|
In a move that Dial-a-Cab Chairman Brian Rice
described as being as momentous as any that had ever been
accomplished by a radio taxi company in Europe, the Owner
Drivers Radio Taxi Society Ltd began the move on Saturday 5 May
from their previous home at Brunswick Place to a new
state-of-the-art home, literally around the corner, in East
Road. "We met at Brunswick Place at 2am," a delighted Brian told Call Sign, "and began moving the equipment at 3.15am. By 5.25am we were up and running again in the new building!" The Chairman continued: "By that time, we had half of our phone lines switched to the new building and by 7.30 the rest of the phone lines from the old building were switched over every single thing going exactly to plan and to time." He went on to add: "Of course, whilst everything on that morning ran exactly as we had hoped it would, this was a huge move and the planning began around six months earlier when our IT department under John Bankes starting making preparations for the move. We naturally hoped that everything would go well because it really was a huge, huge move, but it all went spectacularly to plan and we were and are absolutely thrilled. Not that long ago, it was virtually a bombsite now Dial-a-Cab has the finest radio call centre and offices of any taxi company anywhere." One of the first to be given a tour of the building was Call Sign Editor Alan Fisher. He said: "Being shown around the stunning new building was an amazing experience when realising that in June 1953, just a handful of drivers led by founder-Chairman Bonnie Martyn had to make a collection amongst themselves at the Albany Tavern still situated at the top end of Great Portland Street - to raise the £200 needed to purchase |
GOODBYE BRUNSWICK HOUSE AS DAC MOVE HOME! |
|
 A piece of history as Becci dispatches the first trip. Brian Rice, Theresa Whitfield & John Bankes look on. |
||
 Part of the fourth floor where most of the offices have walls of glass |
||
|
equipment to get the Society off the ground!
Then just 8 weeks later, the newly formed ODRTS leased their
first premises at 172 Pentonville Road, Islington and 12 weeks
after that when news came through that the lease was up for sale, the Committee of Management as they were known - decided to put in a bid and their first office became the official offices of the new Society." It was several years later that the rapidly growing Society moved to Shirland Road, Maida Vale, where the phone number prefix of LORDS became a nickname that even overtook their ODRTS moniker at least until June 1984 when the Society officially took the rather easier to remember trading name of Dial-a-Cab. Then on 11 August 1984, DaC moved to their third home at Brunswick Place where they were to stay until 5 May 2007 when the current move to 39 47 East |
Road which consists of 15,500 square feet with
parking for 20 vehicles and astonishingly that they bought without incurring any debt - took place! Brian Rice takes up the story: "Moving is never easy," he said, "but in those days computerisation was in its infancy and the only real problem would have been in moving phone lines. Our IT is ultra high-tech. There is no one in our business that has anything even approaching the computerisation that DaC now uses, neither is there a call centre anywhere in Europe to match the one we are now using. If I sound proud, believe me its because the DaC board and I are proud of what we have now achieved. Our new building has set a new benchmark in the radio taxi business and is a worthy addition to the history of Dial-a-Cab and will, I believe, provide the opportunity to increase our market share even further." |
|
 |
Powered by NetXPosure |
| Copyright 1997-2007 Dial-A-Cab Ltd, All rights reserved. |