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Having read
Jon Robinson’s (E88) letter to this issue’s Mailshot, he
asks many questions and makes suggestions as to how the Society
should move forward. Firstly, let me say I am flattered that Mr Robinson thinks I have full control over the working procedures of the Society, when in actual fact it is the Board that decides how the Society operates. I assume that because Mr Robinson believes I make the decisions, then I have a problem with drivers getting going home trips. I am not against any driver getting a trip home; I have always felt that a trip home is a bonus to the day’s work and if it is possible, then why not? As a matter of interest, I was one of the original group of Board members who came up with the idea of a going home facility and researched how we could implement it into the despatch system. Not the actions of a person who is against a driver getting a trip home; more the opposite I would have thought. The Board of the time originally introduced the going home procedure and controlled its functionality, this has now been taken away from us by a proposition agreed by the members. Therefore any changes have to be agreed by them. Let me also clarify Mr Robinsons comment regarding changing the rule about recovering A/D trips when a driver runs further to the pick-up than the trip is going. Firstly, this is not a rule. A driver made the proposition many years ago to keep it alive because when we used to voice-dispatch our work dispatchers - on occasions - would bring to a driver’s attention that because they did not know the exact destination (sound familiar), it was possible they were running a long way to the pick-up, possibly further than the job was going. The proposition ensured the facility did not get left to the decision of an individual. To this day, it is still in operation and I am not aware of any driver who has been refused to have the trip recovered. However, what I referred to recently were the number of drivers who were abusing this |
Keith Cain responds to Jon Robinson’s Mailshot letter in this issue... MOVING FORWARD ON DAC? |
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 procedure and using it as a way of getting to see the A/D trips. I specifically mentioned drivers who constantly accepted an A/D trip from a back-up zone knowing full well the distance they would have to travel to the pick-up was a very long way. Then unless the tripwas very lucrative, they did not want to cover it. I did instruct controllers to monitor the culprits and if they did not refrain from doing it, their request could be refused. I’m pleased to say it has stopped and drivers are working within the spirit of why the procedure was originally suggested. A/D trips are an area that the Board do make the decisions on and such decisions are not made to hinder drivers, they are made to ensure clients get their taxis on time and receive the service they demand. Even during the recent adverse weather conditions, the A/Ds remained in place because when drivers are offered trips with destinations, they start to gamble. Their thought is that there must be a better trip there and they will reject one after another. Once this happens, more trips are rejected, more trips get scrubbed and service goes out of the window. And that is something that during the current economic climate, we are striving not to do. It is not correct for me to comment about another Board member’s article, except to say that clients are outspoken about the cost of taking a black cab journey to that of a private hire trip. The administration costs that are added by all the taxi radio circuits to the meter fare and drivers gratuity are minimal amounts. Remember also, the more a client usage is, the less administration charge they pay. |
Journey costs in a private
hire vehicle can differ by up to 35% less than that of a taxi
metered fare. Airport trips, for example, can be as much as £30
different. All companies need to make an amount from a trip to
run their business and Dial-a-Cab is no different. While private
hire firms say they do not charge an administration or booking
fee, they make their money by paying the driver less than they
charge the client. At times the difference can be as much as £15
a trip, which in theory is an administration charge. But no
matter what the difference is, the comparison we need to be
mindful of is what the car driver gets for the trip and what the
black cab driver receives. Mr Robinson asks the question how much would it cost to make admin and booking fees disappear? Running the Society costs in the region of £6,000,000 a year. If there were 2,000 drivers on the circuit, each would have to pay £250 a month subscriptions. At the moment there are fewer than 2000, which equates to the individual cost of subscriptions being even higher. I am afraid to say that regardless of whether we do or don’t charge booking fees on certain trips, everything about who’s dearer or cheaper comes down to the cost of the trip. I think Mike Son was attempting to point this out and so long as the meter governs the black cab journey cost and with the overheads of purchasing and running a cab remaining higher than a private hire car saloon, the licensed taxi driver could not carry out journeys at a cost anywhere near that of a private hire driver. We are fortunate that we have clients who are prepared to pay more to use our services. It is up to us - and in saying ‘us’ I do mean drivers as well - to ensure the service we give is second to none, thus making clients feel their costs are perceived as being worthwhile. Keith Cain |
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