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Just over three years
after applying to go on the Knowledge of London at the age of
19, Dial-a-Cab dispatcher Danielle Barton was recently
"invited" to the PCO to be presented with her coveted Green Badge
for passing out as a Licensed London Taxi driver. Danielle, who worked in an uncle’s bar in Spain before returning back to London, took note of her mother’s suggestion to try the KoL. She joined DaC 2½ years ago as a Call Taker and was recently promoted to dispatcher until gaining her Bill and leaving the Society to |
Danielle leaves DaC after getting her badge! |
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New improved website for M&O |
work the taxi she will be sharing
with her mum – who is already a licensed Taxi driver – full time.
Her time with DaC helped enormously, she told Call Sign. Now aged 22, Danielle told this magazine that she thought the PCO officers were very fair in their assessments and that she only got one ‘D’ classification. We, of course, understand that the PCO treat everyone the same and wouldn’t dream of being nice to a young lady from DaC just because she was very attractive! " Actually," said Danielle with a broad smile, "I really enjoyed doing the KoL. You hear stories about the examiners being fearsome, but I found them to be very fair. You sit in the PCO waiting room and you just can’t help feeling so very nervous. But in all honesty, there was no need! The important part is that if you are going to do it, there is no easy way – you have to work hard at it. I think the examiners can tell if you are working at it." The only "easy" part for Danielle was the fact that she did it in a car |
and did call-overs with a friend!
"Some found the car bit strange," she continued, "but I’m not sure
that I would have felt too safe on a bike – especially as I was
going out at around 4am most days and I was only 20 and on my own." And a quick word on Danielle’s love life; do boyfriends fit in with the KoL? "To tell the truth," said London’s newest cabby, "I had a few boyfriends in the early days, but I soon came to the conclusion that boyfriends and the KoL just didn’t fit in together, so I had to give them up to give all my concentration onto the Knowledge – and I’m just so pleased now that I have passed!" Danielle also asked Call Sign to thank former DaC Controller Gary Gates and current Call Centre Supervisor Manager for the day shift, Lee Morland – both of whom have been through the Knowledge and who were always happy to answer any questions she had. Good luck Danielle and let’s hope work picks up... |
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Mann and Overton,
the LTI Vehicles owned dealer network, has unveiled its new
and improved website in an effort to enhance its already strong
customer offering. Now www.mannandover-ton.com brings together separate websites covering retailers in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and London, to deliver a unique online experience for taxi drivers looking to buy new or used vehicles. Within the site, two new ‘used vehicle’ propositions have been introduced to improve the buying process. LTI’s Approved Taxis, previously known as Quality Assured Vehicles, and Value Cabs, which are sold as seen, give taxi drivers the opportunity to view their chosen taxi online before they approach the dealer to buy. Used cab traders are also able to download national trade price lists for the first time. Rob Laidler, Sales Director at LTI Vehicles, said: "This website has been designed with the user firmly in mind. It focuses heavily on convenience and makes it easier to search for a used taxi from our national stock. One such feature is to provide the customer with instant access to photographs and details about the vehicle. This is made possible through the supply of mobile technology to each retailer, which uploads photographs within seconds. "We hope that by making these improvements drivers will find it much easier to buy a used taxi." |
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