Mailshot is your chance to tell the
subscribers of Dial-a-Cab exactly what you think. Complaints, compliments or just to write
about Call Sign. This is YOUR paper within your magazine....
You can also email your letters to: callsignmag@aol.com
PICK-UP PROBLEMS FROM A HAPPY SUBSCRIBER...!
I have written about this before without any success so I would like
to have another go in Call Sign. This is regarding additional information
on the pick-up address. For example, if the pick-up is in the Strand and
the telephonist has been told that the entrance is in Adam Street, it
would be helpful if the words "entrance in Adam St" were placed
on the trip offer. Especially during the day time with it's heavy traffic,
you may accept the job only to find that you have passed the pick-up point
in the few seconds that it takes to receive the details and then to read
them (the Adam Street information is bound to be on the bottom line). If
the traffic is bad, you can then spend another ten or more minutes going
up to Trafalgar Square and back on the other side. That is wasting your
time and the passenger's money.
Another example is when your details give the pick-up as Finsbury Circus
but when you are almost there and read the bottom line, it says pick up at
back entrance in South Place! What is the point! Put that information with
the trip offer then we all know!
Then you have the long roads such as Kilburn High Road. If I
am in Maida Vale, the traffic is heavy and I am offered a job in Kilburn
High Road, knowing WHERE in Kilburn High Road could make the difference
between accepting or rejecting whereas now I might reject rather than take
a chance. If I was offered "Kilburn High Road 100's or 200's then I'd
know the situation.
Other than that, I can say that I think we are doing
wonderfully, I am getting as much credit work as I can do and if the Sales
Department get any more big accounts, I'm not sure if I will be able to
cope! I am also pleased with the facilities that we drivers have at
Brunswick House. Having clean toilets and the chance of a (free!) tea or
coffee in the City makes life more bearable. At present, I am a very happy
subscriber - provided you sort out the pick-up addresses.
Sid Nathan (K88)
Keith Cain replies:
For a long time now, Sid has asked for important information to be
placed on the TRIP OFFER but unfortunately, we do not have the space to do
this. The only space available, if you can call it space, is in the
destination field. Whatever is written in the destination filed appears on
a client's invoice. To be able to show much more information would require
a complete re-write of the trip offer within the system. Tom Carter was
here in August and I asked him to look into this and supply the Board with
a report on what would be required and how long it will take to change.
Hopefully Sid, I will have more information for you in the next edition...
MILESTONES IN AIR TRAVEL
I am pleased to see that the results of your research have been
published in Call Sign. Thank you too for acknowledging the Royal Air
Force Museum at Hendon. I hope that the articles will encourage Dial-a-Cab
drivers to bring us visitors.
Group Capt. A.V.Hall RAF (Retd)
Assistant Director (Curatorial Division)
RAF Museum, Hendon
The above letter was received by Alan Green following his excellent
Call Sign articles on the first Atlantic and Channel crossings...Ed
A LETTER FROM MARK WHITE
Blimey, it's like the film 'One flew over the cuckoo's nest.' They're
all at it! From Tom Whitbread right through to the Chairman. Personal
opinion, Board members opinion, management's opinion....How many to the
pound?.......Isn't it confusing? Personally, I'm all for differing views
around the board table - Diversification of views is healthy in a group,
but in an individual ...isn't it called schizophrenia?!!! And if you tell
one or two that you hold the opinion that they should not be employed on
the Societies behalf, they become paranoid!! Get the strait - jackets
out.......Is there a doctor on the circuit?!!
PS.. Please put Mr Whitbread back in his padded cell. His excuse of 'only
joking' is insulting and pathetic! It is extremely doubtful whether the
subject will be raised again by him before the next election......Nurse
Nurse I think the man in the end bed has soiled himself!!!
Mark White (B86)
My policy has always been to publish as many letters as possible
providing that they don't infringe any legal requirements and are in good
taste. The above letter came from Mark White (B86). He sent two and after
laying both out, my view was that one pushed the boundaries of bad taste
to a previously unreached level and after some considerable thought, I
decided not to publish it. It was mainly a barrage of dated claims aimed
at a particular member of the Board and also attempted to bring up a
matter that he insinuates, involves 'corruption'. It also involves Board
member/s who have since passed on and who cannot defend themselves.
I am constantly defending Mark White to drivers who keep
asking why I publish his letters and I would defend anyone's right to
criticise. However, a reason as to why that criticism is forthcoming would
be nice, whereas in Mark's case he just doesn't seem to like Board members
in general. I was reading an old Call Sign last week (1993) and there was
Mark White criticising the BoM for something else. The only difference
between then and now was his call sign because he later left DaC. Several
years on he applied to return and was allowed to. Perhaps, if we are so
bad, one should ask why he bothered?...Ed |
THANK YOU
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Board and staff at
the office. I recently had to go into hospital to have an operation on my
knee, so before going in I gave Driver Services a ring to tell them that I
would be off for a couple of weeks. I spoke to Helen who was fantastic.
She told me all the things I needed to do (ie get a doctors certificate
etc) to suspend my subscriptions for two weeks, but most of all she had a
really cheerful manner about her which was so nice. Coming out of hospital
after 4 days, I was sitting in my front room when a florist's van turned
up to deliver some flowers - to my amazement they were from the Board and
staff of Dial-a-Cab. This was a really nice thought and greatly
appreciated...
Jamie Lee (T36)
WHAT SHALL WE WATCH TODAY, DEAR?
May I say how much my wife Eileen and I are enjoying the widescreen
television and digital fixtures - not to mention the twelve months of
Sky's top package - that I won in the Dial-a-Cab June logo draw. We are
both golf fans and have been enjoying the Open Championships at Carnoustie.
The clarity of picture and fullness of the surround sound on SkyDigital
made it seem that a golf ball might land in our sitting-room carpet at any
moment! We both appreciate our good fortune and look forward to much
future top-class viewing.
Tony Sterling (E38)
Tony Sterling won a 28 inch widescreen TV, SkyDigital set top box,
the new mini satellite dish and 12 months of SkyDigital's top viewing
package for having his name drawn out of the hat AND having the DaC door
logos fitted...Ed
THE BEST RADIO CIRCUIT IN THE WORLD!
I have been with Dial-a-Cab for 7 years and I am one of the quiet drivers
who just get on with the job without getting involved in the day-to-day
running of Dial-a-Cab. But after all these years, I feel that I have to
put down in words how I feel about Dial-a-Cab. Having met Brian Rice and
Allen Togwell on numerous occasions, it strikes me that these guys are
totally dedicated to Dial-a-Cab and us, the drivers. I know that some of
you will not agree with me, but you only need to talk to these guys and
everyone at Brunswick House who is involved with Dial-a-Cab to realise how
dedicated they are to the company, something very rare these days. This is
the best radio circuit in London (possibly the world). If we all stuck
together and supported each other, no one would be able to touch us. We
would all benefit and in this 'dog-eat-dog' world, what more could we ask.
In the years to come, it can only get tougher with so much competition
around. If we all pulled together, we can create our own future whereby we
would all benefit.
Gary Hughes (A98)
DEMUTUALISATION
I have been opposed to the demutualisation of DAC in the past, but
because of recent acquisitions within the cab trade, we have to now be
aware of all possibilities and eventualities. Sooner or later DAC/Mountview
could be approached by a company with enough funds and the foresight that
we in the trade sometimes lack. Presuming this to be the scenario, then
DAC because of its financial strength would be the main target of this
investor. This would leave Mountview vulnerable. Of course the same
scenario could happen in reverse. So who could this investor be? G7
springs to mind. They have the financial clout more so than DelGro (Com
Cab's owners).
Another scenario could be DAC/Mountview merging together. Do
we at DAC or Mountview need to look for that outside investor like the
company G7? Can we survive on our own as single companies without
financial muscle? So do we need to demutualise? You tell me?
Scheme not to make what's another's your own. Be not a dog for the sake of
a bone...
Peter Murphy (A35)...via email
VIEW OF THE "SILENT MAJORITY?"
I enjoy reading Call Sign Magazine but the Mailshot section always
leaves me feeling irritated. It seems to attract regular contributions
from drivers who only seek to criticise and condemn the BoM. I know none
of the Board personally and am not in the least bit interested in the
internal politics and squabbling which seems to be unfortunately
unavoidable within an organisation such as Dial-a-Cab.
Prior to joining DaC nearly three years ago, I was with Com Cab for ten
years. From this standpoint I would like to give what I consider to be a
more balanced view of the current management team and one not generated by
feelings of bitterness and rejection which seems to be evident in the
letters printed from some of your regular correspondents. During the last
three years, I have not had a single letter informing me of any of the
following:
1. An increase in subscriptions...
2. A reduction in gratuities...
3. Requests for contributions towards the development of computer systems
(my personal contribution towards the Com Cab AVL system cost me over
£1000).
In my ten years on Com Cab, I received a countless number of
such letters. I am now doing more radio work than I have ever done before.
DaC have now won a major new account which brings back happy memories for
me (my two best-ever fares came out of Great Winchester Street when I was
on Com Cab). It is clear that the financial status of DaC is very healthy
and that the vast majority of drivers on this circuit are very
professional and conscientious. What on earth are the 'doom' merchants who
constantly write to you, going on about?
I would also like to give what I feel is probably the
"silent majority" view on the thorny subject of liveried cabs.
Mr Grant Davis wrote a reasonable letter on this subject in the last
issue. What Mr Davis and his fellow livery cab drivers cannot see,
however, is that their view on this subject is a totally selfish one! I do
not want this matter put to any more votes! All I know is that if we all
drove liveried cabs, the |
DaC fleet would not have any visible identity and the Sales Department
would have an impossible job in selling our services. How on earth can Mr
Davis and his like expect the rest of us to drive around advertising his
services as a DaC driver when he is not prepared to do the same for us
because he gets paid to drive around advertising the services of Ken Bates
(or David Lloyd etc etc)?
CABOT SQUARE RANKING
I was saddened to read that a driver had been put on complaint and
found guilty when booking into E14C (July Call Sign). I have long felt
that the situation there needed clarifying.
There are 4 and 5 designated taxi rank spaces at E14C for the
rank and feeder respectively (not including the pre-booked taxi section).
However, Cabot Square security allow taxis to queue back to Canary Wharf
Tower. Question: Should we book into E14C behind the last taxi in the
queue or wait until we are on the designated 9-space rank? And if we wait
and book in on the 9-space rank, why does our computer allow 15 taxis to
book onto E14C? Suppose Dial-a-Cab taxis fill the queue except for the
first nine spaces - then it's possible for the Cabot Square job to be
given to a taxi booked into E14 but physically in a back-up zone - some
local rank, eh? Some sort of clarification is badly needed.
While on the subject of E14C, may I express my frustration
when trying to cover the account work there. At busy times, the drivers
are requested to make the effort to help out at E14C. Myself and others
have run to cover this work only to find that it has 'dried up' once we
get there. Unlike EC5, it isn't just a case of booking-in and waiting,
because to book into E14C now means being subject to street work - which I
could have had where I was without running all that way. Try running EC5
like that! I suppose that I could try booking into E14 and just hang
around - but so can the driver at City Airport or Tower Hill. Not much of
a physical rank then, is it?
Please will the BoM assist the drivers in covering the account work -
after all, if I just wanted street work, I wouldn't be on the radio.
Doug Vogel (V54)
Keith Cain replies:
I cannot comment on a previous complaint except to say that it was a
driver who brought the complaint and not the Society. To reduce the number
of cabs on E14C to nine can be done quite easily and if it is felt that
this will improve the situation, it will be done. Messages regarding
coverage on E14C are put out when we have more jobs to cover than taxis
available and I agree that there is nothing more frustrating than to run a
long way only to find you have to sit on the rank to get a job. However,
to avoid this I suggest individuals should constantly monitor their
terminals en route to see how many jobs are still available. The
controllers would like to thank those drivers who do run a long way to
assist with the coverage. It is very helpful to them and the Society...
DEFIBRILLATED?
I've just received this month's issue (August). On page 30 you refer
to 'Fibulaters'. Please don't think I'm having a go, but the item that you
refer to is actually a DEFIBRILLATOR. Fibrillation is the act of the heart
going into arrhythmia, a defibrillator shocks (hopefully!) the heart back
into normal rhythm. Sorry about having to correct your spelling and
definition, but I know the mag goes all over the world, and I just didn't
want you to look silly! You can check out the info on: http://www.defib.net/
Richard Rootes (W12)...via email
I hate to think what you would have written had you wanted to make
me look silly!...Ed
HELP FROM 'ABOVE'
I would like to offer my thanks to Brian Rice. Since he has become
Chairman, I have had reason to deal with him on at least 3 occasions, any
of which should have been dealt with by any competent Board member. I will
not go into each particular occasion other to say I first asked a Board
member to deal with a particular issue that I believed would have been of
benefit to all drivers. On each occasion I was told by the Board member
that they would look into the matters and get back to me. None ever did.
So what was left for me to do but go to the top man; Brian Rice. Brian is
a very busy man and has a BoM to delegate the workload to and act on
drivers queries and problems. I have to say that Brian sorted out my
queries instantly on each of the three occasions in the most gentlemanly
way. If only every other Board member could act on behalf of the drivers
the way the Chairman does. In the 27 years I have been on this circuit, I
have never known a Chairman with such big ears (metaphorically speaking)
as our present one has - even if he does support QPR...
Pat Keefe (G1)
Thanks for the letter Pat. Members of the Board have their own jobs
to deal with in addition to drivers queries and with the best will in the
world, it is fairly easy to forget to call someone back when you have
meetings lined up or are involved in looking at new software etc. It can
sometimes be of benefit to see Helen or Nuala on the ground floor first.
If you still need a Board member, then an appointment with Tom Whitbread
in Driver's Operations should be your next port of call. Even Call Sign
has to send out several reminders to Board members when a Mailshot
response is required! Incidentally Pat, as Call Sign is now read in many
corporate establishments, perhaps it is an idea not to mention that we
have a Chairman who supports QPR. There is the matter of credibility...Ed
'RAID NAUTIQUE' ... PARIS - LONDON - PARIS
Taking 40 children in motorised inflatable dinghies on the River
Thames sounds pretty hair-raising, but not with the expertise of our
French friends from across the Channel. This leg of their journey in the
6th annual 'Raid Nautique' was the final stop |
