Page 25
Call Sign November 2011
Former Dial-a-Cab driver, Bob Woodford, writes a regular column for Call Sign from his home in
Languedoc, France and his taxi somewhere in London...
CALL SIGN EN LA BELLE FRANCE
GetTaxi revolution???
I asked if anyone had any questions and a
middle-aged lady put her arm up. "Oh I say,
I've been scanning through the trade papers,
don't you think the horse has the most beauti-
including last month's Call Sign editorial and
ful balls?" Nope... I don't have ALL the
been interested in all the talk about these new
answers!
Apps, plus of course GetTaxi. Oh yes, I've
heard Tom Baker on LBC booming out across
the capital telling London businesses to sign up
to the new way of ordering taxis and to 'Join
the GetTaxi Revolution'.
Don't get me wrong - anything that will win
work back from minicabs has got to be a good
thing, but after talking to a mate of mine
recently I'm not really sure if they have got
people involved who are savvy enough about
the cab trade!
My mole (Tony) was telling me that he had been signed up for 6
Where's
weeks and only did 5 jobs! I began to get interested and keen on learn-
ing all about the dispatch unit that was in his bag. He took it out,
Woody?
switched it on and showed me how it worked. Now I know that some
of you will be familiar with this, so I will spare the detail.
This flowing bronze
Tony explained that he recently phoned their drivers services to
scroll by Edwin
wonder why he wasn't getting jobs - a female told him that she would
Russell in 1970 is a
check on his usual positioning and work pattern and then report back
memorial to the
to him in an hour - 9 days later he was still wondering about her time-
Suffragettes... but
keeping.
where was Woody
He also told me that he was called up and asked to cover a job in
when he spotted it?
Boundary Road E2. He was in Blackfriars Rd at 11.25 and the pick-up
Answer on page 29.
was at 11.55. The desperate despatcher suggested that he could knock
off a couple of jobs on the way to Boundary Road! Are you sure? In 30
Bob Woodford (Ex-P49)
minutes! And what if they went the wrong way?
Saint Genies de Fontedit, Languedoc, France
Then I saw something for my own eyes that convinced me this lot
are well short of the right staff needed. Tony's unit offered him a job
in Bedford Row WC1 in (wait for it) Camden Town! Now I know that
Bedford Row lies within the huge borough of Camden, but Camden
Town is stretching it! Clearly these people, a bit like BBC traffic
announcers, haven't got a clue where places are in London!
The perils of guiding...
Congratulations to DaC subscriber John Dixon (B67) for passing his
City of London Guide Course. A few more cabbies should have a go at
Guiding - you all know where you are going in London, so why not
get to know a bit more about the history and traditions of your work-
place?
I do a lot of walks in and around the capital and these are always
very enjoyable and rewarding. Punters ask you questions and you do
your level best to answer them.
I recently had a group of people under the Charles 1 statue on
Charing Cross giving it large about the civil war, the restoration of the
monarch and the usual about all distances from London being mea-
sured from this spot.
Keith Reading
Professional Toastmaster
Master of Ceremonies
Tele: 01279 465 938
Mobile: 07774 860 374
Email: kgr.2@virgin.net
10% discount for DaC drivers and staff
Fellow of the Guild of
Professional Toastmasters
