the phone ring and a voice say
"Hello, this is Irene". A great friend has been lost by us all.
It was also nice to see so many Dial-a-Cab drivers at her funeral including
the Chairman, Brian Rice. May she rest in peace.
Bill Tyzack (C6)
DOOR KNOCKING IN THE WEST
We need some quality accounts in the westerly zones. Driving back empty
towards the City at night looking for account work, is not what being on the radio is all
about. With this lack of westerly work, we have to ask if £1320 a year in subscriptions
is good value? The BoM are all on very good wages with not much opposition to their
positions, so perhaps they could put themselves out and start knocking on a few doors. I
have made up a list of big companies in W6, W14 and SW6 if they are interested.
T.Peacock (C21)
Allen Togwell replies:
I absolutely agree with the need for accounts in areas other than the West End and the
City. Hence the reason I have on several occasions targeted specific areas such as those
mentioned. In years past, when we wanted to target an area we used to ask the drivers to
assist us by ‘carding up’, a system which as basic as it was, was surprisingly
successful. Unfortunately, the circuit has changed over the years including a change in
attitude of drivers when it comes to generating new business, a typical example being
those drivers who adamantly refuse to carry any form of Dial-a-Cab livery including the
3C’s on their front window. In addition to carding up I also targeted new business by
mass indiscriminate mailing using various mailing lists and direct marketing to selected
clients. Experience has shown that the further away from the West end and the City you go,
the more diminished our fleet is at the times when our service is most needed eg morning
and evenings. These areas also prove to be much fiercer when competing with minicabs. On
the occasions when we have been successful, it has usually been for a trial period, during
which our service levels have invariably failed to meet those promised and the accounts
have returned to the previous vendor. The taxi requirements of accounts in outlying areas
also differ to great degree with those in the City. For example, rarely do you find
companies requiring a 24 hr service, much of the work being local and the demand when it
is needed, is usually in the mornings. If the late Jack Taylor was alive, he would smile
at the knowledge that very little has changed since he was the Societies PRO 25 years ago.
He suffered the same anguish as we still do today trying to get some of our most senior
clients into the City from the west and south west during the mornings.
We all know the reasons why certain journeys have difficulty being covered in
west in the mornings, so it doesn’t need me to explain, what I will say is; clients
with a large taxi expenditure expect a cab service, irrespective of time, location or
destination when it suits them not just when it suits the driver. The moment we force them
to take an alternative means of transport ie private hire/minicab because we cannot give a
service, we give |
them the opportunity to compare the service, quality of
vehicle and the charges. The outcome of which can result in short rides going to the
licensed trade and the more lucrative work going to private hire. I am not wishing to
appear negative, I’m being realistic and talking from experience. It is no good a few
conscientious drivers putting themselves out running to cover the work, or relying on the
odd driver driving back empty towards the city, it needs to involve everyone. FINZER’S FORTUNE?
Why does the Control Room specifically thank those drivers taking roaders
off the Finz at times when there are large number of jobs in the bids? Surely the bulk of
us taking the Highburys and the Waterloos, are more effective as we are running back for
more work, rather than the fortunate few who probably go home afterwards. Anyway, I
thought it was pot luck on the Finz, so what are these drivers, whose call-signs we
are given in fleet messages, actually doing to deserve special thanks. I think we should
be told.
Keith White (A16)
Allow me to explain, Keith. For those who do not venture outside in the dark, EC5 -
aka the Finsbury Square rank - is far and away the busiest regular radio taxi rank in
London. Quite often, there may be fifty or more jobs waiting to be covered. Ten minutes
later, there may still be fifty, but they are probably a different fifty, so good is the
coverage. But, life being what it is, we all fancy a fling down to the coast or to the
wilds of deepest Kent. Within the fifty jobs showing on EC5 may be a Gillingham, a Cobham
and a Westcliffe-on-Sea in addition to the bread and butter work that is the backbone of
the Society. So, as an incentive, those naughty chappies in the Call Centre deliberately
let us know that there is a chance of someone getting a real roader. However, there are
some equally naughty drivers who don’t believe that the specified jobs exist and
believe that they are put out as sprats to get us to cover the work. By naming the lucky
drivers, everyone who tried their luck then knows that although they may have been
unlucky, that the jobs did exist!
Incidentally, Keith, as Chairman of the London Vintage Taxi Association, you
may like to use our pages to give us the occasional insight into the LVTA…Ed
THOUGHTS FROM PETERBOROUGH
May’s Call Sign was another interesting edition and one that I am sure
will generate much comment.
A partial solution to Sid Nathan's problem and any other drivers who also
take a month out during the year, would be for them to pay £120 a month subs for eleven
months, which would mean they would only have to pay the subs for the current month when
they returned to work instead of two months, obviously making things easier on the cash
flow front.
Mike Son's conversation was very interesting and raised a few points which I
think could be looked at further together with one that I think is-a non starter. All DAC
drivers are equal in their ownership of the Society and so should all have equal rights to
stand for any position within the society. All |
drivers should have equal
rights to vote or not vote for anyone who stands for any position within the society. A
Candidates Selection Committee would take away these rights and would eventually lead to
an all-powerful Cabal running the society. It would lead to the sort of situation that
prevails at Computer Cab where the wishes of the drivers are secondary to those of the
company.
Adrian Landau (T14) made a good point about Open University Degrees and
grants and the BoM, but there again the same applies, however that does not mean the
Society should not look at giving grants to drivers - possibly with a pay back clause -
should they then leave the Society within five years of graduating. My wife recently
finished a degree course and I can say that any driver with a family, thinking of doing a
degree course would almost certainly need some financial support as the amount of time
consumed in doing a degree is phenomenal.
I agree with Mr Son on many of the points that he made about diversification.
I see no problem with supplying a customer with a service that included a helicopter if
required, but there is no need to own the helicopter. All the customer really wants is
just one bill to pay. As an ex-despatch rider, courier services is something I feel that
we should get involved in a big way. When I was a despatch rider, the company I worked for
would supply their big clients such as McCann Ericsson and the like with car services
almost at cost price so long as they got the courier work because there was a far larger
profit margin in the parcels than there was in the bodies. One bike or parcel car could
pick up four or five jobs at a time. The riders or drivers at best receive 50% of the
billing of the job. Unlike many of the bike circuits, we could offer a genuine 24 hour, 7
days a week service, possibly with a premium charge to out of normal hours service. So,
where parcels went in taxis out of hours, the drivers would not lose out. After all, the
clients are generally looking for one-stop shopping. With the wheelchair cab deadline
rapidly approaching, we may have some drivers who for various reasons do not want to
purchase another vehicle or spend a couple of grand on a conversion for a vehicle that has
a limited life anyway as exhaust emission controls dig ever deeper. These drivers may be
happy to use their un-plated cabs as parcel vehicles. Knowledge boys could do most of the
bike work, but it would be necessary to have a small core of professional riders to cover
the distance work. Sales, marketing, office space and accounting could be easily
assimilated into the current operation with hardly any extra cost at all. Chauffeur Bikes
is another service that we could supply. There are many ex-despatch riders and other
motorcycling drivers on our circuit and I'm sure passengers would feel safer on the back
of a qualified licensed taxi driver than the perceived Banzai despatch rider. Apparently,
a good third of the clients that use bikes in this way are women and often they do not
want to actually go anywhere in particular. Addison Lee charge £80 to Gatwick from the
city for this service and the bike would be back in town before a taxi had even reached
Gatwick on most days.
All these services can be offered without compromising our core business and
would strengthen both the bottom line and the circuit profile in the business world.
Eddie Lambert (V27) |
