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Minicab advertising Several years ago when the PCO announced that minicabs could have identifying marks on the rear of the car, Brian Rice in his Call Sign Chairman’s Report warned that all anyone then had to do was put a sign on the back of their car - such as Fred’s Cabs - and that might just be enough to encourage females to assume it really was a minicab and get in. Well nothing has really changed. Those of us that work in the evenings see the myriad of signs out there stuck onto the backs of cars, which to many looking for a ride home means that they are a licensed minicab – or more to the point just a cab, because the word licensed is rarely mentioned. They are just cabs – a word that now seems to apply to all of us. When Swindon woman, Sian O'Callaghan vanished, police asked for anyone who had "seen a green Toyota Avensis that had taxi markings." Can you imagine that request in London? Of course that doesn’t mean that all minicab drivers are potential rapists or murderers and although, being from the old school it pains me to say it, some probably do a good job. But more and more now seem to have door logos and markings all over their car and unless the rules have been changed recently, that is still not allowed. The TV and bus shelter ads shouting out that if your minicab's not booked, it's just a stranger's car are very good. It adds that ten sexual assaults are committed by illegal cab drivers in London every month and it will be interesting – if that’s the right word – to see whether the ads have any effect on the figures of women that are attacked by "minicab" drivers. The answer? I don’t have one because minicab markings are now accepted and it’s too late to reverse the practice, but it’s sad that what was obvious to everyone in the licensed taxi trade at the time – and Brian Rice repeated the warning over several issues – wasn’t obvious to those at the previous PCO administration several years back. UCG mag |
 Our London, Taxi Trade Times, London Cabbie News, National Cab, Taxi Gazette, The Point and Taxi Trader. We know they all existed because sad people that we are, Call Sign has copies of all their first issues! Not too many had a second one, although we also have copies of the first issues of both Taxi Globe and Taxicab News and they haven’t done too badly! That aside, to whoever produced United Cabbies News, well done and good luck. You may need it! So long as it’s
black? Then there’s us – possibly even more famously known as the Black Cab trade! Like it or not, that’s us and we’re known around the world by that title. So where’s the connection so far as this Editorial is concerned? Well I recently replaced my Ford 1.25 Fiesta with …a Ford 1.25 Fiesta! Ok, I like the car and this makes at least 4 Fiestas off the trot. When you buy one, Ford like to give you 7 days free insurance. The idea behind that (so they tell you) is to allow you to bring your old car in and drive the new one away without having to change your insurance – just in case for any reason your new car isn’t ready. But we all live in the real world and know that once we make the call to Ford Insure to take up the free offer, they are going to try to convince you that when the policy is up for renewal (you have to give them the date) that they can send you a quote. Not really a problem because if you don’t like it, then you can always say no. So I phoned, went through a 5-minute rigmarole of answering questions including the one that asks what your occupation is? When they came back and said their files didn’t differentiate between licensed taxis and minicabs, I began to worry a bit! Then the operator put me onto ‘hold’ while he got confirmation. He came back some 30 seconds later to tell me that I had been refused. With a no-claim going back many years, I admit to feeling rather agitated and asked why it had been refused? The poor man, who sounded rather embarrassed, said I was considered a bad risk because I might pick up famous celebrities in the new car! For several seconds I couldn’t answer, feeling rather stunned. Then I enquired how many celebs would want to travel in a 1.25 Fiesta? He told me that he didn’t make the rules and… well I didn’t hear the rest of the sentence because I quite rudely slammed the phone down before phoning |
my own insurance. They sorted it out in a
minute. So, yes, both Ford and the London taxi business have that TX1 engine in common and also the colour black. I will also probably buy another Fiesta 1.25 in 2 or 3 years time, but if Ford Insure ever send me any trash mail in regard to insuring my car, I shall write ‘wrong address, please send to a celebrity’ on the envelope and have it posted back without a stamp! Vitos Holiday time Credit Union Alan Fisher |
