MAILSHOT

Addison Lee and taxis...
Dear Alan
   Not sure if its been flagged up before, but to me it looks like Addison Lee are advertising as Licensed Taxis under various internet searches. This one seems pretty blatant to me under a search for London Taxis, coming up as 24 Hours A Day 365 Days A Year With Addison Lee!
We are not talking here about related internet sites, but an actual paid for sponsored link under the London Taxi heading. Not being an expert in advertising on the Internet, I would not know if this is lawful or not, but with the current PCO drive pointing out differences between Licensed Taxis and Private Hire, I think this apparent confusion is probably not in the best interest of the travelling public.
Steve Thomas (N10)
   Steve’s letter was received after the last issue closed, that being due to the earlier than usual publishing deadlines for Christmas. In that January issue we had an article that pretty much said what Steve is pointing out and which contained a piece from DaC driver and RMT London Chairman, Eddie Lambert (V27), who wrote to Call Sign complaining about minicab ads where the word ‘Taxi’ was used to describe their ‘services’. He had also complained to the PCO’s John Mason, in addition to Islington Trading Standards after picking Liberty Cars of Old Street as a minicab company that advertised in that way.
   Since that issue came out, we’ve had Addison Lee Chairman, John Griffin, flaunting his wealth in the C4 program The Secret Millionaire, where throughout Mr Griffin refers to Addison Lee as a "taxi company." However, I wouldn’t have held my breath on the PCO doing anything about that as they couldn’t even stop them using the M4 bus lane.
   But John Mason is still a new light at the PCO and he gives the impression of caring about the industry as a whole. So perhaps we’ll hear that AL are no longer using that bus/taxi lane and that Mr Griffin begins referring to his company as a Private Hire organisation – or even minicab company - because that is what it is.
   One thing is certain though. John Griffin will do what John Griffin wants to do and won’t give a jot about the PCO if he doesn’t want to. If necessary he will use any court of law he believes can assist him. And as The Secret Millionaire showed, he won’t worry about any associated cost.
   Read To Taxi or not to taxi in this issue for another view of the situation ...Ed

Nobu rank history?
Dear Peter,
   As a licensed London taxi cab driver like yourself, I read most of what’s going on in the trade and I’ve been a keen reader of your work during the 17 years I’ve been in this fantastic trade. But the inaccuracy of your front page of Cab Trade News dated December 2009 prompted me to write to you and maybe put you straight on a couple of issues. Firstly look at the date - December 2009.
   I’d like to bring your attention (and please excuse the self-flattery here) that I believe I was the first licensed taxi cab driver to bring the problem of Nobu Berkeley to the trade’s attention in – get this – November 2005! That’s right, a full four years before the current crusade to "win back our work" (sic). And while some people are, maybe quite rightly, taking the praise for getting a rank outside the above establishment, I’d like to ask where these drivers were in the intervening four years, thus letting the ‘miniscabs’ get a foothold outside these establishments when I first brought this subject up in the November 2005 edition of Dial-a-Cab’s fantastic magazine, Call Sign (later used in Taxi Globe 13 May 2009).
   It makes me chuckle and sad at the same time that this has nothing to do with "winning back our work" per se, rather the fact that we’re in the middle of the worst financial crisis in more than a few years and all of a sudden cab drivers, myself included, are struggling to "earn a few quid." It’s typical and quite sad actually that cab drivers work so hard to get into this trade, then care so little about it when they finally get their green badge – apart from when it suits of course. I think you will find there was no recession going on circa 2005. How much better our trade would be if this kind of action went on when "we’re all nicking a few quid," rather than the odd times when it seems like a "kipper season" all year round.
   But alas that is the nature of the beast, I suppose. United we stand, divided we fall and I think these past few months have shown what can be achieved when we as a trade stick together as one! Sadly, I fear the status quo will be resumed as soon as work levels pick up... but then I could be wrong. Some redress of the balance to your front page would be much appreciated.
   Name and address supplied
   The above letter appeared in Cab Trade News and my thanks go to Editor Peter Rose for his permission in republishing it. I think it tells the story very well, although Call Sign would not normally publish letters where the writer refused to add their name (except in exceptional circumstances). As it comes from another trade paper, we are republishing it as it was ...Ed

Bill’s back!
Hi Alan
   At last I have managed to get back to work after 7 long months off, two stents fitted and a couple of stress tests to make sure I am fit enough to work. And it seems I am because I’ve now got my Bill back and I’m fighting fit!
   I would like to thank all the people at the Dial-a-Cab office who phoned to see how I was doing, in addition to the get well cards that were sent and the big bunch of flowers I received, all in men's colours - well that's what my wife said! Also, a big thank you to Chelsea Phil for the way he helped me and an even bigger thank you to Neil Brewer (E16) and all the drivers who stopped him on the road and signed the big card he was carrying around with him! Wow, it really makes me proud to have mates like you lot, so thanks lads. I never doubted it, but I can still say it feels good to belong to the Gentleman's Circuit.
   Once again to everyone; thanks for caring, it means so much. Be lucky...
Bill Chatterway (A43)
   Nice to see you back, Bill ...Ed

Dribbling to the Vito?
   With the radio work continuing to dribble out, the future doesn't look very bright if you drive a Fairway, TX1, TX2 or TX4. Things are looking better for Vito drivers however, as many customers are now requiring a Vito when ordering a cab - many of whom have been encouraged by Vito drivers to do so. The Vito and some Metrocabs already have an attribute for being capable of carrying 6 passengers and good luck to them when the customer genuinely requires a six-seater. But I cannot see why there should be a further V attribute for Vitos at the expense of the rest of the fleet and a first off the zone policy should be adopted. I therefore conclude that the V attribute should be removed in the name of fair play.
Barry Spear (Y16)
   Keith Cain responds: While these drivers may be encouraging clients to ask for a Vito cab specifically, the call centre advises that any such request may take us longer than our normal 10/15 minutes response time to match one. It also applies to any pre-booked trip. In most cases, clients ask us to try for a few minutes to get the trip covered and if we are unsuccessful then we are to dispatch their trip to all of the fleet. What we have also found in most cases is that the Vito request has been due to the number of people travelling. Controllers remove the ‘V’ attribute and rematch the trip with the 6 seater one, but because of the very limited number of Vito taxis and 6 seater metros on the circuit, they have been making the trip a two cab job.  One can hardly say this is a benefit to them. However, should this number increase to in excess of a couple of hundred, then the suggestion of them benefiting could be the case. But this is no different to when Metros first came on the circuit and also the TX1s.
   In all cases, if the client wishes for us to supply a specific vehicle then we aim to meet their requirement.
   In this issue there is an article written by Richard Potter with the heading as below. In it he mentions writing to the PCO to complain about minicabs at the Charing Cross Hospital and this is the reply received from the Carriage Office...

To taxi or not to taxi?
Dear Mr Potter,
   I would like to let you know that we have established that the private hire operator to whom the freephone connects is Triple A Express Ltd of Unit 14, Hayes Metro Centre, Springfield Road, Hayes UB4 0LE (Operator No. 535). The freephone itself is maintained by a separate company. They have been advised that under Section 31 of the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998, the current wording next to the freephone is illegal. I have been advised that it will be replaced, although this might take a few weeks to accomplish. I can confirm that I will also be writing to Triple A Express Ltd to remind the company of the requirements of the Private Hire Act.
   Thank you again for contacting this office. Your assistance is appreciated.
M J Mann
Operator Licensing Section

Non-rejectable?
Hi Alan
   I wrote to Mailshot back in March 2007 about non-rejectable and A/D trips, but nothing changed. Now I read Mike Son’s article and the idea of making all trips between 6am and midnight A/D. I think we've missed the boat. Surely the time to have done this was when we were mega-busy and could not cover the work? At this moment, I think the work would get covered better if trips in the morning were unmasked. We're all sitting on ranks for hours and so long as the job was going further than we’re running, then I'm sure they would get covered.
Now I know where the Board is concerned and it's probably a non-starter, so what about some

Non-rejectable 2
   I sat here originally to email Call Sign asking Keith Cain what he has against Dial-a-Cab members getting a trip in the direction of home in the late afternoon, evening and night time? As directed on EC5, no soon to clear on E14 and AD from there and SE75 - AD with fixed prices from there! Doesn’t leave many zones to find a trip in the direction of home.
   I was also surprised that no other members wrote about the rule change regarding AD trips no longer being recoverable, if running further than trip is going. I remember our Chairman, Mr Rice, saying at an AGM that this was unreasonable. Funny how when it comes to changing Code 3 (5 trips in 1 day!) and EC5, the members have to vote? With diesel at just over £5 a gallon and looking to go higher and the huge amount of roadworks going on, I think this is unfair.
   Also, while talking about AD trips, during the recent severe weather we suffered, would it not be better to unmask trip destinations and let a driver chose a trip on the way home, rather than drivers going off in all directions, then leaving them with journeys taking hours to get home or like me and many other of our drivers, just struggling to go home empty? The Bid zone was full the night of heavy snow before Christmas and I would have been happy to stay in town and do local journeys, but guess what – they were AD as well! Even the trips with the ‘T’ attribute seem to fire out as True AD? Can’t our IT department teach these accounts how to fill in a booking form?
   But what really drove me to type this letter was Mike Son’s article in Call Sign, How Can We Win Back Our Work? At last, a Board Member looking to improve my income? Wrong! The only suggestions Mike Son seemed to make involved me doing work for less or possibly running further or longer than the trip may even be going. Perhaps non-rejectable, he suggests? Drivers won’t even bother to book in if it ever gets busy again! As Directed doesn’t always work ie Brian Rice having to put out personal appeals to cover our work in the west of London in the mornings a few years back!
   Mike, you talk about our service needing to be better. You say our accounts, admin and our IT departments being the best there are, then it must be the drivers or their taxis that you think are to blame. Even if we offered a chauffer service with our taxis, we still wouldn’t increase our work. And writing of service, why are we still unable to offer an Air-Conditioned taxi if required! You also say you don’t think reducing our admin charges would do any good? I’m afraid I have to disagree with you. Ask any of our drivers that speak to their customers and they will tell you that Dial-a-Cab is expensive. When compared with many minicabs trips around and across town, the actual meter price is often seen as reasonable. I feel that’s why we are not wining our work back - in total we must be too expensive. In addition, we seem to have many more shorter journeys than longer ones. Is this because we are more competitive over a shorter distance?
   I think DaC needs to find new ways of generating income. I suggested in the March 2009 Mailshot that trips going to outer London should be offered without any charges or run-ins! £1 or £2 could be deducted from the meter fare to fund it. Radical? Perhaps, but if drivers don’t like it, then don’t accept it. Remember, a fixed price fare still has a booking fee! All fares outside the M25 having £2 or more deducted - or perhaps a set amount - would trigger no booking fee for trips within central London. Could an increase in subs generate more work? If drivers paid for each credit ride, how much would it cost to make admin and booking fees disappear? A fantastic IT department is great, but it seems our clients want to travel at a competitive price. Lets have a vote and let our members decide.
   I believe that if we carry on as we are, our client base will continue to shrink as private hire tell our customers they are cheaper. When the economy picks up, we know many of these minicab companies will be found wanting, but our radio work may be lost from the London taxi trade forever...
Jon Robinson E88.
   Keith Cain has responded to Jon’s letter elsewhere inside this issue ...Ed

Hi Alan
   I note that the January Call Sign wasn't carrying the usual Eurostar ad. Have we lost the concession now that we are no longer the main provider?
Jon Francis (A39)
   Allan Evans has been trying to get an answer for some time, but we cannot get a definitive reply. All we’ve had was an unofficial message saying that it was all taxi drivers and that the loss of the account as main providers – although the account has remained open – has nothing to do with the decision. We’re still trying to find out ...Ed

Witness appeal
   My name is Steve Donovan and I drive an Atlantic blue TX2, reg no LS55 LDE. An alleged incident between two passengers and myself happened on Wednesday 12 August 2009 at the junction of Southampton Road and Mansfield Road NW3 between 23.30pm and midnight. My passengers were sick in the cab, losing me a night’s work. They paid the fare of £11.80 but not the spoilage charge and then an argument ensued.
   I have now been accused of common assault. I totally repudiate these allegations and seek any witness’s who may have seen what happened.
   Please contact me on mobile 07941 172 259 or email stevedonovan@f2s.com.
Thank you
Steve Donovan
Badge number 64842

Tom’s Blackwall Tunnel bus lane battle...continued
Hello Alan
   I have now received from Greenwich Council files regarding the Tunnel Avenue bus lane that leads to Blackwall Tunnel. It appears we have no chance of using this bus lane even though private coaches are allowed through it. The most annoying part for me is that Greenwich Council are so anti-taxi. One would think they would be doing everything possible to help vehicles through the tunnel as quickly as possible! The O2 has many passengers using taxis to get back to their central London hotels, but they are obviously deemed to be unimportant by Greenwich Council. Recent horrendous problems there should make them think again, but I fear they will not alter their stance. I have never believed we were thought to be part of the London Transport System when it comes to any assistance from the authorities, and this just substantiates that belief.
   Call me a sceptic, but I cant help wondering if their decision has anything to do with the tollgate they talked of having at the Tunnel entrance? And what will happen with the bus lane if the International Olympic Committee get planning permission to use Greenwich Park for the horse shows (which I sincerely hope they don't)? Perhaps it will open for competitors to use for the duration of the games? After all, they do contribute to London in a big way... don't they? Not like us nuisance taxi drivers!
   One final comment on the topic; it's worth noting that Greenwich Council did at least reply to all my correspondences, unlike acting Chief Superintendent Crundell from the Traffic Police whose jurisdiction this road falls under. He hasn't even bothered to reply to my letter to him, even though I gave him two email addresses in addition to my home address. Why am I not surprised?
Tom Reynolds (O85)
   In the May 2008 issue of Call Sign, Tom explained that he had been speaking to his MP, Clive Efford, about taxi access to Tunnel Avenue where there is a gate allowing buses to bypass traffic hold-ups going north through Blackwall Tunnel. Tom has been battling for 4 years to gain us access to this gate and had finally arranged a site meeting with representatives of Greenwich Council, Police, TfL and the PCO. Sadly, Tom’s feeling at the meeting was that the matter wasn’t really going to have the remotest chance of coming to fruition and that out of all the parties present, only the PCO spoke up for the taxi trade. The police claimed that out of town cabs would use it and even more ludicrously that while motorists stuck in northbound traffic would allow buses out, they would do all they could to stop taxis pulling out! I wonder how the police would feel if taxis deliberately obstructed them when they had their ‘blues and twos’ flashing to get to an emergency? Both suggestions are just as ludicrous as they sound! The TfL rep claimed it would probably require a bus lane of some considerable length to be effective. Tom explained to him that a mile or so away there were bus lanes that were just 25 feet long, had a camera and which were very effective (Kidbrooke Park Road). Sadly he remained unconvinced. The PCO’s Robin Gillis was on the trade’s side and said that a bus lane with a camera should be all that was needed. As Tom has said in his latest update, the Council seem anti-taxi anyway.
   Tom won’t give up, but you can’t help feeling that banging his head against a wall would have been as much use. However, my sincere admiration goes out to him for his undoubted battling qualities and as they say – it’s not over ‘till the blond Mayor sings!...Ed

Accountants?
Dear Sirs
   We would like to offer Call Sign’s taxi driver readers a great accountancy / tax offer. PHT Accounting & Tax Resource are a practice with clients throughout the UK specialising in self employed and individuals who are a part of

Forged note detectors
Hi Alan
   Wondered if you knew which edition of Call Sign did you have an article about forged note detectors?
Peter Graovac (O54)
   In August 2005, Call Sign gave away 50 Counterfeit Cabbies – a device for tracking forged banknotes. I’m not sure what later devices are on the market, but I’m pretty sure there must be a selection. It was 4700 years in Mesopotamia (modern Turkey) where people bartered with goods, but some individuals would put differing values on similar items leading to controversy and confusion. After all, is a bearskin really worth two bales of hay? So money came into being. But had they had the hassle we get with those deliberately passing forgeries, perhaps they’d have thought twice! ...Ed

The T-word!
   At last years AGM when the contentious issue of T work arose, it was mentioned that many drivers, when busy, choose to ignore this work in favour of other account work. I adopt this attitude myself as I sometimes feel that T accounts often just use us to cover their less lucrative work, especially if it is pre-booked. For example, I did a N1W True AD but when I asked for the destination, the passenger said: "You should know, I gave it when I booked, we’re going to St Pancras." Despite this, I feel there is one T account I would like to offer a better service to and that is McKinsey. This is because I have noticed that on many occasions the job notes state that the passenger should always be sent a black cab, but this information is not made available until the job is accepted. Do the passengers demand this because they realise we offer a better service than WestOne cars?
There is a lady wheelchair user I have picked up from Dolphin Square who, whilst championing DaC, says she dislikes having to go through WestOne cars seeing as she only wants to use us and feels we should be doing all their work. Another user missed a train because the WestOne driver got lost on route to Paddington, even asking if she knew the way - another convert to ‘always send a black cab’ I think! So if the customer only wants to be sent a black cab was seen on the trip offer, perhaps the account could blossom?
Terry Felvus (M86)
   Keith Cain responds: Terry, we would welcome being able to show more information on the trip offer, not just for the reasons you state, but for many others too. Unfortunately, to change the current set up would mean a major rewrite of the dispatch system. The long term plan, however, is to redevelop and update the system and the trip offer screen is high up on that wish list.

How can we win back our work – the PH view?
Hi Alan
   I would like to respond to the article written by Michael Son (How can we win back our work) in the January Call Sign. Mike was the very first trade representative I ever met whilst on the Knowledge and since then I have always held him in high esteem and respect both his knowledge and integrity with regards to cab trade business.
   I’m not on Dial-a-Cab, nor do I drive a cab at the moment; I have however worked within the private hire industry and currently own a small PH company in Central London. There are many factors as to why the cab trade is losing market share and I for one believe with some real commercial thinking that the situation can be corrected, but it needs commercial not political solutions. Companies such as Addison Lee have become a major threat to the cab trade because they are well run and give the cash and account customer a good service at a cheaper rate than the cab trade; their coverage of London is far superior than that of any cab company and the earning expectancy of their work force is approximately 50% less than a taxi driver has for the same hours worked! Plus they have benefited enormously from the PH industry consolidating to a point where there are not a great deal of companies or competition left in the corporate sector. So how do you combat this and win back market share?
   1/ A merger of a radio circuit is vital; the need to create a super circuit will give the real differentiator needed in the market place. A fleet of 6000 taxis will win work! Having three major circuits, all with the same selling points, actually works against the cab trade; one major force will be able to dominate the market in so many ways - be that financial strength, coverage ability and economies of scale that will add to this new super power. It will also improve coverage of London as a whole, because at the moment the cab trade has only focused it’s efforts on Central London, which is complete and utter madness. Dial-a-Cab and Radio Taxis becoming one seems to me to be a good call?
   2/ Forget being a taxi company and start being a Ground Transport supplier. Oh my God! I can hear all the dinosaurs roaring already! Giving the client what they want is not such a bad idea. It works in every other business sector, so why can’t the cab trade grasp this fact? Some have played with the idea, but whatever has been done thus far has been done badly - due to trying to play politics instead of being commercial.
   3/ On account work and cash work, the biggest issue the private hire industry highlight is the run-in fee charged. Cease charging it and work will return; clients fail to understand that they get into a cab and there can be £7 on the meter and they haven’t gone anywhere. Easier option? Charge a simple £2.50 charge at the back end and pick the client up with a clean meter – any waiting time can also be charge separately too! By keeping the average docket price down, it assists the client’s budgetary targets.
   4/ Gratuity Charge – stop it – it works against the black cab trade and no PH company would dream of charging this.
   5/ Smarten Up: It is well known that a cab driver is a far superior driver than a PH one, so why don’t they look like they are? I see cab drivers entering international company receptions looking like slobs and I assure you it gets noticed and works against the trade. Have a sensible dress code and enforce it. I believe it should be part of the PCO remit – we can put a stop on a dirty cab, but we can’t do anything about a driver that looks like Worzel Gummige!
   6/ Flexible Charging: Be prepared to do more for less in a down-turned market; to have a sensible pricing structure and giving Sales teams of taxi companies some flexibility to negotiate will win you contracts back that have been lost.
   FACT: Accounts that have been lost in recent years to the PH industry are due to cost; service is secondary when Facility Managers are tasked with saving money! Especially when the service they choose is good; the cab trade can no longer portray PH drivers as the seedy characters they could during the last recession.
   7/ Stop running your businesses as political clubs and start facing up to the reality that the PH industry is a real threat; if you ignore it and don’t react, the cab trade will lose the corporate sector entirely within 5 years. You have some quality businessman in place within the industry, but they have their hands tied due to political issues.
   Why as a PH proprietor would I advise the cab trade? Because I truly believe in it; I still believe becoming a cab driver is the greatest achievement of my life, but this is mixed with the feelings that running a radio circuit is like jogging through treacle. To win back London will need some drastic action, but I don’t feel the will to do this is there. So you will continue to lose work to Addison Lee and other companies and the damage will soon become fatal!
   I would love to be proven wrong on this and I hope you don’t mind me entering your debate.
Martin Cox
Chauffeur First, London E1
   The last time I published a letter from someone in the PH industry, I was inundated with drivers telling me I shouldn’t have done it! But I disagree – if I feel the letter is constructive. And in this case, I feel that the view of someone like Martin Cox who besides having great experience of the PH industry, also holds a green badge and was on the BoM of Radio Taxis for several years, is one worth at least listening to ...Ed

Harvey Allen: We haven’t retired!
Hi Alan
   I would like to thank you and your team for such a good article that was put together about North Eastern Motors and our father, Coleman Allen. However, at the end of the article it says that we are retiring from the trade. This is not true! We are still working every day and managing our fleet from L&P Motors premises (as the article stated) in Dunbridge Street, so if anybody wants to hire a cab from us, they still are able to!
   We would appreciate if you could publish these facts in your next issue, so that drivers know that we are still available to give personal service to our existing drivers and any new customers.
Harvey Allen
Dunbridge St, E2
02077299900
   Pleased you like the article, Harvey. I’ve told my reporter that if he doesn’t get the facts right in future, he will be retiring early! ...Ed