Call Sign January 2010 - Page 22 - All in the genes - the QPR genes! - THE ROUTE TO LEARNING AND EARNING MORE!

The last issue of Call Sign told of Dial-a-Cab Chairman Brian Rice becoming a grandfather for the first time, after Billy and Sam produced a 7lb 2oz bundle of joy named Charles William – now known as Charlie! Those that know Brian, wife Brenda, daughter Carla and of course son Billie, will also know that the family are passionate supporters of West London football team	All in the genes - the QPR genes!
	Queens Park Rangers and can often be seen at Loftus Road cheering on the Superhoops – despite the fact that their team hasn’t won much since picking up the League Cup trophy in March 1967. It was then, in one of the most exciting cup finals ever, that QPR - then in the old 3rd division of the Football League - defeated 1st division (equivalent to the Premier League now) West Bromwich	Albion at a Wembley Stadium mudbath by 3 – 2, after being 2 – 0 down at half time. It was also the match that shot Rodney Marsh to fame, as he took the ball and ran through the mud to score the equalising second goal before Mark Lazarus finished off WBA with QPR’s third goal. The Rice family are still passionate in their support, with Billy’s voice often heard over the Loftus Road PA system. He also used to run the team’s website and during his tenure there, made the site the most talked-about in the league! So Call Sign is publishing two photos from our collection to show which way young Charlie is obviously headed!

The 2010 WCHCD Cab Guide Course...

THE ROUTE TO LEARNING AND EARNING MORE!

   A new Cab Guide Course run by The Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers will begin on 15th February 2010. Once you have achieved your Guide Badge and certificate, not only do you have even more knowledge about the great city of London, but it can also be rewarding financially as you impart facts and figures to passengers. Graham Woodhouse, a taxi driver, is the course co-ordinator. He told Call Sign:
   "The aim of the course is to provide drivers with sufficient knowledge to enable them to inform passengers in a clear and concise manner about the historical sites of interest they are passing. It also allows them to give an informative and entertaining tour covering all the major places of interest in and around Central London."
The topics covered are:
* History and development of the City of London, the City of Westminster and Southwark.
* Architectural London.
* London’s ‘oddities’.
* The story of the Thames, its docks and their joint impact on London as a trading giant.
* Palaces, Royalty and Pageantry.
* Prisons, Asylums and Hospitals. How they helped shape London.
* The history of the Cab Trade.
* Customer Care and ideas for a tour.
   The course is held at Knowledge Point, 429-431 Caledonian Road, N7 with classes on Monday evenings from 6pm until 8pm. Sunday walks begin at 10:30am from various locations.
   For more information and an application pack, contact WCHCD Clerk, Mary Whitworth via email or phone. Her office number is 01494 765922 or email clerk@chcd.fsnet.co.uk.

Have you got a Black Cab Fuel Card yet?

   There is a steady flow of applications for the Black Cab Fuel Card coming in, but there is still one point that keeps being asked - is it necessary to give a mileage and registration when using the card to fill up at a garage?
   The answer is no! The Fast Fuel Card has been in use for some time and is used by hundreds of transport companies and fleet operators and naturally they need to know which vehicles the cardholders are putting fuel into and the mileage. They need to track and manage their fuel spend as they do not want their company drivers filling up their private vehicles! Forecourt staff are trained to ask as a service to the business owners - not the drivers.
   With the Black Cab Fuel card (albeit as the Fast Fuel Card) drivers can actually fill up their private cars or cars belonging to other family members with it and no one is really interested in the registration or mileage. Forecourt staff will still ask, but only because they are trained to. Taxi drivers simply have to explain to the person at the forecourt asking for mileage and registration, that it is not necessary. A simple ‘no need tanks’ is normally sufficient.
   For those that don’t know, when you fill up at a Texaco or Morrisons, DaC drivers have the opportunity of saving between 3p and 5p a litre by using a Black Cab Fuels card and instead of paying cash or using your own card, just signing for the fuel purchased and the amount will be debited from your bank account 2 weeks after the end of the week via direct debit.
   It matters not how much the fuel is advertised at outside the garage, you pay whatever the Black Cab Fuel card rate is for that week – on average around 5p per litre less than many garages. You can also manage your transactions online if you wish by accessing your account details and purchases at any time.
   For more information on how to open an account, visit www.blackcabfuels.co.uk or call 0800 987 5701 and speak to John Murphy. Terms/ Conditions apply and are available on request.

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