Call Sign November 2014

Page 3

from the editor’s desk

Cycles, cyclists and cycling

passengers who want to get somewhere becoming

I used to be a fairly tolerant person. Each to their

irritated at the driver if he has to wait for someone

own was an expression often heard coming from

to come out while the meter is bounding upwards.

my lips. I have even, on occasion, been heard to

Then what if the people coming out have just fin-

say nice things about TfL’s MD for Surface

ished last nights curried chips and to put it as

Transport, Leon Daniels. I’ve said nice things

politely as I can, emit strong and nasty fragrances!

about our Mayor, Boris Johnson. Twice in my cab

Or what if they are just plain nasty?

he has made me smile, whilst many times at press

The Chairman of the investment company (JNR)

conferences and on the telly, he has made me

behind the cab sharing app, Nathaniel

‘Nat’

laugh out loud - sometimes because the subject is

Rothschild, lives in Switzerland and hasn’t always

actually funny!

been successful in his financial dealings. However,

I have also gone into print and said some nice

other than designer Gabi Campos’ costs and a few

things about the opposition - not too often per-

£million in organising, this scheme, it looks as

haps, but the comments are there in the records. I

though it will go ahead and no doubt Mr

have even said nice things about The Badge,

Rothschild will voluntarily pay any taxes earned

although in all honesty that’s no longer hard to do

from Maaxi Taxi to the UK government and not to

because nowadays it is a good paper and a really

Switzerland’s financial centre in Geneva.

good read. But of course I wouldn’t tell Grant that!

Coincidentally, Gabi Campos used to be the

But there is one subject that in all my 17+

Chief Executive of the online gaming company,

years in this job and 43 years perched in the

to Acton via Tower Hill and the Embankment and

Pokerstars; while I met Nat’s father Jacob

front seat of a taxi I can honestly say I’ve not

work its way up to the Westway - where inciden-

Rothschild many years ago in a small fishing vil-

had one good word to say about - cycling!

tally there will be speed cameras to make sure you

lage on Spain’s Costa Blanca where he taught

Yes, I know there are keen cyclists on Dial-a-

don’t exceed the 40mph speed limit. The north-

me how to play the card game Solo. I just hope

Cab and perhaps they are the exceptions to the

south from Elephant & Castle to Farringdon will

that Nat is better at cab share schemes than I am

rule. One of Call Sign’s regular contributors, Tom

see horrendous hold-ups crossing Blackfriars

at Solo!

Quigley (Y33), is a cycling fanatic and I don’t want

Bridge where a two lane cycle lane will come at the

to upset him... but I am starting to move from a

Hailo

expense of motorists who will share one lane in

quiet dislike of cyclists to a thorough dislike of the

each direction.

Some months ago, wherever you looked taxi dri-

two-wheeled pests. And that is just one step away

vers were cursing Hailo after it was revealed that

There are many more additions to be

from hate!

brought in that will kill our Westminster trade

Russell Hall had applied for a Private Hire

I’m not going to write about the usual com-

licence of behalf of the Hailo’s app owners.

such as no left turn from the Embankment

plaints of going through red lights, failing to stop

onto Westminster Bridge. Once the scheme

Suddenly taxis had notices stuck to their rears

at pedestrian crossings or to keep to their own

begins, taxis and cars will have to turn right, go

saying that they had deleted the app and would

lanes, refusing to wear helmets and often having a

round Parliament Square and then go straight

not be using its services again. Russell Hall was -

thoroughly bad attitude as against the wonderful

across Bridge Street and onto the Bridge.

in my view - unfairly blamed because he was the

demure people that we taxi drivers are, because

There will also be no right turn on the

one that had to apply for the licence. Since then

I’ve written about it all so many times before.

Embankment from the Bridge when heading

he has been noticeable by his absence, although

You have probably heard about the two new

north. You will have to - yes, you’ve guessed it

I assume that has been compensated for by a

cycling super highways because the news came

- go round Parliament Square and then turn

large cheque. I hope he has because while we all

as the last issue of Call Sign was being printed

left onto the Embankment. One day we’ll look

disagreed with the application for the licence,

and with a monthly publication, that makes

back and wonder how we ever came up with

Russell probably had no choice because there are

any missed news really late. But I have to com-

the cab driver’s saying of east-west

people above him who obviously didn’t want to

ment on a scheme that can kill this trade.

Embankment is best!

get their hands dirty.

For those that don’t know (or only read Call

And of course the two cycle Highways will go the

But this piece isn’t about Russell Hall or Hailo

Sign), the new scheme from Transport for

reverse way as well and all in all cause utter chaos

itself, but all those drivers who either said they

London has one cycling lane running from north

and greatly affect the number of passengers that

had deleted the app but hadn’t and those drivers

to south with a second going east to west. But

want to pay to sit in traffic hold-ups.

who didn’t delete it “but don’t use it.” Right!

these are not ordinary cycling lanes - not that

But what puzzles me is that the last I heard,

Then there are those that don’t use it “except on

many cyclists keep to the lanes anyway - they will

Thames Water had been given approval to build

their way into town if something comes their way.”

take up so much room that many roads will

what has been called a super sewer commencing

It does appear that there are a number of

become single lane and using TfL’s own figures, a

in 2016 - just 12 months after the super cycle high-

licensed taxi drivers who are rather economical

car or taxi journey from Upminster in Essex to

ways are scheduled to come into being. The sewer

with the truth when it comes to Hailo...

Hyde Park corner will be increased by 16 minutes

is expected to involve road closures around

Demos

up to 90 minutes. As the vehicles get closer to

Blackfriars and including the Embankment. The

There has suddenly been a spate of demos -

town, they will find red traffic lights phased to give

scheduled allocated time for the sewer is three

three of late and the successful one at the Shard.

cyclists priority. If you think the Limehouse Link

years - yep, you read that right, three years!

The LTDA demos saw thousands of drivers turn-

is bad now, then you ain’t seen nothing yet!

Will Boris be worried about that? Will he hell -

ing out. Another was organised online and as you

Travelling from Knightsbridge to Waterloo will

because he will be Prime Minister by then and

would expect, saw far fewer drivers showing up.

see an extra 9 minutes added to the journey. How

attempting to tell Russian President Vladimir

Nevertheless, it still succeeded in making its

much extra that will cost passengers can be added

Putin his latest jokes about how he intends mak-

point of Cabbies Against Boris (CAB).

in pounds and not pence. How many will contin-

ing the M25 for cyclists only!

The problem I found with the latest LTDA

ue to use us? The chances of getting a job in from

demo was that there were too many issues

the east will be reduced from virtually nil to a big

Maaxi Taxi

involved, from anti-Leon Daniels sentiments to a

fat zero. According to the Mayor, cyclists must have

Unlike the above story, the Maaxi Taxi cab share

lack of minicab enforcement to TfL blaming the

segregated lanes and that means taking up more

app broke just as we were getting ready to publish

taxi trade for poor air quality. Also included were

road space. Not a word about London being one of

last month and it made the last issue before most

the new bike super highways mentioned at the

the world’s biggest financial centres where people

of the other papers got it. Such is the fickleness of

top of the page.

have to get around quickly, but not necessarily on

taxi news publishing. But I have to be honest and

I believe that a further demo should concen-

two wheels. And hands up anyone who believes

say that the response from drivers quite shocked

trate on the cycle lanes, not just because of the

those cyclists who dress as though they are practis-

me with many asking what I thought. The answer

damage they will do to us but because we will get

ing for the 2050 Tour de France will actually keep

is that I’m not sure.

huge amounts of sympathy from ordinary road

to the new segregated lanes if it means they can’t

Yes, it does make sense to try and compete with

users who will be affected almost as much as us

fly along like lunatics and being unable to stop

Uber while not costing taxi drivers money and in

and together bring London to a total standstill.

even if they wanted to. They don’t do it now and

theory, three, four or five people sharing a cab

Just a thought...

they won’t do it with larger lanes either.

makes sense. The problem is that the waiting times

Alan Fisher

The morning east-west lane runs from Barking

at the pick-ups will be stretched and I can see some

callsignmag@aol.com

Call Sign November 2014

Page 4

reflections of the chairman

would then have to purchase a ‘high viz’

Subscriptions

jacket that must be worn at all times whilst

You will see elsewhere in this issue of Call

cycling, the jacket would have to be pur-

Sign several references to the new PAYG sub-

chased from some type of TfL outlet and

scription. It has already been pointed out that

have a levy attached to the purchase price,

85% of the membership will benefit from the

which could then go towards the cycling

new subscription, however, the remaining

infrastructure.

15% are our higher earners and most are

The jacket would also come with a unique

somewhat dismayed that there has been an

number emblazoned on the back that would

increase in their £30+VAT per week subscrip-

serve as a number plate or registration, so if

tion.

the cyclist commits some form of misde-

Obviously the £30+VAT subscription repre-

meanour then they could easily be traced

sented exceptional value for the amount of

because in order to purchase the ‘high viz’ ini-

work it was generating for them, but of course

tially, they will have had to have proof of iden-

the Members concerned are only interested in

tity and address The foregoing might need a

the fact that they will now be paying more in

little ‘tweaking’ but I believe the principal and

subscriptions, and of course the BoM can

the idea is excellent. It is about time that rules

understand that.

and regulations applied to cyclists as well as motorists. However, it

The long serving Members with service in excess of 30 years are

often appears to be politically incorrect to point any criticism towards

even more upset, because up until last year they were only paying £1

the cycling fraternity.

per month, which was a reduction in subscriptions that had been in

place since 1996 and a reduced subscription that had been kept in

operation for over sixteen years - a recognition of their contribution

Board of Management

to the Society that was kept for as long as we could.

You will see elsewhere in the magazine the prospective candidates for

The initial idea behind the scheme was the BoM’s belief that

the position of Board Member and Chairman. The CV’s appear in this

Members who had completed more than 30 years’ service might be

month’s magazine in an attempt to give you, the Members, ample

slowing down a little and the nominal subscription would offset that

opportunity to ask any questions you might have of the prospective

fact in addition to recognising their service to the Society. But circum-

candidates in the December edition of Call Sign and receive your

stances have changed and the Society can no longer afford that recog-

answers in the January edition.

nition regarding reduced subscriptions. Consequently, we have decid-

As you are aware, the AGM will be held on 8th February at the HAC

ed to implement a payback scheme whereby following a certain num-

City Road.

ber of completed trips being achieved on a weekly basis, the Society will

Brian Rice

pay Members a premium for every further trip that is completed.

Chairman

We have now decided that figure will be £1 for every trip com-

Dial-a-Cab

pleted over 15 in any one week. It will apply to account trips

and credit card trips that have been despatched through your

terminal; it will not apply to ‘street hail’ credit cards, cash trips

and scrubs. At the time of writing, we are in the process of writ-

ing the software for the ‘payback’ scheme and as soon as we are

happy with the new program we will implement the new sys-

tem. It could even be implemented by the time you read this

piece.

Hopefully, the foregoing will help Members that do the most work

and if you are a Senior Member with service in excess of 30 years and

are working reduced hours, the PAYG system will be of some benefit.

What you must remember - and as I have stated many times previ-

ously - whatever system the BoM implement there will be a section of

the Society that it does not suit.

New Cycle Superhighways

I have responded to TfL regarding their two proposed Cycling

Superhighways. I must say I am very much against the two schemes

being implemented in what the Mayor and TfL seem to consider as a

village - ie London!

The two proposed routes will run from Barking to Acton, which I

believe to be approximately eighteen miles and from

Farringdon/Kings X to St Georges Circus/Elephant Castle, which is

around three miles. The amount of extra congestion that is going to

be created will be enormous and TfL have already stated that the

Superhighways will add to journey times for motorised vehicles,

which in turn must surely add to pollution in London, something

that both the Mayor and TfL wish to reduce - or so they say.

This got me thinking about a conversation I had in the past with

one of our Members, Dave Humphryes (A69) and a suggestion he

made. As we know, cyclists - unlike motorists - do not contribute to

the road network, neither are they bound to hold any type of insur-

ance; so Dave has come up with an agenda which I believe contains

much merit.

It should be compulsory for all cyclists to wear a protective

helmet and undergo a cycling proficiency examination. They

Call Sign November 2014

Page 5

Nominations for the DaC AGM

The following nominations for Chairman and Board of Management

were received at Dial-a-Cab House by the closing date of 0900 on

riday 10 October 2014…

POST OF CHAIRMAN

PROPOSED

PROPOSED BY

SECONDED BY

1. Brian Rice, Chairman (Q01)

Keith Cain, Sitting Board Member (Q07) Allan Evans, Sitting Board Member (Y83)

2. Garry White, Sitting Board Member (L65) Patricia Graves (L53)

Mark Partridge (R30)

POST OF BOARD MEMBER

1. Keith Cain, Sitting Board Member (Q07)

Brian Rice, Chairman (Q01) Allan Evans, Sitting Board Member (Y83)

2. Michael Son, Sitting Board Member (V52)

Brian Rice, Chairman (Q01) Keith Cain, Sitting Board Member (Q07)

3. Allan Evans, Sitting Board Member (Y083)

Brian Rice, Chairman (Q01) Keith Cain, Sitting Board Member (Q07)

4. Thomas Whitbread, Sitting Board Member (Q09) Brian Rice, Chairman (Q01) Allan Evans, Sitting Board Member (Y83)

5. Garry White, Sitting Board Member (L65)

Mark Dodge (L89)

Kevin O'Connor (T75)

6. Joe Brazil (K16)

Darren French (F63)

Roger Kensit (W31)

7. Patricia Graves (L53)

David Morris (M62)

Jim Moore (M58)

8. Javid Raja (N72)

Peter Learmouth (Y10)

Michael Leahy (A18)

9. Michael Parkins (Z03)

Christopher Marquis (G99) David Burrell (T60)

CVs pages 8 - 10. Any questions for prospective Board Members will be published in the next issue of Call Sign (1st

December), with answers in the following issue (1st January). Questions to callsignmag@aol.com. Please include your

name and call sign and say who the question is aimed at. Anonymous questions will not be entertained… Ed

NOTICE OF

Happy Birthday Harry

2014

Ninety years young for former ODRTS Board

member and LTBAWD Hon President...

DAC AGM

By now, all

If you were in the St. John’s

members should

Wood area of Regents Park on

have received an

Sunday October 5th and

individual notice

heard laughter and jollity

of the Dial-a-Cab

coming through an open win-

2014 Annual

dow, it was because the fam-

General Meeting

ily and friends of Harry Joel

advising that it

MBE, President of the

London Taxi Benevolent

will be held at:

Association for War Disabled

The HAC, Armoury House, City

were celebrating his 90th

Road, London EC1Y 2BQ on

birthday.

Sunday 8th February 2015 at

Henry Nathaniel Joel (Harry

11:00hrs.

to us) was born on 5th October 1

The meeting this year will con-

Nathan Joel. Harry saw service in the Royal Navy during WW11 as a medic and wit-

sider an agenda including the

nessed many injuries suffered by combat personnel.

Election of Officers and any pro-

He joined the LTBAWD and worked to raise the profile of the charity and the sup-

posed Rule Changes and

port they offered to war disabled veterans. For his tireless work over many decades

Propositions, all of which should

with the LTBAWD, Harry was awarded with the MBE in 1981.

have been received at Dial-a-Cab

He gained his London cabdrivers’ licence in 1955, worked with ODRTS as both a dri-

House by 09:00hrs on Friday 10th

ver and Board member and retired from the trade in 2000 after serving the public for

October 2014 and in accordance

45 years. However his enthusiasm for the charity continues energetically.

with Society Rules.

To mark Harry’s 9th decade, Dial-a-Cab presented him with a special bottle of bub-

As a reminder, if you do not

bly encased with the Union Jack. Surprised by the unexpected gift and clearly over-

vote by post, then you must

come with emotion, Harry said:

attend in person. If you do nei-

“A big thank you to Brian, the Board and all my friends at Dial-a-Cab togeth-

er with the many drivers who have supported our outings.”

ther, you may be subject to a £50

Many more happy birthdays to come, Harry...

fine...

Howard Pears

Alan Green (E52)

Company Secretary

Call Sign Online

Call Sign November 2014

Page 7

As Eco City Vehicles goes into administration

KPM returns from the dead!

It doesn’t seem that long ago since London

down from the Board.

Taxis International literally caused a

As to what the future will be for the

world-wide sensation when suddenly

Mercedes-Benz Vito Taxi. Rumours abound,

announcing that it had entered administra-

but nothing has yet been decided.

tion. It was Friday 22 October 2012 that

Taxi Globe spoke to Mercedes Benz and

Manganese Bronze, manufacturers of the

we were told that warranty work for the Vito

TX4, and parent company to LTI,

will be honoured for drivers whose warran-

announced it was going into administration

ty is with Mercedes. However, those drivers

under PricewaterhouseCoopers. The com-

who took out an extended warranty with

pany was in the middle of a recall for 316

KPM are not covered.

new TX4s in London and another 100 out of

Then out of the blue on 25th October,

town cabs. Together with other ongoing

Call Sign heard that Peter DaCosta had

problems, including the TX4 fires and the

taken KPM out of administration and

legalities emanating from that, MB felt they

reopened it as a new company, KPM

had no option but to call in the administra-

Automotive Ltd.

tors.

Although the new company will under-

Fortunately, along can Chinese car

take Mercedes work, it will not do so

makers and LTI minority partners, Geely,

under warranty. They will also operate

who then pumped in £millions to take

problems with the cab’s rear-steering.

an after-sales agency with the London

the company out of administration and

We later heard that Eco City sub-

Taxi Company.

successfully re-launch the London Taxi

sidiaries, One80, who held the rear-

Warranty information for Mercedes Vito

Company.

steering’s intellectual rights and the

owners can be obtained by calling Anthony

At the time of MB’s administration, Eco

garage, KPM, had both gone into admin-

Cunningham or Danny Smith on 0161

City Vehicles - always referred to as KPM

istration. Shares in Eco City were sus-

975 6996 and they will tell you the best

by drivers -unsurprisingly saw an increase in

pended with the Evening Standard

garage for you to use. Those drivers with the

sales of its Mercedes Vito taxi. However,

describing the company as “being on the

KPM extended warranty are welcome to call

even more surprising was the fact that the

verge of collapse.” Its shares - which had

and they will try to help with information on

increase was nowhere near as big as many

plummeted by around 80% - were sus-

where drivers can go to sort out any prob-

had assumed it would be given that there

pended. Now Eco City has also appoint-

lems, but any costs involved will be down to

was now no competition. The reason given

administrators

and

the

those individual drivers...

by those that did not buy the vehicle - yet

company’s finance director, Jonathan

who were looking for a new cab - was that it

Moritz, who had previously been an

Dennis Latchett

was too big and the well-publicised ongoing

Executive with Inchcape, has stood

Call Sign Online

Call Sign November 2014

Page 8

Curriculum Vitae for Prospective Board Members

These are the CVs for those

We have a terminal that could have more

least for the time being, has been relatively

than one app distributing work onto it,

successful. To say it has been difficult to

whose names were handed in to

with, terms and conditions that you could

near impossible at times would be an

Company Secretary Howard

decide to opt in and opt out of at will. With

understatement.

Pears as wishing to stand for

good design, we will receive market “buzz”

When the Board asked me to head up

election to the Dial-a-Cab Board

with every new launch, translating into

Sales, I did give it a lot of thought and won-

money in your pocket. Don’t forget, we are

dered would it be the poison chalice or was

of Management before the clos-

unique within the transportation industry;

it another challenge being asked of me as a

ing date of 09:00hrs on Friday

you just need someone to tell the travel-

Board Member? Only because I had the full

10th October 2014. They are in

ling public what the real advantages we

support of the Board did I accept the posi-

alphabetical order and all asking

have over a car arriving to pick them up is.

tion. Since first being elected 25 years ago,

Why just a simple reminder, that if they are

I have always felt that if you are prepared to

for your vote.

“serious about business, you’re serious

stand for the Board, then no task asked of

If you have any questions or

about privacy” gives them a prompt on just

you in the day to day managing of the

comments, send them to Call

one of our U.S.P’S.(unique selling points).

Society should you shy away from.

Sign for publication in the next

Dial-a-Cab, with careful management,

With all the possible future changes that

can deliver for you whichever way you see

may or may not happen, we must still be

issue (1st December). Responses

your future. You as a subscriber can receive

looking at the way forward. The Society

will be forthcoming in the 1st

not only the legacy you have worked for,

needs to be remarketed, our profile needs

January issue and before any

but, also leave a company that can sustain

to be rebuilt and technology must be at the

voting has taken place…

generations of drivers through for many

forefront of our plans. But in doing this, we

years into the future.

must keep the philosophy that the cus-

Joe Brazil (K16)

I humbly ask you to be diligent with your

tomer pays for our service and not the dri-

Proposed by Darren French (F63),

vote, all our futures depend on it.

ver. That does not mean being stubborn

Seconded by Roger Kensit (W31)

and not being able to realise that when an

If you’re a sub-

Keith Cain (Q07)

opportunity is presented to win new busi-

scriber, the question

Sitting Board Member

ness, we go for it.

at the beginning of

Proposed by Brian Rice (Q01) Chairman

I have always been honoured to repre-

every address by a

Seconded by Allan Evans (Y83) Board

sent you, the members, and I am very priv-

prospective Board

Member

ileged to have held many positions on the

Member I would

Ladies and gents

Board except one and that is the Chair. But

think would be

The last two

that does not mean I would never stand for

“how are you…

years have

the position. If I felt the time was right, I

going to make money for me?” I’ve been

been the

would put myself forward providing, of

employed within the taxi industry for over

most diffi-

course, I had the full support of the Board.

20 years and driven a cab for 15 and I know

cult period

I believe I have the experience needed to

it’s one rarely seen answered or even men-

this Society

enhance a new Board. Experience can work

tioned once they are elected.

has

ever

alongside fresh faces with new ideas, but

I look at Dial-a-Cab now remembering

experienced

choosing the right team with the right bal-

what it was, and it’s obvious to see it has suf-

and it has been caused by others wanting a

ance to work together and who can sup-

fered from more than just a concept vacu-

piece of our action. Not only did some

port each other is what I believe you have

um. We have seen stagnation in our compa-

want to buy us with our own money, but

to give careful consideration to for the

ny, emanating seemingly from the upper

others felt that offering our majors such a

future.

echelons; this malaise has drifted through

cheap service would damage our Society.

There is the possibility of major changes

the company and impacted on us at the

These actions were not planned for, nei-

happening in the future to our Society, but

sharp end. Like a magician’s trick, we have

ther could they have been predicted. I cer-

only if you the members so desire. If I am

been told of buyers who come and go like a

tainly learnt a great deal from the last two

to be re-elected, one promise I can make

puff of smoke and, somehow, like the Magic

years, enough to investigate how the hard

and which I know I can keep, will be to

Circle, nobody can tell you how it’s done.

work we have all contributed to the Society

ensure that whatever information is pre-

Mountview have now appeared, showing

over the years could be fed back to mem-

sented to every member to decide upon, it

over £1.9 million of debt on their 2012 bal-

bers in some financial way but which would

will be true, full and honest and will con-

ance sheet, what could possibly go wrong,

give the Society an opportunity to grow

sider every member’s best interest. But,

talk about buying a roof rack for a hearse.

even bigger and be a force to be reckoned

more importantly, it will maintain the

Let’s remember, if subscribers should

with once again. We must turn what has

integrity of our Society.

decide to go down this route, the value of

been a negative time in the Society’s histo-

your company should exceed £11million,

ry into a positive one.

Allan Evans (Y83)

and you are entitled to have someone to

During the past two years, the activity of

Sitting Board Member

fight for you to receive what you have

others offering a cheaper service and stir-

Proposed by Brian Rice (Q01) Chairman

worked so long and hard for.

rings of the Society being sold off have

Seconded

Don’t imagine that there is no future for

without doubt put unnecessary pressure

by Keith

Dial-a-Cab, we have just not reacted to the

on us all. I have spent the past year con-

Cain (Q07)

marketplace in the way we should have.

centrating on calming the fears of our cus-

Board

How many drivers do you know that have

tomers and regaining their confidence in

Member

had different work distribution engines

us. I think taking the stance of consolidat-

Ladies and

within the cab, and longed for Dial-a-Cab

ing our existing client base and stemming

gentlemen

to have somehow contended with them?

the flow of losing any more accounts at

For the last

Call Sign November 2014

Page 9

Curriculum Vitae for Prospective Board Members

fourteen years I have been very fortunate to

Dear Fellow mem-

the time is right for a fresh approach. I'm a

represent you the members on the Board

bers,

tenacious man, I feel I've got the passion

of Management. I am a Licensed Taxi Driver

My name is Patricia

and the drive to push Dial-a-Cab forward

with almost 35 years’ experience and a

Graves, I have been

into a new era of prosperity and growth.

member of our Society for 31 of those

a London taxi driver

More importantly, at the age of 34, I'm hun-

years. In my new role as Head of Driver

for

24 years and I

gry for the challenges that lay ahead. I've a

Operations / Call Centre Manager, I believe

have been on Dial-a-

vested interest, as we all have, in making

it has further enhanced my knowledge and

Cab for 22 years. I

Dial-a-Cab as successful and as profitable as

experience and I hope I have proved to you

am asking for your vote to be on the Board

possible.

the members and the staff I now work with

as I believe I would bring a fresh and

Waiting almost an hour for a job on EC5 is

that I am totally approachable, fair minded

inspiring approach.

unacceptable, having hardly any account

and always willing to listen and offer help

I have previously been a teacher of the

work on E14 is scandalous, losing hundreds

and advice. My day to day contact with you

Knowledge at Knowledge Point in

of account rides every day is the reason why

the members is very important to me and I

Caledonian Road for 4 and a half years.

our member numbers have diminished.

will certainly never lose touch with any of

This involved teaching classes of up to 30

Vote for me and I promise this will change.

you.

students and I was honoured to have been

We have the right product, which is the best

During my term in office, the Chairman

asked back on three separate occasions. I

drivers and vehicles in the world. We have

has trusted me to carry out many significant

have also been a new driver trainer for

the recognised and respected brand of Dial-

roles that have provided me with a deep

Dial-a-Cab after successfully going through

a-Cab, now all we need is a renewed vigour,

understanding of our Society and more

an intense interview process. As well as

to go on the offensive and make the changes

importantly, the needs of you the members

that role, I have also been a Marshall for

happen.

- this will never change. Up to December

almost 13 years at what were our most

Please vote for Michael Parkins. (Z03)

2013, I served for a number of years as the

prestigious accounts, so some of you may

Compliance Officer and my aim in this cru-

know me as ‘Pat the Marshall’. I belonged

Javid Raja (N72)

cial role was always to make the system fair

to the Worshipful Company of Hackney

Proposed by Peter Learmouth (Y10),

and equal for all of us and I was never

carriage drivers for 15 years, progressing

Seconded by Michael Leahy (A18)

frightened of making important or difficult

on to their Applications Committee and I

Dear members

decisions along the way. I previously

have attended various meetings at the

My name is Javid

worked as the Head of Driver Training and

Carriage Office and the Mayors’ Office con-

Raja. I have a BA in

Marshalling Officer, which gave me the

cerning the cab trade.

German

and

capacity to further promote our Society. I

I feel that I have a lot to offer Dial-a-Cab

Economics and have

am confident in my ability and have always

with the experience I have gained over the

been on DaC for 14

been totally committed to my position of

years, not only as a driver but with all the

years. During this

Board Member; it is a responsibility that I

other positions I have held too. I feel I

period I have seen

certainly will never take lightly.

would bring a new energy to really pro-

the most dramatic

In my current role, I have worked hard to

mote ourselves in this market and I would

changes take place, not only in our trade as

make the Contact Centre a more driver-

really like to be your voice - remember,

a whole, but also at DaC.

friendly environment and the changes I

without the drivers there is no Dial-a-Cab.

My feeling is that due to the shortcomings

have recently introduced have, I believe,

So please vote for me, Patricia Graves

of the BoM, we now find ourselves on the

made a positive impact. I fully embrace new

(L53). Many Thanks in advance.

brink of disaster.

technology and I will always listen and con-

1) The major mistakes of the BoM:

sider any changes that could improve our

Michael Parkins (Z03)

Concierge - Work given to peasant minicab

Society and crucially keep us ahead of our

Proposed by Christopher Marquis

companies, run by parasites. Why?

competition.

(G99), Seconded by David Burrell (T60)

2) Loss of major accounts on Canary

As you are aware, our trade as a whole is

Dear fellow mem-

Wharf (no foresight)

being attacked from all sides; the market

bers

3) Increase in subs... A dis-incentive to do

place is fiercely competitive and we have

My name is Michael

account work

seen many changes. The current Board of

Parkins; I've been a

4) Supersides done twice

Management that I have been part of for the

cab driver since

5) Credit card work too long winded,

past fourteen years, led by our Chairman

2003 and have been

should be simpler

has achieved so much in my time as a Board

on Dial-a-Cab since

6) No sale or merger of DaC, lose control

Member and I am strongly of the opinion

2007. I'm a full time

for £4,000, the shares will be worthless a

that this is not the time to make changes. I

driver who works

con-trick already carried out before. Our

am also confident that with the full backing

nights, working on average

50 hours a

building will be used to bail out the debt rid-

of you the members, we have the knowhow

week. I'm 34 years old and will be working

den company. If we are merged do not be

and experience to make the necessary

as a cab driver for at least another 30 years.

surprised if we are then resold to a minicab

changes to enable our Society to compete

The reason I'm standing as a Board Member

company with a geriatric chairman.

at the highest level.

is to ensure that in 30 years’ time Dial-a-Cab

As the BoM have failed, they should now,

I once again ask for your support so that

will still be here. The cab trade is changing,

with good grace, step aside. I believe that my

I can a represent you on the Board of

Private Hire is now seen as a viable choice

knowledge of the trade and of our minicab

Management for a further term in office, I

for even the largest corporate accounts,

friends, I have the business and financial

will certainly not let you down.

whilst smartphone apps such as Hailo and

acumen to destroy them. If you like the

Uber are eating into the private cash work.

sound of carpet bombing on our enemies,

Patricia Graves (L53)

My intension is to put Dial-a-Cab back

then vote for me. I have a strategy, let me

Proposed by David Morris (M62),

where it should be. The current Board of

loose on the minicab parasites. Finally, if you

Seconded by Jim Moore (M58)

Management has taken us this far, but I feel

want change please vote for me Javid (N72).

Call Sign November 2014

Page 10

Curriculum Vitae for Prospective Board Members

As we are all aware, times have changed

During my years on the Board, I was the

Michael Son (V52)

quite dramatically and many organisations

longest serving Complaints / Compliance

Sitting Board Member

have not the financial power to promote

Officer and like Marmite, you either loved

Proposed by Brian Rice (Q01) Chairman

their service or products as they were able to

me or hated me. You can guess which cate-

Seconded by Keith Cain (Q07)Board

do in the past. As well as attending meetings,

gory some of the miscreants who tried to

Member

most of you may be aware I still drive a cab.

take advantage of the system fell into,

Dear Members

However, I am and hope to remain a valued

because I had no favourites and always tried

It is yet another AGM

member of your Board, to offer new ideas

to keep an even playing field for everyone.

election; I cannot

and of course to pick up concerns of the dri-

Many drivers will leave if they think any

believe it has been

vers when we meet out on the road.

other drivers are getting an unfair advantage.

two years since the

With all this in mind and looking to a

During my serving years, I have seen new

last election process.

brighter future, I seek your support to con-

Board Members take on jobs, then neglect

What an extremely

tinue as your Board Member for the next

or give them up due to losing money. I

difficult period for

period.

everyone to say the

would then take on these jobs, spending

least.

long hours which could be detrimental to

Thomas Whitbread

I am aware that

my family life - sorting out the call centre, the

some

members

(Q09)

telephones, radio signals, Roman Way, can-

think it’s time for a change and would like to

Sitting Board Member

teen facilities with access to food through

see a younger Board of Management.

Proposed by Brian Rice (Q01) Chairman

the night for the staff. Even down to being

Change is sometimes a good thing; however

Seconded by Allan Evans (Y83) Board

on the roof on a Saturday afternoon helping

it has to be at the right time.

Member

the builders drill holes in the roof of

During these turbulent times and an

Ladies and gents

Brunswick House to stop the Call Centre

uncertain future for our industry, it is imper-

As the amount of

getting flooded out and putting us out of

ative there is steady management structure

subscribers

who

business. If I named all of the jobs that I took

know of my past

with experience and a determination to lead

on, it would run into pages and bore you.

the Society through some major changes of

record as a Board

My main concern has always been the wel-

Member dwindles

which you are all aware. The next year or so

fare of the drivers, whether it upsets my fel-

and a small amount

will prove crucial in the future of Dial-a-Cab

low Board Members or not. Any of the

of new ones join the

and the wellbeing of the membership. It is

Subscribers who got elected onto the Board

circuit, I need to

also important to remember our clients do

refresh memories or

will tell you that Tom Whitbread has never

not like change as a taxi service supplier,

inform the different

been a “Yes” man just to retain his job.

they need continuity within the manage-

categories of my ser-

Over the years I have built up friendships

ment structure.

vice history, for

with ticket agencies and been able to acquire

During the previous period, the Board of

whichever group

thousands of free tickets to top shows in the

Management has had to make extremely dif-

you may belong.

West End. This also encourages drivers to

ficult decisions that affect both the member-

I think you will find I am the longest serv-

forget about taxi driving for a few hours and

ship and staff. Those choices have empow-

ing Board Member in the Society’s history,

take their wife or partner out and relax at no

ered the Society to remain financially stable

with over 30 years of serving the electorate

cost to themselves.

and I am sure the envy of others within our

and hopefully safeguarding their welfare. I

I have never backed away from any Dial-a-

trade.

came on in the time of Peter Fennymore as

Cab situation and always told drivers the

The competition, for example minicabs

Chairman and have seen about 5 others

truth, even if it may seem to them that I am

and other radio taxi suppliers, have never

Chairmen take on the post. I never put

offending their opinions.

been so resolute in taking an ever-decreasing

myself up for election to parade around, get-

Why at my age do I still want to be

share of the taxi riding service by undercut-

ting drivers to look up to me or for the

involved in the Board? Because I have always

ting the price of taxi trips, using new tech-

money. The latter being very low on my join-

maintained that Lords / Dial-a-Cab was the

nologies and enticements to encourage

ing the Board, drivers were earning more

best circuit and still retains that position and

account clients. The responsibility of the

than Board Members. In fact some Board

I do not want us to lose that status.

Trustee of any organisation must always be

Members left 6 months after being elected,

If you would like me to continue in that

to perform his or her duty in the best inter-

as the money was so bad.

position I would be glad to accept your vote.

est of the majority and not just one individ-

I joined the Board because I could see

ual. I take this opportunity to wish any can-

there was a great waste of money and as still

Garry White (L65)

didates for the position of Board Member,

happens today, bad coverage of work. The

Sitting Board Member

the best of luck.

coverage was the first thing I started to

Proposed by Mark Dodge (L89),

I became a cabdriver in 1965 and joined

reverse, I did this by convincing the

Seconded by Kevin O’Connor (T75)

Dial-a-Cab in 1991. During the 1990s I suc-

despatchers that they had to be salesmen

cessfully sought election to the BoM. During

Garry White’s

and sell jobs. This is still true; they should

CV can be seen

my term on the Board, my responsibilities

not just hide behind a computer, they

have been varied; Driver interviews and

on the page for

should be pro-active. Plus the drivers should

training for a few years and then Customer

the post of

go out of their way to cover all the work they

Service, which gave me the opportunity of

Chair man,

can, this enables us to retain accounts and

face-to-face meetings with clients, especially

where he is

not lose them to Private Hire. I know many

if there were service issues. Those meetings,

opposing sitting

of you do not like the new system of collect-

listening to clients with their needs and

Chairman Brian

ing subscriptions, well at the moment you

expectations of our service, were invaluable

Rice…

are a co-operative, this allows your voice to

for both the customer and Dial-a-Cab.

be heard by informing your Board Members.

Call Sign November 2014

Page 12

DaC driver and Mercedes Vito owner, Gary Cox, asks a question…

THE VITO: SHOULD WE NOT HAVE REALISED?

As the nation goes into

drafted in to manage the company under whatever name we knew

it as after the KPM founder, Peter DaCosta, sailed off into the sun-

the most solemn and

set of retirement last year, must have been like Shakespeare’s

to many, the most

Romeo and Juliet to DaCosta, knowing that the original director of

depressing month of

the play would soon walk back on the centre of the stage, direct-

ing things once again within months.

the year marking

Guess that as TfL’s Bodie was swinging his way around

Remembrance Sunday,

Victoria unable to take his eyes of those shiny new £billion

I have a few questions.

buses and his sidekick eyed up becoming master of all the

Firstly, anyone who was

trains in the South West, would they not have found the time

privileged enough to have

or inclination to say: “Do you guys need a technical grant to

gone along the corridors of

help you out?”

power of the British Legion Knowledge School will, on reading

We all know that Mercedes Benz dealerships will solve our prob-

this, wonder why the school does not exist anymore - if only to

lems one way or another with the help of German support in the

keep the home fires burning in this time of impending crisis in

end. But what odds on Peter DaCosta walking in one day during

Europe and the rest of the world. I’m not sure TfL would have got

the next 18 months and asking if anyone fancies one of his Nissan

away with the shenanigans they posted through the letter box of

cabs! But the next time, Nissan may just be a bit wiser than

time for which the cab trade has been obliged to shovel up, had

Mercedes and demand that all the mechanics are up to Nissan stan-

the British Legion School still been around.

dards with bits of paper embossed with logos printed on them.

And then there is this; those that have just read the above are

It will be interesting to watch Peter DaCosta keeping a beady

thinking and possibly still talking about the demise of Eco City

eye on ex-directors Andy and Keith who if my memory serves me

and subsidiary one80, who owned the intellectual property rights

right, he poached off York Way Motors. But would Keith give up

to the occasionally working rear wheel steering - all commonly

sitting by the riverbank, fishing, to stroll back into town like Clint

known to you and I as KPM Autos of Hemming Street. Of course

Eastwood along with ex-customers to make it work again?

this may well seem rather trivial to you if you are sitting in your

Do I, like the rest of the cab trade, have bad feelings? Yep! The

TX4, unless you're a cab driver sitting in a Vito Taxi with a £42k

question is whether I can spit the

bad taste out of my mouth and

debt plus HP - not to mention a wife, two kids and a mortgage to

who should I be really aiming my spit at? If l spit in the ex-

service as many have.

Chairman’s face, will anyone ever put their heads above the para-

So long as you can go to a proper Mercedes Benz dealership to

pet again and have a go? Most unlikely! But you may well find

get your warranty work done, well, you know you will of course

another DaCosta to be mad enough with enough front and balls

survive. But you could be skating on thin ice if you chose a KPM

to have a go.

service package rather than a Mercedes one. You get what you

Harry Fagin, former General Secretary and one of the found-

pay for and apparently who you paid it to…

ing fathers of the LTDA once told me: “Son, my door is always

Skip forward a few pages of your memory banks; now what

open and I'll always listen - even if I don't like it much.”

were those words fed to you by the salesman on your day of

Now where was I? You think you've got problems? Try being the

ex-guards officer trying to convince the British Legion to open up

enlightenment, even if it rained ten minutes after you signed on

the dotted line for a £42,000 van containing a built in guarantee

that knowledge school again, so that his ex-foot soldiers did not

have to sleep on the pavement .

that you were paying for the repairs to the rear steering for the

next three years at no cost to Eco City Taxis! Now that’s good busi-

We will never know who banged the drum and blew the

bugles so loud in the background for the Vito project, but thank

ness! Let alone you returning to McCarthy, the salesman/Sales

you whoever you were and for once, I really mean this, thank you

Director and saying that nobody recognises your van as a taxi and

Mr Johnson - Mayor of the greatest city in the world - for letting

that you will now have those ugly orange stickers on the side.

us have the Mercedes Benz. Not sure Addison Lee was happy

In defence of Steve McCarthy, he did say that if you brought it

though.

back later, you would have to pay for the “help me, I am a cab…

Oh, one last thing; can I - will I - ever walk into KPM’s again?

honestly” stickers. However on returning, you, like I, never

Perhaps, if Peter puts the kettle on and comes clean and just utters

dreamed that someone who had forked out all that money would

these immortal words: “We all had a go and it cost you and I money

have to pay for them in blood money seeing as on purchasing a

and whatever reputation I may have had in the beginning…”

cab-van, they came free if you choose to have them, not forgetting

that drivers were supposedly ambassadors for

the product.

But Steve did so with a Salesman's smile.

Gary Cox (O46)

Now what were those other famous words? Oh yes: “Well,

Call Sign Online

you’ve got to come to us for the servicing, we are a Mercedes

Benz dealer now, that's the reason why brake pads and discs are

far more expensive than at a back street garage.”

Every service came with a complimentary gold plated bottle of

Keith Reading

screen wash - that is until the bill was presented with a smile.

Professional Toastmaster

“Anything goes wrong, don't go to an ordinary Merc dealer, they

Master of Ceremonies

just don't understand the cab trade.”

Well they were right on that one… in the beginning.

Tele: 01279 465 938

Only a fool couldn’t or wouldn’t see the rear steering was

Mobile: 07774 860 374

becoming more and more problematic for Eco, one 80 and

Email: kgr.2@virgin.net

KPM, with their other subsidiary probably getting itchy feet

for the expected tap-up for a bail out. At that point, the alarm

10% discount for DaC drivers and staff

bells should have been pealing in everyone’s ears as loud as

those of Bow Bells in Cheapside. This company was under

Fellow of the Guild of

severe strain financially and would struggle to fulfil its ambi-

Professional Toastmasters

tion to be a real player.

I must say that the puppets who were left hanging, having been

Call Sign November 2014

Page 13

Call Sign’s Bob Woodford is asking for the help of Dial-a-Cab drivers...

Bob walks Inca Trail for Magical Taxi Tour

Can you help to sponsor a

Call Sign writer Bob

taxi for next year's children's

Woodford has asked

trip to Disneyland, Paris

readers of this maga-

zine for sponsorship

taxi to go on the 2015 Magical

several times over the

Taxi Tour to Disneyland Paris.

The trip takes many young

many years that he has

children, often with life-limit-

been writing for us.

ing illnesses, to have the week-

He has run marathons from

end of their young lives as a

London to Germany to New York

convoy of over 100 taxis take

in aid of Baby Life Support

them to the Magical Kingdom

Systems (Bliss) and even walked

for a weekend of amazing fun.

across the Sahara Desert in what

Tragically, for some of them, it

is known as the world’s toughest

will be the only opportunity

foot race

- the Marathon des

they ever get.

Sables - in which Bob had to

Bob has set up a JustGiving page and going by previous experiences

cross 150 miles of the Sahara carrying a 20-pound backpack of supplies

when Dial-a-Cab drivers were asked, his fairly moderate target of

on his back! On that occasion, he was running in memory of his good

£1400 hopefully shouldn’t be that difficult. As a taxi driver as well,

friend, fellow marathon runner and DaC driver, Paul Bishop, who on

Bob knows that times are hard, which is why he has set such a mod-

17 May 1999 died after battling with Motor Neurone Disease. All the

erate target compared to the £thousands he has raised on previous

funds Bob raised on that occasion went to help fight MND.

ventures.

This time Bob and his partner Steph intend walking the Inca

“If things go well,” Bob told Call Sign before leaving for Peru, “and

Trail in Peru and have set their sights on sponsoring at least one

we raise more than our target, then that will go towards a second

sponsored cab for this great WCHCD event and we’ll be able to help

even more children get to Disney.”

Victoria Station late

If you would like to help Bob raise enough to

sponsor at least one taxi for next year’s Disney

night taxi rank trial

trip, then just go to his JustGiving page.

www.justgiving.com/robandsteph

A one month trial of a marshalled taxi rank is currently in

Thank you..

operation at Victoria Station on Terminus Place between the

hours of midnight and 4am daily. If deemed a success, the

trial may be extended.

HACKNEY ROAD TAXI TYRES

For the trial to be successful it is important that all taxi dri-

vers observe the following:

• The rank is for 5 taxis only

FOR THE BLACK CAB TAXI TRADE

• Follow the instructions of the marshals at all times during the

marshalled hours of 00:00 to 04:00

• Do not attempt to access Terminus Place outside the marshalled

• Austones for the TX

hours under any circumstances

• Do not attempt to access Terminus Place if the rank is already

• Barums for the Vito

full during the marshalled hours

• Do not enter into any disputes or arguments with any staff or

• Michelin and Continental

the general public

• Only leave Terminus Place via Buckingham Palace Road and not

also supplied

via bus lanes in Terminus Place

During the trial the marshalled taxi rank will be monitored to

•

4-wheel laser tracking

determine whether it is operating successfully and whether arrange-

ments can continue on an extended trial. The location will also be

for the Mercedes Vito

monitored outside the marshalled hours to ensure drivers do not

attempt to access the rank. If buses, coaches or other works vehi-

cles in the area are impeded by taxis, it is possible that the camera

• Puncture repairs

and on-street enforcement will remain in place to prevent issues

with over-ranking or use of the banned left turn outside the mar-

• Also free tyre checks

shalled hours.

During the trial, taxi drivers are only permitted to make the left

turn from Buckingham Palace Road into Terminus Place between

Find us downstairs the

00:00 and 04:00. Taxi drivers making the left turn outside of these

times may be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice.

DaC Credit Union at

All drivers using the late night taxi rank are kindly asked to

The Peterley Business Centre,

observe the terms and conditions set out in this notice in order

to help ensure the trial is not terminated early and to increase

472 Hackney Road, E2

the likelihood of an extended trial which could benefit taxi dri-

vers and passengers.

0207 729 5237

Transport for London

Call Sign November 2014

Page 14

Every issue of Call Sign takes a look back at ODRTS history through the pages

of the magazines of the time with a Flashback…

DIAL-A-CAB FLASHBACK

This month’s Flashback goes back to December 2002 and the story about Marie White…

From Call Sign, December 2002

Never to be forgotten: The story of Dial-a-Cab’s Marie White…

The first Parliamentary regulation for the Hackney carriages came 309 years ago in 1694

while Emmeline Pankhurst, the famed English Suffragette leader founded her militant

group, the Women’s Social and Political Union which culminated in gaining the vote for

women, almost 100 years ago in 1903. Yet surprisingly, the first female taxi driver to be

licensed in London came just 25 years ago in 1977 when Marie White ended the seeming

taboo of females gaining the coveted green badge. Today that total has reached around

350…

In 1977, London was buzzing and so was the licensed taxi business - which was con-

sidered by many to be the last male bastion. So when news that a lady was on the

Knowledge first broke in 1976, drivers scoffed…

“She’ll never do the Knowledge,” they echoed, followed by the old chestnut,

“…what if a geezer asks to meet a bird - how can they possibly ask a lady dri-

ver to find ‘em a lady of the night?”

But Marie White wasn’t to be fazed, her husband Jack was already a taxi driver and

nothing was going to put her off. But she had one problem, she didn’t like the idea

of going around on a moped, so she did the first 10 months in an Austin Mini and

often spoke about the number of times she was stopped by the police who were wondering why she kept

stopping and starting! She once admitted to Call Sign that she was afraid that someone might accuse her of looking for “male clients!”

Then exactly 25 years ago, Marie White achieved the impossible - she passed the Knowledge of London and became a licensed London taxi dri-

ver with badge number 25292. She and Jack both worked days and were the first-ever married couple to both drive a London taxi.

Speaking to Call Sign many years later, Marie smiled at the memory of male faces when they saw a woman driver pull up.

“I remember one gentleman whistling through his teeth to attract my attention when I was going in the opposite direction along

Bayswater Road,” she said, “then when he saw me he apologised and told me that the whistle was aimed at my taxi and not me personally!”

Marie came to Dial-a-Cab in 1983 via London Wide - the fore-runner to Computer Cab. She became the first woman to stand for a place on

our Board of Management and was successful, replacing Alun Roberts in 1988. For 2 years she was responsible for the Society’s Welfare scheme.

Her husband Jack had died some years earlier and the sight of Marie with her pet terrier in the front of the cab became a common sight with

drivers. She couldn’t bear leaving it at home alone.

Sadly, Marie White became ill and died of cancer in 1993. However, as the first-ever lady taxi driver, her legacy will live on for as

long as there are licensed taxi drivers…

J.P.Duval

Walking through the Past

Jack the Ripper

The Worshipful Company of Hackney Drivers

Disneyland (£5 is suggested, but be generous if

is pleased to invite taxi drivers, their families and

you think he’s worth more), so bring as many

friends to join Alan Goldsmith as he leads anoth-

friends and family as possible. No need to book,

er guided walk through London’s Whitechapel

just turn up on the day...

area. The walk will be on Sunday 2nd November

2014 starting from Whitechapel Station at

10.00am. He will trace the footsteps of London’s,

or maybe the world’s most notorious killer, Jack

the Ripper. Jack’s gruesome crimes, which began

in the autumn of 1888 when prostitute Mary

Ann Nicholls was found with her throat cut.

As you walk through the areas where Jack car-

ried out his crimes, be prepared to learn more of

his heinous actions. You will visit four of the five

murder sites, no other Guides cover more.

And what about the latest news, that DNA evi-

dence has now proved beyond all doubt that

Aaron Kosminski was Jack the Ripper? Alan is

not as gullible as newspaper reporters seem to

be. Come and hear what he has to say about it.

Alan Goldsmith, a Liveryman of the WCHCD

and a City of London Guide, assists with The Cab

Guide Course run by the Company and is a work-

ing cab driver. He will ask for a small donation

from each person, which he will collect on the

day. All donations will be passed onto the

WCHCD Charity fund to help towards the cost of

the annual Children’s Magical Taxi Tour to

Call Sign November 2014

Page 15

No gratuity accounts

driver’s gratuity. However, we have managed to

As soon as the V6 dispatch system has been

negotiate and secure our normal run-in

updated, further messages will be sent to you

amounts.

all. In the interim, all these accounts have had

In order for us to make these trips

a driver message added to them reminding the

recognisable on the trip offer, we are

driver the account does not carry a gratuity.

Unfortunately this message can only be seen

going to change the meaning of the ‘N’

once the trip has been accepted. Please go

attribute, which will no longer stand for

with us on this as it will only be for a very short

Cab Phone.

time before trip offers will contain the

The problem we have is that the majority of

attribute.

the fleet do not have this attribute on their list.

Getting this attribute displayed on the trip

We can update a prepared file to automatically

offer is being given top priority.

give every driver the ‘N’ attribute and only

f late, we in the Sales team have managed

those drivers who do not wish to be offered

Keith Cain

o open around a dozen relatively small

‘No Gratuity’ trips will be required to contact

corporate accounts that do not carry a

Driver Services to have the attribute removed.

DaC Head of Sales

Call Sign’s Stephen Berndes (R14) says...

IT’S A CABBY’S LIFE

Nat Rothschild and Maaxi Taxi...

I had a rather odd encounter with Nat Rothschild that tells you something about his character. It was aroun

four years ago, I was late for a pick-up in Holland Park.

Driving furiously westbound along Kensington High Street, I came to an abrupt standstill at its junc-

tion with Melbury Road where a man with a young lady was vigorously trying to hail my taxi. I recog-

nised the man to be Nat Rothschild - who was the punter I was heading to. He had become impatient

and began walking down the road in order to hail another taxi.

He looked harassed as I explained that I was actually his taxi. As he clamoured into my taxi, he called out:

“Greedy, deceitful, friggin’ cab drivers!” He used a slightly different word than friggin, but I’m sure I don’t have

to spell it out!

I took umbrage to this slur at the finest qualified taxi trade in the world, so I did something I wouldn’t usu-

ally do - I answered him back saying that his comments were a bit rich as I had always thought bankers were

the friggin deceitful lot following the world banking crisis that peaked in 2007/2008 and which had taken years

to sort out.

There followed an awkward silence before he came back: “My sister is a banker and I am a banker,

I’m going to give you the biggest tip you’ve ever had.” True to his word, when they got out, Nat Rothschild

gave me a £50 note in addition to the fare.

I found him to be a wonderfully arrogant, self-assured man. His blood may be blue and his language certainly is, but I did like his style and he was as

good as his word on the tip. I’ve had bigger tips, but I didn’t want to push my luck!

Shortly after my experience with Mr Rothschild, I heard that he had twin celebrations; there was his 40th birthday and his success in

business when becoming a billionaire at a Porto Montenegro bash. Nat Rothschild has also taken up Swiss citizenship and is a tax exile.

So naturally I was intrigued to read a recent article about Nat Rothschild’s plan to “revolutionise” our trade with a new App service called Maaxi Taxi

and how it could only be good for London’s taxi users and how it would increase the number of ways there would now be to order a taxi.

On the other hand, Nat Rothschild and partner Gabi Campos are only interested in huge profits and I remain cynical that cab sharing will

live up to their expectations, although I do believe that unlike Hailo, they will keep their word to only use black taxis.

What is absolutely certain is that our traditional work of street hails is rapidly being eroded by using these Apps and soon private hire will rightfully ask

if we are taxi or private hire drivers.

George Orwell’s allegorical book, Animal Farm, seems to increasingly draw parallels between taxi driver workers and his farm animals. We are like

Boxer, the dedicated and loyal cart-horse working longer and longer hours for decreasing returns - while the App owners are like Napoleon the pig,

changing the rules to increase profits.

As George Orwell famously said in those pages: “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”

Dispatchers

I recently worked a night shift, the first time for a number of years. You forget how dispiriting and lonely the job it is at such a bleak time, late evening and

early morning. The relationship we have with the computer can help offset isolation. Becoming engaged with the despatcher, whether reading an onslaught

of messages or sometimes pithy remarks from our fellow drivers; if they are attributed to a despatchers name, then human contact is felt.

This interaction is lost by replacing the despatcher‘s name being a reference number, turning the computer into a sterile screen loses any feeling of

team spirit. That night I sent a message enquiring whether the dispatcher was a person or a number, referring to The Prisoner TV series starring Patrick

McGoohan. The message was ignored. Presumably orders from above preclude any response to small talk.

When the late Dave Parris was a despatcher and fervent Arsenal supporter, I had an annual bet against Arsenal with him. Twenty pounds in an enve-

lope used to regularly find its way to the despatch room until finally I had won. Then I learnt the crafty Dave Parris upped sticks and joined Holloway

prison as a Warden - not an inmate I may add. He is still sadly missed.

The most gifted despatcher in my time was Joe Brazil (K16). To use Rudyard Kipling’s waffle - if you can keep your head when all about you are

losing theirs. He operated when Dial-a-Cab was seriously busy, the only bloke who could multi-task like a woman! He had time to answer questions no

matter how banal or crazy with a succinct reply in his deadpan delivery way.

It is only this week that I discovered DS0028 is really Lee Moreland, that excellent despatcher with thirty years at Dial-a-Cab to his name - now a team

leader on days.

Wouldn’t it be sensible to reinstate the despatcher’s names for the benefit for drivers?

Stephen Berndes

Call Sign Online

Call Sign November 2014

Page 16

TOM: IT’S

GOOD NEWS!

months that would be replaced with a perma-

how was my passing of excrement. I said

nent colostomy bag.

that it wasn’t quite so bad, but assumed that

“I really was devastated,” Tom told this mag-

it was me with wishful thinking, even

The August issue of Call Sign car-

azine. “A temporary bag was bad enough, but

though it was nowhere near as bad as it had

at least I could count down the months until

been.

ried some distressing news from

it came off. Then when the consultant told

“Then he totally shocked me by saying

long-time Dial-a-Cab Board mem-

me that the healing process apparently was-

that the healing process had suddenly start-

ber Tom Whitbread.

n’t working and that in November he would

ed and that if it continued - and he expect-

He had previously been rushed into the

fit a permanent one, I felt absolutely awful. I

ed it to - then the op would be cancelled and

Homerton hospital with stomach pains, only to

know that people with colostomy bags live

I would no longer need the bag. To say I felt

be told that he needed a colostomy bag for six

normal lives nowadays, but the thought of it

totally exalted would be an understatement!

months while parts of his innards that were

really was distressing.

It was a magical moment and whilst there

causing the problem, healed. Then while wait-

“Then I had to go and see my consultant

could be the possibility of the healing stop-

ing for the reversal op 6 months on, he was

prior to the op for a chat, but instead of what

ping, it appears to be unlikely. We hear lots

given more devastating news. Yes, they were

I expected - a chat to prepare me for the

about the NHS, but when it works there is

removing the temporary bag, but in several

operation - he asked how I was feeling and

nothing in the world as good…”

The Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers

Three Peaks challenge completed

ach year the Children’s Magical

for the last peak. The weather

Taxi Tour, organised by The

conditions were similar to

Worshipful Company of Hackney

Scarfell and visibility was

extremely poor. We were all

Carriage Drivers, raises sponsor-

completely soaked through on

ship to ensure that as many children as

possible can enjoy the trip to Disneyland

this leg of the trip as well.

Paris. Throughout the year different fund

“I think we all agreed the

raising activities take place and some of

challenge was a lot harder

than we ever thought it

these are hard physical challenges.

would be and it certainly

This year a team sponsored by

Proximo took on the Three Peaks

wasn't a walk in the park.

Challenge with Leigh Dargan,

But we have raised £5,000

Regional Business Manager at

for the trip now and dona-

tions are still coming in. We

Proximo taking up the challenge,

are grateful to all those have su

together with Wendy Sorrell from

Putney Bridge, Dan Fosker from

us, including Proximo, who funded the travel, minibus, hotels and mountain leaders.”

Quotax, Steve Vare and David

Williams from Proximo.

Leigh, Wendy and Gary are all

WCHCD Liverymen and Dan Fosker is a

Freeman. Leigh said:

PAUL’S TAXI SPECIALISTS LTD

“The challenge started at Ben Nevis,

where the weather was in our favour.

Unit 10, Ford View Industrial Estate, 83 New Rd Rainham, RM13 8ET

Bright blue skies - and nothing like it

was forecast! We got up Ben Nevis in

good time, taking 3 hours. Once we had

Tel: 01708 553037

completed that part of the challenge, we

drove straight to Scarfell Pike. We

FREE AIR FILTER WITH EVERY SERVIC

WE ALSO HAVE CABS FOR RENT

arrived there at 3am - in the pitch black.

TX1 servicing from £48

TX1s, TX2s, TX4s and Vitos

Gone was the blue sky of Ben Nevis. The

TX2 servicing from £70

Rentals from £165 per week

weather conditions were awful and 20

TX4 servicing from £90

minutes into the challenge even the Fire

and Rescue team had turned back due

All Work Undertaken

to the wind and clouds. However, our

Servicing - Running Repairs - Overhauls - Small Fleets Welcome - Discounts Available

mountain leader didn't give up and got

All TX1, TX2, TX4

us to the top. Our last leg of the jour-

Starters - Batteries - Alternators - All with 2 year Warranty

ney was to Snowdon, taking longer

than expected due to the traffic on the

Fax: 01708 551443

Web: www.PaulsTaxiSpecialists.co.uk

M6. Our driver, Gary Pyner, joined us

Call Sign November 2014

Page 17

re you of that kind of vintage that

Another true story from Geoff Levene

means you can remember the

Marylebone Grill? This was the cof-

fee stall type establishment situated

A HISTORY OF EATING

at the northern end of Great Central Street

almost looking at the station. Despite rather

cramped conditions, it served sandwiches,

THE TAXI WAY…

rolls, beigels and platzels etc with a wide

Boatman drove in to spend a penny and

range of excellent fillings. I recall one chap

parked in the car wash. He left the engine

who on learning there was no chopped liver

running with the cab in gear, but didn't put

beigels, opted for a bacon sandwich. From

the handbrake on properly. As he stood in the

the sublime to the ridiculous!

Gents doing what men standing in the Gents

I don't know how long it had been open

do, the cab slowly moved forward and more

when I first went there in

1971, but it

or less joined him. Ray did something similar

remained in operation until 1976 when the

and drove the cab through the fence and into

Council said it had to move to make room for

Hampstead Road! Then there was the very

a bus stand. So it was hitched up and towed

short sighted cook known as ‘Pebbles’ who

to a site on the corner of Granby Terrace

presented a driver with a plate of steak pie,

and Hampstead Road - and the Granby

chips and gravy. After just one bite, the driver

Grill was born!

delved into the pastry and found no steak -

That eatery opened late into the evenings

just apple! And of course there was ‘Hippo’

and they started to serve chips. Bad idea

who stepped into what he thought was a pud-

because one night, a few years later, the chip

dle. Unfortunately it was an open man-hole

pan caught fire and that was the end of that.

So what prompted this foray into the

NW1? Initially some drivers brought their

full of water. Down he went to became firmly

history of cab trade catering? Well, the

sandwiches into the site and then a

wedged. He got damages from the freehold-

other afternoon a little grey-haired old

Portacabin appeared, toilets were

ers.

lady stopped me in Wellington Road to go

installed, an automatic car wash was

Eventually Derek moved on and the place

to Maida Vale. Although it was probably

erected and enter Derek Summers - The

was taken over by Anna, her daughter Nicky

36 years since I had last seen her, I recog-

Granby Grill was reborn!

and husband Andy. One of the staff was a

nised her instantly.

Assisted by his daughters Sherry and Elise

pretty blonde called Lorraine. She became

“Aren't you Maggie Murray,” I asked.

and staff from the nearby estates, Derek ran a

pregnant and left. I was the only person who

She looked and asked how I knew and I

24/7 operation, which proved very popular

hadn't realised that Andy was the father.

told her that I remembered her from the

with the trade. The place was mobbed with

Amazingly, Andy stayed on till he could pay

off his ex-wife and mother-in-law

- and

Marylebone Grill. This was the feisty and for-

drivers often queuing to get in and parking in

midable lady who ran the joint along with her

every available gap. If a TV crew wanted to

Lorraine then returned. They ran a very tight

mild-mannered husband, Stan. She was

interview a cabdriver, this was where they

ship until one day they were suddenly gone.

thrilled that I remembered her and spoke of

came to. Barry Humphries aka Dame Edna

A little problem with the VAT apparently.

the good old days. She is now a hale and

Everage and Sir Les Patterson even did a

Well, we all know who has the site now,

hearty 92, but said that if she had the chance

book launch there.

but whenever I drive by I always remem-

she would do it all again.

So many things happened there. Fun, frol-

ber the good times I had there. And of

So what happened after the great fire of

ics and the occasional fight. ‘Shaking’ Sam

course you can’t help but wonder if Liam

Griffin sells tea there…?

Geoff Levene (W32)

£100 CAPTION WINNER

Call Sign Online

Having given away far too many £100 prizes of late, Call Sign is giving

its caption competition a rest! The winner of last month’s competition

was Terry Pamenter (R44), who has been on DaC for exactly 10 years so

Immaculate White

he cops £10 for every year! Thanks to the other 127 entrants but sadly

we can only pick one winner. Terry’s caption was:

Cab Available for

Ha ha! Ok you win, now it’s my turn - rock, paper, scissors…

Weddings

Female driver

10% reduction for Dial-a-Cab drivers

Contact Debbie (W18) on

07956 317040

Call Sign November 2014

Page 18

Standing for the po

There are two candidates standing for the position of Dial-a-Cab Chairman. One is th

Call Sign has also invited both proposers to address DaC d

If you have any questions, please send them to Call Sign for publication in the next issue (1st Decem

understanding of the financial side of the busines

Brian Rice (Q01) Sitting Chairman

at Dial-a- Cab House and externally to the membe

Proposed by Keith Cain(Q07), Seconded by Allan Evans (Y83)

clients, to reassure them of our service and sell t

Although I have been Chairman

that Brian has all these qualities and he should be

for the past eighteen years, writ-

With the challenge of Chairman coming from a

ing a CV for Call Sign is new to

rest of the Board - that we are in a positive posi

me as I have never been

solely on Garry’s contributions to the Board over

opposed before.

duties as a Compliance officer, he has not inspire

I have been a Member of the

the existing Board to merit standing for the Chai

Society in excess of forty years

the rest of the Board, has aspirations to become t

and can remember the early

official announcement that he was intending to s

nineties when Dial-a-Cab

his decision. I will not denigrate Garry in any wa

almost ceased trading due to

as he was with the Board when telling of the rea

financial difficulties during a

time did Garry offer anything to the Board as to

recession. Although I was not a

would make changes or attempt to improve any

Board Member during that peri-

I believe the rule within our rule book which

od, when I did become

two years before they are entitled to stand for C

Chairman I promised myself

Garry to Brian, Garry just does not meet the min

that Dial-a-Cab would not face

of a Head of this Society.

those problems again during

That does not mean that in the future Garry w

my term. Consequently, I went about building funds that would see Dial-a-Cab through tough

Chair with the support of the Board. There is so

times if and when they appeared again, as they are usually cyclical.

a business of this size and in my opinion Garry s

We began by re-branding in order to acquire a polished, professional, corporate image through-

I believe our biggest strength within the Societ

out the Society and establish ourselves in the market place.

weakness at times. This could be one of those ti

It was abundantly clear to me that we were desperately in need of an IT department, something

business and when such a senior position chan

we never had, as in the past most work carried out on behalf of Dial-a-Cab had been outsourced.

into the role over a period of time. It would the

Our own IT department was built and staffed and is still the best in the business.

the role of Chairman knowing he/she has the ful

We have re-equipped the whole fleet twice with new equipment and on the first occasion we

Timing is everything within any organisation a

became the first taxi company in the UK to have a touch screen terminal. Since then we have

for a change to stop and think whether such a c

designed and built our own Accounting System, Booking Screens and Customer Platforms togeth-

together with the rest of the Board, do not and o

er with a Client App; we are now in the midst of building a new despatching system. No-one else

in the UK taxi industry is capable of that achievement and it is something I am extremely proud

Garry White (L65) Sittin

of.

We have also purchased our current building for cash, which incidentally has more than dou-

Board Member

bled in value, adding several £millions to your assets and something which has proven to be a fan-

Proposed by Patricia Graves (L53

tastic investment for your Society.

Seconded by Mark Partridge (R30

During my Chairmanship, we have never had a Bank debt or indeed, any debt to service. Even

during the past six or so years, a period that has seen others in our industry go into administra-

Ladies and gents

tion, your Society has never had a debt and we can still boast that we are financially secure with

You will see that I appear ‘twice’ on the ballot fo

in excess of £5m at the Bank - and that is even after re-equipping the whole fleet.

when it drops through your letter box, both

I would like to make it quite clear that everything that has been achieved during the past eigh-

Chairman and Board Member. I have been asked

teen years could not have been possible without the total support from the Board of Dial-a-Cab,

fellow Board Members this question:

which I have been fortunate enough to have attained.

“Do you have the experience to do what it tak

With all that is going on in our industry, now is not the time for change within Dial-a-Cab; we

to run a business from the top?”

need stability. The Society needs experience and a Chairman that has total respect and support

I am wonderfully naïve to certain aspects of w

from his Board, something that cannot be demanded but which has to be earned.

the Chairman of DaC does; however moreover, I

Consequently, I would like to ask for your support during the forthcoming election for

enthusiastic and willing to rise to the challenge. Y

Chairman.

do not ever know if you can truly lead a busin

until you sit in that seat! Nonetheless I am most d

Brian Rice proposer: Keith Cain (Q07)

initely up for the challenge.

I am proposing Brian as Chairman and as one of the longest serving Board members, I hope you

I do genuinely believe that leaders do not have

agree that my knowledge of how a Chairman should conduct themselves in this position is one of

We have some exceptional people that work for

value. I would be the first to put myself forward if I felt Brian was not the right person to lead the

lent job and the Accounts team likewise. But in m

Society.

we tender in the same way as we always have d

Brian has been the longest serving Chairman in the history of our Society and during his term

perspective. The old ‘one size fits all’ era is mos

of office has had to deal with some very difficult situations, and dare I say it, some very awkward

tailor an account to where it’s based.

members. But, Brian has dealt with everything thrown at him in such a way that you cannot have

How many of you night drivers would sit on ‘E

anything other than respect for him.

where you didn’t need a run-in because you wer

When Brian was first elected to the Chair, he was given the support of the Board to improve the

should be no run-in or no gratuity added, howe

image of the Society and he has certainly fulfilled that role. Brian has also gained the respect of

cuits are winning tenders where we are failing. W

other trade heads and played a prominent role in representing the trade as a whole when involved

We have no marketing at the moment other th

in discussions with senior heads of TfL, including the Mayor.

this costs money but the Society can afford to sp

The role of Chairman requires an individual to demonstrate confidence, have an excellent

made by you, the members when times were bu

Call Sign November 2014

Page 19

st of DaC Chairman

he current Chairman Brian Rice, while opposing him is DaC Board Member Garry White.

rivers in addition to the candidates providing their own CVs.

mber). A response will be forthcoming in the 1st January issue and before any voting has taken place…

s and to show leadership qualities both internally

users to the DaC app by offering some promo codes via Twitter and Facebook.

ers. Equally as important is being able to deal with

I’m so pleased that there are fellow members of the Society that are willing to put themselves

the Society whenever required. No one can deny

forward to represent you on the Board. It is essential that we have innovative ideas and an

elected to continue his exceptionally good work.

approach that can push us forward.

nother Board Member, I also believe - as does the

No, this will not be an easy task, yet it is an exciting challenge that if we do not try, we will never

tion to judge the ability of the challenger. Based

know!

the last two years and how he has carried out his

So please, do think carefully before you put your ‘X’ in the box of candidates of your choice, as

d the confidence required to obtain support from

we cannot carry on with the ‘we will be ok’ attitude. Changes are needed and your vote counts.

ir. Garry comes across as a very nice guy and like

he Chairman of Dial-a-Cab. When Garry made his

Garry White proposer: Patricia Graves (L53)

tand against Brian, in turn the Board questioned

My name is Patricia Graves; I have been a taxi driver for 24 years and been a society member of

y, but I hope he will be honest with the members

Dial-a-Cab for 22 years.

son why he wanted to stand against Brian. At no

I would like to propose Garry White as our new Chairman. I have known Garry for 20 years both

how he planned on leading the Society, how he

privately and professionally.

facet of the Society.

He successfully applied and was voted by you the members, to become an arbitrator. As you are

allows a Board Member to serve a minimum of

all aware, he successfully applied and became a Board member in February 2013; this was not an

hair has been proven to be incorrect. Comparing

easy task as no one had previously been successful since Allan Evans 12 years earlier. Gary suc-

imum requirements needed to hold the position

cessfully earned this role as he canvassed and spoke to many of you about his goals and vision for

promoting our Society.

ould never have the opportunity to stand for the

He was given the job of Compliance officer and has managed to successfully achieve this role in

much for an individual to learn about managing

the one day a week that he is in the office.

till has a great deal to learn.

Garry clearly has his finger on the pulse as not only is he part of the Board, but he still works as

y is our democracy, but it can also be our biggest

a full time taxi driver and continually makes the time to stop and talk to other Society members.

mes. Forward planning is an integral part of any

We are all aware of our loss of subscribers and major accounts and even though we still have a

ges, another Board Member should be groomed

huge reputation with customers for being the best, Garry as the new Chairman would have the

n help the members to ratify the individual into

vision and enthusiasm to take this Society forward.

l support of the Board.

Garry is always well presented and has a power of presence when he enters a room. He pos-

nd I urge those members who feel that it is time

sesses an extremely professional approach and would be very well received by potential clients.

change would be in the Society’s best interest. I,

One of the unique qualities that he holds is that he always listens and gives you his time - an impor-

our belief is that your votes should go to Brian.

tant trait to have, especially within a position of authority.

I believe Garry would pursue his role as Chairman with positiveness, enthusiasm and drive and

so I am asking for you to vote Garry White as the new Chairman of Dial-a-Cab.

)

Improvements to

the Taxi Disclosure and

for

Barring Service

kes

number of improvements have been made to the Taxi (and

hat

Private Hire) disclosure service provided by our third party

service provider GB Group (GBG), formally known as TMG.

ess

In recent months, TfL has been working with our disclosure service provider TMG to

ef-

review the current process and to implement changes which will help improve the disclo-

sure service.

e just ‘one style’, there are more ways to succeed!

As part of the overall service upgrade, GBG have altered their service name

DaC, such as the IT department who do an excel-

from TMG CRB to Online Disclosures. We are currently updating our documenta-

my opinion we are not as strong in ‘Sales’ because

tion to reflect this change.

one! We desperately need an exciting, fresh new

The key Improvements for Taxi & Private Hire are:

st definitely now over! By this I mean we should

* The functionality is now Smartphone and tablet compatible.

* The pages have been re-designed to make them user friendly.

14’ of an evening waiting for an account journey

e already there? I’m not saying that every account

* The app forms have been simplified, reducing the time needed to complete.

ever a different approach is needed, as other cir-

Access to the new web pages https://gbg.onlinedisclosures.co.uk will remain the

Why?

same, as will the contact details.

an supersides to taxis and hand-out cards, I know

Helen Chapman

end a little to speculate. After all, the money was

LTPH General Manager

usier. Let’s see if we can attract the younger app

Call Sign November 2014

Page 20

Call Sign’s old

printers, prison

and a love nest!

The Sun breaks the love

nest story!

Open Prison in Kent as a day

release was supposed to do

some building work, wasn’t

Alan Tarrant was happy to have been

actually just building but

laid off!

was meeting a married

woman with whom he had

n our May 2011 issue, we

an affair! Day release does

published one of the most

include a monthly overnight

shocking stories we have

stop with family, but Phil’s

interpretation of family

been involved in - mainly

apparently included some-

I was standing on top of £millions of fake £20

because it was so personal to

one else’s family! The husband is now seek-

notes. Even worse, at the time messages were

Call Sign. The title gave away

ing a divorce. The woman at first claimed that

going out over the DaC terminals about

she only saw Phil at his sister’s house when

the sudden concern: Print firm

watching out for dodgy £20 notes - and there

he was on day release. However, a newspaper

I was unwittingly sitting down next to the

was really counterfeit business!

photographer from The Sun took photos of

For many years, going back to the

actual printing press that probably produced

the couple at times when Phil should have

them!”

Editorship of Jery Craig and for the first 14

been working as the builder. She then

years of Alan Fisher’s tenure of this maga-

The Serious Organised Crime Agency

refused to comment. Meanwhile Phil Brown

(SOCA) closed the business down claiming

zine’s hot seat, the printers of the mag - and

has been moved to a secure prison while an

much of the significant amount of stationery

that it had been a front for the fraud business.

investigation is carried out.

Had Call Sign been asked as a witness, we’d

that Dial-a-Cab uses for its day to day busi-

have said that it was such an amazing ‘front’

Dennis Latchett

ness - came from John Brown Printers at

because they did an excellent job in produc-

West Norwood.

Call Sign Online

Alan told us of his memories of the time:

ing our magazine and that Phil and Christian

were really nice people. What did we know!

“It was in early 2010. I used to take the

magazine proofs to West Norwood where

The three men were arrested by City of

London Police officers in June 2010, not long

between myself and John Brown typesetter

Police Appeal

after Call Sign moved over to a new printer

Alan Tarrant, we produced the monthly Call

Sign. Then one day Alan phoned to ask if I’d

because the satisfaction that this magazine

Can you help to locate a taxi driver

always felt suddenly ended when Alan Tarrant

heard what had happened following a police

following a collision in Hammersmith

raid at the premises. There was a door that

was suddenly laid off and his replacement

was always locked but what no one knew

never matched up to Alan’s high standard.

Police are appealing for help from the public to

The Editor mentioned his concerns to

trace a taxi driver after a road traffic collision in

except for some members of John Brown’s

family, was that behind the door was the

Chairman Brian Rice who decided to put the

Hammersmith. Officers were called on Saturday 4

account out to tender.

October at 03:10hrs to North End Road SW6 to

equipment that enabled three men - two of

Alan Tarrant told Call Sign: “I never once

reports of a vehicle in collision with a pedestrian.

John’s sons, Phil and Christian together with

suspected that £millions were being printed

On arrival, officers discovered a 39-year-old

an employee - to print counterfeit £20 notes.

man suffering head injuries. He was taken by

under my nose. I’m just pleased that I was

A cousin, Daniel Brown, was discovered to be

the London Ambulance Service to a central

involved in the production of Euro50 notes.

laid off before the police became involved

London hospital, where he was in a stable con-

because I assume that everyone that worked

At Kingston Crown Court in April 2011,

dition. It is thought at this early stage that the

Phillip Brown pleaded guilty to cultivation of

at John Brown Printing would have been a

driver had spoken to the pedestrian about a

cannabis and abstraction of electricity. He

suspect!”

possible fare. The driver may not have known

The investigation also discovered the three

was also convicted of conspiracy to make

the incident happened as he pulled away. The

counterfeit £20 banknotes and conspiracy to

men were part of a wider organised crime

collision is being investigated by the Serious

deliver counterfeit 50euro notes. He was sen-

gang involved in a range of organised crimi-

Collision Investigation Unit based at Merton

tenced to nine and a half years.

nal activities and during the investigation,

Traffic Garage.

they found a full cannabis production facility

Detective Constable Nicola Linton said; “We

Christian Brown pleaded guilty to the same

charges and also received a similar sentence.

in Phil Brown’s home. Christian Brown, who

are very keen to hear from the taxi driver who

stopped to speak to a 39-year-old white man

The estimated total of fraudulent notes pro-

Call Sign always relied on to sort out produc-

on North End Road, just south of Halford Road

duced was almost £18million.

tion dates and who Alan Fisher described as

on Saturday, 4 October at about 03:00hrs.”

Call Sign Editor Alan Fisher told this mag-

always being friendly and helpful, kept what

The driver, or anyone with any informa-

azine: “I remember feeling stunned and so

was described as a ‘business plan’ that set out

tion about the collision, is asked to contact

sorry for their dad John Brown! I knew Phil

projections for a £100,000 return on every 2-

the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on

and Christian as friendly people who always

3 month cannabis plant cycle.

0208 543 5157 or Crimestoppers anony-

put themselves out in order to make sure

Now it seems that Phil Brown, who as part

mously on 0800 555 111.

Call Sign went out on time! I never dreamed

of his rehabilitation from Standford Hill

Call Sign November 2014

Page 21

Following a letter to Dial-a-Cab

subscribers from Chairman Brian

Merger: Large majority in

Rice on behalf of the Board ask-

ing for a simple yes or no as to

favour of looking further

whether they were in favour of

the BoM looking further into a

possibility of merging with

Radio Taxis (now a part of the

Mountview House Group Ltd),

DaC’s drivers voted by a huge

majority to look into that possi-

bility.

The responses, which had to be returned to

DaC House by 8 October, showed that over 91

percent of drivers had said yes with just 8.8

order to change the status of the Society. In

lion) and move into one shared premises -

percent saying that they were not interested.

between would see several other meetings

possibly a leased back Dial-a-Cab House. It is

The letter explained that competition in the

where drivers could ask questions.

expected that both ourselves and Mountview

workplace was fierce and that some of it was

If drivers vote in favour and agreement

(including Xeta) would keep their own identi-

after corporate work. It suggested that the two

is reached on the details, then DaC would

ties for the immediate future, with the aim of

circuits as one would have a far greater pull

distribute the majority of its cash assets to

becoming one circuit further on down the

with around 2500 drivers, rather than two

eligible members and this is expected to

line. The letter added that the details were not

smaller circuits.

be in the region of £4,000 per member. A

cast in stone but just a brief outline of how the

To proceed with a merger would require an

further £6,000 per member is expected to

process could begin.

EGM with a minimum of 75% + 1 of drivers

be raised when DaC House is sold.

The first ever suggestion of an amalgama-

being in favour. If that were to be successful, a

The two circuits would then merge their

tion of what was then ODRTS and Radio Taxis

further two meetings would be required in

respective turnovers (approximately £46mil-

South took place in 1954.

Dial-a-Cab Credit Union

The best Credit Union in the UK!

Christmas is fast

Taxi Tyre Shop

Don't forget that we have our tyre shop back

approaching

downstairs, it's been fairly successful since it

Yes as my title says, it’s nearly that time of

started but it can use some more sales as it

the year again! I don't know about you, but

helps the Credit Union pay the rent. Also, if

time is going far too fast for my liking - or is

you have savings upstairs in the CU, come in

it an age thing? Still, I suppose I’m lucky that

get your new tyres or whatever and pay

I'm only 38 (and I’m just 23… Ed)!

through your savings so you don't spend your

Anyway let’s get back to the matter in hand

float. Don’t say you will do it tomorrow,

- our wonderful DaC Credit Union, which as I

because tomorrow never comes and if you

have mentioned on many occasions is so suc-

get a flashing blue light in your rear view mir-

cessful thanks to all you boys and girls out

ror, you can rest easy with your new rubber!

there. But that's enough of that - I don' want you getting big heads! As you all probably know,

Ok enough of my ramblings hope to see

our Credit Union continues to be successful, mostly with the loans that get taken out, so I am

or hear from you in the very near future so

expecting the office to be getting extremely busy with the holidays (sorry, is that too American,

be lucky… and be careful out there.

well no mind).

John Riley

As I was saying: Loans! There are lots of new items coming into the shops that your kids

DACCU Vice President

and grandkids have earmarked for Father Christmas, or maybe that piece of jewellery that

your nearest and dearest has seen, so why not come and see us to get that loan in place ready

for whatever you want it for.

We are not expensive; £1000 loan over one year works out around £70 in interest,

so why use your own money when you can use ours! My favourite piece of advice to

members is not to use your own money because once it’s gone it’s gone and the way

things are these days, it’s easy to spend but hard to save it back up.

Give the Credit Union office a call on 0207 729 8171 or just pop in and we will do

our best to sort you out. Please see our ad on page 22 for details.

Harp Credit Union

We as a Board are putting into motion the amalgamation of the Harp CU into the Dial-a-Cab

Credit Union. We feel that this will be a prudent move, albeit that the Harp is reasonably suc-

cessful, but the overheads of the running the two ie insurances etc is horrendous. Then there

are the Financial Conduct Authority’s levies and fees plus a separate bank account and its

charges. It is coincidental that Dial-a-Cab is also thinking of joining with Radio Taxis at the

same time - perhaps it’s the way of the world.

There will be letters going out in the near future to see if there are any objections to this

merger; on a personal level I can't see why, as this will make the Dial-a-Cab Credit Union even

bigger and stronger.

Call Sign November 2014

Page 22

“I feels very sad at leaving all

After 46 years with the Society…

his,” Sid Nathan told Call Sign as

he was about to leave Dial-a-

Cab House for his last day as a

SID SAYS GOODBYE TO DAC

licensed taxi driver.

“I have been on this circuit since I

passed the Knowledge in 1968 at the age

of 33. I had met an ODRTS driver called

Gerald Lewis who told me that radio was

the best way to work and that the subs on

the circuit were £12 a month. I joined and

have never regretted it. But that was 1968

and it now makes me ready for retirement.

“I have made so many friends during

those 46 years, during which time I was

elected onto the DaC Arbitration

Committee. But you can’t carry on forever

and it’s time to drive my dear wife Ivy mad

by no doubt getting under her feet while

telling her about my time with the greatest

radio circuit in the world!”

Sid arrived at the ODRTS HQ of

Shirland Road during the reign of Jack

Russell and followed that with Jack

Taylor’s chairmanship before arriving at

Sid loved speaking at AGMs

Martin Gellman. It was at that time that

Sid felt more at ease as a member of the

broke down whilst working. He was

thank Brian Rice and his Board for every-

circuit and got to know Martin, his Board

always at the Finsbury Square rank if you

thing. Also to the wonderful members of

and also the staff of the time. Since then,

needed him and I often wondered how he

staff including Roman Way, who are all

Sid told this magazine, he has always felt

earned a living as he was always under

always so nice. These are going to be excit-

part of the Society’s fabric.

someone else’s taxi! Sadly I can’t remem-

ing times for DaC with talks of a merger

In addition to the above three, Sid

ber his name, but he once came out to me

etc, and I just wish I could be part of that.

has also seen out the Chairmanships of

in Barnet to fit a new lift pump and other

But the time has come to go and that is

Phil Messias, Aubrey Siteman, Peter

than paying for the part, refused to take

what I must do.

Fennymore and Ken Burns!

anything else! I bought him a bottle of

“To all my many friends on Dial-a-Cab, I

“Of course I have had moans in Call

brandy as a thank you for the next day and

say thank you for being my friend and I

Sign, but most of my thoughts on DaC

almost had to force him to accept it. But

wish you all the very best of health and

have been positive. I also have to say that

that was the spirit of Dial-a-Cab and

good luck for the future…”

the current man in charge, Brian Rice,

although things had to change once we

Ed’s note: I believe that the driver Sid

isn’t just an excellent Chairman who cares

went data, this has still always been the cir-

refers to may have been Steve Sharp (ex-

deeply for Dial-a-Cab, but he is also some-

cuit that cares.

F34).

one who cares about his members. I

“As this huge chapter of my life closes

Have a happy retirement Sid…

remember on one occasion when I had

and I move on, I would sincerely like to

become involved with the doorman of a St

James’ restaurant and he ended up hitting

me. I had to attend a City of Westminster

Dial-a-Cab Credit Union

disciplinary meeting at Marylebone Town

Hall. The Board got to hear about the inci-

Ever needed money quickly but were anxious about

dent and wanted to know what had hap-

variable bank interest rates?

pened. Not only did Brian accept my side

Well wonder no more! If you are a subscriber, journeyman or

but he even went to the town hall to speak

member of staff at Dial-a-Cab, then you qualify to join the

on my behalf. You never forget when

Dial-a-Cab Credit Union. Any member of your family residing

someone shows as much kindness as

at your address also qualifies for membership!

Brian Rice did.

Then if you are over 18, have been a member of the Credit Union for

“On the day that I went to DaC House to

over 3 months and have established regular savings, you can borrow

say goodbye before going to Roman Way

up to 3 times your total savings…

to get stripped out, someone asked me if

the Chairman knew. I said I didn’t want to

The cost?

bother him but someone phoned him to

Just 1% per month on the outstanding balance (or APR of 12.7%).

say that I was downstairs and he came

Loans can be paid back early AND there can be an annual dividend on your shares.

straight down and spoke to me for around

The question is: Can you afford NOT to be in it…?

15 minutes wishing me good luck and say-

Call us on 020 7729 8171 or 020 7749 0585

ing that I was always welcome to visit. On

the Gentleman’s Circuit, Brian Rice is a

Members of the Financial Ombudsman Service

true gent.

Member’s funds protected up to limit set by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme

DaC Credit Union Ltd, Peterley Business Centre, 472 Hackney Rd E2 9EQ

“Going back many years, I would also

Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority

like to say thank you to a driver who was

Registration number 213263

famous for repairing our taxis when they

Call Sign November 2014

Page 23

How many queens?

More recollections from the past from DaC Board Member Tom Whitbread

As I drove up the Balls Pond

Road in my very clean red FX4

on a balmy Saturday evening

TOM’S TALES

many years ago, my Dial-a-Cab

Pye radio suddenly crackled into

Stairs Billy, was always immaculately dressed

life announcing that there was a

and had this high semi-woman’s voice. The

staff of the Queen Mother led a rather shel-

job in N19 going to Paddington

tered life away from most of the usual encoun-

for cash.

ters that we see every day. This was due to the

In those days you ran for what looked to be

royal residences being in such out of the way

a lucrative job and this looked to be one. So

places - the countryside of Scotland or Windsor

I ploughed up the Holloway Road, through

Great Park. So the sights and problems that we

the back streets of Archway junction in the

encounter each day, they do not.

days when you still could, and stopped out-

So as we walked down the Strand and

side a rather large house. I was just about to

passed Coutts Bank, there was a less fortunate

get out to ring the doorbell when a voice

person asleep on the pavement outside the

called out: “Down in a minute cabbie...”

main door. Billy, who was dressed in blue blaz-

After some minutes, my passenger

er, grey slacks and a yellow Rupert Bear scarf,

appeared at the top of the front steps in a ball

asked what this man was doing outside the

gown that was straight out of a scene from a

Queens Bank. I had to quickly explain that he

Charles Dickens novel. I think it was what

After spending over six years in the Merchant

was homeless.

many ladies of the time modelled their hand-

Navy, I was kicking myself that I had not

Billy then walked briskly across to the sleep-

knitted toilet roll covers on! With long hair

picked up on the clues!

ing man, tapped him on the shoulder and as he

ringlets, fake diamond necklace and

The instructions were then to make our way

awoke bleary eyed Billy said: “This is Coutts,

bracelets; it was just as you would imagine

to the Porchester Hall in Porchester Road. As I

the Queens bank, can you not go and sleep

Cinderella went to the ball.

had now broken the ice and struck up a con-

outside Barclays.” He just did not understand

It was a bit of a squeeze getting the hooped

versation with them, they told me it was the

the man’s predicament.

dress through the door frame of the cab, but

monthly Queens Ball they were attending.

The Queen Mother liked all of the gays that

we managed it and I was then directed to a

“Oh, it’s a wonderful evening darling, why

worked for her, but she often reminded them

street off Hemmingford Road, Islington,

don’t you join us? You will have the time of

that she was the only real Queen amongst

where we picked up another Cinderella in a

your life.”

them and they fully understood their place!

dress as splendid as the first with all the

To which I quickly replied that I was sorry

There was one afternoon when we were

accessories. As we pulled away, I noticed lots

but if I went home without a nights takings,

loading the vehicles with luggage for the annu-

of the neighbours at the windows watching

my wife would remove a certain part of my

al summer holiday in Scotland which Reg, the

the scene unfold. I felt as though I was trans-

anatomy and then I would have to join their

Queen Mother’s Butler, was supervising in the

porting celebrities to some major event

clan!

main hallway of Clarence House. As I passed

where there’d be an abundance of camera-

Over the years that the Ball was held, I

him, he called out to one of the Footmen,

men - the word paparazzi had not yet

picked up many punters going to and from

“Neil, Neil.” I thought this is my chance for a

become part of the English language!

there and always found them to be some of

laugh, so I dropped to my knees and said what

The next pickup point was a little pub on

the best customers you could find; always

do you want? Everyone around started to laugh

Marylebone High Street; on arrival I was

polite, funny and never any problem. They

but then suddenly stopped. I looked around

asked to go inside and tell a lady whose first

were also very quick-witted with an answer

and saw Her Majesty at the top of the main

name I was given, that her friends were wait-

for every situation. But they’d cut you down

staircase with a very big grin on her face; even

ing in the taxi outside. As there were only two

to size with a quick return and embarrass you

at her advanced years she could see the

customers and the barman inside, it didn’t

in front of everyone within earshot if they

humour.

take much working out to spot my passenger

thought you were being nasty.

This was not to be the only occasion that Her

sitting there on a high bar stool dressed in a

Majesty came up behind me when we were

beautiful full length black velvet dress with a

The REAL Queen!

larking about, but as it was in private away

long train carefully laid along the floor.

I suppose it was only a short step for me

from the general public, she could enjoy the

“Oh, cabbie, would you please be a dear

to go from one set of Queens to another -

occasion.

and hold my train so that it doesn’t get dirty

the Royal Family!

Drive safely...

on the pavement.”

As I wrote in my last column, I used to work

Tom Whitbread

Anything that was likely to get me a bigger

as a chauffeur for HM Queen Elizabeth the

tip was ok with me - at least within reason -

DaC Board Member

Queen Mother. By the time I started to work

so I duly lifted the train and we crossed the

part-time for her, I was very adept in spotting a

pavement, just like the Queen and her Page.

gay person by sight or sound. The Queen

Call Sign

As the cab door opened, one of the passen-

Mother had quite a collection of gay people

November 2014

gers called out: “You look beautiful darling,

working for her and I got on with all of them;

Editor: Alan Fisher

the Belle of the Ball!” It was at that point that

why wouldn’t you. The only problems that ever

Address: 39 - 47 East Rd, London N1 6AH

I actually listened to the voice, which sound-

arose came because many straight males are

Tel: 0207 251 0581 Fax: 0207 553 7293

ed rather deep! So I scrutinised the passen-

Email: callsignmag@aol.com

frightened or embarrassed to admit that they

gers a bit closer. They had the best make-up

Website:-www.dac-callsign.co.uk

have a gay friend. I personally do not care and

jobs on males I had ever seen. Whoever com-

Printers: Premier Print Group

am quite happy - so long as they pay for their

pleted those tasks would have been able to

25 - 31 Violet Rd, London E3

round!

make Jo Brand look like Kelly Brook!

Design: Aldan Publications

I remarked on the wonderful transforma-

Then there is the humour they seem to bring

Tel: 07958 300 428

into a conversation. I remember when my wife

Email: deborahfresco@gmail.com

tions they had completed from brawny hairy

and I went to see the show Chicago when it

Views and opinion expressed in Call Sign must

men to not bad looking women, but what

first opened in the Strand; we were accompa-

not be assumed to represent those of the Editor or

should have given me the clue from the start

Board.No part of Call Sign may be reproduced

nied by the Queen Mothers Page of the Back

was the extra heavy odour of perfume, sub-

either manually or electronically without the express

Stairs. He went under the nickname of Back

permission of the Editor.

stantially more than a woman would use.

Call Sign November 2014

Page 24

Following their amazing 4 - 5 victory over

Holmesdale in the last round of the presti-

ANOTHER CUP WIN FOR LEE

gious FA Vase where Dial-a-Cab driver and

Colliers Wood 2 Shoreham 1 (FA Vase second qualifying round)

Collier Wood goalkeeper, Lee Pearce (J71),

saved a last minute penalty, the team were

drawn at home to Shoreham in the second

qualifying round.

Could this be as exciting as the Holmesdale

thriller? The answer was no - in fact it was fair-

ly uninspiring, but in the end a Colliers Wood

victory took them one step closer to the dream

of every footballer and a Wembley Cup Final.

“DaC’s Roger Day (F76) has done it a few

times,” Lee told Call Sign, “and I’d love to do

it just once before I have to pull my boots

off for the last time!”

But Lee had to miss the game for personal

reasons and the second string goalkeeper

failed to show up! In the end, Wood’s right

back, Tim Williams, played in goal and did a

great job, although he could do nothing about

Shoreham’s goal. Also missing was captain

Owen Davies who hadn’t recovered from a

groin strain and Mario Embalo who had

scored four goals in the Holmesdale game but

who was suspended for this one.

Shoreham took the lead on the quarter hour

Lee still dreams of a Wembley final

mark when the ball landed at the feet of

Shoreham’s Jamie Cradock who couldn't miss

petering out to a tame draw, when with just

A few days later

‘Wood’ were away to

from just a few yards out. Another Cradock

four minutes left Dan Harding managed to put

Croydon in the Surrey FA Senior Cup. Goal-

shot was well-taken by Tim Williams and the

Eli Ogunseye away again and once again he fin-

less after extra time, the game went to penal-

visitors from Sussex went in at the break with

ished it off to give Colliers Wood the winning

ties and Lee Pearce became the hero saving

that one goal lead.

goal and to take them into the next round with

three of Croydon’s whilst also scoring one of

Then on the hour mark Eli Ogunseye was

a home tie on November 1st against either

Collier Wood’s penalties. His team came away

sent away by Dan Harding who rounded the

Cobham or Horley.

with a 4-3 penalty victory.

Shoreham ‘keeper to equalise. A Harry Wise

And Lee Pearce’s dream of a Wembley

shot just went wide and the game looked like

Final still lives…!

Bob Woodford writes about his Inca Trail preparation from the Peruvian City of Cusco

OFF WE GO!

All the training has come to a head and I am in the exciting and colourful Spanish-

built City of Cusco in Peru, about to trek the Sacred Valley of the Incas on a 5-day

mission to reach Machu Picchu, the most famous ruin in South America.

Ruin? I honestly felt that I would be ruined after the effects of my strict training regime, which has included long

challenging weekend walks and draining sessions in the gym to try to prepare for the unknown. But to be honest, I

und the secret to rolling back the years in an attempt to regain fitness, because as I type these notes I am into my

47th consecutive day without bread and beer - it really does work!

As for the unknown, it won’t be the climbing of steps or the distance that will be the surprise, because the 51km are negotiated in daily stages with

overnight campsites laid on for rest and recuperation. No, the real unknown territory will be the effects of high altitude - Cusco is 2,650m above sea

level, which will bring on the first bout of altitude sickness. But the 2nd base camp in Wayllabamba is 3,000m above sea level, while the 3rd base

camp is in Paycamayo at 3,600m above sea level. Ouch!

My research has led me to believe that altitude sickness affects different individuals in different ways with the most common symptoms being short-

ness of breath, severe headaches, nausea, vomiting and a pretty bad touch of the Eartha Kitts!

On the encouraging side, I have also read that young fit people are particularly vulnerable with all that rushing about they get up to, so that should-

n’t effect a languid, laid back 59-year old then! Also Coca de Mata Tea is available in the bars and cafes of Cusco - an infusion of this beverage or the

chewing of coca leaves before further ascent, apparently helps to fight the sickness. The downside to enjoying copious amounts of Coca de Mata is the

fact that one could fail a drugs test a fortnight after returning to Blighty because the mild bitter flavoured leaves are 15% cocaine! When I told the edi-

tor of Call Sign about the erotic dreams this tea can bring on, he urged me to fill a suitcase for him!

There is a serious side to all this of course and Alan has already contributed to our Appeal Fund. Any donation would be appreciated by visiting our

webpage: https://www.justgiving.com/robandsteph.

There is a piece elsewhere inside this issue and I again thank Alan for that. Any amount, no matter how big or small, will help us to

sponsor a taxi in next year’s Magical Taxi Tour to Disney. Another easy way to donate is by texting CUSC99

£5 to 70070. The Magical Taxi

Tour really is worthy of your support.

When my Inca Trail is finally over on the 7th November I would have gone 68 days without a beer - so I know that the local Cerveza Malta will go

down well after the expected sense of achievement.

I shall report back next month with tales of my experiences from the land of the historic sun-worshipping Incas. But before you ask, I really won’t

have any spare space in my suitcase for any more Coca Tea requests!

Bob Woodford

Call Sign Online

Cusco, Peru

Call Sign November 2014

Page 25

DARREN, STEVE, RHYS... AND JULIE!

Almost a football dynasty

Ok, perhaps not a fully qualified

goals for them in an away match in the under

18’s league against West Bromwich Albion.

dynasty - but two out of four

Then there is Darren and Rhys’ dad Steve.

ain’t bad! Call Sign recently had

Rhys is just beginning his soccer career, but

a word with Dial-a-Cab Control

Steve Browne has been involved with the sport

for many years both as a player and manager.

Centre call taker and part-time

He started at Charlton Athletic - where Rhys

weekend dispatcher assisting

now is - as a youth player and played as a mid-

Ivor Belkin (C97), Darren

fielder for Yeovil Town before going on to man-

Browne.

age Slough Town, Aveley, Dover Athletic,

Boreham Wood, Potters Bar and being Assistant

Darren has worked with the Society for

around eight years, while mum Julie joined

Manager at Enfield Town.

in 1994 and except for one break, has been

Then there’s the head of this talented family -

with us ever since. But there are also two

mum Julie! Many DaC drivers have taken Julie

other members of the clan that do not work

and Darren back to their Edmonton home and

at DaC, but who have connections with foot-

the real regulars used to recognise the house by

ball.

the palm tree outside the door - which was just

Call Sign often reports on Lee Pearce

as well because it blocked view of the house

Darren with dad Steve (left) and broth-

(J71), who is the current goalkeeper for

number. What the DaC drivers didn’t know was

er Rhys (right)

Colliers Wood United in the Combined

that Julie was becoming irritated by people not

Counties Premier League, while in the

Park Rangers - although we do not believe

finding the house due to the tree - so she cut it

September issue we reported on the foot-

any transfer fee to DaC was involved!

down! Darren didn’t mention his mum kicking

balling life of Roger Day (F76) who had

Now added to that DaC footie connection is

the depleted stump that was left sticking out of

played for England amateurs as well as play-

Darren Browne’s 19-year old brother Rhys,

the ground, so we assume that she is leaving the

ing at Wembley in four amateur cup finals

who was a youth player with Norwich City

football bits to Steve and Rhys!

and for Great Britain at an Olympic Games.

under the YTS scheme before being spotted by

All we need now is to hear one day that

Then for the past

12 years, Gary

Charlton Athletic, given a trial and who has

Darren has become Manager of the DaC

Micklewhite (R69) has been at Dial-a-Cab

now signed a professional contract with the

footie team and the dynasty!

having arrived via Manchester United and

Charlton Addicks! As a goodbye gift to the

Ron Yarborough

Chairman Brian Rice’s beloved Queens

Canaries, Rhys left Norwich by scoring two

Pearly Kings & Queens Harvest Festival

The London Taxidrivers' Fund for Underprivileged Children was recently invit-

ed to attend the sixteenth annual London Pearly Kings and Queens

Costermongers' Harvest Festival Parade at the Guildhall. I went along with the

Fund's Hon Chairman Sim Yiannikaris, Committee members Steven Bell, Mike

Son and our wives to witness this spectacular event.

Scores of Pearly Kings & Queens from all corners of London gathered for the

festival, over 130 years on from when road sweeper Henry Croft covered his

finest whistle and flute in shiny white buttons in aid of the City's poor, with the

modern day Pearlies continuing his mission and doing such great charity work.

The traditional entertainment consisted of Maypole dancers, Morris dancing

and Marching Bands and was greatly appreciated by the huge crowd that gath-

ered in Guildhall Yard. As it finished, our taxis joined the long procession around

the City - led by the Pearlies - to attend St Mary-le-Bow Church, where the

pealing of the Cockney Bow Bells welcomed the congregation for a thanksgiving service.

It was an unusually warm and sunny day for this time of year, so it was great to see such huge crowds come out in abundance at the

Guildhall and also along the City streets cheering the parade along.

Steve Bell and his wife Wendy had worked tirelessly converting Steve's taxi into a 'Pearly' Taxi adorned with thousands of magnetic pearl

buttons - and what a brilliant job they did attracting many visitors with their cameras anxious to take photos. Well done Steve for doing such

an amazing job.

We also thank BrightMove Media for producing the Fund's advert which was shown on Steve's digital headboard.

Once again our congratulations must go to Doreen Golding, Old Kent Road Pearly Queen, for organising such a brilliant event and we’d

like to take this opportunity to thank all the wonderful Pearlies for continuing to help our charity and the many charities in London and

Greater London area.

Raymond Levy , TGFUC Press Officer

www.ltfuc.org.uk

Call Sign November 2014

Page 26

BACK IN TIME

mented newspapers to show Call Sign.

stuff we found in the bathroom was from

“My wife Jackie is a keen decorator,”

35 years ago!”

Steve explained. “She paints and hangs the

They were both astonished to see references

wallpaper, while I’m happy to watch

to Nazis and a competition for the chance to

Cardiff City play football and then com-

win a house worth a whole £1,250!

plete the refurbishment of our house by

Then Steve came back: “Closer inspection

stretching up to paint the ceilings!”

of the assorted newspaper fragments

Continuing his story, Steve told us that

revealed they were from November 1939,

Jackie had re-decorated the bathroom recent-

which makes them 75 years old and print-

ly and found some newspapers dating from

ed during the earliest stages of World War

1980 stuffed into the air vent.

II. Just to think that we’ve been walking

“That was presumably to stop drafts

over these historic newspapers, sand-

Jackie with one of the 1939 newspapers

blowing onto delicate half-naked bodies,”

wiched between the floorboards and our

Steve told Call Sign with a broad grin spread-

old Lino floor covering,” he said smiling,

If you are a fan of antique collecting pro-

ing across his face! “Anyway, although we

still trying to work out whether he was too

grammes such as the BBC’s Antique

had also re-decorated the kitchen not that

late to enter the competition to win the

Roadshow, then you will be familiar with the

long ago, we decided that the kitchen

house!.

look of surprise when contributors discover

floor needed freshening up, so Jackie

“Now about that dusty old oil painting

that the dusty ornament they found while

started to take up the old lino.”

in the attic,” Jackie teased Steve with a big

clearing out their attic was in fact the creation

Then Jackie interjected. “As I pulled up

grin…!

of a famous artist from long ago.

sections of the previous floor covering, I

Jamie Corum

Such was the case when DaC’s Welsh

discovered some old newspaper cuttings

Roman Way technician Steve Thomas

underneath and called Steve to guess how

Call Sign Online

brought a selection of discoloured and frag-

old they might be, bearing in mind the

LOOKING AT (TAXI) LIFE

With Tom Quigley (Y33)

Am I (and my taxi) on a different planet?

Dumbbell Taxi demo?

Most of us watched the World Cup in Brazil where in order to

So the latest protest by the taxi trade

entertain and bring the sport to the whole populace, the teams

on 24th September was described as

and their considerable entourages had to clock up thousands of air

“…mirroring the image of Trafalgar

miles in order to play games.

Square and Parliament Square with

I’ve also been watching the motor circus of the Formula One

Whitehall as the bar in between to

Grand Prix, where they also fly all over the world - not to men-

give the Dumbbell Image.”

tion the two or three days of practise rounds before the main

All very clever - apart from one thing.

event.

Now I know many in the taxi trade do keep

Then there is watching the latest crisis, which could be any-

themselves fit, but there are also many who don’t so may I just point out

where in the world from Africa to the USA to Europe, with

to them and the designer of the logo seen in the rear of cabs around sta-

Cameron, Miliband and Clegg clocking up loads of miles, even

tions and on the front page of what is supposed to be “the most read

up and down to Scotland to influence voters.

paper in the trade,” that instead of holding up a Dumbbell, the TfL man

We have seen the tragic events of the Ebola virus, a contagious

was in fact holding a Barbell - that being longer than the shorter

disease where containing and isolating it seems to have been

Dumbbell. If we are going to be clever, let’s not show ourselves to be

totally lost on the world’s press and television media as they fly

dumb…

reporters and camera crews to within touching distance!

Watching the crisis in Syria and the rest of the Middle East,

Knowledge Boy success

there seems to be no end of planes, missiles and guns etc with all

the world leaders jetting off to some Summit to try and solve the

Finally, as my little Knowledge group / school grows, October saw our

issues.

first successful student get his req, so with just his suburbs and paper-

All these planes, trains, automobiles, guns and bombs are

work to be put in place, he should be out driving a cab well before

obviously not polluting the atmosphere because it’s only our

Christmas. We are all immensely proud and happy to have helped him

London Taxis that are doing it! That must be why we have

and I will follow up the story with a name and photo on his completion…

to get rid of perfectly good working vehicles because it has

been put upon us alone to save the world.

Tom Quigley

Call Sign Online

I must be on a different planet…!

LONDON TAXIDRIVERS’ FUND FOR UNDERPRIVILEGED CHILDREN

NOTICE OF 2014 DAC AGM

The Annual General Meeting of the London Taxidrivers’ Fund for Underprivileged

Children will be held on Tuesday 9 December 2014 at 7.30pm.

The New Park Day Centre, 19 Highbury New Park, Highbury N5.

There is parking at the Centre and refreshments will be available.

All drivers are most welcome to attend...

Call Sign November 2014

Page 27

Ladies and Gentlemen,

DaC Board member Mike Son looks at age and asks about...

As a consequence of the Mayor for London’s

Cleaner Air Strategy, once your taxi reaches

15 years it will not be eligible for a further

Hackney Carriage licence. However, as I

Boris and London’s

understand it, if the proprietor writes to

Transport for London quite some time

before the 15th birthday of the original regis-

decreasing taxi fleet

tration, there may be an option for a further

licence period. There may also be an option

for TfL to consider an extension, providing

percent of the world's greenhouse gases. A

reasonable grounds are submitted.

significant portion of those emissions come

There may be some mature taxi drivers con-

from methane, which in terms of its contri-

sidering retirement in the next year or two or

bution to global warming is 23 times more

perhaps thinking about working part-time,

powerful than carbon dioxide. The U.S. Food

therefore from a financial viewpoint will they

and Agriculture Organization say that agri-

be able to afford to purchase a new cab, that’s

cultural methane output could increase by 60

assuming they would be granted a loan and

percent by 2030 [Source: Times Online]. The

then be able to keep up the repayments.

world's 1.5 billion cows and billions of other

There are many owner drivers on Dial-a-Cab

grazing animals emit dozens of polluting

working full time who own W, X or Y etc taxis

gases, including lots of methane. Two-thirds

that will reach 15 years age limit very shortly.

of all ammonia comes from cows.

One option is renting a cab; however,

Cows emit a massive amount of methane

this is now becoming more difficult due to

through belching, with a lesser amount

through flatulence. Statistics vary regarding

a jump in 15-year-old cabs being discard-

ed. A while ago, taxi proprietors were

how much methane the average dairy cow

expels. Some experts say 100 to 200 litres a

directed by TfL to add conversion kits to

www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/

lower the emissions exuded by London

documents/alternative-fuel-age-limit-

day (or between 26 to 53 gallons), while oth-

ers say it can be up to 500 litres (about 132

taxis at a substantial cost. Many of those

exemption-form.pdf

gallons) a day.

cabs are now reaching 15 years but have

See if you are eligible but in any event, if we

In any case, that's a lot of methane, an

been cherished and looked after..

all send a letters to TfL stating the issues you

amount comparable to the pollution produced

The Mayor for London often states that the

will have if you are unable to obtain a taxi to

by a car in a day. Thank goodness herds of cat-

London taxi and its drivers are the best in the

work, then surely the Mayor must take notice.

tle don’t roam the streets of London...

world and an iconic feature of London, which

has served those that live, work and visit our

A cow’s view on emissions...

Mike Son

city. But our industry is going through a tur-

Agriculture is responsible for an estimated 14

DaC Board member

bulent period and for the Mayor for London

to deprive the public of an ever-decreasing

black taxi fleet is extremely worrying. Taxi

rental companies seem to be few and far

Taxi Maaxi Uber!

between with the demise of suppliers and

garages certainly not helping an already diffi-

Copycatting seems to have well and truly arrived in the

cult situation.

world of London Taxis. We suddenly saw numerous taxi

We read in the trade press that new manu-

apps when Hailo first appeared - when it was exclusively

factures are entering the taxi market

for taxis. Most of those either folded or faded into insignifi

although your guess is as good as mine as to

cance leaving just GetTaxi as Hailo’s main opposition.

when this will happen. Nonetheless, it will

Now we’ve seen the release of Nat Rothschild’s Maaxi

not resolve this issue in the short term and

Taxi - where prospective passengers are matched up and

help the group of drivers I referred to earlier.

put into a single taxi, so we knew it wouldn’t be too long

In 2010, the Mayor announced a £1 million

until a second cab share app appeared and we didn’t have

incentive fund to stimulate the market for

to wait too long!

electric black cabs. While £1 million is no

Uber’s Chief Executive, Travis Kalanick, recently

longer a fortune, the idea was good.

announced that his app will introduce a carpool service -

However, it doesn’t help resolve those

UberPool. - which sounds similar to Maaxi Taxi and will

London taxi drivers who now face an uncer-

allow passengers to split the bill of the digitally ordered

tain future.

cabs. The claim is that a “£21 black taxi ride will be cut

Black cabs always seem to be the scape-

to around £6.”

goat of problems involving traffic condi-

Perhaps somewhat contradicting himself when intro-

tions and pollution in London. If Boris

ducing the new service, Mr Kalanick claimed that the

Johnson and his TfL are serious in their

new service could take one million cars of the roads;

public comments to maintain the London

however, at the same time he said that Uber were adding 1,000 new drivers each

Black cab service, the European Emission

month - his view that another 100,000 drivers being needed to supply the “liquidity” that

Directive that was specially aimed at

Uber were chasing, seeming to suggest more, not less traffic.

London taxis should now be put on hold

According to Jo Bertram, Uber's UK & Ireland GM, they “love” black cabs and that was

until such time as new suppliers can ade-

why they launched UberTaxi, where black cabs apparently joined the Uber platform. She

quately fulfil the needs of the public.

added that hundreds had already joined - although if true, few drivers seem ready to admit it.

In the meantime, if you believe your taxi

Travis Kalanick added that London had a very sophisticated transport framework

may qualify for an extension to its taxi

and he wondered how TfL would want to approach his new app - if at all.

licence, I urge all drivers with older taxis to

“We have some fights that we have to go out there and fight for what we believe in,”

write to TfL and apply for an extension to the

Kalanick said with an apparent TfL challenge in his voice.

15-year rule. Without a taxi to perform your

Astonishingly though, the Chief Exec still claimed that no one would have to wait

lawful duty as London taxi driver, the inabili-

more than five minutes, which suggests that Mr Kalanick knows more about San

ty to work and earn a living will be a burden

Francisco’s traffic than he does about that of London!

to you and your family. Log in to:

Call Sign November 2014

Page 28

Hello Ladies & Gents

Demonstration

Compliance with Garry

It was good to see fellow Dial-a-Cab mem-

bers attend the demonstration on

24th

KPM

September in Whitehall and the surrounding

With KPM being closed for business, I do

areas against TfL’s lack of enforcement on

hope not many of our Vito driving members

night-time touting, Pedicabs and how

have failed to find assistance with overhauls

London’s Taxi industry has lost faith in the

and mechanical work etc. You can contact the

way TfL operates, unlike when we were

Mercedes customer service on a free phone

under the Metropolitan Police and there

number 0800 9777 7777 or 0207 660 9993.

was no conflict of interests!

Warrantee work information can be obtained

by calling Anthony Cunningham or Danny

Smith on 0161 975 6996.

Merger

You will have all received information con-

cerning the possible merger with RTG taxi

Credit Cards

division. After the ballot papers with your

and Maaxi about how they are going to cre-

TfL are looking into making it mandatory to

responses were counted

(over

90% in

ate a new market for Taxis haven’t all been

accept credit cards in your taxi with a small

favour), it confirmed the views of members

complimentary. However Nat has assured me

meter increase to cover costs to the industry.

that they don’t want to operate from tradi-

As you know, we at DaC charge the customer

that I’ve spoken to with the majority wanting

tional taxi pick up points ie stations and

the Board to further explore the options.

a handling fee, so this could have a bearing

major venues for which we currently get

on the way we operate and it will be interest-

work, but NEW business from people that

ing to see the outcome on their consultation.

Maaxi Taxi

don’t use taxis for personal use. So if Maaxi

Be lucky…

I’ve made my opinion known on this new

operate as they say ie a door-to- door bus

start up app via twitter; you can follow me

style service where passengers pre-lodge

Garry White

@r7garry (all opinions are my own). The

credit card details to travel, we’ll have taxis

tweets I’ve exchanged with Nat Rothschild

on bus routes!

DaC Compliance Officer

After 17 years, London cabbie Lesley Bennett says farewell to her beloved Fairway...

AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR!

ought from new, the R registration Fairway

Lesley with

enjoyed a fine farewell in central London recently

her old and

new cabs

with many well-wishers waving and clapping as

it went by on its last day. The driver, Lesley

Bennett, said:

"I became a taxi driver 24 years ago after realising I needed a

reliable profession to pay my mortgage and to bring up my two boys. I quit

a job in Fleet Street and have never looked back! Passengers and tourists all

loved my Fairway and they would fight to get into it on a taxi rank. It was

one of the last Fairways on the streets of London. It’s done me proud and I

feel sad that I have to take it off the road, but I am pleased to say I will still

be able to use it for weddings.”

The Fairway, which has 400,000 miles on the clock, has hosted passengers includ-

ing Hollywood actor and Lesley's personal favourite , Dustin Hoffman. It will now

be decorated with ribbons and flowers - all handmade by Lesley after she recently

completed a floristry course - to transport brides to church on their wedding days.

“It has been more than just a taxi to me, it must be the most pho-

tographed cab in London and is a part of London's heritage. I shall keep it

for as long as it will run!”

Lesley has now invested in a brand new TX4 once again in white. Her beloved

Fairway is one of the circa 3,000 taxis to come off the road under regulations set in

the Mayor's Air Quality Strategy for London, which aims to meet strict European air

quality limits by 2020. Its departure leaves just four plated Fairways still in service.

Lesley’s new TX4 - a 64 plate TX4 Elegance - is available with a 4 year, 120,000

mile manufacturer-backed vehicle warranty (extendable at point of purchase to

180,000 miles), unlimited mileage core engine warranty, first year's road tax and

one year's RAC cover.

For more information, contact The London Taxi Company's Customer

Relationship team on 0207 700 0888 or email london@london- taxis.co.uk

Call Sign November 2014

Page 29

DaC driver Sean Farrell (B39) looks at trade history from a different angle

ethren of the Whip

coach fell on top of him, his head escaped

get Langley out of the mud - and then he was

injury by being perfectly framed by the empty

arrested by the constable for being drunk.

Bermondsey

window. A couple of inches either way and he

Fortunately, the magistrate took pity on

Bog Story

was a dead man.

Langley whose coach and two horses were

Hackney coachman

Langley began shouting for all he was

badly damaged. The charges against him

Langley was on a

worth - it was so dark he didn’t know if the

would be dismissed if he could come up with

good job; it was not

other window was open and had no idea if

some form of compensation to reward the

a roader but he was

anybody would be in those darkened streets

men who rescued him and that the passen-

being treated to

at that time of night. He shouted and shout-

gers - who had been subpoenaed - should

drinks whenever the

ed and as his body grew weaker, his cries

likewise contribute as they were the cause of

party stopped. It

became more subdued. It was then that a

the ‘jollification’ in the first place! After meet-

was the end of

parish constable passing the ditch heard his

ing his “preservers” outside the court, an

November 1829 and Langley’s passenger

stifled plea. After getting a light and seeing

agreement was reached and the drunkenness

has just won a trial at the Court of Kings

what the problem was, he went for help.

charge against Langley was dismissed.

Bench and wanted to celebrate his victory.

With the aid of six local watchmen, the

coach and horses were dragged out of the pit.

The Court was attached to the prison of the

Sean Farrell

same name and situated in St George’s

To get Langley out required the assistance of

another six. All told it took thirteen people to

Call Sign Online

Fields, Southwark. If anyone was going to fall

foul of the law and find themselves impris-

oned at His Majesty’s pleasure, the King’s

Bench prison was the place to go. At this time

it had the distinction of being “the most

New Design Licences

desirable place of incarceration in London.”

For a fee, you could leave the prison each day

and as long as you remained within the

and Identifiers

Liberties, about three square miles, you

could very much do as you pleased.

Despite having missed out on the experi-

Further to TPH Notice 22/13, we have now

ence, Langley’s passenger - we are not told

begun the rollout of the new design

his name - felt it was only right to celebrate by

licences and identifiers to all existing

stopping off at several inns between King’s

licensed London taxi drivers. This new doc-

Bench and his home in Bermondsey. As they

umentation, which incorporates additional

arrived at each public house, Langley was

security features, is being issued in batches

gratified to join them inside, it being a bitter-

over the next few weeks with the first

ly cold night. After several such visits, Langley,

batch issued on 14 October.

ever the professional despite being a bit tipsy,

The new licences and identifiers are of a

got his passengers home safely. He now had

similar design to existing ones but contain

to get himself back to where he could pick up

a number of new security features, includ-

another fare.

ing a hologram and a barcode unique to the driver. In addition, following feedback

Langley found himself travelling slowly

from the trade, the new suburban identifiers have a larger space to show the areas in

down Willow Walk, just off Grange Road.

which a driver is licensed to ply for hire. The paper licences have also been amended to

He was travelling slowly as there were no

incorporate an additional security feature.

street lights and no houses were sharing their

Replacement licences and identifiers will be issued to all licensed taxi drivers

light with the darkness outside. No doubt the

by 10 November 2014.

cold accelerated his drunken state and had

It is important you display your new identifiers and carry a copy of your new licence

he been able to see anything, it would have

as soon as you receive them. From 17 November, 2014 it will be mandatory to only

been a blur. Then suddenly one of the wheels

display the new identifiers and carry the new style licence. Any driver not doing so

of his coach went down into a ditch and

Langley was flung from his box. He flew

could be subject to compliance action.

through the air and landed feet first in soft

In order for our compliance team to verify your identifiers authenticity, it is important

mud... very soft mud! He had gone in up to

you do not tamper with, laminate or alter them in anyway. All identifiers should be

his waist but the more he struggled the deep-

placed in the top nearside (kerbside) corner of the front and rear windscreen.

er he was sucked in. In no time at all, the

Please destroy your current licence and identifiers upon receipt of your

mud was up to his neck.

replacements.

To make matters worse, his coach, which

The new licences and identifiers will be sent to the most recent address we have on

had been teetering on the edge of the ditch,

our records. To ensure they are received please let us know if you have changed your

now came crashing down on top of him -

address.

coach, two horses et al. If any part of the

Any driver who has not received his or her replacement licence and identifiers by 10

coach or horses had struck him, the force

November 2014 should contact London Taxi and Private Hire via

would have sent him under the mud and into

tph.enquiries@tfl.gov.uk or 0343 222 4444.

an early grave. As fortune had it, his luck was

Helen Chapman

in. Both the windows of the coach were

undone and his drunken passengers, despite

LTPH General Manager

the cold, had lowered the sashes. As the

Call Sign November 2014

Page 30

Language of

life... and cabbies!

Radio who silently handed me a piece of

Any money laid out by TfL could be

paper. The slip had The Charing Cross Hotel

recouped by new drivers paying for their new

written on it, so I did a u-turn and made my

badges. NYC taxi medallions were fetching $1

way there. When we pulled up onto the con-

million a few years ago but I am not talking

fter many months, I recently ven-

course, I stopped the meter and said we were

about anything like that, just something more

tured into the Heathrow feeder

there, to which he grumpily replied that we

reasonable. I feel that there are many fewer

park, mainly because I got fed up

weren’t. I was still holding the piece of paper

than 25,000 drivers, due to the current eco-

with doing local after local and

and showed him the inscription with Charing

nomic climate and I am quite concerned at

then driving in empty. Whilst I was there, I

Cross Hotel on it. He then said that the

the number leaving the trade.

overheard a conversation between two dri-

address he wanted was on the other side! I

The question we need to ask is what TfL

vers and it got me thinking about what the

turned the paper over and it had The Hilton

are doing about these drivers leaving, or is it

public might think about cabbies language.

Metropole written on it. Do you remember

their big plan to let the trade die through a

Not blue, but stuff like I only put on if I get off

those Laurel and Hardy sketches when a

lack of work, then when complaints come in

or did you blow out last night. We know what

bemused Ollie would stare at the camera for

about coverage, allow the PH to ply for hire

it means... but really!

ages in silence before saying: “Why don’t you

and amalgamate both Taxis and PH into one

How about covering the Albert burst then

do something to help me!” You think he

system. I know TfL want us to take credit

heading down to Vic Hudson where I

would have... well I’m not going to go on...

cards by putting the meter fares up to com-

broomed one before stalking one so as to not

but I ask you!

pensate for the charges, but we simply can’t

lose my place in the queue! That's nearly as

put any more onto our fares as we are

bad as being told by a punter that they want

Amalgamation?

deemed too expensive already. I don’t know

to stop “...right here on the left,” as your cab

It seems that the trade is being swallowed up

about everyone else, but I feel that as a trade

swerves from one side of the road to the

by PH and TfL who regularly tell us that there

we are fighting for our lives and are being

other.

are 25,000 drivers out there, but how many

attacked from all angles, like I have never

We used to say in the Fire service that you

actually work their badges as I know at least

seen. The politicians pay us good lip service,

needed to come to a clear and concise under-

six drivers who do other things. TfL surely

but I am quite cynical about their real

standing of what was going on, however that

can’t know for sure, so why not introduce a

motives.

can’t be said of some of our punters.

reward to encourage drivers to hand their

I was travelling up Charing Cross Road

badges in, thus getting a better idea of the

Richard Potter (T51)

when I got hailed by a man outside Capital

real numbers of working drivers.

Rogue minicab drivers arrested

This year's first phase of Operation Safer Travel at Night (STaN) has result-

ed in over 40 arrests being made for touting and other cab-related

offences over three weekends this autumn. Op STaN involved officers

from the Cab Enforcement Unit and 32 Safer Transport Teams, who form

part of the MPS Roads and Transport Policing Command, part funded by

Transport for London. They checked over 1700 vehicles and spoke with

over 10,000 women to warn them that any minicab that isn’t booked

through a licensed minicab operator is dangerous and puts them at risk

of attack, including sexual assault and robbery.

The Safer Travel at Night initiative is a partnership between the

Mayor, TfL, The MPS, City of London Police and British Transport Police

to improve the safety of travelling at night through industry regulation

and licensing, enforcement and education. The 2014 Safer Travel at

Night communications campaign aims to make people aware of the dan-

gers of picking up un-booked minicabs off the street, such as robbery and

people to take and share a #HomeSafeSelfie and pledge to never take an illegal minicab home.

In 2013/14, the number of cab related sexual offences in London fell by 15 percent compared to the previous year, with specific rape

offences down 30 percent. However, one incident is too many and the STaN initiative is dedicated to driving this down further. Over 700

arrests were made in 2013/14 for illegal touting for hire and over 8,000 since 2003.

Through Safer Travel at Night and #HomeSafeSelfie TfL wants to remind everyone that:

* A minicab that has a licence or sticker in the window (or a driver who has a badge) still needs to be booked in advance with a licensed mini-

cab firm.

* You should never take a minicab offered by a bouncer or someone in a high visibility jacket with a clipboard outside a venue.

* A minicab driver that approaches you directly on the street is acting illegally.

* If you approach a minicab directly, only the driver knows where you’re going, which isn’t safe.

* If any of the above takes place, your minicab isn’t booked and therefore is not safe and illegal...

Acting Superintendent Andrew Johnstone, Roads and Transport Policing Command, said:

“Our increased policing activity by our dedicated Cabs Enforcement Unit and Safer Transport Teams during the Freshers period has resulted in

over 40 people being arrested for touting and over 10,000 women being warned of the dangers of getting into un-booked minicabs, covering

the Freshers period.

"It is not worth the risk of getting into un-booked minicabs picked up off the street. Any minicab journey that isn't booked is dangerous

and puts you at risk of sexual assault and robbery. We will continue to carry out these operations as part of our ongoing drive to tackle illegal

minicab drivers operating in London and to ensuring Londoners travel safely at night.”

Call Sign November 2014

Page 31

We asked DaC drivers at random, given the opportunity to ask one question...

WHAT WOULD YOU ASK MAYOR BORIS?

Sal Saleem (S46J)

Bill Mariner (M80)

Why has he made PH cars waiting outside night

Why don’t you take us away from TfL and put

clubs and other venues and satellite offices

us back with the old Public Carriage Office? I

legal? This is detrimental to the licensed taxi

really feel that our standards have steadily

trade. I thought licencing them was to stop

gone down under the present regime? Like it

them signing on the dole, claiming benefits and

or not, the old PCO system worked.

to reduce sexual assaults, not to mention work-

ing in the ‘black’ economy. I assumed the idea

of PH licencing was to eradicate underground working and not to give

them the right to ply for hire through the back door.

Peter Franklin (L61)

Mr Mayor, your traffic management team is a

Dave Fisher (A59)

joke! But the serious point is that it is costing

With so much technology available out there

industry and commerce £millions because

re Apps, what is he going to do to preserve

nobody is able to get around anymore due to

our right to ply for hire?

built-in obstructions such as uncoordinated

utility and road works. And Mr Mayor, don’t

Michael Leahy (A18)

get me on the subject of cyclists - they should

I would ask him to sort

have insurance like every other road user and registration plates to

out the Uber situation

make them more accountable. I look forward to the inevitable grid-

and that would be fine because it is a worry to

lock when the Embankment Cycle Superhighway comes to fruition...

not just we drivers, but also to members of the

travelling public alike.

Robert Blythe (G37)

Why is there a lack of enforcement regarding

Adrian Jay (F85)

Private Hire who appear able to double park

The Bikes! Why has he allowed so many cycles?

outside hotels and other venues whenever

They unduly take up already precious road

they like and pedicabs that wait on the kerb-

space. In Royal College Street or Tavistock Place

side touting for passengers without hin-

they have their own segregated lanes to keep

drance? We as licenced taxi drivers have noth-

them out of harm’s way it’s true, but at the cost

ing to hide, but there does not seem to be the

of encroaching on our vital street space.

regular roadside checks that there used to be.

And why not some form of public liability insur-

ance or road tax? I’ve had incidents with cyclists and have been unable

Terry Parsons (D22)

or it’s just not worth the hassle involved of pursuing it so ended up

Why, Mr Mayor, are there not stricter controls

repairing the vehicle at my own cost.

on the licencing of Private Hire who seem to

be everywhere? Otherwise, I think you are not

Lee Pearce (J71)

doing too badly running London; it could be a

Why is he not doing enough to protect our

lot worse!

trade by allowing the Knowledge of London to

become weaker? My experience has seen new

entrants with poor English speaking skills, no

people skills, no communication skills and to

crown it all, not much by way of Knowledge of

London skills!

Taxi Driver of

Eamonn Barrett (K58)

Mr Mayor, do you remember the night I

the Year Dinner

brought your young daughter to meet you at

the St James Street restaurant you were dining

in? She admitted to me that she did not have

any money on her but that “her dad” would pay

and Dance

me at the destination. So I decided that as it was

just a short journey and that she could just have

here is still one table left for the Taxi Driver of

easily been my youngster, I happily took her not

the Year dinner and dance, which this year

overly worrying whether I would get my money or not. Imagine my sur-

will be held at the Holiday Inn, Carburton

prise, Mr Mayor, when you came out of the venue to pay me off express-

Street on Saturday 6 December.

ing gratitude and telling me London cab drivers were ‘the salt of the

Earth’. So why do you apparently seek to undermine the reputation of

The reception begins at 6.15pm and is followed by a

the finest taxi service in the world by allowing almost unlimited num-

four course meal, including a half bottle of wine per

bers of minicabs and pedicabs that risk peoples safety and cause all sorts

guest. There is also dancing to a live band. This is

of traffic congestion by waiting and parking as they please?

always one of the taxi trade’s social highlights of the

year. Tickets are £65 per person.

Ivan Sobell (P69)

Why don’t you re-instate the roads to pre-bendy

Enquiries to TDoY Charity Fund Hon

bus status now that they have gone? I’m think-

Chairman Russell Poluck MBE (T55) on:

ing specifically about the junction of Gt Portland

Street and Devonshire Street, which could

07850 056 765 or 020 8952 1357

revert to two-way as well as other roads around

town.

Call Sign November 2014

Page 32

According to LTDA General

Secretary, Steve McNamara, the

Nissan Taxi still on

new Nissan Taxi has achieved

the hardest part of its transfor-

mation, that it should look like a

course for December

taxi.

“I think the Nissan Taxi will be very

Specifically, the NV200’s door, roof, front-

popular because it looks like a taxi

end suspension, inner structure for rear

should! To design an icon isn’t easy,” said

seats, roof and front end surfaces were tar-

Steve, “but to be fair - they seem to have

geted as part of the redesign project.

done it!”

Importantly for drivers exploring the possi-

The rest of us will hopefully find out in

bility of purchasing the NV200 and remem-

December when the Nissan NV200 Taxi with

bering the Vito’s ongoing problems with its

its auto gearbox and 1.6-liter petrol engine is

added rear steering facility, additional sheet

scheduled to be released to London’s taxi dri-

metal licenses have enabled SAC to apply

vers - and that is around one year before the

company standards that ensure design quali-

release of the Nissan electric EV version

ty and address manufacturability constraints

with its claimed zero emissions, which is

early on in the design phase, which accelerat-

some five years before London Mayor Boris

ed assembly design. The fact that CATIA is so

Johnson’s plan that all cabs be emission free.

widely used throughout the industry and

The cab was released in New York last

because SAC has been a user since 1993 posi-

year and despite some early skepticism in

tioned the CAD program as a natural fit for

a US State that is used to big vehicles, it

modern looking London Taxi, yet one that

this project.

has become popular with drivers and pas-

retains a traditional look - again something

Steve Charlton added: “If we need external

sengers.

that many said spoiled the Vito because it was

help with the suspension, for example, we

According to Nissan, one of their biggest

not immediately recognised as a London taxi.

can enlist partners and share models without

challenges was to make sure that it complied

That front-end look of the NV200 includes

a problem. It’s pretty much the industry stan-

fully with the London Conditions of Fitness

new bumper pads, round headlamps, a re-

dard for this sort of thing.”

including its 25-foot turning circle - some-

modeled grille and LED light framing the taxi

Darryl Scriven, Design Excellence

thing that Mercedes found so problematic in

sign to increase its visibility. So does it really

Manager for Special Vehicles quoted London

their Vito Taxi and which played such a big

resemble the traditional look of the London

Mayor, Boris Johnson, in saying that the new

part in the well-publicised financial problems

Taxi?

taxi should maintain the iconic design of the

that saw KPM and One89 seek administra-

According to Steve Charlton, MD at SAC

traditional London cab, while not being

tion.

Engineering Design, a high-end engineering

generic.

The Nissan NV200 has suspension modifi-

consultancy that worked on the Nissan London

Although no prices have been mentioned,

cations to accommodate the turning circle

Taxi design with ADV Manufacturing, one of

rumours are that it will slightly undercut the

requirement, a side door that has been mod-

the key design partners on the project: “Yes, it’s

TX4. One thing seems certain, the newly

ified for a wheelchair ramp and front-end

a large transformation, but not a lot of panels

revamped London Taxi Company with

modifications that transforms a van into a

are transformed.”

Geely really has competition.

Team Wilkey now has a World and International champion…

Double Boxing Success For Dac’s Alec Wilkey!

Dial-a-Cab driver Alec Wilkey (W83) has been

Alec Wilkey’s successful October was completed

on Dial-a-Cab for nine-years, but in a life

when his Light-Welterweight boxer, John Wayne

away from taxi driving, Alec is also a much

Hibbert, scored an emphatic victory one day before

respected trainer in the world of professional

Mastrodouka’s title win in Greece, to capture the

boxing. Now two championship wins for his

vacant WBC International Championship with an

stable in October have added greatly to that

exhilarating 5th round TKO win over Leonardo

reputation.

Gonzalez at London’s O2 Arena. Fighting on

Areti Mastrodouka fulfilled a lifelong ambition

Matchroom Sport’s Moment of Truth show on the

by emphatically capturing the world title when

undercard of Anthony Joshua’s 9th contest, the

capturing the GBU Women’s World Lightweight

Stanford le-Hope fighter thrilled his army of fans after

Championship in her hometown of Athens on

establishing an early lead with some slick boxing.

12th October with a unanimous points decision

His 32 year-old Argentinian opponent remained

over Hana Horakova. The win gave Areti her

dangerous, but was troubled by Hibbert’s right hand

eighth straight victory. The Gods of War 5 show

frequently landing. Hibbert used a high and tight

was held at the Dais Arena where the 38 year-old

guard to nullify the attacks from Gonzalez, who did

female southpaw made history in her last bout by

have some successes of his own at times, but it was in

winning the first ever pro bout to be held in

the 5th round that Hibbert really started to up the

Greece.

ante and dominate the exchanges.

Areti dominated each of the ten rounds by out-

With Gonzalez now bleeding and taking heavy

boxing her opponent and landing thudding left

shots under pressure, Hibbert backed him up

hands to which her Czech opponent had little in

onto the ropes and unloaded with a barrage of

response. The unbeaten Mastrodouka has been

punches to body and head causing referee Richie

dedicated to win titles such as this World title after

Davis to step in and stop the bout to spare

teaming up with Alec Wilkey and travelling to the

Gonzalez from more punishment.

UK to train and fight for her first 6 bouts as a pro-

This win gives the Alec Wilkey trained Hibbert

fessional. It was no surprise when all three judges

options for some big fights in the division with the

scored the bout for The Master each with a score of

Alec Wilkey and new World

possibility of winning more titles.

100-90 sparking jubilant scenes in the arena, with

Champion Areti Mastrodouka pose

Mastrodouka now on the hunt for even more titles.

for Call Sign after her victory

David Wilkey, Call Sign Online

Call Sign November 2014

Page 33

Mailshot

Either write to Call Sign at

papers, an investigation would be called

for; but I doubt that anyone outside of

Dial-a-Cab House

this trade particularly cares about us …Ed

or email us at

callsignmag@aol.com

To Field Marshall Rice

Le merger!

Dear Field Marshall

Subscriptions

Cher Président

All those army references you aimed at me in

Hi Alan

I refer to your recent letter regarding the

last month’s Call Sign are really quite apt

I have a question for Brian Rice and that is

proposed merger with Radio Taxis. You use

because being a DaC foot soldier of late real-

why we weren’t given the choice - as were

the French word tranche in the letter, so I

ly does remind me of being in Dads

Radio Taxis drivers - of whether we want-

would be grateful if you could tell the mem-

Army! I concur we are at war, but I never

ed to go to pay as you go or remain on the

bers et moi what this word means. Would it

envisaged the troops being under attack

previous subs rates. RTG drivers are mixed

not have been easier to use the English

from their own commanding officer! To cor-

- some on PAYG and others with other pay-

equivalent?

rect you, I was not released from

ing a standard rate so it can’t have been

Merci beaucoup...

Guantanamo Bay… I escaped! I was tortured

that difficult to do; after all their IT depart-

Monsieur Tony Doltis (Rouge 38)

relentlessly and to be honest, since returning

ment can’t hold a candle to ours.

Are you pulling my plonker guv’nor! ...Ed

as a front line foot soldier, nowt much has

I have to say that I feel rather let down

changed. Your concern for my welfare is over-

with this new way of paying subs, because

whelming and I’m touched.

Who gave Uber my

drivers such as myself who cover everything

Moving on to the subs increase, we all make

we are offered are the ones who not only pay

mistakes and a man can admit when he’s

phone number?

more than those that cherry pick and use

wrong so when are you gonna man up? I recent-

Hi Al

DaC for their own benefit only, but in my

ly had an out of body experience and imagined

I recently received the text message below

case have a huge increase on the rate I was

that we had an account that trialled us for just 2

on my phone. As I am not, never have been

paying previously. It’s all very well asking dri-

nights? If Major Cain didn’t open that account,

and never will be on Uber, how did they

vers to cover morning work, but then when

was it Ghostbusters! As for the names of the two

get my mobile phone number? Does TfL

they do, they are punished for doing so. No

phantom buyers - Pinky & Perky wasn’t it!

sell our numbers? If so, I think that is very

one expects the circuit to run on air, but

Yes, I did read your article on page 4 but

disturbing

- especially as they are also

surely you are pushing away the drivers that

only after I read my letter first of course! In my

advertising on the TfL website.

regularly cover work - regardless of where it

humble opinion, mine was better! Next, did

Hi, have you heard of Uber? We offer

goes - against those that hang up trying to

we not dispose of some of our installations a

London PCO drivers the opportunity for

sniff out the occasional airport and may do

few years back whist still a mutual? You state

flexible work at the touch of a button.

just 3 or 4 trips a week yet pay far less than

that any surplus has to be re-invested for the

Join in October and Uber guarantees

they did before. I cannot see how that is fair.

betterment of the troops and I’m all for that.

you earnings of £3000 in November. Sign

I recently signed a contract to say that if I

But how then is doubling the subs for the

up now to http://t.uber.com/pcodriver.

took a superside ad, then I would pay just

majority better for the troops? If the sale of

Jon Robinson (E88)

£18 a week. That figure has far-more than

our great Society was to go through, I assume

Quite a number of DaC drivers also

doubled and I have to say that I feel cheated.

it would take some time. In that period, if a

received the text. Several contacted

Antony Hizer (E63)

pay out of £10k was achievable, most mem-

Uber, who claimed they received (prob-

Brian Rice replies: Every Member is

bers would have to knock off at least a bag of

ably meaning that they bought) the

automatically on the PAYG rate, but

sand in real terms due to the fact we are pay-

numbers from a third party where those

once they have done a certain amount

ing more in subs to get our own money back.

contacted had previously registered

of work the charge is capped. In your

And no vested interest here (being a mere 25

themselves as London taxi drivers and

case Antony, you will be on the higher

year member) but the treatment of 30 +

gave consent to be contacted for mar-

rate but to expect the subscription to be

year members is shocking in my opinion. Also

keting purposes.

£15 + VAT (£18) is unrealistic; it was

to renege on the 2 year deal with the all-over

Call Sign asked TfL and they told us

more than that when I took over as

livery members is again in my opinion awful.

they have no idea how Jon’s number

Chairman in 1996. In fact, subscriptions

The prospect of fighting shoulder to shoulder

was obtained. They also said that TfL do

were £110 per month + VAT, which

with some of the dregs we slung off DaC is again

not sell numbers and confirmed that

equates to more than £25 per week

an appalling thought. It seems to me we are

they did not even have Jon’s mobile

+VAT - and that was 1996!

throwing Radio Taxis a lifeline as they are taking

number. But they reiterated their priva-

I really am sorry you feel cheated,

on more water than a Fairway (built in Coventry

cy statement from the web:

that is the last thing the BoM want. But

with pride). Surely we have other options?

‘‘Your name and contact details may

as you are aware we have lost 1100

Finally in summary I may be agog, but

Members during the past six years

be disclosed to an external research

although down I ain’t out just yet! God bless

company to conduct research amongst

because they felt the £30+VAT per week

‘Amerakee’, God bless you and God bless

was too expensive. We had to do some-

licensees on TfL’s behalf. This research

democracy.

will be related to TfL’s responsibilities

thing to halt the haemorrhaging of

Colin Jenkins (Y22)

Members. We estimate the new system

for licensing, regulation, and integra-

Hiya Colin, as you know I normally pass

tion between taxis / private hire ser-

will actually cost the Society between

letters aimed at one person in particular

£150k and £175k per annum in the

vices and other elements of the trans-

to that person, but I don’t think I can face

port system. Your details will not be

hope we will refrain from losing

an ongoing version of War and Peace

Members. We have in excess of 1100

used for any marketing or other

between you and Brian Rice - unless Leo

research activities.’’

Members that will benefit from the

Tolstoy miraculously returns and starts

PAYG and approximately 195 that will

It appears that TfL are probably too

writing for Call Sign! Much of the answer

pay more, perhaps it is correct that

trusting in assuming that anyone they

to your letter is given below to Antony

those that earn more, pay more up to a

pass on info to will be honest enough to

Hizer. Your views on the rest will have

limit? However, those Members will

not forward on that information to third

been noted on the Chairman’s military

argue it is to the benefit of the Society

parties. In the real world of real news-

personnel files …Ed

Call Sign November 2014

Page 34

Mailshot

continued from page 33

ceptable but this doesn't really represent

what the whole morning’s work is like. I

that they complete a lot of trips and I

would say that coverage would be better if

can sympathise with that argument.

drivers could see where they were going, as

If you remember Antony, you berated

it seems to work perfectly well outside of

the question to Rice

(and publish the

me in the car park one day because you

7.00 - 10.00. As I said to Keith Cain, at least

answer). Does he regret not putting the

stated that you had not done a Dial-a-

give it a trial just to see if things change, as

Canary Wharf accounts to the vote? Plus a

Cab trip that day, but had completed 7

doing nothing really isn't at option because

question I have been asking for months,

or 8 trips for Hailo and that we should

we simply can’t afford to lose any more

given the state of DaC now we have lost the

not have any run-ins, gratuities and

accounts.

Wharf through sheer ignorance and misun-

some sort of PAYG system. I remem-

Richard Potter (T51)

derstanding of the member’s opinions).

bered your remarks and the BoM unan-

DaC Sales Manager Keith Cain replies: Let

What will be his reply to any remaining

imously agreed to adopt the PAYG sys-

me say that it's been a very long time since

accounts (make no mistake it has to hap-

tem. However, I do recognise the

Richard and I have spoken on this topic. I

pen) that say they want no run ins and no

increase in your subscription is not wel-

did say I would not be in favour of showing

gratuity? It is for those two reasons and

come; I believe you wanted PAYG but

destinations in the morning period and I

those two reasons alone that DaC lost the

that higher earners such as yourself

said this from experience when many years

Wharf.

should not pay any increase, unfortu-

ago I proposed this to the Board. The

No name given - taken from the LTDF site

nately it can’t work that way.

Board felt at the time that it was wrong, but

I am assuming that this letter is gen-

Having said that, I trust you will be

I managed to persuade them and we tried

uine as it was passed to me from the

pleased to know that we are looking at

it. The coverage on that day was the worst

LTDF website by three different drivers.

some sort of payback system for the

we had ever seen. Instead of improving

I rarely refuse to publish letters and will

Members that complete in excess of a cer-

things, it made the situation worse. All the

usually only do so if they are rude or

tain number of trips on a weekly basis.

trips had so many rejects on them it really

venomous. I certainly don’t remember

(See page 4… Ed)

was quite unbelievable and the Call Centre

anyone asking me three times to pub-

staff spent all of their time calling cus-

lish a letter, but judging by the tone of

tomers back saying no cabs were available.

Caption Competition

the writer, I can think of several reasons

Dear Alan

The added pressure of making more call-

why I might have wanted to have

back’s prevented staff from answering

A few weeks ago during the night shift in

banned this “gentleman.”

the Dial-a-Cab Control Centre, a tourist

inbound calls, which in turn gave cus-

If anyone doesn’t agree with anything

tomers more to complain about. The Board

phoned in asking a colleague

(Gareth

in the mag, then complain to me and

Jenkins) how much it would cost

immediately reversed their decision for the

not the LTDF and perhaps I can do

next day and it's not been tried since.

from somewhere to St Pancreas? Gareth

something about it - especially as this

asked me why people didn’t realise that

Richard remarks how he feels it is unac-

driver would be happy to run to CW

ceptable to scrub £40 trips and no one

there was no such station as St Pancreas,

without a run-in even though it is now

which is when he came up with the below

would disagree, but there are a number of

busy again. Interestingly, I see that Citi

trips that are covered, which, as we all

punch line which had me in stitches! Who

have been using us again with run-ins

said that working on the night shift was the

know that if the destination had been

...Ed

shown, would not have been.

grave yard shift! There's never a dull

moment on the night shift! The caption

Our controllers are currently trying a

new approach by sending out pre-notifica-

The merger, the future

contest entry was:

Alan Fisher says to Brian Rice and Keith Hill:

tion messages of areas where trips are

and non-coverage

going to be coming out from. In addition,

“I'm in my cab and at traffic lights and

Regarding Geoffrey Riesel and Radio

someone walks towards me and asks: 'How

they are unmasking trips earlier to show

Taxis, do we really want to merge with a

the destination, run-ins are being increased

do I get to St Pancreas?' So I said 'you just

taxi company whose first port of call when

turn left at the spleen'!”

sooner and additional premiums are being

having difficulty in covering work is

added; but this is still not sufficient to get

Marvin Severin (Ms)

Addison Lee? I firmly believe that we can

DaC Control Centre Night shift

drivers to accept trips. Some are even being

re-take our premier position in this mod-

made non-rejectable but drivers being

Although this entry didn’t win Call

ern transport industry without Mr Riesel's

Sign’s caption contest, the story was

offered the trip are then timing out on pur-

outfit. Can I also point to the idea of Mr

pose. So, I cannot see that by showing des-

amusing enough to put into Mailshot

Paul Hammett

(V42)

(back in the

...Ed

tinations on all trips, how it will improve

February Call Sign) of financing our own

coverage especially as there are trips now

drivers for new cabs, thereby helping to

with the destination being shown that are

Morning coverage

renew our fleet with more emission friend-

not being covered. I hate to say it, but if

Hello Alan.

ly engines. But why stop there? Fuel, tyres,

there has to be a significant change then

I just wanted to respond to complaints by

oil - with our buying power we could make

perhaps we should adopt the same way of

Board members regarding our morning

some really worthwhile savings, which at

despatching as we do in the evening, when

coverage. Doing that shift, it is not unusual

the same time would give something back

all the work from the city zones ie EC5, is

to have to wait over an hour for a job

to drivers and encourage loyalty to our

made non rejectable.

because up to 7.45 am, things can be quiet,

Society.

Allan Evans also referred to this in his

then suddenly everyone wants a taxi

Perhaps we could also supply cars if

September Call Sign report.

between 07.45 and 09.00. Then it goes

requested, using our own drivers - possibly

quiet again. I have noticed that many dri-

the older ones for whom it would be more

vers have reverted back to days or evenings

Publication in Call Sign

suitable instead of servicing minicab

instead of mornings and I have previously

Three months in a row I have submitted a let-

accounts and making them look good.

contacted Keith Cain with ideas as to what

ter to Call Sign Magazine. Fisher refuses to

With subscriptions having gone up by a

to do. To me it can’t be just coincidence

publish any because they all include the

tremendous rate without the membership

that the coverage is poor at the only time of

Board and what is it doing about the lack of

being consulted, we don't seem to be offer-

the day when jobs are masked. Yes, scrub-

work? Why the money in the bank is being

ing anything to encourage new accounts or

bing £40 rides from NW8 to EC2 is unac-

allowed to dwindle? Also I asked him to put

to be able to hold on to our old base. I have

Call Sign November 2014

Page 35

Mailshot

continued from page 34

Find administer the account. King X

could be a similar situation, but using

mentioned coverage in previous letters and

RTG as well. I do not know if that is the

this must improve if we are to succeed.

case, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.

When I started in 1972, the old chaps of

Regarding financing new vehicles, I

that era used to say to me: “Don't forget

believe that is beyond our remit as we are

that many a mickle makes a muckle; you

not a bank or building society and it is

never knew when taking a job that might

not a case of just advancing money to

not have sounded much, where you may

Members, everything would have to be

the Membership to subsidise that tiny sub-

scription whilst current circumstances are

have ended up!” We have not just lost a lot

registered and overseen by the FCA. We

of work, but also people’s goodwill by

are a radio circuit and not a bank; after

more difficult.

It may be reasonable to assume that if a

allowing the minicab industry to ride

all, we would hardly expect NatWest bank

roughshod over us for far too long - so let's

to supply taxis - horses for courses!

Member has served more than thirty years,

up our game and move forward.

It is within our aims and objects to sup-

they could be ‘slowing down’ a little and a

Bruno Manfredi (F23)

ply tyres, fuel and oil, but you have been

PAYG subscription would help to ease the

Brian Rice replies: I too have heard the

around a long time Bruno and you can no

pain just a little.

story regarding RTG and Kings X over the

doubt remember the LTDA garage at

Supplying cars using our own drivers

August Bank Holiday, I really don’t know

Vauxhall and the LTDA Insurance brokers

could be an option, however, the problem

what happened but sometimes events are

at Sutherland Avenue? The LTDA had to

we have is that our qualified, professional

not what they seem. I do not have any

relinquish ownership of both as they

taxi drivers would expect to earn more

intention of defending RTG, but in this

were both a tremendous drain on the

(quite rightly too) than the unqualified

day and age it is not unusual for a third

LTDA’s resources.

minicab driver and at the moment every-

party to administer the account. For

Regarding subscriptions, they have

thing seems to depend on price, but hope-

instance, as you are aware we serviced

increased for 15% of the membership,

fully that will change.

Euston and the ‘House’ and lost both

but 85% are better off under the new

Finally, coverage and goodwill; I couldn’t

accounts to a company from Liverpool

scheme, however, I can sympathise with

agree with you more Bruno, as I have stat-

called ‘Cab Find’, they do not have any

long serving Members such as yourself

ed many times we cannot compete on price

taxis or cars in London but sub-contract

who have seen an increase in their £1 per

so it must be on service and of course you

the work via their platform (the plat-

month subscription. You must remember

are quite right, that does encompass cover-

forms I have been warning everyone

that we continued with the £1 subscrip-

age.

about for the last ten years). With both

tion for over sixteen years, but times were

You have touched on so many points

the ‘House’ and Euston, I do know that

much better then and I do not believe it

Bruno, I feel exhausted just reading my

Cab Find use Addison Lee, although Cab

is reasonable to expect the remainder of

answer!

JACQUELINE HART

COUNSELLOR

BA (Hons), Dipl in Transactional Analysis

MBACP, EATA

• Do you feel as though things are getting on top of you?

• Do you find yourself becoming increasingly more angry ?

• Do some of your thoughts burden you and get in the way of day to day activities?

• Do you find yourself asking “why does this always happen to me’?

• Are you noticing your behaviours changing, maybe using alcohol, food or drugs to make you feel better?

• Are there any of your relationships ie with your husband, wife, partner, boss, manager, son, daughter,

mum or dad that make you unhappy and question yourself too often?

Any of these and many more could be an indication that your well being needs some attention.

It maybe a surprise to hear that there needn’t be anything wrong with you for you to see a counsellor.

Counselling could simply enable you to become happier, healthier and a more fulfilled human being.

I am a fully qualified counsellor with 12 years experience

and a member of the British Association of Counselllors and Psychotherapists

I offer private counselling to individuals and couples in a confidential, safe and comfortable setting.

I have a private practice in Bexley and Sidcup (SE London).

I offer sessions Monday- Saturday and Thursday evenings.

I will be happy to arrange a free 15 minute telephone consultation to assess your needs.

Session fees are £50.00

Telephone : 07551 975 503 • Email: jacquiehartcounselling@hotmail.com