Mr No Name strikes again!!!
My thanks to the two Dial-a-Cab drivers who forwarded me links to
the Nissen Hut blogsite, however, as I have said before, the ramblings of
"Russell Wilson" do not interest me in the slightest. Most Call Sign
readers know I have a rule that says if you cannot give your name, then I
will not print your letter. I have made the very occasional exception, but
only rarely. "Russell Wilson" obviously has a grudge against DaC and by the
sounds of his ranting, was probably expelled by fellow drivers on a
complaints committee.
He’ll probably say that anyone who criticises DaC or its Board will
end up as being expelled, but won’t be able to name anyone in that situation
- because it is untrue. If it were true, I would not have stayed in this
job. But of course, on the internet you can say whatever you like and it
suits some to pretend that their expulsion was because they "stood up to the
BoM" rather than just being caught breaking the rules – and probably more
than once. One wag even boasts that he hasn’t returned his terminal. Yes,
nice people!
"Russell Wilson" criticises without having the balls to reveal his
identity and doesn’t allow responses on his blog. Following the link sent by
our two drivers, I read how "Russell Wilson" describes Call Sign
as a "well spun piece of propaganda to limit the damage to a board of
management exposed as inept, spent, and devoid of any direction." Everyone
has the right to an opinion if they give their name, "Russell Wilson’s
cowardice removes that right from him. So please guys, no more links to Mr
No-name unless it is written without his nom de plume – and I doubt
he has the intestinal fortitude for that...
Don’t get me going, Mickey!
DaC driver Mickey Lappin (E46) is someone that Call
Sign can always call on if we need a new appliance tested or for
most things connected with music – especially if that involves Paul Weller!
In this issue, Mickey is testing out the Cabbies Mate satnav system.
He starts his article with: "It has been known for me to disagree with
the Editor of this fine magazine on a few things, but we also agree on a
few; our dislike of Vito cabs and SatNavs used in Taxis around London.
But after testing what seems to be an excellent piece of
equipment in the Cabbies Mate, Mickey has changed his mind and is
recommending this SatNav to drivers. I’m happy to publish Mickey’s review,
but I have to say that it doesn’t change my mind one iota. I will never
accept that we, universally accepted as the finest taxi drivers on the
planet, need to have SatNavs on display. Didn’t we do the Knowledge so that
most of what SatNavs tell us, we should already know?
Of course I carry a SatNav in my bag in case I get a job out of
town and on the off chance that after dropping that one, I get a radio job
from somewhere else out that way and I need to know the best way to get
there. But when I don’t need it, I leave it in my bag. I have no problem
with |
anyone who does that. But keeping it on
display makes you look no better than one of "them" and I will never accept
that as being the way forward. How insulting
it is when passengers offer you a postcode when you know the address anyway.
But that doesn’t detract from the Cabbies Mate, which sounds like an
excellent piece of equipment.
Speaking of testing new stuff, Allan Evans has road-tested the
Novus speed camera detector in this issue as well...
Good advice?
Perhaps I’m a bit old fashioned, but I found Barry Hooper’s advice
in a recent issue of TAXI to be quite worrying. Writing of the
overhaul, Barry offers his views to those he says keep their cabs "...to
a good standard, especially those with newer cabs that are not so prone to
rust." His advice is that rather than give the cab to a garage to have
it brought back up to standard after a year’s work on London’s unforgiving
roads, the musher should just valet the cab, steam clean it and check it has
the right documentation. Then the driver should take it to SGS and if the
cab fails, they’ll give you a job card listing the faults. He goes on to say
that failure now costs an extra £50 but infers that you can save a lot of
loot by not having a complete check on the cab.
As the first time pass rate is down to 38%, I don’t think Barry’s
advice is going to do much for our reputation, because thanks to the
internet, his words are now out there and the impression will be that all we
now care about are the savings we can make and that the safety aspect is no
longer paramount. I don’t think that is particularly sensible advice...
Salieri
I recently visited the Salieri Restaurant and yet again Linda and I
- together with two friends - had a magnificent meal. Many of you often tell
me how delighted you are with the amazing offer given to Dial-a-Cab drivers
by the Salieri of a 25% discount. Some drivers are still not sure though, so
here goes one more time! It’s simple and there are no catches.
The Salieri is at 376 Strand (almost opposite the Savoy). It is a
family run restaurant specialising in mainly Mediterranean cooking and the
family who own it just want to repay our drivers for taking passengers to
and from their establishment, so they will give you a genuine 25% off your
bill provided that you (the driver) are in your party of guests and can show
your Badge or Bill. You can book to be certain of a reservation, but I have
been assured that they will always try to find you a table if you mention
DaC and Call Sign (see their ad in every issue). In addition
to the discount, you will enjoy an excellent meal in a beautiful restaurant.
And of course, if you do enjoy it as much as I think you will, then please
recommend it to your passengers. After all, nothing is totally for nothing
in this world… |
Trade organisations
I have mentioned several times recently that I believe the Taxi and
Private Hire Director, John Mason, can be good for our trade and certainly
seems to be a huge improvement on his predecessor. However, his recent
announcement that he is only prepared to talk to the LTDA, Unite or LCDC and
not the newest one, the RMT concerns me.
That concern isn’t because of the RMT, but because it is becoming
more and more apparent that we do not need so many trade organisations,
because they are all basically in agreement with each other and as a result,
inconsequential. I also believe that TfL/PCO use that as a weapon against
us, whereas with just one trade organisation we would carry much more clout
and they would not be able to push us around as much as they do.
The M4 bus lane scenario is a perfect example. If there were only
the one trade organisation – which by sheer membership numbers would have to
be the LTDA – those above us would have to take more notice. To stand by,
afraid to take action against John Griffin for telling his drivers to use
the bus lane regardless of the signs, makes a mockery of the law. We only
have to have a small "unauthorised" notice in our cabs or they don’t like
the way an exterior signage has been put on and suddenly the TfL/PCO crack
down on us. Excuses such as they are "waiting for court case decisions"
carry no weight. They should be the ones taking legal action now – or are
they afraid of losing the case?
In the meantime, having joint trade meetings with the LTDA, Unite
and the LCDC over tea and biscuits with the occasional joke thrown in is a
good way of letting us think we have control – whereas in reality we have
none.Londoners and the Olympics
I write this as someone who was against the idea of London holding
the Olympic Games, because like most people I realised that it would cost us
an absolute fortune and that whatever cost we were told would be involved,
could be at least quadrupled by 27 July 2012 when the Games of the XXX
Olympiad commence in Stratford. But I gradually changed his mind and am now
concerned about something other than finance.
Londoners are paying for much of the cost through Council and
income tax, that doesn’t mean that the Games belong to us – they belong to
the country. However, having paid so much, the very least we deserve is a
slightly better than average chance of getting tickets for the top events –
especially the opening and closing ceremonies. According to the Olympic
Committee, that won’t be happening but a meeting to be held soon could
change that. I hope it does because if nothing else, we’ve paid for them to
come over here, disrupt our traffic and stay in the plushest hotels. The
least they can do is to let us have some tickets!
Alan Fisher
Callsignmag@aol.com |
