POTTER'S WHEEL
Page 26
Call Sign December 2011
Former fireman Richard Potter and life behind the
Well, with the lights twinkling away on
Oxford and Regent Streets, it must be
Christmas time again and with the econo-
my apparently slowing, it's nice to see the
start of the Christmas period beginning at
that I got a jump-start from a PH driver
a more sensible time. Just a few years
but the cab wouldn't take it and I had no
back, when getting a fast buck was easy,
warning at all. Just like that.
it began in October! Now times are hard-
The AA came along quickly, but it
er so Christmas time on Oxford Street
took even longer to get out of the car
starts a little later. You'd have thought it
park on the grounds that the Parking
would be the opposite, but I suppose
Assistants in their office wanted to
people are motivated by things being
make me pay the whole amount on the
easy and put off by anything perceived as
ticket. There was a long queue at the
hard!
pay station by the lifts, so I was going
to pay on the way out. I explained
Zonal v GPS
what had happened, but they said I
should have let them know straight
Next year I will have held a green badge
away. After phoning around for new
for 20 years and for almost all that time I
battery prices, KPM and JVBright quot-
have been on the radio. Before joining
ed £205 (inc vat). Not happy with this,
Dial-a-Cab I was on ComCab, but was
to book in a couple of minutes later? Or
I went down to Halfords and brought a
very pleased to switch over to the
the driver who is in Warlingham (S50E)
Bosch HSB 019 for £129 with a 5-year
who will not get offered a job in West
Gentleman's Circuit and have not looked
warranty. A TX4 is not listed in their
Wickham SE51 some 4 miles away, sim-
back. DaC is a much better company to
books, but it's the same battery as a
ply because S50E is not a back-up zone
work for. The staff are very helpful and
Porsche Cayenne. Funny how the same
for SE51?
it's run by drivers for drivers. If I had one
battery costs nearly £70 more just
Personally, I think the work would be
criticism, it would be our zonal booking-
because it's for a taxi.
distributed more fairly and evenly to all
in system compared to the GPS systems
members under GPS, would enhance the
used by other circuits. In these modern
driving experience with DaC and greatly
Call Centre thank you...
times, I find continually having to book
reduce stress levels. I appreciate that a
into zones a bit old fashioned, if not tire-
On a personal note, I just wanted to say
major computer rewrite would be expen-
some and hard work. The job is stressful
thank you to all the call centre staff that
sive, but the benefits would be well
enough without having to remember to
keep drivers up to date with traffic info,
worthwhile and it would pay for itself in
keep changing zones and when times are
fixes and queries etc via the terminals. It
the long run by DaC having to fund fewer
hard - even a bit demoralising - it seems
really is a big help when you are on the
complaint committee meetings.
road so thanks as well to those drivers
you have to get work out of the system,
who take the time to pass messages onto
whereas on GPS the work comes to you.
Heathrow breakdown!
the call centre. All info helps us during
If you read the Pat Keefe (G01) letter
long shifts.
in November's Call Sign, I agree with
A rare occurrence happened recently
Finally, wherever you are and wher-
many of his points. Indeed, the tempting
when I broke down in the car park at
ever you spend it, I wish you and your
nature of the DaC booking-in system
Heathrow's Terminal 5 and it was the bat-
families a very happy and peaceful
causes most of the problems, which in
tery. There can be nothing worse than
Christmas.
turn is compounded by the broadcast
just getting a job at Heathrow, meeting
screens that show unmatched jobs. Under
the passenger, going to the car park and
Richard Potter (T51)
GPS, the numbers of drivers getting a let-
the taxi won't start! What was alarming is
ter from the Compliance Officer would
decrease because the temptation is
Dial-a-Cab Credit Union
removed and a driver would be offered a
rank to book into only when the GPS
Ever needed money quickly but were anxious about variable
system sees that the driver is physically
bank interest rates?
nearby.
Well wonder no more! If you are a subscriber, journeyman or mem-
If you work mornings, you can sit in a
zone and watch work being dispatched
ber of staff at Dial-a-Cab, then you qualify to join the Dial-a-Cab
all around you while you get none. If you
Credit Union. Any member of your family residing at your address
are number 1 in a zone, you can't jump
also qualifies for membership!
zones because you will lose your place
and if you are not in a primary back-up
Then if you are over 18, have been a member of the Credit Union for
zone, you won't be offered anything. Yes,
over 3 months and have established regular savings, you can borrow up
it is annoying when you have been sitting
to 3 times your total savings...
in SW19 for half an hour and there is an
The cost?
unmatched job in SW20 that is dispatched
into S50C to a driver who is just starting
Just 1% per month on the outstanding balance (or APR of 12.68%).
work (SW20 is offered to S50C before
SW19). Or a driver books into SW18 from
Loans can be paid back early AND there is usually an annual dividend on
SW10 and gets the job simply because he
your savings.
is faster on the screen than you. Or you
The question is: Can you afford NOT to be in it...?
are in SW6 and there is work in W6
maybe 3 streets away. Or if a driver is
Call us on 020 7729 8171 or 020 7749 0585
number 1 in Harlow (E99) and gets
offered a job in Grays, what about the dri-
ver going past on the A13 who happened
