Some of my colleagues have written about the forthcoming Private Hire bill, but none have generated as much interest as mine. I wonder why? Could it be that I wanted to shock you so that you do not do as the taxi trade usually does - bury your heads in the sand and hope the problem will go away. That was the type of action taken some 40 years ago when Welbeck started up and you can now see the mistake that the taxi trade made then.
   The part of my article which brought most replies was when I suggested the possibility of using non-licensed cab drivers to drive limousines. I would like to explain why, in my view, this may be a necessity.

Let’s take an employed person and a licensed taxi driver completing the same journey to Heathrow from the City. Working on an hourly rate put forward by you, the subscribers, the licensed driver wants ,20 an hour, while an employed chauffeur would get approximately ,7 an hour. The journey takes 1 hour there and 1 hour back to London.

If this employed driver were to be working for a reputable limousine company, they would be making a ,16 profit, whereas we would be making a loss of ,10. This is not

taking into account any service charge that we need to add to survive. We at Dial-a-Cab only gain an income from drivers subscriptions and service charges to the clients. The limousine company can absorb this loss of revenue by the profit made by only paying the driver a minimum wage.
   The only reason that I suggested the use of non-taxi drivers to drive the limousines, is because I do not think that you will drive them for a rate that will make them profitable. Anyone who answers by saying: "They have not been checked by the police", I would like to answer them in person and not in print. (Thank God for small mercies!…Ed)
   Again, why do I say that we might need to go along this track. Many subscribers come in and complain about our clients using Mercedes and other top-of-the-range cars as well as licensed taxis. The obvious reason is that they have the choice on how to spend their money. They have also said to us on occasions that it is more comfortable to go on a long journey in a limo. Many of you will shout: "Look at the new TX1! But if you are truthful, you will admit that no matter what refinements you add, it is still a taxi. The seats and springs are hard due to the continual heavy use of passengers every day of the week. For the specific work that it was intended to do, it is the finest vehicle. But that work is quick street pick-ups and good manoeuvrability within heavy town traffic.

Getting Rid of the Licensed Trade or Saving It?

Many have said that I am trying to get rid of the licensed taxi trade or even wanting to have another crafty try at putting forward a case for a plc. These drivers could not be further from the truth! There is no one associated with ODRTS who has worked harder to retain the work that we have and tried harder to regain

any work we have lost.
   The work for these limousines that I wrote about in my last article and also in this one, is work we have lost or never possessed before. Work that I would like to take away from private hire and money that I would like to bring into our Society. We need to give our clients varied forms of transportation because by doing that, we will cut down the options that the opposition can offer.
   Letters in the Mailshot page of the June Call Sign and probably this one too, state that there are drivers who demand we only stick with the main core of the taxi business. Equate that statement to other businesses such as the local corner grocers or insurance company’s. Supermarkets have caused the demise of your local grocer while the telephone insurance company’s have wiped out the Man from the Pru type of insurance collectors. Why? Because they give a greater selection of business under the one roof.

DaC - The Only Real Success of the Licensed Taxi Trade

At this moment we are the only real success in the license radio taxi trade with drivers fighting to join us. If you want us to go back 6 or 7 years when we were stagnating, not making a decision or taking a chance, then listen to these people. Look at our opposition whose board’s cost them a lot more, then look at ours. At this moment, I think you have the strongest and most forward thinking Board you have ever had, help them to continue to take you from strength to strength.
   Parliament is also thinking of bringing in a law to stop any private hire firms having vehicles that could be mistaken for a licensed taxi, but it is not stopping us from grabbing some of their action.
   Before you condemn me, take a minute to think how you would like to combat the forthcoming private hire bill. Maybe you will have an idea that is workable? Tell the Board about it.
   I have achieved what I wanted by my comments, I have got you all discussing a topic which most of you wanted to ignore. I thank you for reading this article in all its entirety.