I would like to take this opportunity to
wish you and your families a Happy Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous 1999.
As expected, the run up to Christmas has been extremely busy and I would ask
all of you if you could do that little bit extra on the final run up, it could just make
all the difference. I know you have heard it all before, but please give our account
customers your undivided attention because if we don’t, there are people out there
that will. More so in the future than there has been in the past, especially with the new
legislation that will soon be introduced.
When I look back over the past two years, it has certainly been a very
fruitful one for DaC. We have tried very hard to ‘brand’ the company and I am
happy to see so many cabs carrying the Dial-a-Cab logo - it really is the best form of
advertising for the company and really does appeal to the people that we require in
London.
CHRISTMAS LOGO DRAW
The December Logo draw will be increased to £1,000 with two further
prizes of £500, so to all the wives and girlfriends out there, if he hasn’t got a
Logo on his cab, make sure he gets one on now! I’m sure a thousand pounds or even
five hundred pounds would come in handy for Christmas! Remember that if your call sign is
pulled out of the hat and
you have not got any Logos on your vehicle, you won’t
win. I can assure you that it is not a case of ‘Oh, I’ll put them on now’ -
you will have lost the chance of a windfall win in time for Christmas.
Over the years many of you have asked me when we are going to have a return
to the Dial-a-Cab calendars as it appears that they were treated with very high esteem. So
I am pleased to inform you that they have now made a welcome return. Many of you would
have received the calendars at the AGM and I hope you will agree with me when I say how
pleased I am with them. They again go some way in helping to advance the image of DaC.
NEW ADMIN SYSTEM
Our new administration system is now in parallel-running with our old
system and will take over the billing and payments on a stand-alone basis in January 1999.
The old system was installed in 1986 and
lasted very well, but really did need to be updated. It was
a task that had been put on the back burner because it was such a mammoth project, but I
am delighted that it has now been completed and you will be receiving the first of your
payments via the new system in January.
To conclude this section, I really do have mixed feelings about 1998.
Dial-a-Cab has advanced far more than I could have anticipated. The respect that has been
shown to me by members has been overwhelming, the hard work and loyalty shown by our staff
has been exemplary, to everyone, I say thank you.
‘REPORTING’ TO THE PCO
On the downside, as you all know I was taken ill in the middle of the year
but thankfully I have made a full recovery. As a consequence of that illness, I now view
things in a different light and perspective - hopefully making me a wiser and more caring
person.
Even to the small group of our members that telephoned the Public Carriage
Office to inform them two weeks prior to our AGM that I had had a heart attack in June
(hardly a secret) and querying whether my licence should be removed, although I really
can’t think who you might be, nevertheless, even to you chaps, God Bless You - I
think you need it!
Brian Rice
