years and are still continuing
to make. During that period and on our way to becoming the number one
circuit in London, we have made something like £3 million worth of
surpluses due to everybody's efforts. But you cannot just sit still and
say "we've made it." We must keep up the momentum and I'd like
to see DaC moving further forward. I have my own personal visions of the
future and I believe that things could be streamlined even more as regards
both the structure and management of the company.
Call Sign: A letter from Y32 appears in this issue
where among other personal points of view, he says:
"...This leads me to think that fresh blood and fresh thinking at the
top might be required. The insularity expressed by certain Board members
in responding to suggestions of change and the lack of full disclosure of
business plans, fully thought through and explained and acceptable by the
membership, inevitably raises doubts about their freshness of thought. In
passing, 1 thought that Boards of Management supervised the actions and
trained a secretariat to run a company, not made themselves
indispensable...."
Do you have any response to that?
Brian Rice: Yes, I would. To suggest that there should
be a full disclosure of our business plans, would, I suspect, delight both
Com Cab and Radio Taxis who would be happy to both read and hear all about
them! Certainly I have a long term plan as to how I see the future of DaC.
The first three years have proved to be extremely successful but as I said
earlier in the interview, as I see it, that is just the beginning.
I've always said that I believe the DaC management structure at DaC to be
wrong and people tell me that over the past 46 years we have had a £30
million turnover and a building that we own and that is about it. Had the
company been operated differently since day one, what could we have owned?
Last year, French taxi company, G7, actually bid for a shipping line!
The possibilities in the transport field are endless, but I do feel that
we need to broaden our horizons and perhaps become more revolutionary. I
saw a few things happening just a few years ago that are now coming into
fruition and yet I still speak to some who are reluctant to change. But
that's the nature of the game!
Call Sign: Thank you...
Call Sign: Many are assuming that the Com Cab take-over via Singapore will force DaC into a merger with Radio Taxis. How do you view the possibility?
Brian Rice: As a Board, we should explore every avenue and it is quite possible that we would look at that situation with Radio Taxis. It would certainly produce a force to be reckoned with - something like 5000 mobiles. It would also most certainly be the market leader and by far, the largest radio circuit in Europe. I am not recommending it nor dismissing it, but it comes under the general heading of always being ready to explore any new avenues that could be of benefit to DaC and its' members.
Call Sign: Surely it wouldn't be as simple as just announcing that we and Radio Taxis were merging?
Brian Rice: I would imagine that any such move would involve both organisations de-mutualising and then amalgamating. However, decisions such as those would always be down to the members to decide and not the BoM's.
Call Sign: Will the BoM be putting forward another plc proposition next AGM as some drivers are claiming?
Brian Rice: Definitely not. We said we wouldn't in the foreseeable future and we
Call Sign: What if a driver puts forward a proposition, have your views on the matter changed?
Brian Rice: No, my views have never changed. I'd like to make it clear that what I gave the members was an option - it was their choice. It was the option to decide whether the DaC membership wanted to convert to a plc and I am very proud of the fact that in it's 46 year history, I am the only Chairman to have given the membership that option of deciding whether they wanted to take their equity out of Dial-a-Cab - ie the money they have built up over the years - and truly own the company. So the answer to the question is yes, I still believe that that was the right way for the long-term interest of both Dial-a-Cab and it's membership. Call Sign: An article by one of our drivers in another taxi trade newspaper has suggested that you have been to Australia to meet with representatives of Singapore Bus Services (SBS) with a view to DaC using Com Cab's Cabcharge. Is there any truth to this?
Brian Rice: The answer to that is no. Neither myself nor any member of my Board have been to Australia to look at the Cabcharge situation.
Call Sign: We have had a tremendously profitable period under your Chairmanship, are you happy with our progress and how would you like to see our future progress?
Brian Rice: I am absolutely delighted with the progress we have made over the past three
