Call Sign May 2016

Call Sign May 2016

Page 3

from the editor’s desk

Uber, credit cards,

worthless promises about bumper work

levels, even though he knew we would be

fraud and lies...

kept well away from where that work was

There isn’t much to laugh about regarding

sited because Call Sign asked him about

Uber’s operation, even less at TfL’s apparent

that before the Games!

love affair with that app. But occasionally

We have had promise after promise after

something comes up to at least bring a smile to

promise broken. In reality, his promises have

a situation that is happening more and more

been as useless as his Emirates London Cable

frequently - and the one involving Benjamin

Car Crossing, which takes virtually no one

Partridge had a great - or stupid - punchline,

from O2 to ExCel and then doesn’t take them

depending on your sense of humour!

back again after they didn’t go in the first place!

It’s unlikely that you will know of Benjamin;

Then there was the promise to end home-

he isn’t a cab driver but like many others, he

lessness in London by

2012. He probably

does frequent Facebook and he recently post-

meant to say that it would get worse! Or what

ed a short but pertinent piece to Uber. His

about the no strike deal he promised to get

complaint?

“Some bastard just used my Uber

from rail unions or the promise not to shut any

account to get a cab across Beijing!”

fire stations. Well someone has called the rail

What made that funny was that whoever had

to splash around. How do you beat that?

unions out several times and closed 10 fire sta-

accessed his card - supposedly safe in Uber’s

Well we certainly won’t while we have TfL

tions along the way!

grubby mitts - also cashed in a ‘25% off’ pro-

at the helm. The question is who else could

All I can say is that if anyone is undecided

motion voucher that the Chinese Uber app had

do the job because we have a licensed PH

about their Euro vote, would they feel happy

been offering!

company in Uber who have been shown to

voting the way Boris suggests because if he says

Not that long ago, Linda and I were

be liars and a licensing authority that

something, then it’s bound to be wrong! But

walking along Station Road in Upminster,

thinks it’s perfectly ok to licence them.

hey, he looks great with his blond almost-

when she had a call from a number that

The phrase ‘you couldn’t make it up’ rings

combed locks... but Harrow is welcome to him.

came up as being from the fraud depart-

very true...

Just please, please, p l e a s e, don’t let him

ment of her bank.

ever come back because as a famous Mayor

“Mrs Fisher,” the voice asked,

“did you

Mountview and Gett

once said - he has given us two-thirds of diddly

spend $89 around 7 minutes ago in Brazil?”

Firstly my congratulations to Mountview

squat since we’ve known him!

Well, Linda prides itself on being quick, but

hey, no one’s that quick! So what’s the differ-

House Group Chairman, Geoffrey Riesel,

whose policy of buying up his drivers low-

Addison Lee problems

ence between Linda’s bank and Uber? Well,

priced shares has paid off handsomely and he

I have never made any secret about my views of

Linda’s bank with their multi-millions of cus-

will receive a huge six-figure sum from Gett

Addison Lee. I don’t like any form of competi-

tomers spotted the fraud in minutes. Uber,

following that company’s acquisition of the

tion, but I have to admire the way that Addy Lee

who also hold millions of credit card details

organisation formerly called Radio Taxis.

have been operated for many, many years. They

but nowhere near as many as Linda’s bank,

However, the part I can’t quite understand is

have a set of standards that they keep to. All

never seem to spot the fraudulent uses of the

where Gett say they will never use private hire,

their drivers must have the correct insurance -

many card details they hold and I only picked

on Benjamin Partridge’s problem because

yet Mountview’s only profitable section is their

they know they do because they have to buy it

there was some humour in the crook using it

One Transport booking platform... which

from Addy Lee themselves! The drivers are

actually bothering to claim the discount!

deals mainly with cars.

always smart, the cars clean and their prices

According to Gett’s European CEO, Remo

reflect the service. Yes, they are competition, but

I often wonder what TfL would do to Dial-

a-Cab if even just a handful of clients com-

Gerber, they will only be using black taxis and

at least they are legitimate competition.

plained about the safety of our account facili-

they have no interest in running a minicab

But things are apparently changing because

ties. To my knowledge, there haven’t been any

fleet, nor will they apply for a Private Hire

in an effort to keep up with Uber, they have

leaks and it is highly unlikely that any out-

operator’s licence. However, says Mr Gerber,

upset their drivers - some of whom are com-

siders would get through the hi-tec security

One Transport has “£millions of work for Black

plaining that prices have been slashed by up to

this Society uses. But Uber’s security can only

Cabs every year.” But from what I know about

50 percent in order to maintain their share of

be compared to a sieve, yet they constantly get

One T, their customers use black cabs only as

the work against the U-men. The main com-

away with it... courtesy of our licensing

part of a car option and without that, many will

plaint is that the fare reductions have been

authority.

be uninterested in maintaining an account. I’ll

taken from the drivers’ part of the fare - exactly

But then there’s the really big U-prob-

be interested to see what happens.

the same complaint as Uber drivers make about

lem, the unlimited funds they appear to

their fare reductions.

have. An example of that financial clout

Mayoral elections

Letters from both Addison Lee and the UPHD

arose recently in California where Uber

Well, it’s time to bade farewell to Boris and

Union have been leaked online and it doesn’t

were fined $10million (around £7million)

welcome his soon-to-be-elected successor.

take a lot of working out to see that relations

for misleading passengers about the

What can we say about the man who single-

between the company and its drivers are at

strength of the background checks they

handedly has been in charge of an organisation

breaking point.

use when hiring their drivers. I can’t

that has done what no one has managed in 350

As Brian Rice said last year before the trade

believe they would do that!!!

years - almost finish off the licensed taxi trade

took it up, this is truly a race to the bottom...

Many would claim the same about

so that it’s barely clinging on by its fingernails.

Transport for London’s method of back-

His policy of giving priority to cyclists has

See you in July...

ground checks for Uber drivers arriving in the

caused so much traffic congestion that passen-

As usual, Call Sign will not be publishing an

country as refugees. Regardless of the

gers are scared of getting into a taxi because of

issue in June so we hope to see you all again in

undoubted appalling situations some find

the meter going up while they are stuck in a

July. Feel free to send in any stuff you want to

themselves in, they can still get a licence with

traffic hold-up. Does anyone at TfL really

pass on as I’ll still be here and still checking

nothing other than a piece of reference paper

believe that the single eastbound lane along

every day.

from a previous employer that they have amaz-

Lower Thames Street is suddenly going to

To everyone planning a holiday, enjoy it. You

ingly avoided losing or even getting wet on

magically clear of its 18 hours-a-day hold-ups

certainly deserve it after the past few ultra-tough

their boat / walking journeys through Europe,

when the cones have gone? It will still be just

years and hopefully, things will be better when

until arriving in London and picking up their

one lane.

you get back...

first fare!

Just as the policy during the London

Alan Fisher

But Uber apparently still have $billions

Olympics almost killed us following his

callsignmag@aol.com

Call Sign May 2016

Page 4

Reflections of the Chairman

when we had our PEDs passed by TfL to be in

Credit Cards

the front of the taxi back in March 2011, the two

You are all obviously aware that as from 2 April,

reasons were that I considered the mounting of

there was no longer any surcharge to customers

the PED in the rear of the vehicle could be a

for using a Credit Card in a licensed London

threat to driver safety as drivers could be

taxi. Any charge will indirectly be passed to the

enticed out of the front of the vehicle with the

driver by the equipment suppliers, but of

passenger stating the PED was not working cor-

course the driver is going to be compensated

rectly. Secondly, passengers should always wear

because TfL have added 20p to the initial hiring

a seat belt when travelling in a taxi, but they

for one year, when it will then be reviewed.

don’t and the siting of the PED in the back

We initially had some correspondence from

could be a hazard to the passenger should the

Members concerning the £1 plus VAT per day that

taxi be involved in an accident or emergency

we charge for processing all your Credit Card

manoeuvre. I’m afraid that I am still of the opin-

transactions. We had all sorts of suggestions, such

ion the PED should be in the front and be

as only paying the £1 plus VAT on the day the

passed by the driver to the passenger in the rear

Member worked or the Member not paying the

or through the luggage window. If TfL persist

£1 plus VAT per day when they were on holiday.

with their insistence that the PED should be a

But of course that was before all the other equip-

fixture in the passenger compartment of the

tract. They agreed so then all that was needed

ment suppliers released their charges and I think

taxi, then they will be proven to be wrong - but

was for the builders to come back with a suit-

I’m correct in saying that we are the only organi-

only after a passenger or driver is injured.

able offer they’d be prepared to pay to rent the

sation that does not charge a percentage of the

Strangely enough I was sent this piece,

site. They returned with a figure of £15k per

fare to the driver on each transaction.

although I’m not sure where it originated from.

annum for three years, making a grand total of

During the first week of the new procedure, I

I assume it was a taxi drivers’ blog or forum site,

£45k for the period. I found the offer derisory

was totally amazed to see that our transactions

but at least it was signed and I am assured it is

and couldn’t contemplate negotiating with

via Credit Cards had doubled and up until the

authentic. It reflects my sentiments exactly...

them as our individual assessments for the

time of writing this, that trend has continued.

Just for info guys and the card machine

worth of the project were too far apart.

This got me thinking as I couldn’t believe that

in the back: A friend on RTG got a couple

Eventually the co-founder of the actual devel-

the public had suddenly and dramatically decid-

with 2 kids about 12 - 14 in. Mum and dad

opers of the site contacted me to see if we could

ed to increase the use of Credit Cards during

were on the back seat with kids on jump

come to some sort of agreement. I had met the

the first week of implementation. In fact, most

seats. All normal so far. However, he was

co-founder several times before as I originally

of them probably never even knew that a new

made to force a left turn to avoid an RTA.

sold Brunswick House to him and he seemed

procedure was in place!

The child in the back slid to her left and

quite keen to do business again. We had our

Anyway, I have now realised why the transac-

into the card machine, very nearly break-

meetings and finally agreed on a rent of £170k

tions we process have increased so dramatically

ing her neck. As it went into her, there was

per annum for three years making a total of

and it’s due to the fact that Members are pro-

some blood so they went to A&E. Driver has

£510k, which under the circumstances will be a

cessing all their Credit Card transactions

left details with the father, but the father

welcome income for the Society in the future.

through Dial-a-Cab as they are only paying a

says it’s clearly not his fault. However,

flat daily/weekly fee and not a percentage of the

again what has happened to so called

fee to the organisation that processes the trans-

Pin Enabled Devices

“health & safety?” Ordering us to put these

action. Consequently, it appears that in the past

in the back, I feel a death may well be on

(PEDs)

many Members were not clearing their Credit

its way. The PCO would never have allowed

Card transactions through Dial-a-Cab but via a

All taxis in London will have to be equipped

these in the back like this. Someone should

third party as their percentage charge was less

with a PED as from 3 October and have to

look into this. Be aware... Mickey A.

than ours, but as we are now the only organisa-

process a Credit Card should the customer wish

tion not to charge a percentage, of course they

to use this method of payment. However, TfL

Brian Rice

wish to use Dial-a-Cab! The charges we make for

have stated that the PED will have to be a fixture

Chairman

Credit Card transactions may have to be

in the passenger compartment of the vehicle,

Dial-a-Cab

reviewed in the future because when we

something I have always disagreed with. In fact,

brought the new charges in, I naively believed

that Members were clearing their Credit Cards

through us. How wrong was I!

I now have figures for the first 3 weeks of the

new system and the transactions that we have

PAUL’S TAXI SPECIALISTS LTD

processed have increased by 98.5 percent; if

only all transactions had gone through us in the

first place.

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

Car Park

Tel: 01708 553037

By the time you read this piece, hopefully our

car park will be back to normal, albeit with

FREE AIR FILTER WITH EVERY SERVICE

WE ALSO HAVE CABS FOR RENT

twenty one porta-cabins situated on top! I really

can’t remember if I relayed the story to you in

TX1 servicing from £48

TX1s, TX2s, TX4s and Vitos

the past, but I was originally approached by the

TX2 servicing from £70

Rentals from £165 per week

builders next door to see if they could use our

TX4 servicing from £90

car park for their project team who would be

housed in porta-cabins. I said yes - provided we

All Work Undertaken

could agree on a suitable fee for them to rent

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

the car park, but of course they would have to

All TX1, TX2, TX4

build a mezzanine floor for the cabins so that

Starters - Batteries - Alternators - All with 2 year Warranty

we retained use of our parking facility. They

would also have to obtain all the necessary

licences and permissions and meet the cost of

Fax: 01708 551443

Web: www.PaulsTaxiSpecialists.co.uk

all expenses, together with the cost of the con-

Call Sign May 2016

Page 5

Following the LTDA’s lobby of Parliament on

March 8 (see April Call Sign) where it was

hoped to see drivers persuade their MPs to

“Ten Minute Bill”

commit to taking the action that TfL has

failed to do, Ilford North MP Wes Streeting

took up the cudgels and told Call Sign’s

runs out of time

Marc Turner (R97) at the time that he would

be putting forward a “Ten Minute Bill” on

Wes Streeting's

March 22 to publicise some this trade’s griev-

10 minute Bill ran

ances - or at least those referring to Uber.

out of minutes!

We said at the time that very few Ten

Minute Bills get a second reading due to

time restraints and sadly that was the case

for this Bill too and it has been timed out.

The LTDA and the

The Bill had asked for changes that were

many drivers attend-

obviously aimed at Uber and which some

ing Parliament on

claim would have had the opposite effect

March 22 may not

that they set out to do in giving the app’s

have had the result

drivers a far more respectable image. But it

they wanted, but

would also have made that image far more

they also showed

difficult to come by and help keep numbers

that they aren’t pre-

down, whereas currently it isn’t much more

pared to just roll

difficult to become an Uber driver than get-

over and give up.

ting out of bed.

That isn’t a failure...

Some drivers are now criticising Wes

just a delay!

Streeting’s effort, claiming they “knew it would

But few came out and said either when the Ten

Alan Fisher

be a waste of time.” Others are asking why the

Minute Bill was first granted, because the alter-

Call Sign Online

LTDA wasted their time in organising the lobby.

native was to sit back and do nothing.

Credit Cards & Stickers

As of 2 April, licensed London taxis were no longer charging a fee for

accepting credit cards and it means that passenger hailing a street cab

are now charged the amount shown on the meter, whatever their

payment method. As from October, all black cabs will be required to

accept card payments.

TfL claim that drivers are being compensated for the cost of accepting cards by a 20p extra

on the fare drop, taking the minimum fare up to £2.60.

But many Dial-a-Cab drivers have been phoning Call Sign concerning removal of

the stickers that had told passengers their driver accepted credit cards and that

there was a 10% charge for doing so. The question was how they could inform

passengers that they still accepted cards and that there was no longer a charge?

The answer was that we didn’t know, so we asked those that did - TfL - and the LTPH

Strategy and Infrastructure manager, Darren Crowson told us that they would be producing signage to advise passengers that

taxis accepted card payments and there was no charge for doing so. However, they wouldn’t be going out until sometime prior to the

October requirement of compulsory card acceptance coming into effect.

However, Mr Crowson did add that existing signage could still be used provided that information about the previous charge was no

longer displayed or was covered up.

London Taxidrivers’ Fund for Underprivileged Children

DRIVERS WANTED

Drivers, we welcome you to come and join us on our outings that give

many special needs and disadvantaged children some wonderful

fun-packed days out. As well as giving a great deal of pleasure to so many children,

we promise you will have a brilliant and fun-packed day out yourself.

TUESDAY 17th MAY 2016 TO WOBURN TAXI SAFARI

WEDNESDAY 13th JULY 2016 TO SOUTHEND

Without you there are no outings, so please contact our drivers' liaison:

Steve Bell on 07811 508772

Or enter your details on the volunteer page of our website:

www.ltfuc.org.uk - a Sponsor Page can also be found there...

The Hon President, Hon Chairman and Committee look forward to seeing you

Call Sign May 2016

Page 6

Jery’s

World

“Perhaps if we look for a Mayor now who claims to be our friend... before they then double the number of licensed minicabs,

ban us from bus lanes and stations and then double the cost for taxi licenses, it might save us getting upset later!”

DBS application and temporary licences

Call Sign receives several emails each month from upset Dial-a-Cab dri-

vers who say that their new three year licence hasn’t yet arrived, that

the old one is on the verge of expiring and that they have heard of TfL

issuing temporary licences. Then comes the question... is that true?

Well sadly, the answer is no! Contrary to utterances from LTPH, there are still delays - usually

caused by the DBS - Disclosure & Barring Service - side and the only way you can get a

temporary licence is if you have been waiting over 90 days.

The application forms are sent out four months before the due date and if you do not

respond as soon as you get it, then you are taking a risk with your earning capacity because if you don’t get the licence, then you

can’t work.

If you have been waiting more than 90 days, just phone TfL and they will issue you with a temporary licence. If you

haven’t then they just will not be interested and tell you that you should have sent it back earlier.

If you don’t want to risk your licence, the DBS now have an update service that means once you receive your DBS certificate and

subscribe to the update service, then you need never apply for a new one. LTPH - or any employer come to that - will just need your

membership number and can check that there have been no changes to your original DBS without any delays.

There is a fee of £13 per year to subscribe to the update service when you apply for your DBS certificate, but it means you would no

longer be required to apply for a new DBS certificate or have the frustrating wait associated with it.

If interested, then it has to be done within 19 days of your next renewal. Once you complete the DBS form and have your applica-

tion form reference number, go to the DBS website and join. You will need a credit/debit card. If you prefer to just go through the

usual performance every three years, then that option will still be there - just make sure you return your licence application as soon as

you get the licence pack, usually around four months before expiry...

Go to the DBS website at https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service for more details. You can also track your application

at the same site...

Call Sign May 2016

Page 7

all Sign’s phone was boiling hot

over the past month ever since

revealing that we had road tested

an LPG converted taxi and how

LPG CONVERSIONS

impressed we had been with it. The article

obviously hit home with cab owners whose

eral interest surround-

taxis were closing in on the 15 year time limit

ing this LPG solution,

and some who were already on the extra year

hopefully they would

that TfL had allowed for some drivers. The

eventually come down

reason was that LPG converted cabs will get

a bit in price.

an extra five years and that even with the cost

The TX2 the com-

of conversion working out at around £9,800

pany are using for a

(including VAT), that is still much cheaper

10,000 mile TfL dura-

than buying another cab or renting.

bility

testing is

The Dial-a-Cab Credit Union had con-

scheduled to com-

firmed to Call Sign that they would give

mence as this issue

loans to any member requiring one in

comes out.

order to convert their taxis. DACCU gave

The vehicles existing

the monthly cost of members borrowing

gearbox is used and an

£10,000 as £264 over 48 months, £333

adaptor plate is manu-

over 36 months, £470 over 24 months or

factured to marry the

£890 if you can afford to repay it over 12

would become available, warrantees, how

gearbox up to the new engine. As the new

months. Put those costs against buying or

would the existing gearbox match up to the

engine has been tuned to match the power

5 years renting and they come out as being

new Opal petrol engine, would the conversion

and torque output of the original diesel

very favourable.

become cheaper and was it true that LPG con-

engine, this means no additional strain is put

The conversion consists of replacing your

verted vehicles were banned from driving

on the existing gearbox.

diesel engine with a brand new Opel petrol

through Blackwall and Dartford Tunnels?

Converted taxis can use any UK tunnel

engine capable of

290 brake horsepower,

So, re the warrantee: All re-powering parts

except one - the Channel via the Eurostar

although it will be detuned as that is far too

are covered for a period of 12 months or

shuttle service. That is due to the French side

powerful for a taxi. But it will give you the

30,000 miles subject to service requirements

but is unlikely to affect many drivers’ daily

same torque as a TX4 without any shudders or

being observed. LPG parts are covered for a

work routine!

vibrations and will probably sound even qui-

period of 24 months or 60,000 miles subject to

The photo shows the adaptor plate,

eter than your car! After conversion to LPG,

service requirements being observed.

which is milled out of one solid piece of

taxis meet the EU Euro 6 standard and gain

Cheaper over time? It is envisaged that

aluminium, fitted into the engine bay.

fuel savings of up to 20 percent! So it wasn’t

economies of scale would kick in after 500

More info as we get it…

that surprising that we would get some ques-

units had been produced. Considering the size

Jamie Corum

tions. Among them were how long before they

of the London and UK taxi fleets, plus the gen-

Call Sign Online

Call Sign May 2016

Page 8

I’d like to relate

TfL’s decisions with taxis have caused many drivers irritation, but

my story over

one driver - former Taxi Driver of the Year Brian Marcantonio (R73)

the past 41 years

since I walked

- has decided he can’t take any more and has retired...

out of the PCO

Penton

Street clutching

Green

Badge number

TFL AND BORIS MADE

23391; other-

wise it will be as

though I was

ME CALL IT A DAY!

never

here.

Along the way,

I’ll give my view

3 months and if you ordered one, you’d have to

was launched giving us creature comforts that

on how the cab

go on a waiting list and wouldn’t know how

we couldn’t even dream about in our FX cabs.

trade has been sh*t on over those 41 years by the

much it was going to cost you until M&O told

But at least that led to LTI coming up with the

very people we assumed were there to look after

you that your new cab was in! So what brainchild

Fairway, which had more for the driver than

us, as well as our punters...

did Merlin Rees come up with? He awarded us a

any other LTI cab had ever come up with before.

It was Wednesday 21st May 1975 when I

10p increase and an inquiry into how much we

It also had the Nissan 2.7 engine under the

received my Bill; I was working for the Post

were earning and also how much Private Hire

bonnet, probably the best taxi engine ever. But

Office at the time as a technical officer on the

was earning.

that was eventually dropped and replaced with

telecoms side - now known as BT. I had the

Among the champagne socialists living in

the TX1...

day off and went with a man I had been train-

Highgate, Taxi drivers would be hung, drawn

The cab trades modern-day problems really

ing up to my rank and who had helped me

and quartered if we dared broom a job to

started with our controlling move from the

with my call-overs. It had taken me fifteen

Highgate for that £1-45, but when PH took

Home Office to County Hall, onto TfL and the

months - not bad compared to nowadays.

the same journey and charged them £3, then

licensing of Private Hire. Then when Mayor Ken

The following evening I rented a cab from

they were terrific blokes! If we, with our pur-

Livingstone could see a few more votes in the

Halfins at Parsons Green Lane for the night to

pose built taxis and full insurance dared to

green lobby with their sandals, grey socks and

return in the morning before I went back to work

charge £3, we would have a police helicopter

vegetarianism, came cyclists and the introduc-

at the PO. The rent was £4.80 for the night plus

and armed response unit outside our house

tion of even more cycle lanes. And THEN - wait

2p per mile for diesel, which was 45p a gallon

telling us to come out with our hands up!

for it - the biggest disaster ever for the cab trade

(around 10p per litre). My first fare was from

In 1979 the Tories with Margaret Thatcher

- BORIS, the Mayor who promised us every-

Kensington High Street’s Derry and Toms (if

were elected and she put Willie Whitelaw in

thing, gave us nothing before stabbing us in the

you remember them) to Beryl Road,

charge at the Home Office. Within a month we

back with the cycle superhighways.

Hammersmith for 40p plus a 10p tip (almost

received the fare increase we needed - 30 per-

Large companies aren’t coming to London in

everyone tipped in those days. I went on to have

cent! But the airport faces were not happy

the numbers they were, but many say they are

quite a good night with extra passengers paying

because prior to the increase the meter used to

leaving because of the congestion the cycle

an extra 3p and a midnight ‘extras’ charge of 12p.

go double after 6 miles, but it was reduced to

superhighway lanes are causing. The CEO’s

After two years driving some evenings and

only 50 percent faster. But we all gained at the

don’t go to work on the tube or bus with the

weekends on a part-time basis, I was sure I could

front end and received a large increase. Then 10

sweaty masses, they go by taxi or car and if they

do the job full-time and be able to make a decent

months later, we received another 25 percent

have difficulty getting to work as they now are,

living, so in April 1977 - Jubilee Year - I resigned

increase. After that, the motor and cycling index

they just move the company to where they can

from the Post Office and in the June of that year

was applied to our fares so we never had to go

get to work easier.

I bought a brand new FX4, having taken my

through what the previous Labour administra-

The lies and lawbreaking by the Mayor and his

superannuation contributions back from the

tion had put us through. Needless to say, the

TfL are just breathtaking - and that includes

Post Office and used it for a deposit. In August of

number of fares wanting to go to Highgate

HMG too. Crime figures for Taxis and PH being

that year I joined ODRTS at 144 Shirland Rd,

was drastically reduced.

lumped into one means that 25,000 people have

Maida Vale.

Then in 1982, M&O introduced the FX4R

been libelled. Perhaps there needs to be a law -

In 1975, the country had been facing a rag-

with a 2.2 litre engine. It was the first cab with

collective libel!

ing inflation rate of 27 percent and by 1977

an engine that didn’t deafen the driver, but it

Added to the above comes Uber, with total

the government had reduced it down to 21

was also an army reject that couldn’t climb even

inaction from TfL also being just breathtak-

percent. Everyone was getting similar wage

the slightest gradient when more than two pas-

ing. Is this another case of chums looking

increases - with the exception of taxi fares!

sengers were in the back! But of course it was

after chums? Perhaps I could mention Messrs

At the time we had a Labour government led

ok to put it into a cab because we had no choice

Cameron, Johnson and Osborne alongside

by Prime Minister Jim Callaghan with Dennis

as to what vehicle we bought. Eventually there

their membership of the Oxford thugs club,

Healey as Chancellor (his wife Edna was an

was such uproar over the FX4R that they bought

the Bullingdon... but I don’t have the time,

account client with us at a time when you

out the FX4S, a taxi that on a warm day would

space or inclination to wind myself up!

could drive your taxi up to the door of 11

see the engine often overheat and boil over.

I could hail David Cameron and George

Downing Street). In charge of taxis at the

Osbourne’s “success” in getting Google to

When drivers complained, M&O said that it was

Home Office was Merlin Reece, who gave the

cough up £130million in back tax, even though

normal! So we asked why the cab didn’t run hot

the French government is claiming £130billion

impression of knowing nothing!

enough in the winter! Eventually they gave in

for tax they claim is owed by the internet giant -

Taxi fares at that time were so low that

and bought out an optional extra for drivers to

and Google’s operation in France is smaller than

demand was almost unbelievable, but it didn't

add to their brand new taxis - a thermostatic

in the UK.

really do us any favours as a job between 2 and 8

fan!

Perish the thought that when David and

miles was almost an act of charity on behalf of

Late 1989 and into the early 1990s, the

George cease being MPs that they would do such

the driver - except for a Heathrow trip if you

country entered a severe recession and fares

a thing as take a job with Google! Mind you,

could get there and back fairly quickly. So there

became scarce - although not as bad as now.

there’s always Uber!

was a lot of brooming, which didn't do our rep-

We then had Michael Portillo in charge at the

Needless to say I can't face this job any-

utation much good. I remember one example

Home Office and were told that all taxis

more so it’s a very sad goodbye from me. I

of how low the fares were; I picked up a single

needed to be wheelchair accessible by the

wish all you Dial-a-Cab drivers the best of

passenger going from Oxford Circus to

year 2000, but that year we at least got a 9%

luck in this trade; however, I think the future

Highgate that went £1.45. The same journey on

increase with an extra 2 percent to help pay

could well be uncertain...

the tube would have cost that passenger £1.40!

for it. But at least we were given 10 years

At that time we were begging for a fare

notice, unlike changes these days.

Brian Marcantonio (now ex-R73)

increase; diesel prices were rising with inflation,

Then after years of being treated as nonenti-

the cost of a new cab was going up almost every

ties came a breath of fresh air - the Metrocab

1993 Taxi Driver of the Year

Call Sign May 2016

Page 9

SID GOLD

STONE SETTING

to wait 6 months before he could get his

refused to give them his wallet, lying on

taxi licence back! He never did say if he

top of it until the three thugs gave up and

was joking!

left. He was back at work the following

Sid was born in the London Hospital

night, when he recounted the story and

in October 1921. He began driving in

showed off a bruise with the excitement

1939 but never passed a driving test as

of a 15 year old!

there were none in those days. He was

Sid joined Dial-a-Cab in 1965 and

in the RAF throughout the war until

left 43 years later much to the sadness

his discharge in 1946 when he went

of the girls in the call centre. Political

into radio and TV sales and repairs. He

correctness wasn’t something that Sid

worked from two different shops in

ever coveted and he would get away

Brick Lane until 1961 when he decid-

with saying the most outrageous

ed to do the Knowledge on a part-time

things to them. But they loved him.

basis so that he could also run his

But as his daughter Roberta said at

other businesses. Sid did the KoL with

Sid’s funeral: “We’re not here to mourn,

Sid at his 90th birthday party

two friends, but not on a bike - the

but to celebrate a life…”

The consecration to the memorial

trio bought an old FX3 between them

All Sid’s friends from DaC are invited to

stone of long-time Dial-a-Cab driver

and did it in that!

the consecration regardless of which reli-

Sid Gold (ex-E20) will take place on

Sid showed his toughness when at the

gion. Just remember that you need a cov-

July

17th at Rainham Jewish

age of 82 he was left lying on the ground

ering for your head...

Cemetery, 416 Upminster Road North,

in Cheshire Street after three yobs - one

Rainham, Essex RM13 9SB. The service

of whom held a gun to Sid’s head -

Jamie Corum

will commence at 2.45pm.

attempted to rob him of his takings. They

Call Sign Online

Sid passed away aged 94, amazingly just

knocked him to the ground but he

8 years after leaving Dial-a-Cab at the age

of 86. Even then he didn’t want to retire

because he was still passing his yearly

medicals. He told Call Sign at the time:

Vito ‘punctures’

“I’m over 86 years of age, so it’s a bit

of a responsibility. Although I have

Call Sign has been sent a message from several

regularly passed my PCO medicals

different Dial-a-Cab Vito owners saying that dri-

with flying colours, driving a radio taxi

vers should not automatically assume that a tyre

carries much responsibility with it.

deflation on the Mercedes taxi is caused by a

But Dial-a-Cab has been such a big

puncture, as they have found they actually had a

part of my life for over 40 years and I

cracked rim rather than a tyre problem.

really am so sad to let it go, however

If it is the rim, you should expect to pay around

that time had to come one day. But I

still have my cab with a plate on so I

£100 for a replacement. You should also factor in

can occasionally go out to work the

balancing and fitting costs. And of course, try not

streets and I won’t starve! I’d also like

to hit the kerb when turning!

Vito cracked rim

to thank Brian Rice and the Board for

their support over the years. Not every

company would have been so kind to

someone of my age.”

Can you afford not to get a copy!!!

Before retirement, he had been

London’s oldest driver but his appear-

Produced by Dial-a-Cabs PCN expert, John Vigus,

ances as a non-radio driver never really

began and he settled into his deserved

this book is all you need to know about moving

retirement. But he always kept in touch,

traffic and parking regulations in one easy to

insisting that he stayed on Call Sign’s

mailing list and we were even invited to

read guide!

his 90th birthday party. It was there that

he asked me to see if Brian Rice could

take him back as a driver at 90 because he

The Motorists Guide to Moving

was getting bored! I think Sid was joking

Traffic And Parking Regulations

because his 90 year old eyes still had that

Gold twinkle in them!

Hard copies £8. Electronic versions to

Just 12 months later, we heard that Sid

had a heart attack and was undergoing

Dial-a-Cab drivers are £5 per copy. Orders

open heart surgery. His chances were

via Driver Services with payment deducted

given as very slim, but he pulled through

from your DaC account.

and was eventually discharged. When

Call Sign called to see how the then 91

year old Sid was, he came onto the phone

and said that the most upsetting part was

Can you really afford not to get a copy!!!

that the heart attack meant he would have

Call Sign May 2016

Page 10

ay Buckland (P66) has been around

Dial-a-Cab a long time, beit as a dri-

The DaC driver,

ver, Marshal or dispatcher. In fact,

Call Sign has a rare video in its

library of the time when this Society went

from voice to data dispatch on 29 April

an unmarked grave

1989 and Ray is seen in his dispatching

guise wandering in and around the old

Brunswick Place call centre. But the story

and the VC

Ray recently passed over to us was as far

away from taxis as it’s possible to get and

closer to the Charge of the Light Brigade,

part of the 1854 Battle of Balaclava during

the Crimean War, that saw Lord

Cardigan’s troops accidentally sent into

battle and lose many troops against the

far superior Russian forces.

Ray’s story begins with his late uncle Peter

- who was into genealogy - together with

Ray’s mother Cynthia, tracing back Ray’s

great great great grandfather, James

Champion, who fought in the 1857 Indian

Mutiny with the Kings Irish Hussars, where

he won the Victoria Cross for valour in the

Potholes!

ith the vast majority of Dial-a-Cab

subscribers being owner drivers, ask

them what the biggest curse to driving

conditions is and most will say road condi-

tions - more specifically, potholes.

A recent announcement from the govern-

ment explained how their £50 million Pothole

Ray Buckland was at the ceremony to honour his great, great, great grandfather's

Action Fund is to be spent across the UK. The

VC, won for actions at the India Mutiny of 1857

Fund was first announced in the Chancellor's

Autumn Statement and was set to be split

face of the enemy. The wording for the 24-

ceremony on 20th April and said it had been

between 118 authorities.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin

year old Troop Sergeant Major was:

one of the most moving events he had ever

said the government wanted to “tackle the

For distinguished bravery at

witnessed. It tied in to a ceremony at

blight of potholes.” However, the Local

Beejapore on 8th September 1858, when

Hammersmith Old Cemetery where James’

Government Association claimed that it

both the Officers attached to the Troop

grave - that had been marked with just a

would take around £12 billion to fix

were disabled, and himself severely

cross

- was re-laid with a fully inscribed

England's roads rather than the £50m

wounded at the commencement of the

stone.

offered.

action by a ball through his body, in hav-

Before leaving for Eastbourne, Ray admit-

The money is the first tranche of a total

ing continued at his duty forward,

ted to Call Sign that he hadn’t even heard of

£250m Pothole Action Fund and is said to have

throughout the pursuit, and disabled

James Champion before being told of the

been calculated according to the size of the

local road network in the area.

several of the Enemy with his pistol. Also

Redoubt ceremony, but he felt so proud now.

Matt Dyer, MD of LeasePlan, said:

recommended for distinguished conduct

Ray added that there was huge thanks owed

“It’s interesting to see how the government

at Gwalior.

to The Sun newspaper, which played a big

plans to divide up the pledged £50 million

Three years earlier, James also took part in

part in getting the recognition that those who

Pothole Action Fund between English councils.

have been decorated with the Victoria Cross

the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade.

Although this is a welcome first pot, there is still

so richly deserved...

Lord Cardigan, under orders from overall

an awful long way to go in repairing Britain’s

commander of the British troops, Lord

pothole-ridden roads. According to local authori-

James Champion VC MSM

Raglan, led his under-strength troops into bat-

ties last year, it will take another £10.5 billion to

1834 - 4 May 1904

fill in every single pothole that is currently on the

tle with a Russian artillery battery. But there

road. With this in mind, we might ask whether

had been a miscommunication and the Light

this ‘so called’ permanent pothole fund is

Brigade was mistakenly sent as a frontal

Call Sign

enough.

assault rather than a back-up and many British

May 2016

Filling in potholes, however, is no substitute

troops lost their lives following a hasty retreat.

Editor: Alan Fisher

for modernising Britain’s road network. Part of

Fortunately, although involved in fighting,

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

the reason why there are so many potholes in

James wasn’t in the main body of troops and

Tel: 0207 251 0581 Fax: 0207 553 7293

the first place is because the roads are aged and

survived, which enabled him to perform so

Email: callsignmag@aol.com

decrepit. Only time will tell, but with the extreme

heroically in India three years later.

Website: www.22-callsign.co.uk

wet weather, more cars on the road than ever

Printers: Premier Print Group

The VC to James Champion - later pro-

and still low fuel prices, it’s looking more like pot-

E6 6 LP

moted to Regimental Sergeant Major -

holes may be a permanent ongoing fixture on

Design: Aldan Publications

our roads.”

was honoured at the Eastbourne Redoubt

Tel: 07958 300 428

Looks like that “curse” is a long way from

where troops with sabres drawn formed a

Email: debbiefresco@googlemail.com

being removed!

guard of honour.

Views and opinion expressed in Call Sign must

Ron Yarborough

Ray Buckland, together with his mum, sis-

not be assumed to represent those of the Editor or

Board.No part of Call Sign may be reproduced

Call Sign Online

ter and several other members of James

either manually or electronically without the express

Champion’s family, witnessed the emotional

permission of the Editor.

Call Sign May 2016

Page 12

The big

Another true story from Geoff Levene…

thing these

days is

genealogy.

Who Do You think I am!

Everybody

On my mother's side, the 1881 census

in the morning without first covering yourself

wants to

revealed that her grandfather, Jacob, had

with goose fat to ward off the cold!

know where

been in Manchester; also showing that

So eventually they decided to leave.

they came

although he had come from Russia, he was

Grandpa saved his money and paid for a pas-

actually born in Finland, which was part of

sage to England, but when they got off the

from. Were

the Russian Empire in those days. This

ship they found themselves in New York. He

our ancestors royalty or rogues?

would account for my blond Nordic looks and

was said to be furious.

Were they criminal or clergy? In

my prowess at distance running!

“The cheats,” he screamed,

“I paid for

Ten years later he was in Wentworth Street

England and they dump us here. Back onto

Australia, descendants of English

in the east end, but after that he spent the rest

the ship!”

transportees are regarded as

of his life in various parts of Bermondsey.

Eventually they arrived in London. It wasn’t

aristocracy!

Strangely enough, my niece - Jacob’s great-

exactly paradise with seven people in two rat-

Whole TV series are devoted to the subject.

great granddaughter - having been brought

infested rooms. In fact they were so poor that

From the BBC’s ‘Who do you think you are’

up in North West London, now lived off

there were not enough rats to go around and

we learnt that actor Alexander Armstrong

Jamaica Road.

two of my uncles had to share a rat! Aunty

and journalist Frank Gardner can both trace

But there were mysteries about that lot. I

Hetty didn’t have her own rat until she’d been

themselves back to William the Conqueror

couldn’t find birth certificates for Jacob’s four

married for two years. She had a reputation

of all people. Mind you, there must be many

children, although I found one for a fifth child

for being a bit snooty, owning twelve pairs of

who could do that if they had the resources of

of whom there is no other record. I don't sup-

bloomers - one for every month of the year!

the Beeb to help their research!

pose I'll ever find out what happened there.

But women can still be a bit hoity-toity.

So what can the average person do to

But back to my father’s side; legend has

We were chatting to a lady at a party last

find out about their history? There’s plen-

it there was an ancestor that lived in

week when she suddenly said that she had

ty to discover from the internet and if you

Babylon who made a living as a charioteer.

to rush as she was going to pick up a new

subscribe to certain websites, you can find

But he lost his license for refusing to go

Canesten Combi. So I told her that I had a

out even more. And of course there’s the

south of the Euphrates one Saturday

fifteen year old Toyota, but that it didn’t

wonderful National Archive in Kew. It was

evening. Years later, the family was to be

make me a bad person!

there I was able to track down my paternal

found in the little Polish village of

Recently, I found myself in the east end and

grandfather’s Naturalisation File from

decided to find the old place. So I went up

Mennyzeds. You won't find that on any

1935. It was embargoed until 2035 but I

map because it’s actually called something

Commercial Street, tuned right into Slime

applied under the Freedom of Information

Terrace, left into Hovel Street and right into

else that no one can pronounce as it has

Act and a few weeks later it became avail-

Bug Row - and there it was: Woodlice

got lots and lots of zeds in it... so

able. However, it felt really strange open-

Buildings... or as the dazzling steel and glass

Mennyzeds it is!

ing something that had been untouched

edifice is now known - City View Plaza.

But life in Mennyzeds was tough. Over here

for over sixty years and in all probability

I knew we should have held onto it...

in the winter we scrape ice off our wind-

will never be looked at again. I made pho-

screen... but over there you scrape it off the

Geoff Levene (W32)

tocopies for members of the family.

bed! You wouldn’t dream of leaving the house

Call Sign Online

Uniting the anti-Uber world!

It was around 5pm on 19 April and along with hundreds of other taxi drivers, we were

going round and round Kings Cross and St Pancras International until the whole area

became gridlocked, as together we demonstrated against the total inadequacy of police

operations in handling the numbers of PH cars - mainly Uber - ranking up by the Euro

set-down.

So it was with some irony that Call Sign reporter Marc Turner (R97) and I were then invited

along to the Unite (the Union) headquarters in Theobald’s Road at 7pm for what we were told

was to be a two hour meeting that they described as the world’s taxi drivers uniting against Uber.

Amazingly, the meeting - conducted by Unite’s Mike Hedges - was exactly how it had been

described and while there were no definitive answers, listening to international speakers speaking

of problems they had in dealing with Uber made us realise that not only were we not on our own,

but that the Uber menace was absolutely huge!

Karim Asnoune of the CGT Taxi Union in France even joked that Uber was like the Mafia

L-R: Frank, Mac and Claire

and in a French accent that made the lady sitting next to me almost swoon, he told the meeting

about the demonstrations that Paris had, but went on to explain how different the taxi drivers were in other French Cities. The stories may have been

similar from all the other speakers, yet it felt important that we understood the destructiveness that Uber is causing everywhere. Peter Kennedy and

Bob Orr from Canada’s largest private sector union, Unifor, represent over 310,000 members across North America and both gave rundowns of

their Uber problems. They pointed out how popular Uber is with the young because of the technology they use and how young people like anything

new.

Frank Moreels, the Federal Secretary of Transport and Logistics and Co-President of Belgische Transportbond put forward the problems that Belgium

authorities had with Uber and also explained the difference in taxi service between Brussels and Gent and compared then to other Belgium cities.

Mac Urata, the secretary of the International Transport Federation, which represents unions from India to Korea to Norway tied everything

together to make everyone realise, if they didn’t already, just how dangerous Uber is. Together with his assistant Claire, they recited true stories about

Uber and even explained how the app’s “promise” to create one million jobs for UN women had fallen flat. Yet Uber carries on unperturbed.

London Assembly member Murad Qureshi also spoke against the Uber machine, as did former Mayoral candidate Paul Tavares. However, sugges-

tions as to what to do about the app aren’t that easy. There are legal actions against them going on in many countries, as well as demonstrations and

suggestions that we should aim our ire at those putting money into Uber rather than Travis Kalanick, because without money they just could not

exist, as the huge losses they suffered last year were unsustainable without the many backers they have pumping money in, but at least it showed that

we are not alone in our fight.

Alan Fisher, Call Sign Online

Call Sign May 2016

Page 13

Bob Lashmar (B21J):

As Mayor Boris Johnson enters the final lap of his 8-year tenure in

“Overall he has been a

office, Call Sign went out onto London’s streets to gauge the views

disaster. The only thing

he promised in his elec-

of some Dial-a-Cab drivers on Boris’s value to the taxi trade...

tion manifesto and that

he has done was to get

rid of those confounded

bendy buses. But I sus-

Boris Johnson:

pect that because of the

fires that plagued their service record, they

were likely to be consigned to the scrap heap

anyway. There are road works everywhere

Success or failure???

making it difficult to get about. No, I do not

think he has helped in any way, but that’s

all. All he has given us is Uber and then

let me borrow his 12 bore shotgun!”

politicians for you. Once they have your vote,

allowed them to flourish here, when other

Paul Churchill (A04):

they go off and do whatever they like!”

European countries have banned them.”

“When Boris took over

Phil Davis (F10): “Boris

Brian

Desborough

from Ken Livingstone, I

has swayed in and out of

(K39): “I was very opti-

think the spirits of taxi

supporting the cab trade

mistic when he first

drivers following the

and his indecisions have

came to office, but after

euphoria of his win were

made our job harder.

his eight years I feel very

raised. Sadly they have

The road restrictions to

disappointed. I was very

since plummeted with

facilitate incompetent

pro-Boris originally and

his legalising of Uber

cyclists are a joke and he

had high hopes that he

and their virtual plying

has let TfL run

would support the Taxi

for hire - let alone their numbers! Then there

roughshod over the

trade against Private Hire, but it seems he has

are his cycling policies which churn up the

London licensed taxi trade when really the

no control whatsoever under TfL and they

West End. I’m trying to think of something he

Deputy Mayor should have had control over

are a disaster in themselves! How it was that

has done to help this trade, but at the

them. This has caused a reduction in the

they were unable to limit the expansion of

moment I can’t think of anything!”

world renowned standards of the London

PH is a mystery to me. I have lost a lot of the

Paul Mariner (V65): “I voted for Boris but I’m

taxi trade.”

respect I once had for Boris, although I have

rather disappointed now. I think he had his

to wonder if anyone else could have done

Steve Burton (N90):

hands tied via David Cameron, although he

any better…?”

“Boris is good for telling

really has gone too far with his cycle super-

you what you want to

Jackie Kott (Y88):

“I

highway lanes crusade. I am a cyclist, but not

hear and good at getting

don’t think he has done

in central London, that is just madness! Also,

himself out of a hole.

anything positive for us

the extensive roadworks mean you cannot get

He’s a good talker and

so far as I can recall. He

people to their destination in a reasonable

did get rid of those

is obsessed with bike

time, so overall, I’m not too happy...”

bendy buses that were

lanes - cyclists that wear

In the interest of fairness, we tried to find

unsafe and a menace.

little or no protection

someone to speak in favour but failed...

He calls us a ‘gold’ service, but treats us like

least of all something as

servants in the kitchen...”

basic as a helmet as they

roar in and out of traffic causing mayhem all

Ian Learmouth (R50)

around them - and has given us more and

said: “If he was my wife,

more buses that often have just a few passen-

I’d get a divorce on the

gers on them. If you try to pick up or set

grounds of unreason-

down in Lower Thames Street or along the

able behaviour! He has

Immaculate White

Embankment, you’ve got a problem! How

made it very difficult to

can Private Hire be allowed to continue

get around the city due

Cab Available for

expanding unhindered causing ever worsen-

to the extensive road

ing congestion, yet this very morning I was

works simply to accom-

told to move off from two ranks because the

Weddings

modate cycle lanes.

length of the ranks were said to be causing

Obviously cycle lanes also have an impact on

an obstruction? Yet if we cruise the streets in

emergency services as well as taxis and other

search of fares, we are not only adding to the

road users, so I hope these narrowing of road

already heavily congested roads, we are also

lanes will not result in a loss of life or lives

adding to the pollution emissions! I have no

due to emergency vehicles being unduly

faith in any of the mayoral candidates any-

delayed. I believe this has been reported on

more and so I really do not know who to

Twitter several times, so it would seem to

vote for. Enough said!”

have a negative impact as a whole.”

Jackie Hill (S34): “Very

Gary Heath (W42): “We

little I am really thinking

used to moan about Ken

is printable in a family

Livingstone affecting

magazine such as Call

transport, but Boris has

Sign! Other than the

just screwed everything

welcome demise of

up! He has just one pol-

those bendy buses, his

icy - he is cycle mad and

Female driver

term as London Mayor

that is to the detriment

10% reduction for Dial-a-Cab drivers

has been an absolute

of everybody else on the

nightmare and quite honestly, a disgrace...

Contact Debbie (W18) on

road.”

really quite deplorable. I’d like to make a

07956 317040

Ray Buckland (P66): “The cab trade is going

life-size cardboard cut-out of him and use it

down the tubes and he has not helped us at

as a shooting target, but my brother will not

Call Sign May 2016

Page 14

Above and beyond…

doubted that she even knew she was in a cab

go round in circles. Suddenly, and to my very

let alone the destination. Nevertheless, after

great relief, a local cab appeared and came

bundling her onto my back seat, they both

towards me - probably realising that I was lost.

walked briskly away.

I explained my problem, told him the address

“Anyway, it was an account trip so I decided

the woman had given me and as he began to

to make my way north and was heading up

verbally direct me through unfamiliar streets

Park Lane to join Edgware Road and eventu-

in an unfamiliar town, I suggested I follow him

ally the M1 when I heard a voice from the back

and would pay him whatever was on his

of the cab. She sort of mumbled that she need-

meter. In minutes, we were at the passengers’

ed a toilet and quickly! I made my way to the

front door and then he was gone without wait-

Landmark Hotel on Marylebone Road as

ing for any fare.

the speediest pit-stop I could think of and with

“I gingerly got the lady out of my cab and

assistance from the doorman, we got her to

walked her to her door. As she fumbled with

the Ladies. I opened the main door to the loo

her door keys, I realised that she couldn’t even

for her, but gracefully declined her request for

find the keyhole, so I slowly pointed her hand

further assistance! I just told her that I would

towards the lock and helped her twist the key.

wait outside for her.

My concern was still for her safety once inside

“She was inside the toilet for ages but then I

her own home as she was still extremely

“Yes, it was quite some journey,” Nic

heard the clicking of shoe heels shuffling

unsteady. So I pushed the door open, gently

Papadopoulos (H19) admitted to Call Sign,

around on the tiled floor. It was fairly apparent

eased her through her front door and turned

“and not one I’m likely to forget in a long

that she had finished but was so confused that

to return to my cab.

time…”

she couldn’t find the exit door, even though I

“Just as my bottom met the taxi seat, I heard

With that, Nic began his tale of a journey

was trying to guide by calling to her from the

the almightiest wailing sound come from the

that started outside the V&A Museum one

outside. Eventually there was nothing left but

house I had just left. In her stupor, the lady

evening while waiting for an account client.

for me to push open the door and bring her

had clearly omitted to turn off her house alarm

“The pavement there is fairly wide and I

out. I really hoped that she had managed to

so now the whole street knew she had

watched as two burly gentlemen were escort-

pull everything up and straighten herself

returned home, but by then I was on the move

ing an obviously very tipsy young lady across

before I swung the door open!”

back towards London - albeit by just a matter

the museum forecourt. Although I say escort,

Nic laughed out loudly at the memory

of a few yards! But figured I had more than

it was more a case of them dragging her... and

before continuing his story, which was

done my bit as a Dial-a-Cab driver in taking

in my direction! Head slumped, her feet sort

already definitely above and beyond the

the passenger from London to inside her

home in Luton and that as I didn’t have a

of followed the direction the two heavies were

call of duty - even for a valued account

pulling her. I just hoped that she wasn’t my

client!

degree in other people’s burglar alarms, it was

time to go home!”

passenger, but I had this gut feeling that we

“Once back in the cab, I headed up the M1

With that, Nic turned round and left us

would be travelling together!”

and towards central Luton hoping the woman

with a smile that he didn’t have on that trip to

Nic’s facial look to this Call Sign hack con-

would recognise where she was when we got

Luton...

firmed the direction his story was about to take.

there, because she really made very little sense

“One of the men came to the luggage win-

during the journey. When we got into Luton,

Alan Green (E52)

dow and grunted Luton and that the lady pas-

the passenger gave me some directions which

Call Sign Online

senger knew the address! Quite honestly, I

proved to be totally fruitless and which saw us

Do you drive through Ilford regularly? Can you help police trace a hit and run driver

ONE YEAR ON

Detectives have released a CCTV image of a car as part of an

anniversary appeal following a fail-to-stop collision that has

left a woman seriously injured.

The collision occurred at 01:48hrs on Saturday 11 April 2015 as the victim, 42-

year-old Vida Mensah-Andani of Ilford, was walking across a pedestrian crossing

outside 'easyGym' on Winston Way in Ilford. The driver of the car involved did not

stop at the scene and drove off along Winston Way towards Seven Kings. The car is

described as a dark coloured Vauxhall Vectra.

Vida was taken to an east London hospital where she was treated for serious head

injuries. One year on, she has still not fully recovered and the incident is still affecting

her day-to-day life. Vida now walks with a walking aid, has ongoing headaches and

finds it almost impossible to travel alone. This has led to the loss of her job.

Police are also keen to speak to the driver of a silver Audi which was in the

area at the time of the collision, as the driver may be able to assist with the

investigation. If you were driving your taxi close by and remember seeing any-

thing that could be connected to the incident, then that information could be useful.

Detective Sergeant Helen Lambert, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, told Call Sign:

“This collision has left a mother of three young children with life-changing injuries. A year after the incident, she is still suffering and has been

unable to live as she did. This collision has had a massive emotional impact on her work and family life. I am appealing for the driver of the vehi-

cle, or those who may know who was driving at the time of the collision, to come forward and speak to police and help us with our inquiries.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 020 8597 4874. If you wish to remain anony-

mous please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Call Sign May 2016

Page 15

Simon Scott is one of the new generation of taxi drivers whose life

1989

I had been renting

is captured as a blog. The story of his time as a butterboy is…

a cab from BeeJays

for some time and

it was one of their

nicer looking ones,

A Blogger’s Tale

bright red and the

wheels were the

Eventually, as he realised I wasn't going to

keys had been in the ignition I would have taken

normal colour. It

give up, he showed me his only available cab

it there and then but strangely they weren't. One

did however have

and it was truly awful. The tyres were too near

of his entourage wandered up and said the cab

one major flaw, it vibrated terribly!

the knuckle for my liking but were OK by him;

wasn’t ready yet, although it looked ready to me

I had put up with it for ages, but the final

the rear seat was torn but he again saw no prob-

and that all I needed were the keys.

straw came one afternoon when two very attrac-

lem with that. I had no choice but to take it, but

“Give me 10 minutes,” he said. Well, you might

tive women got in and asked to go to the

in passing I asked him when the overhaul was

well have already guessed what happened next,

Aldwych. We vibrated our way through Canon

due? “Two weeks,” he replied!

but I was young and naïve and still a butterboy.

Street, along Fleet Street until they got out by

So that meant I would get it all rectified

They jacked it up, removed the wheels and put all

Australia House. But they seemed quite happy

and had to wait just two short weeks. Sure

four old ones back on it. Then they removed the

as I started to apologise for the constant vibra-

enough, after a few tortuous days the phone

lovely new rear seat, put the old ripped one back

tion, but they burst out laughing and said that

rang and he asked me to bring the cab into

in and to add insult to injury, they even removed

they had quite enjoyed it! Well, I decided that

the garage. In return he gave me another

the fire extinguisher!

although I had made their day, I was going to

mobile ‘skip’ with a meter until the cab was

I was devastated; I threw the keys back, got my

change it and I headed back to the garage.

When I got to Dunbridge Street, I parked up

ready. When the day came to pick the cab

Bill, walked up the road to KPM and ordered a

and wandered off in search of the owner. He

up, I felt relieved that I would at last have a

new taxi…!

was an elusive little man who always had a

decent cab to drive around in - with legal

To be continued…

tyres, a fire extinguisher and a rear seat that

throng of cabbies circling him, so he wasn’t that

Simon Scott (O40)

was in one whole piece!

hard to find and within 30 minutes I had man-

At the given hour, I bombed down Wilmot

Call Sign Online

aged to get an audience and 5 minutes of his

time. He tried to persuade me that there was

Street and as I approached the garage, I spotted

nothing wrong with the cab before changing

it. I pulled up behind and jumped out to inspect

tack and saying that he had done everything he

my new improved cab. It was lovely; it had a new

rear seat and what looked like 4 new tyres. If the

Taxi

could to rectify the problem.

insurance

Bank of England exhibitions

Free creative events for children at

for DaC

the Bank of England museum

Behind four great heavy bronze doors on

drivers

Threadneedle Street festooned with lions, waves,

ships, swallows and serpents, visitors to the City

of London will find not only one of the country’s

great historic institutions, but an innovative,

ever-changing, free museum. The Bank of

On behalf of Dial-a-Cab, Hillier Buchan

England Museum has confirmed a host of cre-

Ltd in Bexley have negotiated exclusive

ative events, exhibitions and displays for 2016.

rates for DaC members. We believe our

One of them sees the Museum tell the story of the

Bank from its foundation in 1694 to its role today as

rates are competitive in today’s market

the United Kingdom's central bank. Within a full-size

for experienced licensed Black Cab

reconstruction of Sir John Soane’s 18th-century

drivers.

office, a large boat construction is full of interactive

At Hillier Buchan, we understand every

displays explaining how the Bank works, banknote

driver’s circumstances are different; therefore

design and security and how the Bank tries to keep the financial system on an even keel.

our policies can be tailored for the individual

The galleries feature a permanent display filled with gold, including Roman and mod-

driver. We offer a 5% discount for DaC

ern gold bars, the country’s oldest paper money and many star objects from the Bank’s

members, with additional discounts for

collections of silver, banknotes, paintings, coins, photographs and historic documents.

existing protected Bonus policies.

The Banknote Gallery itself is currently closed for refurbishment and will re-launch in

Hillier Buchan was established in 2002 by

autumn 2016.

David Hillier and myself with in excess of 50

The current exhibition, Capturing the City: Photography at the Bank of England, reveals a

years experience as high level Brokers working

wealth of previously unseen and unpublished historic photographs from the Bank’s archive, while

in the City of London for major broking houses.

events for children are inspired by the photography theme and the history of the Bank. They begin

We have established a reputation for

with early salt paper prints from the 1840s and reach forward to new images of today’s city,

professionalism and service in our chosen fields.

exploring an alternative and sometimes surprising history of the Bank, its buildings and staff, while

We have extensive London Market contacts;

also creating a history of London from the Bank’s perspective.

consequently we are able to offer our clients a

Visitors inspired by the exhibition can share their own images of London with the

quality of security from companies that are all

Bank via the Museum’s Twitter feed @boemuseum - using the hashtag #CitySnapsBoE.

available in the world’s pre-eminent insurance

Each month, the BoE Museum selects a favourite image to join the exhibition displays,

market. As a result, our clients achieve quality

instantly becoming part of the Bank’s history.

of security and service upon which we pride

Saturdays 25 June and 2 July from 10am to 5pm sees the Museum Open Day when it will

ourselves and a competitiveness of premium

open its doors to visitors as part of the City of London Festival. Enjoy banknote presentations, a

that our clients find particularly attractive in

variety of gallery talks conducted by the Museum team, including talks on the Museum’s latest

today's climate.

exhibition, Capturing the City: Photography at the Bank of England. The Bank’s Bullion team will

Our philosophy is to build long-term

also be on hand to answer any questions on gold and visitors can even hold a genuine gold bar.

relationships using balanced service teams

providing continuity and expertise. Compare our

VISITOR INFORMATION: There is no charge for admission to the Museum or for any event.

prices and give us a call. See our ad inside this

Entrance: Bartholomew Lane (off Threadneedle Street) EC2. Opening hours: Monday to Friday:

issue of Call Sign.

10am - 5pm (last entry 4.30pm). Closed Public and Bank Holidays and weekends.

Phil Buchan,

More info: www.bankofengland.co.uk/museum, 020 7601 5545, museum@bankofengland.co.uk.

Hillier Buchan, 01322 553313

Call Sign May 2016

Page 16

With just days to go, Joe Brazil looks at the “other” election and

Quantifiable and

brings the safety of children into the debate...

real...

he Mayoral election* fast approach-

es and no doubt we will be feted by

all - but maybe not supported by

THE MAYORAL RACE

all. With many of the candidates, you can

see overt signs of support whilst others

When it comes to black cabs, not every-

resist temptation to talk for fear of alien-

thing is tangible; children’s safety and that

ation. What we hear now may not neces-

of the general public should always be para-

sarily resonate with what they’ve said in

mount.

the past. But as most applicants are

“It is hard to put a number on all that,

career politicians, you normally don’t

but it is worth something.”

have to dig too far to uncover their

TO DATE: Three police officers are now

mind-set...

facing a criminal investigation in the wake of

The two front runners at this time are Zac

Rotherham’s sex abuse scandal. One South

Goldsmith (Conservative), real name Frank

Yorkshire police officer is currently suspend-

(according to Wiki - I kid you not) and

ed and two others have been put on restric-

Sadiq Khan (my dad drove a bus) - that’s

tive duties. The investigations were revealed

not his name, I’m just sick of hearing it!

in a report into the handling of sexual

Zac, who in a debate on London’s black

exploitation by South Yorkshire police

Taxis at Westminster Hall in September

between 1997 and 2016.

2015, spoke with a degree of knowledge

Eric Pickles, then Secretary of State for

about our history and the damage being

tion rhetoric - ok, it’s not about Uber but

Local Government and Communities, said

done to the trade at this time. The debate -

nothing gets an election moving quicker

in the House of Commons: “My powers

also attended by Sadiq Khan - brought a raft

than a call to fix bayonets!

under section 10 of the Local Government

of comment from them and other attendees.

Act 1999 ensure the police, local health part-

Of course some of them may have fallen

Zac Goldsmith was recorded by Hansard

ners and the safeguarding Board took and

by the wayside at election time, but you

as saying of us: “Their value is not necessar-

continues to take sufficient steps to ensure

get the drift...

ily quantifiable, but is huge and real.” He

only fit and proper persons are permitted to

This leads me to the public safety debate

continued shortly afterwards by saying: “I

hold a taxi licence; and is now taking steps

and especially the safety of children and

would think nothing, personally, of deposit-

to address effectively past and current weak-

young people within the capital. London’s

ing any one of my children in a black cab at

nesses or shortcomings in the exercise of its

safety - and that of the general public are

any time as I would know absolutely that

functions and has the capacity to continue

under threat whichever way you look at it if

they would be safe.

to do so...”

the figures taken from Rotherham are any-

It is hard to put a number on all that, but

London deserves the same protection...

thing to go by, after the damning report from

it is worth something.”

Alexis Jay OBE.

Joe Brazil

Sadiq Khan (Labour), in the same debate

Of Rotherham’s 800 private hire vehi-

reiterated by stating: “As the father of two

DaC Board Member

cles, 67 drivers were found to be poten-

daughters, I also fully understand his com-

tially in breach of new ‘fit and proper per-

ment about how safe we feel putting our

*Also standing for Mayor are David

son’ tests - with around 70 percent of this

children into a black cab, knowing the

Furness (BNP), Paul Golding (Britain

group having their licences revoked after

checks that take place before someone is

First), Lee Eli Harris (Cannabis is safer

case hearings. A further 171 taxi drivers

allowed to drive one.” He continued: “We

than alcohol), Ankit Love (One Love) and

in the town have had their licences sus-

do not have a level playing field and the

Sophie Walker (Women’s Equality).

pended until they complete training ses-

Minister will need to tell us why over the

sions on safeguarding children and vul-

past five years

- indeed, the past seven

nerable adults.

years - TfL and the Government have failed

This heart-breaking situation should not be

to enforce existing legislation, or to provide

visited upon London; TfL will have to be

new regulations, to ensure that new

stronger in their approach towards PHV and

entrants to the market operate fairly.

frankly any vehicle registered in the capital,

With some of the other candidates, I

not letting mealy mouthed lawyers dictate

looked specifically for comments about

that we don’t take responsibility for our

you know who…

“partners “activity.

Sian Berry (Green) has been recorded in

If these figures were extrapolated across

the past as not being pro-Uber by complain-

London, the 1400 child victims of Rotherham

ing about them parking outside St Pancras

over a 16 year period would expose the capi-

International.

tal to an epidemic-sized risk that would stop

George Galloway (Respect): I think it

all but the most foolhardy, and make them

would be fair to say he is anti-Uber as he

think twice before ever climbing into any pri-

stated he would run them out of town “…if

vate hire vehicle.

I can.”

In an article by Fraser Nelson in the

Stephen Greenhalgh (Conservative):

Telegraph, he made the salient point that if

Well, he doesn’t seem to mind... so long as

you organise a bureaucracy so no one takes

they pay the correct tax.

responsibility, then you create the conditions

Caroline Pidgeon (Lib Dem): Anti-Uber;

for abuse on this scale. And no doubt Mr

likens them to rogue operators.

Goldsmith and Mr Khan would be forced to

Peter Whittle (Ukip): He wants to crack

rethink their children’s future travel arrange-

down on Uber. Concise it would seem.

ments, should we suffer demise on the altar

John Zylinski (Ind): Made headlines in

of so-called progress. Would they then wish

2015 when he challenged Nigel Farage to a

they could still say of their kin: “I would

duel over the Ukip leader's anti-mass migra-

know absolutely that they would be safe???”

Call Sign May 2016

Page 17

ou have to be male and of a certain

age to fully appreciate the innocent

Something for the Weekend, Sir...

and discreet offer posed by our title.

It relates to a bygone age when gen-

duly autographed by all four members of the

tlemen’s hairdressers would often stock con-

group. But I still didn’t realise who this

traceptives as an additional service to simply

Mike/Peter was, even though he was there

cutting hair!

cutting hair right under my scissors. I often

However, for master ladies’ hairdresser

wonder how much that album would be

Cliff Nash (V74), the question never arose.

worth now, especially with the monikers of

However, stories of an era long gone did

John, George, Paul and Ringo on it.”

come flooding back when he recently

“One morning Mike/Peter asked if I could

chatted with Call Sign, relating events

cut his hair. It was fairly usual to cut each

from the early 1960s and the time he was

other’s hair in quieter moments and it was

asked a very different question altogeth-

while I was snipping away that Mike/Peter

er…

casually asked me if I would cut his brother’s

“I trained at the hair salon of Raymond

hair “cos he’s going on the telly.”

Bessone in Park Lane, Mayfair. He was

Naturally, I said yes and suggested the

quite a character and eventually opened sev-

brother come to the salon in central

eral salons around London. But he was prob-

Liverpool. Mike/Peter said he couldn’t do that

ably most famous for his TV appearances and

because he would be recognised and get

his catchphrase of

‘a teasy-weasy here, a

mobbed. So I asked why that would be and

teasy-weasy there’ when referring to a partic-

that’s when Mike McGear admitted that his

ular detail of a lady’s hairstyle. Eventually he

brother was Paul McCartney! I might have

Star hair-cutter Cliff!

became known internationally as Mr Teasy-

saved a lock of Paul’s hair had I known,” Cliff

Weasy! He trained Vidal Sassoon, who

whom we called Peter because there was a

told us laughing, “because nobody, not even

always sang Raymond’s praises,” Cliff added.

‘Mike’ there already. Another one was a friend

The Beatles themselves, dreamed they would

“At that time, the Liverpool music scene

of his called Lewis Collins, who later went

be so big! But that’s the music business and

was gaining world-wide recognition and if

into acting and became one of The

we sing and hear their songs even now!”

you had a London accent, and the capital

Professionals on TV among many other

Back in London, Cliff opened his own

was regarded as the fashion setter back then,

shows and also a chirpy young chap by the

hair salon in Woodford before getting fed

you could make an impact in the hairstyling

name of Jimmy Tarbuck, who was always

up coping with staff traumas, finally sell-

business! So I set off as a young man, full of

cracking jokes even then. I wonder whatever

ing the business. And no, he hasn’t

ambition and enthusiasm to take a job with

became of him,” Cliff muttered with a grin!

offered to cut Dial-a-Cab drivers hair or

Andre Bernard, who ran several salons in

“Anyway, one of the young girls also work-

provide them with something for the

the Liverpool area with a staff of some 65

ing in the salon asked this Mike/Peter if he

weekend!

employees. Working alongside me - and

could get her a signed copy of The Beatles

Alan Green (E52)

under my wing so to speak as apprentice

Please Please Me album. In due course, that

hairdressers - was a young chap called Mike,

long playing vinyl album arrived in the shop,

Call Sign Online

Editor’s Big Day

Or more like his grandson Samuel’s big day!

On the weekend of April 2nd / 3rd, I was lucky enough to be invited to the Barmitzvah of Call Sign Editor Alan Fisher’s

grandson, Samuel, as he read a portion of the Torah at the South West Essex Synagogue. The following day came the cele-

bration at the Epping Forest Hotel in Woodford Green where 180 guests ate, drank and danced the evening away.

Many Dial-a-Cab drivers will remember Samuel’s dad as dispatcher Reed Fisher, who sadly passed away three years ago. So

this was a truly special weekend.

Our congratulations go to the Fisher family and mazeltov to Samuel...

J.P.Duval

Call Sign Online

Samuel with mum Lara open the ball

Samuel with sister Imogen and grandparents Linda and Alan

Call Sign May 2016

Page 18

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

Brethren of the Whip

The ground was measured and Castro was found to

against her only to have her pay the disputed fare

“Mrs

be right, with yet another defeat for Mrs Prodgers.

into court before the case was heard, so the cab-

Prodgers..

John Challis chucked her out of his cab

man lost out on his costs.

when she refused to close the windows dur-

Charles Weedon summoned her after she

again!”

ing a storm! He alleged that his cab would be

refused to pay him his fare of 1s 6d (7.5p) from

Last month, Editor Al fore-

ruined and he did not even charge her for the

Paddington Station to Queen’s Grove. It was the

warned me that he was

distance covered. A policeman put her into

correct fare as the distance was 2 miles 90 yards.

including an abridged arti-

another cab and told Challis that his cab was

Mrs Prodgers showed him that according to her

cle by Heather Tweed on

unfit for public use as it was soaking wet. She

book of fares, the distance was under two miles.

the indomitable Caroline

summoned Challis... but lost that too.

Prodgers won, but only because the book of fares

Giacometti Prodgers - he

She obtained four summonses against one dri-

was in error. Weedon, unable to appeal against a

knew I could not resist a gauntlet being slapped in

ver, Robert Chalk. Charging her 3s 6d for a 2s

magistrate’s decision, actually had his fine

my face!

fare - she lost. For abusive language (“You are not

returned to him when the error was confirmed.

Incidentally, the illustration of the cab shel-

fit for a dung cart”) and lost. Not supplying a tick-

Out of the reported twenty-one summonses

ter in which Mrs Prodgers invades (see April’s

et or a book of fares, she actually won that. The

between her and cab drivers (there were

Call Sign) could anecdotally be the first one

victory was pyrrhic; Chalk was fined just a shilling

many more), she lost 12 of them, another five

in London - in Acacia Road, St John’s Wood,

on each.

were undecided or their outcomes unknown

not far from where Mrs Prodgers lived in

She summoned Charles Eagle for refusing to

and she could claim victory in just four of

Queen’s Grove.

pick her up, but as he drove a bus and not a cab,

them. The idea of her being the nemesis of

They say there is a fine line between being a

the charge was dismissed. She had a rare victory

the cabmen does not hold; she was a pain in

genius and being mad and according to one of

against a cabman who recognised her and

the neck but nothing more.

Prodgers’ contemporaries: “She was as mad as a

demanded his fare up front. He was fined £1 or

In 1876, a driver at the London Cabmen’s

hatter!” She had been admitted as a private

14 days if he failed to pay. Such cases highlighted

Mission declared before a large gathering that

patient to an asylum near Ware when she was 24,

the injustice of the law against cabmen. When Mrs

“She was not half so bad as she was painted.” He

which may show the way her mind was working.

Prodgers was in the wrong, she just had to pay the

was roundly booed.

To say Prodgers was forthright would be an

fare and costs, but when the driver was wrong, he

Sean Farrell

understatement. During her countless appear-

faced imprisonment. There was even greater

Call Sign Online

ances in court regarding her marriage, she was

injustice; many cabmen took summonses out

found to be in contempt for not sharing the mat-

rimonial bed with her husband and actually went

to jail because of it - until a financial settlement

Water, smelly water, everywhere!

was agreed.

“I was way back on the Kings Cross station rank when my terminal began flashing and I

It is with Heather Tweed’s assertion that

gratefully accepted a credit trip that was going to save me a long wait as the rank slowly

Prodgers would take a cab the maximum distance

inched forward. But fate saw things differently,” Antony Byrne (P29) told Call Sign with that

at the set rate, then summon the cab driver if he

look of resignation that we’ve all had on the day when nothing seems to go right.

charged more, that I disagree. Such anecdotes

As Antony finished writing down the trip details in his credit book and prepared to leave the

were indeed reported by the press at the time,

rank, feeling fairly pleased with himself, he suddenly saw steam coming

but relied more on Jonas Chuzzlewit’s idea of

out from under the bonnet... followed by the familiar smell of anti-freeze

the best fun in London: “Taking a cab to the fur-

coolant wafting its way in the cab!

thest point it could go for a shilling.” Prodgers did

not know the distances “off the top of her head,”

“I lifted the hood to check what was wrong and sure enough my

she was armed with a book of fares. So, leaving

worst fears were confirmed by the gush of coloured water every-

aside her battles with her husband, watchmakers,

where - so that was the end of my credit trip, not to mention the

editors and her cook, let’s look at her battles

rest of my shift! After alerting the call centre as to my predicament

against cabdrivers, albeit lack of space prevents

and getting the trip re-allocated, I pulled off the rank out of the way

me from going into any detail about them.

of other cabs that were then able to continue their crawl to the

Just how many times Mrs Prodgers appeared

point!” We’ve all had that feeling when it’s really quiet out

against cabmen is not known, we only have the

there and suddenly you get a radio job and others look at

published newspaper reports to go on, but one of

you with a modicum of envy as you put your meter down! But that feeling soon

the earliest cases was a dispute about waiting time

got replaced by the slightest hint of jealousy in his voice as he pulled to the side

with William Southwell. She refused to pay the

and awaited the RAC breakdown truck.

amount he asked but also refused to give him her

“Could things get worse? Well yes, because I waited four hours until the RAC came out to

name and address. She refused to do so at the

me! So I just sat there, immobile, watching other taxis come and go on a rank that had sud-

police station where she was taken and it was

denly speeded up with passengers galore piling into the backs of taxis!”

only when the desk sergeant suggested she sum-

Tony’s engine had cooled down by the time the patrolman arrived and he quickly diagnosed

moned the cabman, that she gave her details. She

a broken coolant hosepipe as the problem. Reaching into his van, he cut a length of rubber

lost. Southwell got his fare and costs. Just a few

heater hose from a large reel and fashioned it into a temporary repair, securing both ends of

days later she was back before the same magis-

the pipe with Jubilee clips. He advised Antony not to continue working, but to go to a taxi

trate, summoned by cabman Richard Jones.

garage and get a proper repair with the correct TX4 hose.

Once again the dispute was over waiting. She lost

“I made my way up to my regular service agent, Stanway Engineering in Chingford who

that one as well.

replaced the temporary hosepipe with the correct LTC version and got me back on the road

In October 1871, Edwin Castro took her from

with no fuss. I was lucky my misfortune happened early in the day and I was able to get slowly

Victoria Station to Euston. Castro demanded 4s

over to Chingford in good time for Stanway to attend to the cab. But my day was ruined and

(20p) Prodgers said that the book of fares she

the pungent coolant smell lingered for several days after the event. And I lost a good credit

always carried with her said the fare was only 3s 6d.

ride! Otherwise, it was a great day...!”

When this was checked it was found that the book

Stanway Engineering Ltd is located at 14A Chingford Industrial Centre, Hall Lane E4.

of fares, issued by the Commissioner of Police,

Tel: 020 8559 4988

Dennis Latchett

did not include any mention of Victoria Station,

Call Sign Online

even though it had already been there ten years.

Call Sign May 2016

Page 19

Hospices: The cost of looking after the terminally ill...

From 1977 up to 1983,

Pat and son Tony in

four Dial-a-Cab drivers

happier times...

- the late Ian Cameron

and Tony Jack, togeth-

Alan Fisher (F07) told us: I

er with Ken Freeborn

was proud to meet Dame Cicely

and current Call Sign

Sanders on several occasions

and listen to her stories of how

Editor Alan Fisher -

the hospice movement had pro-

ran the transport

gressed, with virtually the only

operation at St

help coming from donations

and sponsorship efforts. The last

Joseph’s Hospice in

time I met her was in 1998 at her

Mare Street, Hackney.

80th birthday, seven years before

The quartet used to

she too fell foul of cancer and

died at her St Christopher’s

ferry out-patients suf-

Hospice. I showed her a photo of the four DaC drivers performing a

fering with terminal cancer to see Dr Richard

Christmas show at St Joseph’s, when we dressed up as Uncle Henry

Lamerton every Thursday afternoon during the

and the Ovaltinies. She laughed heartily. I also told her how different

early days of a scheme that became known as the

DaC drivers had carried out sponsorships in the form of marathons etc

and the look in her eyes told me everything. She said those drivers were

Macmillan Service - something that was unknown

far more important than she, because they were still bringing in funds

outside of St Joseph’s.

without which the hospice movement would not be able to offer people

The principle of the service was to allow cancer sufferers to die in

like Pat the chance to die with dignity. To Dame Cicely, everyone was

comfort of their own homes when possible and the four DaC taxi dri-

more important than her, yet to everyone else, she was a Saint.”

vers provided the transport needed to take the patients to see the doc-

The hospice movement needs money, having to find over 30% of

tor, let them have a cup of tea and occasionally a sing-song along with

their costs. If you can help in any way, please try. You don’t need

the astonishing site of a nun playing a piano, before then ferrying

to climb Mount Everest backwards; most hospices run raffles and

them back to their homes. Previously, they would have had to enter

lotteries and general money raising schemes. Anything you can do

the hospice as in-patients. To give a more graphic idea of how hos-

to help your local hospice is welcomed, because sadly there will

pices were looked upon, St Josephs had previously been known as

always be more Pat Harveys that need help to give their final days

the Hospital for Incurables.

the dignity they deserve...

The stigma for hospices has long been removed and while terminal-

Michael Toomey

ly ill patients are probably in the majority, they also provide a philos-

ophy of care that focuses on the palliation of chronically, terminally or

Call Sign Online

seriously ill patient's pain and symptoms, while also attending to

their emotional and spiritual needs.

But it all costs money and recently Tony, the son-in-law of

Call Sign Editor Alan Fisher, could only watch along with

Alan’s daughter Kim, as his dear mum Pat lay in St Francis

Hospice, Havering. Week after week, Pat clung to life even

though doctors assessed her life expectancy as being just days.

But according to Kim, who stayed with Pat all day, every day in

the very pleasant room provided, not once did anyone at the

hospice show Pat anything other than exceptional kindness

and respect. And how much do St Francis’ charge? The answer

is nothing, yet it costs them almost £700 per day per in-patient

and a yearly charge of £7.2 million to run it; yet they rely on

donations.

Kim told Call Sign: “The staff are absolutely fantastic, the nurses,

the volunteers and even cleaners. Everyone makes you feel welcome

and nothing is too much for any of them. St Francis is a truly won-

drous place and no words of mine or Tony’s could ever be enough

to describe the amazing job these people do. If you ask them, they’ll

tell you that they love their jobs, albeit being sad to lose someone

they have got to know. But with their help and support, the patient

and their family are helped through some very tough times.”

It was back in 1958 when Cicely Saunders began working at St

Joseph’s Hospice. She researched pain control and while there met

Antoni Michniewicz, a patient with whom she fell in love. His

death two years later coincided with that of Saunders's father and

also a close friend. The turmoil sent her into what she called a state

of pathological grieving. She decided to set up her own hospice that

would serve cancer patients and help give them the pain relief that

doctors refused to give. Cicely felt it was far more important to give

pain relief rather than give patients an extra few days of life, but days

filled with pain. That was the beginning of St Christopher’s

Hospice in Lewisham.

In 1979, Queen Elizabeth II honoured Cicely Saunders with

the title Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire

– a title she so richly deserved.

Call Sign May 2016

Page 20

London Vintage Taxi Association

GOODBYE FROM HANS...

n 2003, two members of an organisation known

was indeed very strange.

as the Dutch London Taxi Club visited Dial-a-

So may I wish all our Euro club members and

Cab whilst we were still at Brunswick Place

indeed Call Sign readers, a happy stay and a won-

and were given a personal tour by DaC

derful time with your icons... and enjoy your rides!

Chairman Brian Rice. After returning to Holland,

Privately I am still an LVTA member; I have only

one of the two visitors, Hans Dooren, contacted

stepped down from the Committee and I am still

Call Sign to say that he and several others had

contactable anyway as you wish. Stepping down is

decided to leave the DLTC and set up their own

no reason to lose contact. I shall no longer do

club as the Dutch section of the worldwide

Waalwijk. This would be its 13th year in succes-

London Vintage Taxi Association (LVTA). They

sion and I thank both Carl and Steven for all the

weren’t to realise at the time just how successful

years of fantastic support. Without you both I

and influential the Dutch LVTA section was to

could not have continued for even that long. Aging

become and with the LVTA Chairman then being

is not always fun! Your assistance was perfect!

DaC driver Keith White, the contact between Hans

Thank you and Chapeau!

and Call Sign was to grow significantly and over the years Hans has kept

I shall also no longer be writing EU News and I thank Sandie for her

DaC drivers up-to-date on LVTA matters, several overseas members being

support. I felt we were a good team; as with Sybil and James who were

on the Call Sign Online mailing list.

always present - even on leave - and they did such a good job. Mark,

Over the years, we’ve also heard from many DaC drivers / LVTA mem-

above all, was an anchor; always present and used so many times to

bers who had old restored London taxis such as David Joseph (A82)

answer member’s questions. Then there is Roy, a gentleman I respect so

with his FX3D - nor to mention his restored old London bus! Keith

much and who works behind the scenes dealing with whatever he was

White had the prototype Metrocab from 1969 as well as a 1957

asked to do. Chapeau! If I have forgotten anyone, do forgive me.

Beardmore!

For those interested, I have started privately my own Weblog at

Now, 13 years after his visit and at the age of 81, Hans Dooren

http://londontaxi. glutinum.nl and named it Dutch London

has decided to call it a day and enjoy a belated retirement, perhaps

Oldtimer Taxi News. I am writing it all in my own good time and as it

not under the circumstances he would have liked. He has now

comes (or not)! I have deleted all my work in Weblog, Facebook,

written to DaC drivers...

LinkedIn and Twitter etc and I have left a perfect Editor in Bill Munro.

“On 22 March 2016, I decided to lay down my post at the LVTA

He will start it all up again and I wish him much success. I left no loose

Committee as representative of EU (mainland) members. Starting with

ends!

just 9 members, nowadays there are many more spread across 15 coun-

Finally of course, adieu to my London cab friends and members.

tries. We have made many nice fruitful contacts including UK and USA

I wish you all good health and happiness. Be lucky, keep smiling

members who have contacted me. We have enjoyed good times together

and thanks for reading and many years of companionship!

and some of those contacts will continue.

Adieu...”

I have been engaged in one way or another with London taxis since

Hans Dooren, Netherlands

1998 and since setting up the LVTA Euro section, we have brought it up

to date including the use of group emails to replace the envelopes that

were still being used, we helped to introduce PayPal, introduced a new

Weblog with 30,000 views and of course Facebook /Twitter pages, of

which I admit I am not personally fond of, but we use it for PR reasons;

all at no cost to the LVTA.

I created my own London taxi archive and laid down the history

of taxis by multi-visits to London and aided by my friend Paul

Read, we took many photos where normally no private visitors

were allowed. As the LVTA, we were always welcomed and allowed

to take the pictures wherever we went; such was the respect the

club had developed. That made my collection special and I used it

for archiving and various publications.

Much history has come and gone and new structures have been built

and at least we have helped some cab history to be saved, but at my pre-

sent age and fitness I could not have carried on much longer. I have

always privately bought all handbooks and workshop manuals I could

find on EBay, scanned them (always with source permission) and

burned all of them onto source CD roms, which also brought an income

to the Club. I dare not count the hours that it has all taken me...!

Carl Despriet, with whom I worked lately on VT EU News and at the

annual Waalwijk show, and also Steven van den Dorpel have asked me

to write and explain why I have decided to leave. The decision, that I had

already made, was put to the membership by group email, Weblog and

Facebook. There were some innovations that I felt were necessary and I

initiated and used them as an overview and updated / corrected mem-

bers list. Then ‘things’ happened over which I had no control and of

which I was never informed about either.

So I subsequently cast my resignation as I felt there was no need to

wait for the AGM. Treated as I was, I decided on my own exit using my

own created media. I felt so sad at having to leave, as contact with mem-

bers is the spine and joy of the Association. Looking at the members list,

I felt happy about what has been achieved by all, so it adds much sad-

ness to leave it behind. But when one suddenly feels unsupported and

set aside without a hearing, then for me it is all over. I have always rep-

resented the members, but to do the job properly I needed updated

information. It was denied. Even my many emails were unanswered. It

Call Sign May 2016

Page 21

n an important development for dri-

A new EU Directive to help diabetics with

vers with diabetes, a new EU

Directive will mean that diabetics who

night-time severe Hypoglycemia

suffer with night-time *severe hypo-

glycemia will no longer automatically

lose their licenses, but will in future be

YOU CAN CONTINUE DRIVING!

treated on a case by case basis.

A 2011 EU Directive stated that drivers who

only his taxi for

suffered very low blood glucose levels at

private use, he

night on more than one occasion in a 12-

was in the ludi-

month period had to hand over their driving

crous situation

licence, But European driving and diabetes

of being able to

experts reviewed the rules last year and voted

drive his family

overwhelmingly for amendments.

in his cab, but

This could be important for taxi drivers

not fare-paying

suffering with diabetes, with the

passengers! Call

European Commission to ask the Driver

Sign took legal

and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to

advice and Ian

overturn its ban on drivers suffering with

eventually got

night-time severe hypoglycemia

- as

his cab licence

against during the day - by January 2018.

back.

Leading charity Diabetes UK says it has been

PCO Head at

campaigning for five years for the rules to be

the time, Roy

changed as many people have lost their

Ellis,

later

licence unnecessarily. One of these cases was

Severe night-time Hypoglycemia no longer means you have lost

responded

highlighted in 2015 when Helen Nicholds, a

your licence forever

Call Sign and

nurse with Type 1 Diabetes won her licence

was sympathetic,

back from the DVLA. Ms Nicholds previously

dependent diabetics, claiming that it was

but had to put

had her licence revoked after informing the

the licensing authority’s case. The bottom

unfair and should be replaced by a policy

DVLA of two severe hypos she suffered whilst

based more on commonsense with each

line was that the PCO at the time were against

in a deep sleep in June 2014. She then set up

returning licences, hence the eventual court

case taken individually depending on

a petition to overturn the decision that

medical advice. Several insulin depen-

actions and their success.

reached Prime Minister David Cameron and

Eventually the decision led to a review of

dent diabetics on Dial-a-Cab later got

she was eventually back behind the wheel.

their licences back following court

PCO policy relating to insulin treated

Current guidelines do not differentiate

Diabetes, which took account of new advice

actions based on that principle.

between daytime and night-time episodes

The PCO defended their actions in court

and while anyone diagnosed with Type 1

of severe hypoglycemia and the DVLA has

Diabetes will need to surrender their

but lost each case with the exception of one,

been asked to make the necessary legisla-

a Dial-a-Cab driver who chose to use a differ-

licence, it is no longer certain that it will not

tive changes by January 2018.

be returned when proof can be obtained

ent defence to the one we had recommended

Of course, up until that time drivers with

following the legal advice we had been given.

that there is no danger to the public...

diabetes should continue to comply with the

*Severe hypoglycemia is defined as

The situation arose when DaC driver Ian

law, which means that diabetics must inform

Ross developed diabetes and had his taxi

having low blood glucose levels that

the DVLA if they experience one or more

licence taken from him. However, the

requires assistance from another person

episodes of severe hypoglycemia, including

DVLA allowed him to keep his ordinary

to treat.

when asleep, within a 12-month period and

DVLA driving licence after medical evi-

Alan Fisher

of any changes to their condition that may

dence showed that his medication made

affect their ability to drive.

him safe to drive. As Ian had no car and

Call Sign Online

Diabetes UK chief executive Chris Askew

said: “The European Commission is absolute-

ly right to ask the DVLA to overturn the ban

on night-time hypos and we are delighted

Dial-a-Cab Credit Union

this is happening after having campaigned for

five years to get this ban lifted and to put a

Ever needed money quickly but were anxious about

stop to those with diabetes losing their dri-

variable bank interest rates?

ving licence unfairly.

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

“Beyond the unfairness, losing their

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

driving licence has caused all sorts of

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

unnecessary stress and anxiety to people,

at your address also qualifies for membership!

even in some cases leading to them losing

their jobs.”

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

That has applied to a number of taxi dri-

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

vers through the years but a DVLA spokesman

up to 3 times your total savings…

now says:

The cost?

“While hypoglycemia can pose a risk to

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

road safety, there are some people who only

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

suffer episodes of hypoglycemia while asleep

and under the current EU rules they would

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

not be able to drive. These changes will mean

Call us on 020 7729 8171 or 020 7749 0585

that licensing can be considered individually,

based on medical evidence and risk assess-

Members of the Financial Ombudsman Service

ments. We’ve worked with the EU to intro-

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

duce this common-sense approach.”

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

Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority

1999, Call Sign ran a campaign

Registration number 213263

against the PCO’s stance towards insulin

Call Sign May 2016

Page 22

LOOKING AT (TAXI) LIFE

With Tom Quigley (Y33)

Homerton; the long ones such as Harlesden

Hot on the KOL

station to North Greenwich station and the

Not much has changed in the way of proce-

tricky “no light” runs. All my students, gener-

dures of learning the Knowledge of

ally from the East London and Essex area,

London, what stands out now is the reliance

know that I will ask a beginner of Peckham

on apps, street view maps and modern tech-

police station to Tooting Bec lido before

nology. But despite some of that being, with-

then beating them up on points in the Manor

out doubt, of great value in the classrooms

House to Gibson Square run! Apparently I

and homes of students, I have yet to see any

have a stare that drives through them! All

evidence to contradict the old adage that I

good fun, but still serious all the same...

always advocate and one that most of us

would probably stand by...

Keep calling your Blue Book, call and

DBS delays

check all the runs on the point sheets,

The Editor has told me of the number of dri-

study your maps, get off your sofa and go

vers whose licence renewals have been

out and point what's coming out! As I was

delayed thanks to the Disclosure and

told, the points may come and go but they

Barring Service (DBS) and the effect it can

won't move Haymarket!

have on us. But at least we have all probably

Conscientious as I am, I’ve found myself

So what’s coming out and what do KOL

read about and have been warned, so spare a

doing these turnarounds. Only the other day

students need to know? Strangely, something

thought for KOL students who after their

I got my bike out and rode around Westfield

I have yet to find out about but will enquire

Reqs are waiting around 130 days for clear-

(E20) and the Olympic Park pointing the

as to why Blue Plaques are no longer asked?

ance, even though the majority are not in

Velodrome and Aquatics Centre amongst

Obviously there are embassies, theatres,

work and raring to work after a number of

others and even found myself staring at the

City Livery halls, stations, hospitals and an

years on the Knowledge. They are being let

Crate Brewery in Queens Yard! Where is

unbelievable number of restaurants and

down by a poor system of not rewarding the

that you may ask? Well, White Post Lane and

bars! As we all know, London is getting big-

student for passing their exams. I could men-

Fish Island have changed a lot in recent

ger and bars are popping up in the most

tion Private Hire and how quickly they appear

times and my 18 geared Marin bike seemed

unlikely districts that around 15 years ago

to get their licence... but I won’t.

rather dated against the colourful single fixed

were almost derelict.

wheelies! Actually, it was quite a nice 20 mile

We no longer have the dirty dozen through

Tom Quigley

circuit except that this time I could afford a

Soho, due to Crossrail, but there are still the

decent cup of coffee and not a mug of Camp

Call Sign Online

tongue twisters of leaving Cherry Garden

coffee on a stall along the A12!

Pier, Cleaver Square, while depending on

But, and depending on the examiner, they

For those that don’t know, in addition to

the student’s level you still get asked if you

all have their favourites runs. There are pop-

being a DaC driver, Tom also runs a

can turn right out of Dockhead or what’s the

ular ones like Mile End Hospital to

Knowledge school

spin for Honor Oak Station?

TDY GOLF COMPETITION

With a hole in one winning

you a £10,000 car!

Wednesday 8 June 2016 sees the 2016

Taxi Driver of the Year Charity Fund charity

golf day at Hendon Golf Club.

The cost for the day is £70; that includes 18 holes, a light breakfast in the

morning and a meal later on. The TDY committee have also announced that the

first person to get a hole in one will win a £10,000 brand new car!

If you, your family or friends would like to participate, please contact

the TDYCF at the address below or email them for an entry form.

As usual, all the money raised will be donated to the five taxi charities sup-

ported by the fund. They are the Albany Taxi Charity Fund for Children with

Special Needs, the LTFUC, the Southend Fund for Underprivileged Children,

the London Benevolent Association for War Disabled and the East London

Cabbies Outing. The presentations will be made at the annual dinner dance

of the TDY on 26 November 2016.

Write: Russell Poluck MBE, 5 St Brides Avenue, Edgware

Middlesex HA 8 6BT.

Phone/ Fax: 020 8952 1357 - Mobile: 07850 056 765

Email: brussella@talk21.com

Call Sign May 2016

Page 23

Some people are on the pitch, they think it’s all over!

IT IS NOW!

Bob Woodford looks at London’s long lost sporting venues

The sign at St John's Church, Lansdowne Crescent

he Hippodrome Horse

Race Track of Notting

Hill was opened in

1837 - a bold, and ulti-

mately unsuccessful attempt

to rival the great established

tracks of Ascot and Epsom.

The idea initially came about because the building boom of the

1820’s didn’t last and put a hold on development of the Ladbroke

Estate. By the 1830’s, construction work in North Kensington had

ground to a halt. So property ‘wheeler dealer’ and ambitious entre-

preneur, John Whyte, leased 140 acres of land from existing develop-

ers on the slopes of Notting Hill and the meadows to the west of

This 1841 map of Kensington shows the Hippodrome

Westbourne Grove. A race track to rival Ascot? Well, some of the

Racecourse

press never saw it that way.

The Times described it as “a disgusting, petty botheration,” with

the article continuing: “Shame upon the residents of Kensington for

permitting it.”

However, The Sporting Life’s correspondent gave it some credit:

“The most perfect race course I have ever seen. The feature is an

emporium even more extensive and attractive than Ascot.”

The main entrance to the track was Portobello Lane, which no

longer exists but was roughly where the cab shelter is today. The

Grandstand was situated on the hill where St John’s Church in

Lansdowne Crescent stands today while the paddocks and stables

Exclusive Taxi Insurance Scheme

were a little to the north-west in Pottery Lane. This area was a noto-

rious slum known as The Piggeries! Pottery Lane brick makers were

dedicated to DAC members only

living and working alongside pig-keepers - forced to move as Central

London expanded westwards. Sanitation was poor with fresh water

scarce and many families lived with pigs in their hovels, which

inevitably became slums.

Charles Dickens described the area as “a plague spot, scarcely

✓ 5% Discount for members

equalled for its insalubrity by any other in London.” So it was

✓ Additional discount for existing protected Bonus policies

hardly likely to impress well-to-do racegoers!

The west side of the track (see map) became known as 'Cut Throat Lane'

✓ Public Liability

with vagabonds and low-life seeking easy targets while brandishing their

✓ Breakdown Cover

knives among racegoers. This really gave Whyte’s already struggling enter-

✓ Much more available

prise a bad rap as these people were not the kind of clientele he had in mind.

The Hippodrome was short-lived, only ever staging 13 meetings,

and it was wound down in 1842. Perhaps it was ill-fated from the start

Call below for quotations

because of the Pottery Lane reputation and its history of violence,

today that stands as one of the few lasting legacies of this 19th century

lost sporting venue.

Hillier Buchan Ltd, 18, Bourne Road, Bexley, Kent. DA5 1LU

Next time I’ll look at a sport that will be back in full swing,

Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority - Firms Ref No: 304318

good old cricket and that sports’ long-lost sporting heritage. And

Company Registration No: 4319231

just in case you assumed this only ever existed in St John's Wood

Road and Harleyford Road, we can investigate that...

Tel: 01322 553313

So be lucky...!

Bob Woodford

Fax: 01322 523315

Call Sign Online

Call Sign May 2016

Page 24

he March issue of Call Sign pub-

We’re the world’s best and most famous taxi service...

lished (under the heading of

Hypocrisy and TfL) figures that our

licensing authority wanted to keep

SO WHY DO THEY KEEP

secret. We didn’t publish them to make trou-

ble, but because as the trade mag with the

highest online readership, we felt that the

LYING ABOUT US???

public should be aware of some very impor-

tant facts.

Those facts were that Transport for

London, although knowing only too well

the difference between us and licensed pri-

vate hire, does not want to differentiate

when giving out bad news!

The news they wanted to keep hidden

involved the number of sexual offences com-

mitted by PH drivers in 2015 because it could

have spoiled TfL’s ‘Safer travel at night’ cam-

paign. After all, who wants to take a risk of sav-

ing a few pounds by putting yourself in danger

of a sex attack! We pointed out that it seemed

unlikely that many of the attacks were carried

out by drivers on reputable PH circuits such as

Addison Lee or Brunel. So that just left Uber.

Of the total allegations (numbering 180),

it appeared that not one was of a licensed

The last demo outside TfL's Windsor House

taxi driver, yet according to TfL, the figures

were joint - meaning they could have

licenced vehicles in March

2015 was

refugee with no form of identification. Some

applied to either.

85,300, of which black cab drivers

may be genuine, but does anyone really

Now, six weeks after we saw those figures,

accounted for just a quarter. That is now

believe that all those signed up by Uber are of

they have reached the media and according to

said to be over 100,000.

the same calibre as licensed taxi drivers?”

a press release, the number of “cab” drivers

Dial-a-Cab Chairman, Brian Rice, told Call

Sadly, Call Sign has come to the conclusion

charged with violent or sexual offences in

Sign: “I have been warning against this and a

that if TfL are not lying about us, then they are

London has hit a five-year high with stats from

situation where they count us all lumped into

deliberately withholding the truth. Is there a

the Met Police Service (MPS) telling the

one big pot has now come to fruition. We all

difference, because it could be that the truth

world that 126 “taxi or private hire” drivers

know who is responsible for at least 99 per-

could save this trade, whereas a deliberate

were charged with violent or sexual offences

cent, if not 100 percent, of the attacks - and it

mistruth could destroy it. And this trade no

(which can include assault, grievous bodily

isn’t the black cab side. Yet TfL continue to not

longer lies down and rolls over to TfL threats...

harm, indecent exposure and rape) in 2015.

only licence more and more minicabs, but

They added that the figure accounted for

seem to care little as to their past records, dish-

Alan Fisher

around a third of all crime committed by the

ing out what they call Certificates of Good

drivers and that although general crime had

Behaviour if the applicant claims to be a

Call Sign Online

decreased since

2011, violent and sexual

offences had gone up.

Overall, the MPS have told an amazed

NO MORE MR NICE GUY!

media that a total of 1,427 drivers had

been charged with a crime since 2011, of

LTDA AdVan taking no prisoners...

which 521 were for violent or sexual

offences and they further claimed that the

statistics related to individuals who had

declared their occupation as ‘taxi driver’

and so do not differentiate between

Hackney Carriage or private hire drivers.

Being of a normal disposition, we at Call

Sign have always assumed that the MPS actu-

ally check with TfL about licensing and that

they would know in seconds whether the

accused person was a minicab or black cab dri-

ver. But that apparently doesn’t happen and

after a driver has been accused of a sex attack

and he claims to be a “taxi driver” that they

make no further checks? Dare we say we find

that difficult to believe? What if an accused per-

son gave their name as Boris Johnson and

claimed to be the Mayor, would they put that

down?

The rise of Uber and other private hire

drivers has been put as a potential cause of

Any potential Uber passengers will no longer have the excuse of saying

the increase in crime with the number of

they didn’t know, following the LTDA’s AdVan parking up in locations

PHVs in London soaring at a rate of around

where their strong message can be seen. Perhaps even TfL might look

700 each week and Department for

again at the type of service they have licensed and which we assume

Transport figures confirming an increase

they probably use. Well done LTDA...

of over 25 percent in London alone in its

2015 annual summary. The number of

Call Sign May 2016

Page 25

From Garry White

progress before the market is lost to the new

TfL

players in our market completely, because if

It seems that Transport for London is hell

investors are willing to enter the taxi business

bent on ruining our trade through bad or

and see a potential profit with an example of

misguided management. So let's all stick

confidence in the trade being Gett acquiring

together with whichever trade organisation

RTG and Sherbet buying fleets of taxis, then

you belong to. The future is bright, get

why are we declining year on year when we

behind the yellow light.

don’t need to make a profit?

Uber are the tech company that is disrupt-

I'll leave you with that thought: Is there a

ing London day and night. The RMT want to

future for the Society that has enabled you to

define what is plying for hire and I'm firmly

earn a good living? And do you want to pass

behind them in this all important definition.

that on to the next generation?

Hello Ladies & Gents

Social Media

EU referendum

Using social media as a sales tool is something

Your Society

EU in or out? Vote ‘leave’ with Boris, Nigel

the PH trade seem to do to their advantage. I

It seems that Members close to reaching

and IDS or ‘stay’ with Dave, George and

believe the Society hasn't grasped this tool to

retirement age don't want to pass the Society

Jeremy? I've made my mind up; I hope we

our advantage and could use Twitter,

onto the next generation of cab drivers, a

leave and go it alone.

Instagram and Facebook to advertise links to

Society from which they have benefited

If we vote to leave on 23rd June, it could

our app, as the young generation use these

through their years of being a Dial-a-Cab

member but are now only looking to get a

have dire consequences for David Cameron.

media platforms and want the taxi to come to

pay out to see them into retirement.

Hence why the government has spent £9 mil-

them rather than hail one in the street.

If a mutual like DaC is to progress into the

lion of taxpayer’s money on a pamphlet to

Garry White

app generation, we need to be bold and persuade you to vote to remain in the EU.

DaC Board Member

Outfoxing the fox...

“In rural Essex... well, downtown Woodford

they thought of the sight of me waving my arms at the foxes in

Green actually,” John Tyler (D81) began

my PJs at three in the morning,” John said with a giggle.

explaining to Call Sign, “there are foxes that

“Anyway, I determined that Mr Fox was not going to make

roam the streets at night - and sometimes by

a meal of my food waste any longer, so I thought about how

day as well - all looking for food. They forage

to secure the lids on the waste bins and came up with the

at the back of restaurants, other food outlets

idea of using elasticated bungee ropes with hooks at each

and domestic waste bins - no different to

end, similar to the ones you see on motorcycles to hold items

many other areas of the country I suppose, but

on such as briefcases etc.

I think I must have the biggest, fattest, well

“Sourcing bungees of a suitable length, I then drilled small

fed fox in South East England that regularly

holes in the sides of the bins to affix the hooks, slid the hooks

visits my property,” John almost boasted until

through the holes and wrapped the bungee ropes tightly

realising just what he had said!

across the tops of the lids so that they could not be opened,

“Every night between 01.00 hours and

even by a very determined animal! It seems to have worked,

04.00 hours I used to hear this scratching and

because after a few vain attempts to raid my bins, the fat

banging sound coming from our waste bins.

one got the message and now leaves me to enjoy a peaceful

I’d look out the bedroom window and see this

huge, almost obese fox plundering our bins for

nights’ sleep. I don’t suppose he goes hungry, because if he can summon up that

any morsel of food he could get to grips with.

much ingenuity, I reckon he’s giving someone else a disturbed night or maybe chasing Little Red Riding

He’d push his nose under the lid of the hinged

Hood through Epping Forest instead of hounding me!” As he spoke, John was also grinned mischie-

bin and flip his head upward until the bin lid

vously.

opened right back on its’ hinges and then

“Guess you could say I was being a bit foxy...!”

Baghwat Singh

reach up with his front paws on the rim,

Call Sign Online

standing up on his hind legs to look inside for

any scraps of food - although I doubt he’d

turn down a full three course dinner!

“Then just a few nights ago, I heard this

relentless banging sound - even noisier than

usual - coming from the bins outside, so I

peered out of the bedroom window and to my

surprise, the fat one had adopted a new tech-

nique and was repeatedly pushing at a waste

food bin on my driveway, surrounded by a few

of his mates to whom he appeared to be giving

a lesson in scrounging! To my astonishment, he

succeeded in knocking the bin over onto its side

with the contents spilling out across the drive-

way, at which point he began ripping open the

plastic bags we had so carefully tied up to con-

tain the very food scraps he was about to

savour! At that point I grabbed my dressing

gown and raced downstairs, successfully scaring

him and them off my land. My neighbours

didn’t say anything the following morning as I

cleared up the mess, but I’d love to know what

Call Sign May 2016

Page 26

Marc Turner (R97) is passionate about this trade and leads all the

trade demos from the front by banging his drum. He is unsurpris-

ingly known online as the Drumslayer...

Drumslayer says...

The last thing they really want is their

that I had at least put up one hell of a fight

workforce handling cash. Their surge pric-

before admitting defeat. It’s called pride and

ing will be fun when punters refuse to pay

that is a commodity that can't be bought.

cash fares reaching 3 or 4 times the normal

If there are any of you out there that don’t

price.

have it, then you might as well hand your Badge

They must also be aware that the weekend

in at the first opportunity. Unless, of course, you

‘all night’ tube is due to start soon. Their

are one of those drivers who is secretly hoping

investors are probably becoming irritable... the

that others will fight your battle for you. I’ve

clock is ticking for Uber, with London having to

met some of them while getting soaked to the

be won at all costs because if they lose London,

skin, banging my drum on an infamous demo.

then their credibility is well and truly tainted.

A few were working and had the cheek to

We are the world’s last line of defence. The

give me a two finger insult while their fellow

Uber taking cash trips...

shame is the 20,000 deserters and conscien-

drivers were fighting for their future.

I personally think Uber are struggling big time,

tious objectors within our midst.

I’ve said it all along; it isn’t Boris, it isn’t TfL or

because we should have been killed off by now!

This war is winnable...!

Uber or Cameron who will be responsible for the

They no doubt had a 3 year plan to annihilate

demise of our trade. It’s our own 'cowardly' apa-

us, yet we're still here - albeit wounded and on

Demos

thy! In the doctored words of Lord Kitchener:

the ropes. So their new cash ploy is obviously

Regarding trade demos, the point is that our

designed to be the knockout blow, but they are

numbers across the trade make us a potent

YOUR TRADE NEEDS YOU!

running out of time.

force. I would rather lose this battle knowing

This war is winnable..

Jonathan Ross, the Editor’s sister-in-law and...

THE ELEGANT MR FISH!

Long-time readers will know that Call Sign Editor, Alan Fisher, is the brother-in-law to Daphne Sherman and

that Daphne was the wife of one of the world’s most famous shirt producers... the man who made the but-

ton-down shirt famous, Ben Sherman!

If you are old enough to remember the early 1960s, you’ll know that before Ben came along, men wore either white

or blue shirts but thanks to Ben Sherman, shirts for teens suddenly filled with colour. All they had to do was to go to

Carnaby Street and visit Ben’s shop, while along the way they would also pop into “young people’s” shops such as Lord

John, I was Lord Kitchener’s Valet and Lady Jane.

These young people were to become known as Mods with Ben Sherman ‘button down’ shirts becoming their uniform.

Towards the end of the decade, the shirt was to become a symbol of the Skinhead culture - but either way, Ben Sherman

was laughing!

Now you can see what it was all about in an exhibition held at Camden’s Jewish Museum. According to

Jonathan Ross in his Radio 2 Arts Program when interviewing Daphne, the exhibition is amazing. You can see

for yourself until 19th June.

Moses, Mods and Mr Fish takes you on a journey from the tailoring workshops of the mid-19th century to the bou-

tique revolution and mod culture of the swinging ‘60s. For over 100 years, British menswear set trends which led the

world, with many of the most influential figures of the period being Jewish - from Montague Burton and Moses Moss

(Moss Bros) to Cecil Gee and Michael (Mr) Fish. Explore the changing male image and menswear revolution over a 150-

year period; from the 19th century formal silhouette through to the post-war period when young men stopped dressing

like their fathers, becoming detail-obsessed mods or flamboyant peacocks.

Discover more about menswear in the ‘60s; a time when swinging London was the most exciting fashion capital in the

Jonathan Ross with Daphne

world. You can explore the emergence of the mod movement and the fashion revolution that made Carnaby Street

Sherman - Mrs Button Down!

famous. See luxury clothes designed by Mr Fish, popular amongst young aristocrats and celebrities including David

Bowie and Mick Jagger. Featuring fashion, photography and memorabilia including John Lennon’s Cecil Gee suede

jacket, Moses, Mods and Mr Fish offers an unmissable opportunity to explore the menswear revolution and discover how it helped to create the high street we know today.

Daphne told Call Sign: “Nothing could beat actually being there, but Moses, Mods and Mr Fish certainly brought back the memories of an amazing period when Britain

ruled the fashion world...”

The exhibition runs until June 19th at the Jewish Museum, Albert Street NW1. Details at http://www.jewishmuseum.org.uk/

COMPLAINTS MEETING RESULTS

Results of a complaints meeting that took place at DaC House on Tuesday 5 April 2016..

Name/call sign

Description

Verdict

Wayne Ford (N41)

Driver regularly soon to clears EC2 when true location is Friern Barnet

Rule 2: 1 week suspension

and New Southgate

Rule 11: 2 weeks susp.

Rules: 2, 11

John Sykes (S92)

Driver regularly books into E14, E14C, EC5 and EC2 from various locations

Rule 2: 1 week suspension

outside the correct booking-in procedure

Rule 11: 2 weeks susp.

Rules 2, 11

Darren Carter (K52)

Driver accepted an As Directed trip and then informed dispatch he was

Rule 5: 2 weeks suspension

unable to complete it. This caused a delay to client. The driver has used

Rule 12: 2 weeks susp.

excuses previously to not complete a trip

Rules 5, 12

Call Sign May 2016

Page 27

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

pages of the magazines of the time with a Flashback…

Concentrate!

DIAL-A-CAB FLASHBACK

This month’s Flashback goes back over 60 years to February 1956 and a

Chairman’s Report from the strangely named ODRATS News…

From ODRATS News, February 1956…

Your ODRTS Chairman, Mr Martyn

Your Committee has decided that subscriptions will remain at

£1.18s.6d for the present but would still ask you to continue to not

put your meter on until your passenger has entered the taxi. This will

ensure that we build up a name as a good, trustworthy and reasonably

priced organisation. It will help to remove the myth that taxis are the

form of transport used by the upper class only.

Our aim must be to get everyone to use ODRTS taxis, which means that our prices must

be reasonable while at the same time our passengers must realise that although there is a

difference between ourselves and the number 653 London Transport trolleybus, the differ-

ence is not huge and well worth paying the extra.

We also have some advertising cards showing the cost of some longer jobs. Please

Two seconds cost Donald his ‘no

do not charge more than these prices as the passenger may pay on that occasion,

claim’ bonus!

but will not phone again. As an example, there is London Airport for £2, Gatwick

Airport for £3.7s.6d and the Royal Docks for £1.7s.6d.

Our dispatcher, Mr Defries (D03), has complained that some drivers are using profani-

When Call Sign met Donald

ties over the air and on one occasion a female telephonist overheard the driver. This is

Dacas (P76) on the road, he

unacceptable and I am asking you to remember who we are.

was in an uncharacteristical-

If any of your passengers enquire, yes, we still are members of the Holidays and Travel

ly sombre mood and not in

Association. We feel that the mentions we get from being a member outweighs the cost.

If you know of anyone who is interested in coming on to the ODRTS radio circuit,

his own cab.

let a committee member know. Fitting to our organisation is still free.

“My own silly fault,” Don admitted

My sincere thanks to Decca for sponsoring this newssheet. Many of you are now invest-

straightaway. “I rolled into the back of

ing in a television set and the choice of programmes is becoming very exciting.

another cab while looking at my Dial-a-

Bonnie Martyn, Chairman

Cab terminal. I simply wasn’t

concentrating

- albeit for just two

Owner Drivers Radio Taxi Society

172 Pentonville Road, London N1, Phone TERminus 6444

seconds. But that’s all it takes I guess,”

he said rather sadly.

“I was moving slowly in traffic when

my MDT sounded off. I glanced down

Are you still watching television on a postage-sized screen?

momentarily to check the message and

Is it 8inches? Perhaps 10inches?

in that tiny space of time, the cab in

front of me had stopped... and I didn’t!

You can now watch your television on a huge Decca 12inch!

Easily done I know and I should have

AND ODRTS DRIVERS STILL GET A DISCOUNT!

known better, but we’ve all done it and

You all know us. Just imagine…

it’s not clever!

“Now I’m using a non radio cab while

A huge 12inch screen to entertain you this winter

mine is being repaired and I really miss

See you soon (next to Whitechapel Station)

the MDT, not only for the work, but for

Wally for Wireless, Whitechapel Rd, E1

the traffic info, other advisory messages

and of course the instant mapping

access. Not to mention ‘goodbye’ to my

insurance ‘no claim’ bonus.

“So maybe you can put a mention in

Call Sign about the dangers of not

concentrating on the job in hand and

driving safely. Yes, it’s obvious I know,

but I see other cabs with all sorts of

devices on the dash and I’m sure they

must distract drivers for that split

second... and that’s all it takes for

disaster,” Don suggested.

“You see PH cars with drivers

fingering their satnav and other devices

all the time, so I can’t imagine how scary

it must be for passengers sitting in the

back while the driver inputs details into

the electronics, meaning he has taken

his eyes off the road. It really is

important to get the message out there,

choose your moment to check...”

With that, Donald drove off

carefully... mirror, signal, manoeuvre!!!

Call Sign May 2016

Page 28

When people were asked about

boxing, they would traditionally

DaC driver getting

think of ‘rags to riches’ stories,

men fighting their way out of

people fighting fit!

poverty to fame and wealth -

stories made famous in movies

DaC driver and boxing ref-

like Rocky, Raging Ball and The

eree, Gary Bedford, is now

Fighter. However, times are

running boxing classes

changing and boxing is becom-

ing one of the fastest growing

“I love training people. I have

coached kids all the way up to

and most popular workout

being notable fighters in the

regimes for men and women of

IBA.” When asked who the class-

all ages and backgrounds.

es are aimed at Gary simply said:

“Anybody!”

Taking advantage of this new

“The beauty of boxing is that

trend is Dial-a-Cab driver, Gary

anyone can do it. If you have never

Bedford (T39).

put a glove on before in your life,

Having been involved in the noble art for

it really doesn’t matter. These

the past 40 years as a fighter, trainer and ref-

classes are aimed at beginners,

eree, Gary has decided to bring his wealth of

right through to accomplished

knowledge and experience to the ring once

boxers. My aim is to give people

more. He told Call Sign:

organisation because as he says, it allows the

from all walks of life the chance to

“I love the sport and couldn’t let an oppor-

average person to fulfil their dream and box

get fit whilst working at their own pace and abil-

tunity go to pass on my knowledge and train

in front of a crowd.

ity in a fun and friendly environment.”

others interested in getting fit through box-

Gary passed the Knowledge of London

The classes are at West Thurrock Boxing

ing.”

nearly 30 years ago, has been on DaC since

& Fitness Gymnasium in Grays. He will

The opportunity arose because of Gary’s

2000 and knows the importance of keeping

hold two classes every Saturday, the first

link to the IBA, an independent semi-profes-

fit and exercising as a London taxi driver. He

starting at 10am through to 11.15am; the

sional boxing circuit that has opened a new

says that a healthy body gives you a healthy

second from 11.30am till 12.45pm. Each

gym in West Thurrock, where Gary will be

mind to help cope with the challenges of our

session costs £7 and anyone over 16 is

holding boxing fitness classes every Saturday.

stressful job. Gary has been training fighters

welcome.

Gary has been refereeing for the IBA for the

ever since his amateur career of 25 bouts

For more information contact Gary on

past 20 years and has great respect for the

came to an end.

07811 965 176 and see ad on page 20...

Dial-a-Cab Credit Union AGM

Held on 13th April 2016, the DACCU directors opened the meeting

and once again told those present, including Call Sign, how suc-

cessful our CU is, in fact one of the most successful in the country!

Minutes of the previous AGM were read and agreed before President Terry Dodd

thanked everyone connected with DACCU for their help in running the credit union

during the year and said that it had enjoyed a good year considering the state of the

taxi trade during the past 12 months.

Treasurer Brian Flanagan had a brief report and the meeting moved to the Auditors

report presented again by Terry MacPherson of Appleby & Wood, who confirmed

the President’s view that the CU had enjoyed another successful year. He said that

loan interest had increased, the number of loans had gone up and a good surplus

was transferred to DACCU’s reserves. Terry then spoke of upcoming increases to the

capital to asset requirements for all CU’s as set by the PRA, explaining that as from

2018 credit unions of our size would need an 8 percent minimum ratio, plus 2 per-

cent buffer making a total of 10 percent needed. DACCU currently has 6.4 percent, which Terry said was fine at this

time. The accounts were passed unanimously.

Next was a discussion about a proposed 1 percent dividend. Terry Dodd said that due to the upcoming

PRA increases and the fact that a 1 percent dividend would cost over £30k, he recommended that all sur-

plus funds be put into raising the reserves to the upcoming increased requirements amount. Terry pro-

posed no dividend and it was passed unanimously.

The Loans and Supervisory committees gave reports that everything was running well. That was followed by a unani-

mous acceptance that Appleby & Wood should remain as DACCU accountants.

Finally there was a request for younger members to put themselves forward for positions on the committee as the

board were not getting any younger! They said that members are always welcome to aid in the administration of the

credit union.

Call Sign May 2016

Page 29

Either write to Call Sign at

Dial-a-Cab House

or email us at

callsignmag@aol.com

Sharing the proceeds

Brian Rice replies: Mick, firstly let me

Mayoral candidates. As for the PS, no I

Hi Alan

stress that I am not a meter man, but I

haven’t heard that and I’d be amazed if

I was talking to my wife about retirement

was under the impression that Rate 1

it wasn’t just another unfounded

and she seems to think Call Sign reported

changed at £17.80, before going onto ‘fast

rumour...Ed

that if a driver retires, handing in his/her

clock’ Rate 4. I also believe that Rate 2

badge and bill, that said driver would be

should change at £21.40 and Rate 3 at

PEDs and safety...

entitled to a proportion of the proceeds

£26.00. So I’m not sure I agree with you

Just read two Call Sign articles about PEDs

from the sale of DaC House. Was my wife

regarding Rate

4 pushing up daytime

in the April issue by both Brian Rice and

right or is this still to be decided.

fares, because if as should happen and

yourself regarding safety issues. Apart from

Paul Tully (Y40)

you stay on Rate 1 until you have actually

the obvious dangers, imagine a situation

Hi Paul, Several drivers have asked sim-

travelled 6 miles, then (with all the traf-

where a drunken woman says she is unable

ilar questions, so here goes. What I

fic) you are on £2.59p per mile (£3.19 on

to use the PED. Because of her state, there

think your wife is referring to came

Rate 2 and £3.96 on Rate 3) instead of

is no way a driver should be in the back of

from the 6 page AGM report in the

Rate 4 which is £3.70p per mile, so I

the cab in any situation, especially a male

March issue. What it said was that if we

believe most fares would be cheaper.

driver in the above scenario...

were to sell the building, before doing

Hence this appears to be a fare decrease

Malcolm Levan (F24)

so we would have to demutualise. It was

rather than an increase. I hope that

We all know that - it’s TfL that don’t

makes sense, Mick...

then put forward by the drivers attend-

seem to understand ...Ed

ing that anyone who retired AFTER we

had demutualised, should still be eligi-

Even upside-down,

ble for a share of any profits. However,

Nash’s Numbers

Uber are on the make!

Hi Alan

that would only apply after we demutu-

Hi Alan

I look forward to Nash’s Numbers each

alised and I have heard of no immediate

On our news broadcast tonight, we have

month as it’s a real boon knowing what’s

plans to do so - although I doubt that

heard that Uber users have been having their

on and the finishing times - especially

I’d be the first to know anyway! But it

accounts hacked (surprise surprise)! One

when it is as quiet as it is at the moment. So

looks like that retirement may have to

unfortunate woman had A$7000 taken fol-

when I opened the April Call Sign and saw

be delayed Paul! ...Ed

lowing one trip in an Uber car. I have already

a ‘what’s on’ guide, I photocopied it and

posted on Australian chat sites about this

left it in the cab as I usually do. It was only

happening in the UK...

Is the new increase a

when I saw Arsenal v Liverpool on Saturday

Howard Sales (Ex-A11)

4 April with a 2.30 kick off that I became

Brisbane, Australia

decrease?

suspicious as the 4th was a Tuesday and

For those that don’t remember Howard,

Hi Alan

he was one of DaC’s driver-trainers at the

besides that, they played that fixture back

There seems to be some confusion over the

in August with a 0 - 0 scoreline. So all I

time we first went over to data dispatch in

new tariff. Previously the meter changed to

1988. He later emigrated to Australia but

could think of was that this was an April

the ‘fast clock’ Tariff 4 at a fixed fare point.

keeps in touch via Call Sign Online ...Ed

Fool’s gag, but if so, as I received the mag-

Last year for Tariff 1 it was £17.40 so that if

azine on 31 March, it wasn’t a very-well

you were kept waiting or there was conges-

thought out one!

Moving home

tion (when isn't there congestion!) the

Alex Constantinou (N05)

Now that the London and Frankfurt’s stock

meter changed to ‘fast clock’ well before 6

I was absolutely inundated with phone

exchanges have merged, how long do you

miles were covered. The changeover is now

calls, emails and text messages follow-

think it will take the whole banking industry

at £18.40 which refers to Tariff 1. I don't

ing the April issue when it turned out

to move to Frankfurt? How long will banks

know the amounts for Tariff 2 and 3 as they

that Alan Nash had accidentally sent the

put up with journeys from Manchester to

are no longer shown on the TfL website,

April 2015 Nash’s Numbers! Alan called

Euston being faster than those from Euston

which now just shows the changeover at 6

me as soon as he realised and gave me a

to the City? If Mayoral candidates are serious

miles.

link to the correct column, which we

about pedal bike safety, they should enact the

TfL have decided that from 2nd April this

sent out via driver terminals. As this is

following:

year, Tariff 4 should only start when a dis-

his first mistake in around 19 years of

a) All cyclists to wear helmets

tance of 6 miles is covered, with their web-

‘Numbers’ I have forgiven him - provid-

b) Ban cyclists wearing of headphones,

site showing Tariff

4 starting at

9656.1

ing he doesn’t mention Arsenal again!

otherwise how can they hear the traffic

metres - or 6 miles in old money. However,

...Ed

around them?

since the meter change my clock is chang-

c) Cyclists must be prosecuted if caught on

ing to Tariff 4 after £18.40 regardless of dis-

their phone or texting while riding.

Gett acquisition

tance. So either the tariff rates set out on

What is more important to the country:

I recently heard that Gett have announced

the TfL website are wrong or my meter is

The city of London or the cyclist?

the acquisition of Radio Taxis. There is

wrong. They can’t both be right.

PS. Sometime ago I emailed the EU re Uber.

supposedly an offer on the table for DaC

Tariff 4 has implications for us as it really

It would appear that things have moved

that many of us assumed was from Gett! If

pushes daytime fares up and I remember

on and that under EU competition law, Uber

not - which seems to be the case - then

Brian saying that it was a problem at the

is illegal. All it takes is for an organisation to

who is it and is the offer still there?

AGM. A lot of drivers don't even know it

complain to the EU - but it must be an organ-

Martin Hizer (M47)

exists as it is no longer made explicit on the

isation. Have you heard anything?

Brian Rice replies: No, Martin, it wasn’t

fare chart. Perhaps you could shed some

Stephen Field (F99)

from Gett; we would be far more expen-

light on this?

Stephen’s letter was forwarded to all the

sive than RTG purely due to our assets.

Mick Kennedy (M30)

Call Sign May 2016

Page 30

There was an offer on the table for us,

Regarding your suggestion of 50p per

but when I had the building valued and

trip, Dave, the problem is that the larger

it came to £17.9m for just the building,

the amount, the more we have to pay as a

it sort of dampened their desire a little.

Merchant Fee; for instance Amex charge

However, is the offer still there? Well it

2.85 per cent so on a £70 trip to the

could be, but the approach would have

Airport, we would have to pay Amex a

to be a little different. Who is it? Not

fraction under £2 and if we only received

I believe that Grant's problem underlines

going to tell you!

50p from you, then you can see our

the importance of not relying on just the

predicament, bearing in mind the PED’s

DaC terminal as I'm sorry to say that it can

cost £219 each.

Self-perpetuating!

sometimes be unreliable due to bad sig-

Also Dave, I think you will find in the

LBC is constantly harping on at why

nals. I have a back-up hand-held terminal

future that many more members of the

Donald Trump is so popular with the

that I use and would advise all of my col-

public will start to use cards; we have

masses. It’s obvious; red capitalism is not

leagues to also have a second credit card

taken a bit of a gamble on the way in

working! The rich are getting richer and

processing facility as a back-up.

which we have priced this because we

the poor poorer - an ever-increasing pool

Yaqub Rafiq (O28)

just don’t know what the ‘take-up’ will be

of cheap labour. Uber is the classic self-per-

See Allan Evans reply below ...Ed

with cards. It could be that the above sce-

petuating American business model. The

nario will suit you fine, so let’s give it a

more successful the company, the less the

while to see how things progress.

Credit card signals

drivers earn!

There are far too many of them in

Hello Alan

On hearing of the card charge being

London now, with increasing instances of

Credit Card holidays

drivers filling up in garages and not being

Hi Alan

dropped in favour of a daily charge, I was a

able to pay! I have evidence of this...

Just a quick note to see if any discussion has

bit unsure. Then I read the letter from

David Heath (Ex-W27)

taken place with the Board regarding a holi-

Helen Chapman at LTPH stating that the

Portslade, East Sussex

day break in credit card charges for drivers,

flagfall is being raised by 20p and there is

as I think it is unfair for us to have to pay this

also an overall increase of 1.6% on the rate,

which made me feel happier. Then the next

charge when on holiday and not working. I

Credit Card holidays

think a 4-week break in charges would be fair

street card job I got asked me to add a

Dear Brian

pound tip to the fare, which I did not feel at

for all drivers. Can you perhaps discuss this

I refer to your article in April’s Call Sign

with the Board and please let me have their

all guilty of doing with the Credit Card

regarding TfL now insisting that all card

charge having been dropped.

response. Many thanks...

readers be installed in the back of all cabs

Trevor Wright (G13)

But then I read Brian Rice's monthly

even though you have paperwork from 20ll

report saying the

20p flagfall may be

agreeing they could go in the front. If this

See Allan Evans reply below ...Ed

dropped in a years’ time, so now I'm not so

is the case, I feel that we should not have to

sure again! I went back to Helen Chapman’s

bear the cost and should bill TfL £7,000 at

Credit Card holidays

letter to verify if this was true and could not

£50 per cab for 1400 cabs’ installation. We

Alan

see any mention of it being reviewed in a

should give them a response time and if

I write with some concern regarding the

years’ time. Where did Brian get that info

they don't respond as they normally don’t,

implementation of the credit card facility and

from? That aside, if CC jobs increase in num-

we should seriously consider taking them

the proposed charges from DaC. Could you

ber, our biggest problem could be losing the

to the County Court. I'm sick and tired of

find out for me if, when taking holiday breaks

signal when clearing a card job if the passen-

TfL’s big brother tactics in trying to bring

for a set period, DaC still intend to charge for

ger has no other way to pay. That happened

the cab trade down.

the use of the facility even though no credit

to me recently when I accepted a street trip

While I'm on, I know you are trying hard

card charges will be accepted during that

paying by CC. When we arrived at the desti-

to please everyone regarding the £7 credit

time? We currently pay a regular weekly

nation, the terminal would not print a

card charge, but I feel it is unfair to some-

charge for the use of the DaC terminal that

receipt and therefore the job could not be

one like me who only works 5 mornings a

has always been inclusive of the credit card

authorised and cleared. The customer had

week and some weeks don’t even do a

terminal.

no cash and was in a hurry to get to a meet-

credit card job. I’m sure there are a lot of

There are other points regarding condi-

ing so I had to let her go and suffer the loss.

other drivers in the same position, so in

tions of fitness and TfL rules that apply to all

In future, how should I deal with this to

cases like mine why can't we just have a

cab drivers and I have written to TfL asking

make sure I do not lose out again...?

small fee ie 50p each time the credit card is

them to clarify certain points to me as a mat-

Francis Robinson G18

used. Otherwise I feel I’m paying out for

ter of urgency ie contact with passengers,

Allan Evans responds: Trevor, Peter and

nothing. As you know, Brian, things are

failure of terminals, credit card declines,

dead signal areas etc. Should I receive a reply

Francis, within a week of the new

hard enough at the moment without added

(not expected) I will forward a copy to Call

charges starting we saw a considerable

expense. I look forward to hearing your

Sign.

increase in Credit Cards being processed

comments...

Peter Dunne (A25)

through the DaC system. As a Board, we

Dave Bull (D33)

See Allan Evans reply below ...Ed

have tried to make the charges fair for

Brian Rice replies: The last eight years

everyone and in comparison to other

seem to have flown by and it’s nice to

systems that are on the market, the

see you are still punching above your

Signals and camaraderie...

weekly cost seems more than favourable

weight Dave, although anyone else read-

Hi Alan

- especially considering the steady rise

ing this - other than you and I - will not

I refer to the article 'Camaraderie? Not here

in the numbers that are now being

have a clue what I’m talking about!

mate!' in the April edition of Call Sign. I

processed free of any other additional

Regarding TfL, I couldn’t agree with

sympathise with Grant Adams (E84) about

costs to each member.

you more. Someone, somewhere will

the stressful situation he faced with the fail-

I would suggest that drivers also carry

have to stand up to them, however, if I

ure of his terminal to process a credit card

the old style manual receipts pads just in

did bill them as you suggest then 1400

payment at Stansted Airport. I would cer-

case of signal problems. You could even

cabs at £50 would come to £70,000 and

tainly have helped him had I been there,

consider having a hand-held backup sys-

not £7,000 as you suggest. I wouldn’t let

unlike the other uninterested Dial-a-Cab

tem as a last resort as Yaqub suggests.

them off as lightly as you!

driver!

The current charges are not set in

Call Sign May 2016

Page 31

stone but until we’ve had a longer period

for uptake in work is not happening and will

to judge and monitor card usage, the

probably not happen.

Board believe that the present charges

I firmly believe that the time has come to call

are more than fair.

an EGM to consult with the membership

Ed’s note: Re. the 20p. Brian Rice told Call

whether we should begin the process of demu-

Sign that the information came from TfL’s

tualisation and prepare for a considerable

Strategy and Infrastructure Manager,

downsizing exercise as mentioned at the AGM.

early days and it will be closely m

Darren Crowson and Tom Moody, the

In regard to the credit card situation, could

tored.

Head of Policy and Service Development.

we now get pre-authorisation before the jour-

As for fixed prices, it’s true that the

ney begins as I feel we could be open to con-

fares are competitive, but we have now

siderable abuse.

seen an increase in all airports and trips

Demutualisation

Paul Hammett (V42)

to and from locations over a twenty mile

Dear Alan

distance, which was not the case a year

Allan Evans replies: Having read your let-

I feel compelled to write to you with regard

ter with interest, Paul, there are a few

ago. I speak to more members than most

to our financial situation. We are paying £12

points I’d like to clarify. You have includ-

and they understand the reasons for

subs, £8.40 credit card, £2 paper statements

ed the VAT in your calculations and unfor-

offering prices that will allow them the

(unless you take them online) and 9% on

tunately, as a Society, by law we have to

chance of longer trips that previously

jobs. If drivers on average take £200 per

include those charges. TfL have made

went into cars, which incidentally is also

week, we are now paying £40.40p per week

credit card acceptance compulsory and

the choice of many account clients.

to Dial-a-Cab. We are also losing 30% on

the £1 per day charge that members pay

Regarding pre-authorisations for credit

fixed prices, our gratuities are going and our

is more than favourable, certainly when

cards, our IT department has been talking

run-ins are being reduced. We are being

comparing it with the alternatives out

to Igenico for many months and the soft-

forced to accept credit cards at our own cost

there in the market place. We have

ware is now ready to go, but we do have

and with TfL licensing all-comers, our huge

already seen a 25 percent increase in

to go through a detailed accreditation

loss of work leaves us in a very precarious

credit card usage and I’m sure this will

with Barclaycard before any final imple-

position. When Mike Tovey was asked at the

steadily rise in the coming months. If you

mentation. Pre-auths had been only for

AGM how long he thought these losses

factor in the 20p extra on each flag fall

hotels and car hire companies previously.

could be sustained, he said that in his opin-

and the fact that you now pay no process-

There were three main points raised at

ion it could be around five years. Any com-

ing fee on any street credit card hiring

the last AGM and the Chairman will be

mercial concern would be considering what

through DaC, at this particular time the

writing to each member in due course

sensible steps could be taken, as the hoped-

BoM feel it is more than fair - but it’s still

and taking the necessary steps thereafter.

The Other Dickens: Discovering Catherine...

Charles Dickens Museum 48 Doughty Street, WC1: 3 May - 20 November 2016

A new exhibition will aim to debunk a series of myths surrounding the life of Catherine Dickens, wife of

Charles Dickens. The Other Dickens: Discovering Catherine, guest curated by Professor Lillian Nayder

and based on her 2011 biography of Catherine, will use a combination of rarely-seen exhibits, including many

personal items and letters to present an accurate picture of a woman who met Charles Dickens in her teens and

whose own character and achievements remain in his shadow.

The Other Dickens: Discovering Catherine takes place at Charles Dickens Museum, 48 Doughty

Street, the London townhouse where Dickens completed The Pickwick Papers and wrote Oliver Twist

and Nicholas Nickleby. It runs from 3 May - 20 November 2016.

As Charles Dickens’s fame grew quickly following the successive publications of the three novels listed above,

Catherine found herself existing increasingly in his shadow, her own identity defined by that of her husband.

The exhibition will celebrate Catherine’s life at Doughty Street, adding significant detail to a name only known

through the achievements and actions of Charles Dickens.

Catherine Hogarth married Charles Dickens in 1836. They lived together for the next 22 years, Catherine

having ten children (two of whom were born at Doughty Street) in the first sixteen of those years, as well as

travelling to America and living abroad. When they separated, Catherine moved to 70 Gloucester Crescent, Regent’s Park, where she stayed for

21 years - outliving Charles by nearly a decade. During this time, Charles Dickens painted a harshly negative portrait of his wife, suggesting

that Catherine was constantly depressed and an uncaring, unfit mother.

Addressing this issue, the exhibition will help to build a more rounded picture of a Victorian woman devoted to her children and part of a

lively social group, who enjoyed frequent visits to the theatre, concerts and late-night parties. Catherine was also a published writer; her popu-

lar cookbook, What Shall We Have for Dinner ran into several editions.

Working its way through Catherine and Charles’s home, the exhibition will explore Catherine’s childhood in Scotland, her relationship with

her sisters, the role she played in Charles’s success, her place in London’s literary scene and her musical and needlework skills. It reflects on her

experience of motherhood, as well as the effect of the loss of three of her children.

With the support of a Grant from Arts Council England, the Museum has commissioned sound artist Felicity Ford to make

Hearing Catherine, a collection of six new works which will bring Catherine’s voice back to Doughty Street. Introduced through-

out the exhibition, a subtle combination of spoken word, music and field recordings will use Catherine’s own words to give her a

presence and build something of the atmosphere that she would have known in the family home. Among the music will be

pieces by Catherine’s father, George Hogarth, while recordings will include sounds from around Catherine’s gravesite. Catherine’s

words will be taken from her letters, her published cookbook and lists and notes she kept at Doughty Street.

Among the many exhibits is her jewellery including her engagement ring, Samuel Lawrence portraits of Catherine and Charles and an 1858

draft deed of separation as well as illuminated extracts from Catherine’s last will and testament.

The Other Dickens: Discovering Catherine will be open from 3 May - 20 November 2016. Opening times are Tuesday to Sunday

10am-5pm (last admission 4pm). It is closed on Mondays.

Adults £9, concessions £6, children (6-16)

£4, under 6 are free.

More info: www.dickensmuseum.com, 020 7405 2127, events@dickensmuseum.com