess on my insurance, but it’s the loss of my personal effects that is irritating. Luckily I had my credit cards and moneybag with me. It’s still a hard lesson though," Paul concluded thoughtfully.
   The message is clear. Do not tempt these undesirables by leaving anything on show. It is important to ensure your cab is locked securely with no items of even minimal value on display and when possible, park in a secure area or in good lighting when on the street.

© Call Sign Magazine MM9

Taxis stopping at cash machines

PCO Notice 15/08 in July 2008 announced the trial of permitting taxis and private hire vehicles to stop and wait while passengers use a cash machine on Red Routes at night. This exemption has operated successfully since then and TfL has started the process of formally incorporating it into the traffic management orders governing the Red Routes.
   Trade associations will shortly receive the consultation documents. In the meantime, the informal exemption continues to apply.
   Taxis are permitted to stop on red routes between 10 pm and 6 am every night of the week for up to 5 minutes while passengers use nearby cash machines. This exemption only applies on London's Red Route network, indicated by red lines at the roadside and signs saying red route. Drivers continue to be liable for penalty charges if they wait at cash machines on restricted sections of other roads or outside these times.
   Drivers must always be mindful of the safety of their passengers and other road users, and may be penalised if they wait in locations where it is unsafe to do so. Drivers must not stop on pedestrian crossings, zig-zag lines, bus stops marked with a wide red line or in locations where stopping would cause a safety hazard or obstruction.

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