Page 22
Call Sign August 2011
A DaC driver's positive attitude!
Views on life as seen through the
eyes of David Kupler (Y74) at...
"It gets a bit quiet after about 9 pm and then
Kupkake's
later on you tend to get the `p*ssheads' which
is even less fun! So I'm glad to be back on my
Korner
beloved Dial-a-Cab," he said with a smile.
"All I want to do is keep pressing the Accept
button and I'll be happy. I used to do a lot of
account work, so the non-radio cab I had was
Think Pink???
especially tough. Now I'm back on the air-
I first saw it in Park Lane,
waves and glad to be here, even though it is a
driving oh so slow,
bit quiet on the radio, it's still so much better
it's true there was some heavy rain,
than street work. Different clientele altogether,"
but I swear I saw it glow!
he mused. "You get into a pattern of working
and when that is broken as it was after my
A late model Bentley,
fire - you miss it terribly when it is taken away.
a Turbo Coupé,
But if I may respectfully make a suggestion,
the rear seats were empty,
we need to compete with the opposition more
but it was late in the day.
aggressively if we are to retain the present,
Richard is back after his previous cab
and even expand our client base. Our
Who'd own such an invention?
burnt out
renowned superb customer service is only
I started to think,
"I'm back," Richard Payne (M80) exclaimed,
part of the equation and I sometimes think
And did I forget to mention...
a broad grin steadily spreading across his face
that we should be doing more to win work
That it was florescent pink!
to a mystified Call Sign reporters' face. That
back from the cars. I know it's far easier to say
Bentley cars are sacred,
look jogged Richard to explain exactly what
than to actually do and I'm sure DaC will pre-
stately and serene,
he was back from?
vail in the end..."
painted in dark tones,
"You may remember my cab caught fire a
Then Richard walked off. "Remember me
like black, blue and green.
while ago, it was in Call Sign. I've been rent-
now," he called out as he got into his DaC taxi
ing during the intervening months and it hasn't
and booked into a zone?
But this aberration,
been particularly easy. I really have missed my
brought pain to my eyes,
© Call Sign Magazine MMX1
radio enormously," Richard continued.
then I saw the licence...
it came as no surprise!
Smartphone apps
Those numbers and squiggles
that the cameras can't read,
when it's parked in the middle
of some Knightsbridge street.
bookings
It turned toward Mayfair
as I travelled south,
I was feeling quite dejected
and dry in the mouth.
Last month, Dial-a-Cab Board member Allan Evans put a
No doubt there'll be others,
message out on driver's terminals that had originally
those rich so and so's,
emanated from London Taxis & Private Hire. It warned
with their wives and their mothers
drivers to be aware of being approached by people ask-
to shop and to pose.
ing to take photos of the drivers and their badges.
Those asking for the photos were recruiting taxi dri-
We'll see the Italian sports cars,
vers for a smartphone app that would provide taxi
plated in gold,
transport.
and the Silver Bugattis...
LTPH/ TfL have now told Call Sign: "Although
none of them old!
we're happy to provide advice and guidance where we
But I'll still drive my Metro,
can, TfL does not endorse or support any single taxi booking
sombre and cool,
app or service. We have received reports that taxi drivers
do my shopping at Tesco...
have been approached at ranks by people asking to take a
I'm nobody's fool.
photo of the driver's badge, licence and their taxi vehicle
licence plate, claiming to have permission from LTPH or TfL to
Kopyright Kupkake 2011
collect this information. LTPH has not given authority to any com-
pany or individual to collect information in this way from licensed taxi drivers.
Where's Woody?
"While all licensed taxi drivers are obliged to provide their badge number when
asked for it, they should only provide additional information or show their taxi dri-
The correct answer to Where's
vers licence when they are certain that the person asking has authority to see this ie
a police officer or authorised TfL Officer. Any drivers who do register with an app or
Woody in this issue's Call Sign en
other service should make sure they know how their information will be used and
la belle France is the temporary
that the app or service is legitimate."
rank in Augustus Road,
Several hundred licensed taxi drivers are said to have registered with one of the
Southfields, which is used for the
smartphone services. Kabbee, a similar service for minicabs, is said to have around
Wimbledon tennis championships.
4000 signees.
