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PING PONG GAMESince Ken Livingston became the first Mayor of London in2000, we as a trade have become a political ping pong game.Any madcap idea which might take the elected mayors fancy isfair game as far as they are concerned. Ken with his twice a yearoverhauls – Boris Johnson back to once a year.

Ken gives us £3,000 exhaust pipes, with no age limit – Boristhreatens us with 10 year age limits on all cabs, to beannounced soon, if this goes ahead it will apply even to thelatest models.

It doesn’t only cost taxi drivers money either. Take some ofthe costly decisions one mayor makes and another one changes.Articulated bendy buses introduced by Ken at a cost of millions,only to be phased out by Boris. Boris is now spending about£100m re-designing a new version of the Route Master.

The Western Congestion Zone is another contender withmillions again being thrown away. Although there is little doubtit was unpopular with residents, Ken brought it in regardless.Now Boris has announced it will disappear this Christmas Eve.Some of the losses will be recovered by increasing the remainingcongestion zone from the present £8.00 to £10 per day.

The M4 bus lane, which has been used and abused byminicabs, with hardly any enforcement, is also going to finishon Christmas Eve 2010. Only to return a year later with the2012 Olympics, before it is then finally scrapped forever.

You would think that a government wishing to save moneywould have left it alone until after the Olympic Games finish,but no. The disappearance of this bus lane will also include anice Christmas present for Addison Lee, who reportedly hadtheir 215 penalty notices squashed by the Department ofTransport, as to pursue them is “not in the public interest.”Try telling that one next time you are caught in the taxiexcluded bus lanes such as Bishopsgate, Fleet Street or St Paul’sChurchyard!

Then we also have the Golden Rank, which has been widelyreported in the press during the start of this year. How manytimes have we been told that it is coming? That is stilluncertain.

No one at TFL has any idea if or when it will ever happen.Rumoured (if it ever does appear) to be sited at the top ofWhitcomb Street, where the controversial minicab rank wassituated a year or so ago.

Westminster Council has made some of the streets in thearea prohibited to traffic until 11pm.Although Lisle Street, reported by someof our trade press as restricted to traffic,has only an unloading prohibition until11pm. The signage in our pictures ofLisle Street and Wardour Street showshow very confusing it all is.

Wardour Street no vehicles noon –midnight Lisle Street no unloading frommidnight – 7am

CHRISTMAS AND WHAT IT MEANSChristmas, when you are a child means holidays, happiness andpresents, as a kid each year seems to take far too long to comearound. As we then take on the roll of parents andgrandparents, it comes to mean pay-outs, shopping and crowdswith the days in between rolling around too quickly.

To the taxidriver itbrings thebusiestcouple of weeks of theyear. Plenty of “once a year” passengersare out looking for a ride home. I always think of theregular street hirer, who this time of the year, has such a hard timeto find a taxi alongside the casual users. If only there was a way wecould recognise them to give them an advantage.

Clients who have accounts or pay by cash and by credit cardwith Radio Taxis and Xeta are also regulars, even though theymay only need us occasionally. It is one way that we can lookafter passengers and show them we are there all year for them.

It is after the Christmas rush that some accounts decide tochange suppliers, especially if they have not had the servicewhich they expected. Minicab companies are usually the worstto perform around this time of year, as they bite off more thanthey can chew, and their passengers are left waiting and lookingfor alternative modes of transport.

This is where Radio Taxis and Xeta really shine through withour professionalism and expertise. Most minicab drivers arenew to the game; most are experiencing their first Christmasbehind the wheel in London. On the other hand our drivershave a great deal of experience and a wealth of knowledge,which is something the clients appreciate. Let’s all determine toput ourselves out this month and look after all our regularswho will return long after the mad Christmas rush.

3 TO 1At school you learn that 3 into 1 does not go, and then you spendthe rest of your life finding out why. Pall Mall, once a three lanestreet, is now reduced to a single carriageway. The latest horror isCromwell Road going west opposite the National HistoryMuseum, where this busy three lane road is down to a one lanebottle neck. Never in the history of motor cars have so manyroads been affected.

At night time it gets even worse with Blackfriars Underpassclosed after 9pm – Upper and Lower Thames Street reduced toone lane. Add to that the closure of Stamford Street, one way for6 months and Gresham Street has got to be London’s most dug upstreet, just when you think it is all finished they are back again!

STICK ’EM UPI am still surprised by the amount of Radio Taxis drivingaround without the rear window stickers. By the time youreceive this magazine you will only have a couple of weeksbefore the £1,000 Christmas Draw. All you need to do is visitStation Road for 10 minutes, log your call sign with driver’sservices and you’re in with a chance. Someone will win – itcould be you. It won’t if you don’t!

Don’t forget there’s a draw each month with 3 driverswinning free subs too!

Have good time over Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

Roger Sligo, Editor.

This month’sNEWS

4 A question of credit cardsRTG Chairman Geoffrey Riesel on credit cards

6 How long is a piece of string?Steve Cooper thinks he has the answer

7 The Magical Taxi TourThe outing to Disneyland Paris

9 Curiosity CornerRoger Sligo on the ‘Tomb in the Sky’

9 The future ain’t what it used to beRoy Hughes – the Sales & Account Management Dept.

10 Who lives here?Roger Sligo investigates an unusual dwelling

12 Covering workAlan Franks – Run-Ins, Fixed Price & Discount Trips

13 Finance briefingGordon Brown updates us

14 The 683rd Lord Mayor’s ShowRoger Sligo reports on Radio Taxis’ involvement

16 Santa Claus is coming to townPeter Gibson when that will be...

18 Walking for kidsPenny Cuckston talks about her charity walk

19 Still haven’t joined the Credit Union?Alan Woolf urges you to join now

20 Human Resources DepartmentLouise Alexander introduces you to them

21 Parking enforcementJohn Vigus – a specialist with expert advice

22 The new ‘Boris Bus’ unveiledThe new ‘green’ red bus in detail

23 Robert MacDonald WatsonMy first year at Radio Taxis Group

24 Malcom the Pipe!Tracey Fuller interviews Stuart Schaffer

25 Letters to the EditorHave your say, read what others are saying

26 The Mountview Puzzler PageSomething to do when waiting...

27 Cyber MirthComical misconceptions

INSIDE THIS ISSUE MountviewNewsCONTENTS

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See page 14 tofind out

MOUNTVIEW NEWS EDITORIAL TEAM IS:Roger Sligo – Editor & photosPenny Cuckston – AdministrationDoug Canning – Graphic design, layout, artwork & printingGeoffrey Riesel & Peter Gibson – Board productionDesign: © 2010 / DC-Graphics / Barnet / Herts / EN5 5TP

T: 0208 440 1155 / W: www.dc-graphics.co.ukContent: © 2010 / Radio Taxis Group Ltd / Lennox Road / London / N4 3TX

The information and images contained in this Newsletter are subject to copyright.Unauthorised use, disclosure or copying without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.

What’s going on here?What’s going on here?

NEW YORK TAXIS ARE HAVINGTHEIR BUSIEST TIME

In New York in the depths of the recession last year,against the “run of play” which was experienced byevery other taxi industry in the world, somethingstrange happened. The NY Yellow Cab trade had itsbest year ever!

Why was that? After all London and New York arequite similar in many respects: Both cities place aheavy reliance on the financial services market, whichas we all know “bombed” last year.

THE ANSWER Well a new system of taxi credit card acceptance wasimplemented, which totally took away the driver’sability to refuse a card – in other words the driver isremoved from the equation. The new system is a verycustomer friendly card swipe, with a screen –

Geoffrey RieselRadio Taxis Group Chairmanand CEO says it’s...

THE WORLD IS CHANGINGGuess how much, in terms of percentage, do you thinkis traded in cash in the whole of the United Kingdom?In other words of all the monetary transactions thattake place in the UK, in retail, in business to businessindeed everything, what proportion do you consider isdone in cash?

Would you say it was 90% in cash, or even 50% incash? Maybe you think it’s less than that – perhaps only25% in cash? Well if you thought it was any of theabove you would be wildly wrong.

Only 3% of all the combined transactions in the UKis undertaken in cash! So, the world is changing rapidly– we work in a predominantly cash industry in what isbecoming an increasingly cash-less society.

CANUTE LIKE?What that surprising number highlights is; that if youare one of the drivers who is still resisting – the takingof credit cards for any journey at all, you are busy losingwork, not only for yourself but for the entire taxi trade.An American visitor to Mountview House, who has beenin the taxi business for over 30 years, told us that at StPancras he asked over 20 drivers in the taxi queue if theywould take a credit card without any success.

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A Question of Credit Cards

“Last year, the NY Cab trade

had its best year ever!”

strategically placed in the passenger compartment ofthe cab, which means that the client decides at the endof the journey and the driver has no choice. The touchscreen on the machine asks automatically after everysingle journey:

� “Do you want to pay by card or cash?” andthen it asks;

� “Do you want to pay; a) flat fare; b) $2 tip;c) 15% tip; d) 20% tip?

Average driver tip on credit cards is now 20% (in NY itis the driver who pays the 5% merchant fee) but as, inmost cases, they are 15% up already on the fare theydon’t seem to mind.

Just in case you think it was a slip of the pen, Irepeat, NY taxis had their best year ever in the depthsof a recession as a result. It demonstrates that our tradecould be losing a massive amount of business becausemost business people, youngsters after a night out,shoppers, travellers and all and sundry would ratheruse a credit card to pay for a taxi ride. Indeed theyprobably would be more likely to use a taxi if they hadcertainty that they could pay by card. Moreover, it is amarket that private hire cannot compete in, as streethailed credit card journeys are only possible in alicensed taxi.

Once the public know that there is generalacceptance, they would almost certainly use more taxisand spend more money by travelling further than theywould have done if they had been paying in cash. Notconvinced?

RADIO TAXIS +30%ON CREDIT CARD JOURNEYS.

Well even with our own fairly restrained marketing ofcredit cards at Radio Taxis, we have increasedacceptance this year by some 30%.

Our statistics show that of the £2m in fares that weannually transact in credit cards only 20% of you do80% of that business. That number demonstrates quiteclearly that we have a lot of drivers out there still“Canute like” fighting the tide for their meagre 3%share of the national cash business.

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THE 2012 OLYMPICSUnsurprisingly the suppliers of the US taxi credit cardsystems are now talking to everyone involved in thetrade in London, including LTPH (formerly PCO).Indeed “Visa” are trying their level best to make theacceptance of credit cards mandatory in time for the2012 Olympics. (Visa are a major Olympic sponsor)

I do not think that a mandatory acceptance of creditcards in taxis by the 2012 Olympics is do-able.However there will be a bigger proportion of taxisaccepting cards by then.

At Radio Taxis we are certainly pushing our onlinefacility and achieving a significant increase in ourcredit card/consumer business.

We still struggle to get all of our drivers to use ourunique selling points by taking advantage of being onradio and by displaying the www.radiotaxis.co.uk rearwindow sticker. To date, only 275 drivers have botheredto affix it to their cabs. Publicising our website is amajor factor in winning us business and in fightingback against the likes of Addison Lee.

One driver recently suggested that the only way toget drivers to advertise Radio Taxis on the rear windowis to increase subscriptions and then discount fordrivers who display the logos and rear window stickers.What do you think?

Write to the editor and let us know of your viewsabout the whole subject of taxi credit card acceptance.

Can I also take this opportunity of wishing you all,your loved ones and your families a very happy, healthyfestive season and a prosperous new year.

Geoffrey RieselChairman & CEO Radio Taxis Group Limited.

“To date, only 275 drivers

have bothered to affix a Radio

Taxis rear window sticker!”

Steve Cooper, RTG’s DriverServices Manager asks...

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How long is apiece of string?

Answer: 3 – 6 MonthsEXPLANATION:When it was announced that a new GPRS MDT(mobile data terminal) had been commissioned therewas a buzz around Radio Taxis, expectation and signsthat we were embarking on a new era. Then came thebig question, when will the new “Zeus” MDT beavailable in the fleet?

Well, how long is a piece of string? As you canimagine there is a significantamount of research anddevelopment involved beforeany new equipment can bepassed as fit for purpose andthe initial estimate around thetime frame was 6 to 8 weeks, ina perfect world!

Hold ups due to componentdelays, holidays, logistics, etc;are difficult to factor in.So how long is a piece ofstring? As we have been indevelopment since June, I can now say that the answerwas; 3 – 6 months, so we are indeed now getting closerto rolling it out to the fleet.

We have completed the first phase of the softwaredevelopment and started “in-cab testing.” We havealso designed and sourced cables, brackets, all mannerof ancillary components and addressed the challengesof the installation procedure.

It has been our intention to avoid the big bang roll-out method, preferring to embrace the benefits ofparallel deployment and in its current guise the ZeusMDT with RTG software has all the functionalityrequired to do so. The number of installations willincrease in line with the development of the secondand third phases.

Phase two; (already underway)develop the “look and feel”.Define the fonts and text sizes,add the right icons in the rightplaces and make the unit userfriendly.Phase Three; an ongoingproject to incorporate the “wishlist”. Extras that have beencategorised as non essential “niceto have”, maps, themes, sat nav,split screen, voice query and all thefunctions that set the Zeus touch

screen MDT apart from the “off the shelf” alternatives.There was a positive response to the driver letter that

announced the decision to choose the Zeus and asidefrom those that have contacted Driver Services; we have afitting priority list based on length of service, andpreference. When you are contacted with the offer of afitting date you may if you wish, request to be put on theFinal Phase fitting list.

“It has been our intention

to avoid the big bang

roll-out method!”

SEPTEMBER 23RD WAS THE DAY that Radio TaxisGroup’s Station Road facilities were made available to theorganisers of the 2010 Magical Taxi Tour Children’s outing toDisneyland Paris.

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Clearly, preparation is the key to making sure things run smoothly, and for the Magical Taxi Tour this means aday at our premises in Tufnell Park to “dress” and prepare the fleet of Taxis taking part in the event. They havegot it down to an art.

The finely honed system that has developed over time, ensured that the taxis taking part in the journey downto Disneyland Paris were checked over and then the sponsorship logos and door signs were affixed to each of thevehicles. The committee were also on hand to give each of the drivers taking part the tickets and information

they needed for the families making the trip. Despite being a very wet day, thepreparations were soon completed and every cab was ready for the weekend ahead.

Those on hand included, from the organisers, Jim Rainbird (Master of theWCHCD), Phil Davies, Ken Flemwell, Gary Mitchell, Steve Barker, MikeSaunders, Patricia Stanley, Alan Roughan, Jim Moore, Sandie Goodwin, JohnHamilton, Mary Whitworth, also at Station Road to lend a hand were Jamie Owen,Phil Hurrie, an AA team, John and Liz Stubbs from the London Ambulance service,Personnel from 20th Squadron Royal Logistics’ Corp, and Billy King-Harman fromthe Lord Mayor’s office was here at the fitting bay to video a working LiveryCompany in action.

The Magical Taxi Tour 2010

Roger Sligo on themysteries of hidden London

“A stone crib projecting some50 feet towards heaven!”

JOHN CLAUDIUS LOUDON built and designedthis striking monument first to his father, andthen his mother, in the graveyard of PinnerParish Church, Middlesex.

In this remote churchyard in Pinner stands one of JohnClaudius Loudon’s lesser known achievements – this mostunusual gravestone which he designed on the death of hisfather in 1809, with the stone crib being projected some 50 feettowards heaven.

When his mother died in 1841 she was also buried here,alongside her husband, with the projection in the middlesection added for her memorial.

Loudon, the son of a farmer, was born in Scotland in 1783and went to school in Edinburgh, studying at the University ofEdinburgh before serving as apprentice to a nurseryman andlandscape gardener at Easter Dalry, Scotland.

Loudon arrived in London in 1803 at the age of 20 withletters of introduction. He soon established himself as asuccessful landscape gardener; in the same year he wrote anotable essay on the laying out of public squares. Hisprodigious publishing activity began in 1806 with his first bookon gardening.

Loudon was instrumental in the adoption of the termlandscape architecture by the modern profession. In 1811 heinvented an iron glazing-bar that made curved glazing possibleand erected various prototype hot-houses incorporating hisstructural and other practical ideas.

This Loudon invention made the more famous works byPaxton at Chatsworth and then again with London’s GreatExhibition of 1851 – and of course the magnificent CrystalPalace – possible.

John Claudius Loudon finally died penniless in the arms ofhis wife in 1843. He is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery in amodest grave.

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The Tomb in the Sky

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CuriosityCornerCuriosityCorner

The double detached villa he built for himselfat 3 and 5 Porchester Terrace, London.

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Roy Hughes, Radio TaxisGroup Head of Sales andAccount Management says...

“I’m absolutely convinced thatwe provide the best all

round service in the market!”

IN THE LAST EDITION OF MOUNTVIEW NEWS I wrote how theSales and Account Management department had been doing a lot more witha lot less and how business and demand for our services had increasedsignificantly, well that has now accelerated still further!

We have recently extended our contract with HSBC and won thecompetitive tender for Publicis Groupe (previously a ComCab account).Publicis Groupe are one of the largest PR agencies in the world,encompassing about 22 different companies in central and west London;including famous names such as Leo Burnett and Saatchi & Saatchi.We have been on trial with Leo Burnett for most of this year – I would like tothank all the Drivers that have been working on this account as they havebeen absolutely delighted with the level of service they have received, this hasno doubt helped us to win the competitive tender for the whole group.

In addition we are currently sitting on a number of competitive tendersfor new and existing clients, which will hopefully come to conclusion beforethe end of the year. What is particularly interesting is that opportunities arearising because of poor service delivery by our competitors. Whilst this iscertainly encouraging, it also highlights how exposed we can become if ourown service levels to customers were to decline.

I am absolutely convinced that we provide the best all round service inthe market – Drivers, Account Management, Booking & Administration –however the general increase in business and particularly the recent tubestrikes, has exposed customer service issues at some of our key accounts.There is no doubt we will be under increased pressure from these clientsto improve service levels in the busy period leading up to Christmas, so weneed you to do your best to cover our regular clients and thus retain thebusiness for after the festive season.

The Account Management team will be working hard to put solutionsin place to alleviate some of the service issues, but one of the mostcommon recent client complaints has been waiting time/lack of availabilityat busy periods – this is where you can make a huge difference in ensuringthat as few jobs as possible remain uncovered. As mentioned previously,clients are also increasingly focused on cost with ‘Run-Ins’ being aparticular favourite for scrutiny. Some of our competitors may well loseclients over the next few months, I want to ensure that this doesn’t happento Radio Taxis and that going into the New Year our client base has beenextended rather than reduced!

To end on a personal note, I managed to complete the Great NorthRun in 2 hours 20 minutes – outside what I expected, but the mitigatingcircumstance was that nobody told me that it was uphill for about 8 miles!I still managed to finish ahead of the guy dressed as a donkey (there has tobe a moral in there somewhere). Also, I passed a guy carrying a fridge onhis back, which made me wonder which fridge-based charity he wasrunning for – answers on a postcard!

The future ain’twhat it used to be!

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With the editorial team at Mountview News, anything ispossible, so we decided I should track down the accountcustomer, ask her permission to look over the house,photograph it, and reveal its history. My research revealed

that my passenger was in fact the Head ofHR for Radio Taxis.

On a Sunday afternoon in earlyNovember I was invited to meet withCaroline and her husband Nigel. Nigelwas there to greet me as planned, and hetook me for a tour around the grounds ofthe power station before we visited thehouse. High above where the engine roomonce stood was the first glimpse I got of

their home, a long high tower. What flat’s yours I ask? – “it’sall ours” explained Nigel – “from the top to bottom, all sevenfloors, including the basement and the roof terrace which hasthe conservatory on it as well.” Nigel said “Our Tower used tohouse the Accumulators that generated the hydraulic energy.There is a similar building on the South side of Tower Bridgewhich still houses the Accumulators that used to power thelifting of the bascules.” This I had to see.

On entering through the front door I saw Caroline, thepassenger I had taken several months earlier. She reminded

Who lives here?

Driving one of our Radio Taxis account customers home late one night, and with an inquisitive mind forcuriosities, I could see my passenger’s home was out of the ordinary. A little further investigationrevealed she was living in a converted Hydraulic Power Station in Rotherhithe. She explained that I wasnot the first of her taxi drivers to be inquisitive, which left me thinking her interesting accommodationwould need more investigation.

Roger Sligoinvestigates...

me she had a broken ankle at the time, and how difficult itwas climbing all the stairs inside her house. I could see whatshe meant as we climbed near to the top where the kitchenis, for a cup of tea and chat before the house tour began.She explained that Nigel, a chartered building surveyor withhis own consultancy based in the city, is very modest butthat it was he who had designed the entire house.Nigel came into the kitchen with a wonderful framed mapof all the London Hydraulic Power Stations and the extentof their coverage. One, we ascertained, was on the site ofEMI in Wrights Lane, and several others where you’d leastexpect them.

Above the kitchen was a loungewhich led via stairs entirely made ofglass, to a roof garden, withremarkable views of London. Without the need to move yourhead you can see the Gherkin, Tower 42, St Paul’s, BT Tower,and Tower Bridge to name but a few.

The house has three bedrooms all on separate floors; eachhas its own en suite. In the basement is a very large bathroom,which I thought at first was a swimming pool, as it was solarge. Beneath all of this is a tunnel which runs under the entirecomplex and is used by everyone for storage.

I asked Caroline how long didit take Nigel from start to finishrebuilding their home? “Therewere some legal complications so ittook us 8 months to complete thepurchase. After that it took abouta year to plan and eighteenmonths to complete the building.”Caroline added “I believe wemade our offer on the property inFebruary 2001 and we moved induring October 2004.”

Nigel, what was your worstproblem designing your home and how did you overcome it?“When we opened up the basement and found that there wasinsufficient head room we had to dig down to create this and thenfound that the base for the accumulators was inset into theground. This includes a monstrous pipe which would have beenthe main water feed for the ring main. Not only did the ListedBuildings Officer refuse to allow us to remove the base but also it

would have cost a fortune to removeanyway.” He added “Our plans for acircular bath had to be shelved and weended up with a corner bath (Jacuzzi)instead. We made a feature of the base ofthe accumulator by using it as a base forthe wash basin! Our friend’s daughter nowrefers to this room as our magicunderground bathroom!”

Nigel is somewhat of an expert on theLondon Hydraulic Power Company as heexplained. “The complex was once a

hydraulic pumping station. It was one of six around Londonowned by the London Hydraulic Power Company (LHPC).The pumping stations used to generate water under pressure ofapproximately 750lbs per square inch. This was distributedthroughout London by a series of underground pipes.” Nigel wenton to say; “Companies and individual buildings could tap intothis hydraulic ring main for a small charge in order to power liftmachinery, theatre curtains and any other equipment that wasoperated by hydraulic water power. As electricity became morewidely available the London Hydraulic Power Company could notcompete and therefore started to lose business. Eventually the needto generate hydraulic water power dried up and they stoppedgenerating hydraulic energy in the 1970’s.”

Nigel explained “Tower Bridge bascules (the lifting sections)were similarly powered by hydraulic water generated on site at the

bridge but if there was a failureof equipment at the bridge therewas an agreement with theLHPC to tap into their supplies.”

Caroline and Nigel’sAccumulator Tower was built in1902 and was redundant from1977; the entire company wasbought by MercuryCommunications (subsidiary ofCable & Wireless) who used thepipes as telecommunicationducts. Nigel concluded “Webelieve the Pumping Station wasempty from the 1970’s until 2000

when it was converted to a residential estate.”What of all the machinery? “It went for scrap; no one took

any notice when we advertised it for sale, now a lot of industrialarchaeologists are crying crocodile tears” Mr Heron had said inthe Free Weekender of 25th September 1981. He went onto say,“I’m looking forward to business bucking up again.”

Thirty years on and we are still waiting.

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Alan Franks, Group OperationsDirector talks about…

CoveringWorkTHERE ARE A NUMBER OF SITUATIONS which affect our ability to coverwork and have a “double whammy” of also upsetting our clients. Theseinclude, in no particular order, tube strikes, very bad traffic and badweather. Another issue that also has a detrimental effect is Football.

Whenever there are Champions League matches taking place, (frequently on Tuesdays andWednesdays from 19:45 to 22:00) coverage is severely affected. This year there are 3 Londonteams competing and is making the situation notably worse. The serious problems occur afterthe matches have finished when clients are also going home at the same time. When I have triedto explain this to some our largest clients I am usually met with a look of disbelief! It isimportant that we try our best to service our clients all of the time and at times I accept thiscan be difficult, but please help us and try to give radio work priority at times of high demand,especially if there is football on and it isn’t your team!

RUN-INThe Run-In has a long history and is meant to compensate drivers for the time taken to cover the distance to get to a pickup. In the 1970’s there was a £1.00 Run-In and this covered a distance of some 3 miles but also was mainly to compensatefor very cheap fares.

Now the average Run-In covers a relatively short distance. Please remember that the amount indicated on the trip offeris the maximum allowed for that particular client on your arrival for a “as soon as possible” trip or at the booked time.

We are aware that a few drivers might be tempted to exceed the amount allowed but bear in mind that every Run-In isrecorded and a message is sent to the Operations Centre if permitted amount is exceeded. We would then ask those driversto reset their meter. Of course the vast majority of drivers have the correct amount on the meter, so this applies to fewdrivers that “forget” the correct amount of a Run-In.

The amount on the meter when the passenger gets in the cab is inclusive of the “flag fall” and the Run-In and we havereceived complaints from clients that they believe that a very few drivers might be overcharging. This cannot be toleratedand cannot be allowed to jeopardise an account. In one case the client has threatened to report those drivers to thelicensing authority, so please use common sense – you have been warned.

You can help us to protect our work and reputation; keep yourself out of serious trouble and remember any driver whoexceeds the permitted Run-In could not only face a company complaint but the risk of being hauled in front of thelicensing authority.

FIXED PRICE AND DISCOUNT TRIPSI wrote to drivers some time ago with regards to “Fixed Price Fares” and “Discounted” trips. In order to“stay in the game” in a very competitive market and to retain clients that are looking for cost savings weasked our software writers to create an automated fixed fares system on Pathfinder.

We asked that the prices should be average prices, with average waiting time included and should alsotake into account the time of day and day of the week. The price would only affect trips over a certain fareand distance: This they did and we now have a number of accounts which this affects. The price is likelyto be close to the meter but it could go either way. Drivers with the fixed price attribute will be offeredthese trips. We also asked for software to be written to discount the mileage on trips over 6 miles to try towin back some of the longer journeys, long been taken up by Private Hire. This means that if you are

offered a job with “Discount” on the trip offer, then you may receive a discounted trip. If we have this agreement witha client then all of their trips will be marked “Discount” but only the trips that actually go over 6 miles will be affected andall shorter trips will be as normal.

It is only the mileage rate that is affected and only the part over 6 miles therefore it does not affect the time element ofthe meter. So, if you are stuck in very heavy traffic that part of fare will accrue as normal and will not be affected.

The discounted fare is winning back work from Private Hire and along with the average price fares, we are securing workthat would normally go in cars. The rate over 6 miles is £2.50 per mile.

Many thanks for your continued support. Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous 2011.12

Gordon Brown’sFinance Briefing...

The cuts, £83billion, across four years,are in place to convince the world thatit can pay its debts, to reassure thefinancial markets, to keep interest rateslow and encourage the private sectorto invest and create newjobs of its own.

The creation of new jobswill take time and theemerging recovery across theeconomy is now on a knifeedge. As in the short term490,000 people in the publicsector and probably a similar numberin the private sector that supportgovernment will soon start to losetheir jobs. In addition consumer andbusiness confidence in the interim willbe hit hard especially amongstconsumers as they start to think aboutunemployment coupled with a VATrise just round the corner.

Perhaps the largest – and hardest toachieve savings – is from changes anda general hardening of the benefitsrules which will certainlydisproportionately affect the less

well off.One of the biggest

losers was local government;expect less refuse collectionsand shorter library openinghours. It will also no doubt

impact public sector taxiand car contracts with

more belt tighteningexpected.

Cuts to theTransport budgetwere less than feared

with the plansfavouring London over

the regions with thecontinued commitment to Crossrail

and the Underground upgrades. Inaddition expenditure on the Olympicshas not been touched. Bus, train andtube fares will be allowed to rise faster

than inflation as the various cappingregulations are removed with someseason tickets rising by as much as30% by 2014.

Overall how will this affect RadioTaxis and you the drivers? I think therecovery we are seeing amongst someof our clients will continue as the Citywill remain fairly immune from thecuts. Our general consumer businesswill again, I feel, come off lightly asthe individuals most affected bybenefit cuts are less likely to use taxisanyway coupled with taxis becomingmore price competitive compared topublic transport.

The bad news? The fundingsettlement included an extension ofBoris’s Bikes and ensured all the Cyclehighways would be in place by the2012 Olympics. Perhaps more of anissue though is the possibility ofFrench style protests as all the bankersreceive their bonuses at the same timeas the local council cuts come in.

Merry Christmas to all.

Gordon BrownRadio Taxis Group,Chief Operating Officer.

“One of the biggest losers

was local government; expect less

refuse collections and shorter

library opening hours.”

Wednesday the 20th of October was regarded as awatershed for the current Coalition Government asit announced the results of its ComprehensiveSpending Review.

13

The 683rd Lord Mayor’s Sho

14

HALF A MILLION PEOPLE LINE THEROUTE as they have since 1189, when thefirst Lord Mayor Henry Fitzailwyn wasappointed. Unlike today, with a Mayorelected each year, in those times it was a jobfor life. Henry remained in office for 24years until his death.

BBC Television has always broadcast thelive event; in fact it was the very first everlive event they covered. It was estimatedseveral million people were watching on TVfrom around the world.

With this in mind and commanding sucha large audience, it was truly an honourthat Radio Taxis were the onlyrepresentatives of the London cab trade.It has been more than 20 years since wefirst took part in this parade, alongsidethe British Forces, City Liveries andhundreds of other companies whichserve the City of London.

We not only had four taxis takingpart in this year’s show, we alsoprovide another two inattendance behind the Mayor’scoach as back up. There was also asingle taxi provided by Radio Taxisfor emergency work, driven byMichael Epstein H054 who hascovered the event for several years.

I caught up with Michael in Moorgate,where he explained he plays his militarymusic at maximum level whilst covering the

For over eight centuries, London has welcomed a new Lord Mayor. Full ofhistory, pageantry and good fun, a real survivor, seeing off the Civil War,Plague, Great Fire of London and more recently the Blitz. It has only everbeen cancelled once, that was for the Duke of Wellington’s funeral in 1832.

route. Has he ever been deployed with a realemergency? “Yes, last year I was asked to takesomeone in a hurry in the opposite directionto the parade. This involved a U turn usingthe famous 25ft turning circle, much to thesurprise of onlookers and officials, as my taxidrove off in the opposite direction to otherfloats.” Michael has been known to try togain us a new account by putting up a sign“Hello Emma” in his window, (Emma beingthe boss of a large corporation) he got asmile from the lady but not the account!

Meeting up with the main teamincluding Penny Cuckston, who makes sureeverything goes to plan with the show, aswell as being Sales Ledger Manager and partof Mountview News editorial team.Penny has been responsible for Radio Taxisinvolvement in the Mayor’s show for anumber of years, she knows by experience,it normally rains, so plastic macs with logoswas the order of the day – it was the 13thNovember after all. Untypically the weatherremained dry and mild, which was welcomeby the children in our group.

This year we teamed up with Action ForKids (AFK) which is a national charityworking with children and young peoplewith physical and learning disabilities andtheir parents and carers. We were honouredbeing joined by Lloyd Scott, who took astaggering five days, eight hours, 29 minutesand 46 seconds to complete the marathon in

“Radio Taxis were the onlyrepresentatives of the London

Cab trade at the show!”

Left to right: Silvi Oliveira, Stephen Dimmock, Martin Milne, James Lawn

Michael Epstein

year’s show, was driving his Mercedes Vito, joined byhis wife; sadly his other guest was taken seriously illand unable to attend. His taxi has been trouble free,pretty good considering he travels each day fromBraintree in Essex.

Last, but not least, we had James Lawn Y027, who isabout to come over to Radio Taxis from Xeta.He explained “I was brought in last minute, as theoriginal driver had a crash; his replacement cab wassilver instead of black, so I became his replacement.”The other driver, Russell, in good spirit became James’spassenger, and with his children, was able to enjoythe show.

The crowds that greeted us all werejolly and pleased to see our waving walkersas well as the old and new taxis.Lloyd Scott was an instant hit with all thekids although he was bravely fighting backthe temperature inside his suit.

We got a few seconds of TV exposure, asthe BBC presenter spoke to the new LordMayor’s wife, on the Mansion House Balcony.

We wish the new 683rd Lord MayorMichael Bear a very pleasant year and goodcharity fund raising. Report by Roger Sligo.

a deep sea diving outfit, which should have won him aplace in the record books – for the slowest evermarathon. Lloyd told me he is hoping to beat hisrecord in next year’s marathon by wearing a snail’soutfit crawling it on his belly. “I’m told if I can complete

the marathon on my belly I will get into the GuinnessBook of Records” with Lloyds determination I am surehe will.

Before the showI chatted with thisyear’s drivers, headedby Silvi Oliveira,Tango 42 – Memberof the WorshipfulCompany of HackneyCarriage Drivers; (his brother Carlos is presently usinghis pink taxi in a campaign to raise money for breastcancer) proudly displaying his vintage 1952 ‘Nuffield’taxi which he said originally came from Long Acre andended up in Surrey for sale. Bought and restored bySilvi, with the cost easily recouped from his LondonTaxi Wedding Services.

The other vintage taxi was owned and driven byStephen Dimmock, not a taxi driver himself but a realenthusiastic collector of vintage cabs. A member ofThe London Vintage Taxi Association; bringing withhim his 1956 FX3D powered 2.2 litre diesel engine.Both vintage cabs have original leather interior,everything, including the meters are in working order.Y079 Martin Milne, whom I remembered from last

ow,13th November 2010

Lloyd Scott

Lloyd Scottin his suit

15

Silvi Oliveira

At Radio Taxis we are involved in the Olympic DeliveryAuthority (ODA) Taxi/PHV Transport Strategy Group.This group has been created to help put together aworkable transport strategy and to relay this samestrategy to the various members/employees/drivers thatwill all be involved in transport during the run up toand during the games themselves.

There are some 21 venues involved in the Olympic Games:City of Coventry StadiumEarl’s CourtEton DorneyEton ManorExCeLGreenwich ParkHadleigh Farm,EssexHampden ParkHorseguards ParadeHyde ParkLee Valley White Water CentreLord’s Cricket GroundMillennium StadiumNorth Greenwich ArenaOld TraffordOlympic StadiumThe Royal Artillery BarracksSt James’s ParkWembley ArenaWeymouth and PortlandWimbledon

There are some 216 countries participating in the 2012Olympics and many of these countries will have a“non-athlete” base somewhere in Central London forpress and for partying. These “Team HQ”establishments will be used to invite dignitaries,Olympic Committee members, Embassy officials andfriends. Previous Olympic Games have shown thatthere is a great deal of “extra curricular” activity going

on in town during the two weeks of the Olympics andagain during the Paralympics. So, be aware thatspectators that come to watch the Archery during theday often want party during the night and this willmean that there will be a significant amount ofadditional taxi work available.

You may have read that there’s a concerted effort toencourage taxi drivers to embark upon obtaining a newlanguage skill. We at Radio Taxis are compiling adatabase of drivers that have a second and/or thirdlanguage – so if you are multilingual please contactDriver Services on: 020 7272 2626 and give them yourCall Sign and the languages that you are fluent in.

We have been told that all the airportsthat service London will be extremelybusy throughout the Olympics –especially City Airport andHeathrow. It is difficult to profile theairport traffic flows during theOlympics because it very muchdepends on the nationality of thesuccessful athletes. A French orGerman athlete making it to a finalwill attract more spectators that a Senegalese or New

Zealand athlete would.All roadworks are to be suspendedduring the two weeks of the Olympics.Many bus lanes will also be cancelledto enable the introduction of OlympicLanes. Part of the winning bid tobring the Olympics to London was theoffering of Service Level Agreements

(SLA’s) for travel times. There are guaranteesthat need to be met in transfer times from Heathrow toTeam Hotels and from Team Hotels to Olympic Venuesand Training Facilities. The only way that these transfertimes can be met is to make sure that the vehicles thattransfer the athletes and the Olympic “family”members are given priority lanes. There will be

Peter Gibson, Radio TaxisGroup’s StrategicDirector says...

…but the Santa Claus that I am referring to is coming to London onFriday, 27th July 2012 which is the day of the Olympic Gamesopening ceremony. The closing ceremony will be on Sunday, 12thAugust 2012.

Santa Claus is Comi

16

thousands of BMW cars that will transfer OlympicAthletes and the Olympic family to and from thevarious venues and team HQ’s. Only the BMW’s andOlympic buses will be allowed to use the Olympiclanes. There will also be an increase in the number oftraffic enforcement personnel during the Olympics tomake sure that temporary restrictions are enforcedrigorously.

Some of the discussion points around trafficschemes being debated were quite “alarming” but,apparently, necessary.Although not yet agreed,there was discussion aroundthe trunking of CromwellRoad/Brompton Road andKnightsbridge up to HydePark Corner. Similarly,prohibiting any right turns along Upper Thames Streetand Victoria Embankment: Westminster Bridge will bemade one way going west, so to get to Covent Gardenfrom Victoria Embankment would involve doing a leftonto Westminster Bridge and a left into York Road andanother left over Waterloo Bridge.

Constitution Hill, The Mall and Horseguards Roadwill be closed for Volley Ball. Certainly our“knowledge” is going to be tested to be able to getaround town and we need to ensure that we keepeverybody continuously informed of road closures so

that alternative routes can be planned asnormal service will be suspended.At the ODA meeting that I attendedthere was reference to the fact that someevents, such as Basketball, will be held

late at night so that television times in theUnited States are at prime time. Consequently

there will be “bursts” at St Pancras at 2am in themorning some days as spectators emerge from thebullet train (Olympic Javelin) just in from Stratford.These trains will take just seven minutes non stop fromStratford to St Pancras. So we need to be aware thatthere will be a lot more work about later and in thevery early hours. There was talk about trying to allowthe tube system to stay open 24 hours a day during theOlympics but “agreement” from the unions was

thought to be a possible sticking point.There was an interesting debate about how we go

about trying to persuade self employed taxi drivers notto take their holidays while the Olympics are going on.A flippant remark made by somebody in the roomwent along the lines that by trying to persuade drivers

to be available because of theneed during the Olympics mayhave just the opposite effectand make them book up aholiday specifically to avoidthe “mayhem”. But I reiteratethe thinking is that there will

be an enormous growth in the demand for street workduring the two weeks of events. As a once in lifetimeevent we should all try and play our part in making theLondon Olympics successful and if you drive a cab youwill never be in greater demand than the two weeksthat start on the 27th July 2012.

Whilst trying to cope with the mix of the Olympicevents, Olympic lanes, traffic conditions, spectators andthe Olympic family is something called “everyday life”.We will be trying hard to carry out business as usual atRadio Taxis and between now and that fateful late JulyFriday we will have to come up with some “creative”ways of keeping you available for us to service theaccounts that use us in between the every four years ofthe Olympics. The street competition will be relentlessbut the account work will also need covering and my jobis to find ways to keep you available for us as well asthem. It will be a glorious “once in lifetime” sportingextravaganza that hopefully will be remembered for allthe right reasons and for a very long time. Stay, and bepart of it and go on your holidays any time after Sunday12th August – you will have earned the rest. Just makesure that you are back by 29th August for the start of theParalympics, just enough time to sandwich two weeks inthe sunshine between four weeks of London featuring asa global travelogue. You can then start counting thetimes that passengers say we decided to come to Londonafter seeing the Olympics on TV… Merry Christmas!

ing to Town...

“Certainly our “knowledge” is

going to be tested to be

able to get around town!”

17

Penny Cuckston, RadioTaxis Group’s Sales LedgerManager reports on her charity walk

SUNDAY 5TH OF SEPTEMBER WASN’TJUST ANOTHER SUNDAY, especially for thetwelve staff members of Radio Taxis who met up at inHyde Park at 10am on that day to compete in the AdidasWomens’ 5K Challenge.

With more than 15,000 women competing in therace (not sure why there are no men?) most of themwere raising money, via sponsorship, for a charity thatwas close to their hearts. The park itself was bustlingwith runners, spectators, television cameras andequipment vans.

All of the 12 Radio Taxis staff were being sponsoredto raise money for a local charity called ‘Action for Kids’which funds “bespoke” wheelchair facilities for childrenthat have disabilities where a normal NHS wheelchairwould not cater for the need. We all wore matchingwhite T-shirts with both Radio Taxis and Action for Kidslogos on the back and our race numbers on the front.

On arrival at the park, a warm up andstretch routine was held by Adidas for allracers to prepare us for the race. Then thenerves kicked in as a queue began to format the start line. At 11am the race beganwith the elite athletes from around theworld starting off first, followed by the funrunners and walkers.

Radio Taxis staff walked with thehelpers and students of the charity, manyof which were in their specialisedwheelchairs. The children and their helpers

were all very excited to bepart of such a great event.We passed many enthusiastic, waving supporters on the route around Hyde Park and theSerpentine finally crossing the finish line in around one hour.

The event was hosted by Jonathan Edwards for the BBC and was filmed andphotographed all around the route. Everyone received a goodie bag, a T-shirt and a medalfrom Adidas for completing the race.

The television highlights were shown that evening on BBC2 and the winner was LinetMasai from Kenya who finished in just over 15 minutes.

The rest of the following week my legs reminded me daily of our charity walk. A greattime was had by all the competitors and we are definitely going to participate next year.So if you are near a television on a Sunday early next September you may just get a shockif you see your very own “Radio Taxis” logo waving at you from the screen.

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Walking for Kids

That’s me, number 2458, 5th from the left

Still haven’t joined the Credit Union?WHY NOT?I wonder how many of you read my last article in the Mountview News aboutjoining the Credit Union and still not joined? I am sure from the amount of phonecalls I received asking for a loan that many of you were caught out when it wastime to pay your income tax. There were many calls that came from non creditunion members panicking over how they were going to pay their bill,unfortunately they were not eligible as they were not members and did notknow that there is a qualifying period of three months of regular savingbefore a loan can be granted. Existing members did not have any problemsobtaining a loan, great for peace of mind!

I URGE YOU TO JOIN NOWNow is the time to join Radio Taxis Credit Union. In this currenteconomic climate it really is a struggle to save when money is so tight,you know how difficult it is to save directly from your pocket, mucheasier when it is deducted at source from your credits. Ask any ofyour friends who already belong how useful being a member reallyis, loans may be used for whatever you want. It really is very easy tojoin, you decide how much you want to save each month and wewill deduct it from your credit work on a monthly basis, mucheasier than having to pay in each month.

A typical loan from Radio Taxicabs (London) Credit UnionLtd is as follows:

£1,000 over 12 months will cost you £88.85 a month, totalloan repayment is £1,066.20, interest payable is only£66.20, beat that if you can. In addition to this, all loansand savings are insured and fully protected in theevent of an untimely death, this normally costs agreat deal more with other lenders.

You do not have to take a loan if you don’twant, just save an amount each month until youare ready to take out a Share Withdrawal to payfor whatever you want.

Call Alan Woolf on: 0207 561 5148 Tuesday –Thursday or leave your name and

telephone number and wewill return your call.

Email:[email protected]

CreditUnionRadio Taxicabs ( London) Credit Union Ltd No. 90C

Mountview House, Lennox Road, London N4 3TX

Tel: 020 7561 5148 Fax: 020 7561 5166

Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Services Authority FRN. 213232

19

JANUARY 7th – 16th London International Boat Show,

London Excel Centre12th & 13th Architectural, Retail & Commercial

(ARC) Lighting Trade Show, Earls Court12th – 15th The London Exhibition, Olympia14th – 16th The France Show, Earls Court16th – 18th Top Drawer Spring / Summer

Exhibition, Earls Court19th – 23rd London Art Fair, Business Design Centre25th – 27th Toy Fair, Olympia

FEBRUARY2nd Groundhog Day3rd Chinese New Year (Year of the Rabbit),

Chinatown14th Valentine’s Day

MARCH1st St David’s Day8th Shrove Tuesday / Pancake Day17th St Patrick’s Day26th The Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race –

River Thames, Hammersmith to Barnes27th Clocks go forward

APRIL2nd Head of the River Race3rd Mothering Sunday (Mother’s Day)17th London Marathon23rd St George’s Day23rd Shakespeare’s Birthday22nd Good Friday25th Easter Monday

MAY2nd May Day14th FA Cup Final, Wembley24th 28th Chelsea Flower Show30th Spring Bank Holiday

JUNE11th The Queen’s Official Birthday –

Trooping the Colour14th – 18th Royal Ascot19th Father’s Day20th Wimbledon Tennis (until 3rd July) 21st Summer Solstice – 11:28 GMT

JULY2nd Pride London Parade 4th Independence Day4th 10th Hampton Court Flower Show

AUGUST1st Summer Bank Holiday1st Ramadan8th – 14th World Badminton Championships ,

Wembley Arena28th & 29th Notting Hill Carnival 29th Bank Holiday Monday

SEPTEMBER4th – 6th Speciality & Fine Food Fair Olympia4th – 7th International Jewellery Earls Court10th & 11th Mayor’s Thames Festival11th London Duathlon 28th Jewish New Year

OCTOBER8th Yom Kippur30th Clocks go back31st Diwali Festival of Lights,

Trafalgar Square31st Halloween

NOVEMBER5th Firework Night11th Armistice Day 12th Lord Mayor’s Show13th Remembrance Sunday24th Thanks Giving26th Islamic New Year30th St Andrew’s Day

DECEMBER20th – 28th Hanukkah25th Christmas Day26th Boxing Day27th Bank Holiday31st New Year’s Eve

Dia

ry

Da

tes

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11

The HR department is pivotal to the Group. We are there to see that all employeeswithin the company are taken care of in terms of their wellbeing, development androutine; including matters such as being paid on time.

For line managers, we are there to help empower them to manage their teamseffectively, providing a sounding board for when they are facing a particular challenge,whether in terms of people management or operationally. We also provide legal andbest practice advice and support to ensure that the company is legally and morallycompliant with all current legislation.

For the senior team we operate at a strategic level, looking at the company’s visionand how that can be supported and realised within a HR function.

We try to ensure that our interactions with every individual, at whatever level, iscarried out respectfully, fairly and in a non-biased and non-judgmental manner.And we hope to enforce a culture where our fellow colleagues do the same.

Last, but not least, it is worth pointing out that we have a duty to keep up to datewith employment law and case law decisions to ensure that any dealings that we havewith management and staff are legally compliant and do not open up any liability tolegal proceedings or disrepute and damage to the company reputation.

In essence, as an HR professional my job is all about people, and this can be in theform of administration, functional, operational as well as direct interactions with allpeople, at all levels, at any time. All pretty boring I’m afraid – but necessary.

Louise Alexander, RTG’s HR Officerwould like to introduce the HumanResources Department...

FIRSTLY THERE IS Caroline Griffithswho is Head of HR and looks after HR at aboard and strategic level. Then we have JacquieBullen who is our part time Assistant and thenthere is me, I am Louise Alexander, HR Officerand I manage the day to day running andoperational elements for the Group.

Although we all act and feel like RTGpersonnel, we are in fact employee’s of theBradfield Group, to whom RTG haveoutsourced the HR Function.

As with any predominantly people function,there is never a dull moment in HR. RTG has awonderful ethos of caring about its staff andI hope that this is reflected in the approach ofour department. We have a completely opendoor policy but, as you would imagine,confidentiality is paramount and a good HRdepartment is sensitive to the need of privacy.

From left to right: Jacquie, Caroline and Louise.

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21

Parking Enforcement by specialist in the field,John Vigus

“Waiting restrictionsalso apply to Taxi Drivers

just as they applyto the ordinary motorist”

“Motorists are not awarethat they are being

captured on CCTV”

ENFORCEMENT BY MEANS OF CCTV CAMERASwas introduced under the London Local Authorities Act 2000 and certainmoving traffic violations under the London Local Authorities andTransport for London Act 2003.

There are certain ‘hot spots’ such as the Kingsway, where u-turns areprohibited from the Aldwych to Great Russell Street and St Martin’s Lane,no right turns into William IV Street, which between them are generatingan extraordinarily high income for the local authority where motoristsare not aware that they are being captured on CCTV and are thusignoring the signs.

Many cab drivers I have spoken to, hold the belief that they are ‘publictransport’ and as such should be exempt from parking regulations.I’m afraid that waiting restrictions also apply to Taxi drivers just as theyapply to the ordinary motorist who is picking up or setting downpassengers on single and double yellow lines.

As a general rule, CCTV operators will observe the vehicle for twominutes to watch for any activity. If there is no activity within this timethen they will log the observation as a contravention and a penalty chargenotice will be issued.

Previously an on-street parking attendant will have had theopportunity to speak to the driver and allow extra time for picking up apassenger or they might have asked the cab driver to move.

Parking adjudicators will usually accept waiting for up to 5 minutesfor a passenger but any longer than this would depend on individualcircumstances. As an example, if you were picking up a package or yourpassenger had luggage, then the 20 minute rule could apply, as loading.

A loading exemption is generally applied where there are goods orburden of any description but can a passenger be described as ‘burden?’Burden is described as being ‘that which can be carried’ so a passengerwould not fall into this category although his luggage could be.

A ban on footway parking in London was introduced in 1974 underthe Greater London Council General Powers Act which is still in forcetoday. There is no exemption if you stop on the footway or on a vehiclecrossover to pick up or drop off a passenger even if the road is narrowand you would cause an obstruction to other road users. Obstruction is amatter for the police and not Local Authorities. It’s your decision and it’salso your £120.

I previously worked in the courier industry for many years and nowrun a business appealing parking tickets for various carriers. Thus I havehad first-hand experience of dealing with parking tickets at all levels ofenforcement, including bailiffs, and have successfully appealed againstmore than seven thousand penalty charge notices.

I will be working with your management team looking at the problemfor your company, there will be times where I will advise that you justpay up, however I can also advise where we can successfully appeal.

Since the introduction of a decriminalised parking enforcement, which has now

been passed from police control to Local Authorities under the 1991 Road Traffic

Act, the enforcement of parking regulations has become steadily more aggressive.

THE BUS WILL USE THE LATEST GREEN TECHNOLOGY.It will be 15 per cent more fuel efficient than existing hybrid buses,and 40 per cent more efficient than conventional diesel double decksand much quieter on the streets.

The pioneering design makes use of lightweight materials, with glasshighlighting key features and producing a light and airy feel inside the bus.

An impressive glass ‘swoop’ at the rear and offside pick out the twostaircases and provide a dramatic visual effect. An asymmetric designfor the front-end completes the futuristic look.

STYLISH, SWOOSHING EXTERIORThe open platform is a defining feature, shared with the Routemasterof old, and allows the reinstatement of a hop-on, hop-off service.Three doors and two staircases will aid speedier and smootherboarding. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “This iconic

new part of our transport system is not only beautiful, but also has a green heart beating beneath its stylish, swooshing exterior. It will cutemissions, and give Londoners a bus they can be proud of, complete with cutting edge design, and the freedom of an open platform”.

LOVED BY LONDONERS“I expect to eventually have hundreds of these on London’s roads, and for cities around the globe to be beside themselves with envy for ourstunning red emblem of 21st century London.”

Peter Hendy, London’s Transport Commissioner, said: “Designing and building a new bus exclusively for London is an excitingproject to be working on and one of which we are all proud. This beautifully designed, environmentally friendly vehicle built for theCapital will be loved by Londoners for many years to come.”

Mark Nodder, Group Managing Director of Wrightbus, said: “This project is not just about evolution, it’s about revolution.I think the design is genuinely groundbreaking, people are really going to stop and notice these buses on the streets of London.”

QUICKER ACCESSWrightbus and Transport for London (TfL) have been working with Heatherwick Studio as a collaborative design partner taking thelead on the styling of the bus to support Wrightbus in the design and development process. The bus will feature two staircases,enabling easier and quicker access to and from the upper deck. There will be two conventional doors and an open rear platform,which has the option to be closed off at quiet times for example during the night.

Wrightbus engineers are working on a static mock-up of the bus to be complete later this year with the first prototype to bedelivered late next year, the new buses will enter service from early 2012.

The New‘Boris Bus’Unveiled

22

London’s new ‘green’ red bus

In September 2008, I was standing in the car Park at Wentworth Golf Club, after achallenging round of golf as a guest, when my re-activated mobile phone told me thatCaroline Griffiths had called me. Shortly afterwards, I had interviews with Carolineand Geoffrey Riesel and a further interview with Peter Gibson and Geoffrey.

In October 2008, I started working as Group Company Secretary of Radio TaxisGroup Limited. Initially, this was on a day a week basis as I was serving out notice givento my former employer Agriproducts (Holdings) Limited. From December 2008, I havebeen working three days a week.

The big advantage of being a qualified Chartered Secretary is that you are notrestricted by the type of businesses you can work with. I have worked in manufacturingand service sectors, from Records and Communication Equipment (Decca) through

Advertising (Rex Stewart/Lopex), Building Services (HadenYoung) and onto Agricultural products (Agriproducts).

At Radio Taxis I am able to apply my experience as aCorporate Housekeeper. I act as Registrar for the shareholderbase and liaise with both shareholders and Sharemark and TheShare Centre, through whom we have quarterly auctions to

provide a form of market for our shares.Corporate Governance is of course a buzz word after Enron and the Banking crises.

It is one of my jobs to guide the Company and its Board of Directors through the raft oflegislative and regulatory requirements. An MP recently wrote in his local paper that weshould give MPs a longer summer holiday to slow down the level of Government thrownat us; very tempting.

I help the Chairman produce the Agenda for monthly Board Meetings, take the BoardMinutes and participate in Board discussions. Meetings include lively involvement insenior management meetings where Blue Ocean thought is encouraged. The CompanySecretary also takes a big hand in the production of the Annual Report and Accounts andthe organisation of the Annual General Meeting

I take responsibility for the form filling delights of corporate reporting to CompaniesHouse, the National Statistics Office and the Information Commissioner (DataProtection).

Another area of care and control to cover is that of Health & Safety. This has requiredupdating systems, reports and assessments and acting as Chairman of the Health &Safety Committee.

Risk management is an important strand of the job.This includes all the above and managing Insurance,Turnbull reports on the identification of Risk and internalcontrols and the monitoring of contracts with clients andsuppliers. It is a hazardous world out there and as GeoffreyRiesel described me early on, having “been around a bit”sure helps.

I hope that I am now part of the furniture that iscomfortable and supportive whilst I am constantly learningabout the ever changing world of ground transport.

Robert MacDonald Watsontalks about his first year in thehot seat at Radio Taxis GroupJust after having read that the CoalitionGovernment has passed its first 100 days in office,Geoffrey Riesel asked me if I would write aboutmy own initiation into the ways of the RadioTaxis Group.

“I hope that I am

now part of the furniture”

23

24

STUART SCHAFFER (F042) is better known to his friends as(Malcolm the Pipe) and was given this nickname because he usedto smoke a pipe, although he gave up smoking in 1987, but thenickname stuck!

Malcolm has been on the Radio Taxis circuit since 17th October1960. The very first cab that he rented was as an Austin FX3, whichhappened to be already fitted with a “Mountview Radio.”

When asked why he had joined Radio Taxis, Malcolm said it wasthe benefit of having access to another stream of work and thecompany of the voice despatchers to keep him entertained duringthe dark evenings with a joke, a quiz or a cooking recipe or two.

Malcolm chose to join Radio Taxis as it had a reputation forbeing a well run radio circuit with the driver’s interest at heart.

It only took Malcolm a year to complete The Knowledge.He attended the PCO at Lambeth Road in the “dungeon” to answerand show what he had learned; this was long before days of PentonStreet. Back then when you were on The Knowledge you started out ona push bike and if you were lucky you then progressed up to a moped.

In the 50 years since Malcolm “passed out” the knowledge hasgone from taking an average of 12 months to an average time of3 to 4 years to do the green badge.

Malcolm believes that probably the biggest change in driving a“radio” cab that he has seen over the years, is the introduction ofthe first computer despatch system and then the upgrade to closestcab GPS and Pathfinder. Compared to the “good old days” of voiceradio, Malcolm regards the current data despatch methodology as avery fair system for drivers and the work is also despatched muchfaster. We have come a long way from the original shortwave radiosets that would take 15 minutes to warm up, with a valve setshaking about in the boot.

Malcolm feels the circuit has evolved a lot and he remembers thedays when there were only 200 drivers on the circuit, being paid outin cash for all the account work. Following a couple of robberies inStroud Green Road, payment by cheque was introduced and thensubsequently drivers are paid by BACS the electronic banking system.

Malcolm sees the future of the taxi industry as becoming a lottougher for the coming generations of cab drivers due to PrivateHire growth and better Public Transport as competition. The costsof running a taxi and fuel he also feels, makes it a hard industry tobe part of.

Today’s passengers are also very different from when Malcolmfirst drove a “radio” cab, as over 50% are either on mobile phones orplaying with some electronic gadget, so there is less conversation.Another difference is that the modern day passenger always seemsto being looking at the cost and the meter seems to frighten somepassengers.

Even in the early days of Malcolm’s career back in 60’s, believe itor not, there were unlicensed mini cabs touting back then; it startedwith Michael Gotla’s Renault Dauphines and obviously this stillgoes on today but on an even larger scale, with un–licensed touts,

The longest serving member ofRadio Taxis is F042 Stuart Schaffer(Malcolm the Pipe)!Interviewed by Driver Service’s Tracey Fuller

Pedicabs and couriers racing around the city.Like most cab drivers, Malcolm has had many celebrities in the

back of his cab, everyone from ballet dancers to footballers but hesays it’s hard to recall them all, but he has listed a few:

Tony Curtis(Malcolm said if he was awoman he would of fanciedhim too!)

Princess Alexandra

Lord Snowdon

Rudolph Nureyev

Stirling Moss

Graham Hill

George Best

Bobby Charlton

One of Malcolm’s most memorable jobs, which still tickleshim today, was picking up a delivery from Charlton, South EastLondon. He collected a large family bar of Cadbury’s Fruit & NutChocolate, his instructions were to keep it flat on the cab floorand deliver it to the BBC TV Centre. (We all remember the advert“are you a Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut Case?”) Malcolm never quiteworked out why a bar of chocolate merited its own cab.

Malcolm’s best job he recalls back in the early days, was afixed price job of £400 delivering an envelope to Devon. (If onlythat envelope could talk). The same trip would probably costmore than twice that much today.

For Malcolm, the best thing about being on Radio Taxis ishaving two bites of the cherry, cash, credit card and accountwork available twenty four hours a day.

Now 72 years of age, Malcolm is happily married with 2children and 4 grandchildren. He keeps fit by playing tennis andsailing. In his spare time he races model yachts.

Malcolm is a real gentleman, a credit toRadio Taxis, and a delight to spendsome time with, we wish him well.

Tracey with Malcolm

To The EditorThanks so much for a well editedmagazine. I do read the E-viewmagazine as well but it’s nice tohave a more tactile form ofcommunication.

I was delighted to receive thenew and improved magazinewhich is well edited andinformative. Good luck forfuture success.

Regards,Stuart Cohen, A64.

Hello RogerNice to see the magazine back, with all your computerinfluence up at Mountview, how about developing aniPhone App for our account customers? It would give thiscircuit so much kudos to be the first black cab circuit to doit. If Addison Lee can do it, why not us?

Anyway, nice to have something to read in the cab.

Paul Thynne, Call sign Q71.Ed: I understand from our IT dept. that we are in theprocess of developing our own “App.”

Dear RogerThank goodness Mountview News is back! The chairmanmay have called me a Luddite at the 2009 AGM, butapparently there are 10,000,000 people like myself who arejust not interested in computers, living in the UK.

Having opened up our magazine with Big Ben looking atme, the minicabs and the other circuits are having a laughat our expense. With the 06 plate out earlier this week, thephoto shows 1996 P reg FX4 type ancient Taxicab.What kind of image is this? The chairman may extol thebenefits of my Vito Taxi, but the image people willremember in the photo of the antiquated P reg. Just readPeter Gibson’s article on the vehicle the majority of thefleet drive. The fact that any LTI’s are fitted with aircon itusually doesn’t work as efficiently as any car and that is, ifit does work at all. My previous TXI SE didn’t work sinceI had it for 2 and a half years, having had it servicedseveral times.

Peter Gibson talks a lot of sense but unfortunatelyNOTHING WILL HAPPEN. As for telephone systems,computers, online bookings, all we, the drivers insist on isthat our customers are not kept waiting on whateversystem they use so that we, the taxi driver, can giveeveryone a first class service. Starting with the phone calletc, and ending with a safe journey with us. The taxi driverarriving on time.

Best wishes as always.

Stuart Rose, F24.Ed: I spoke to the Chairman and he still thinksyou’re a bit of a Luddite, but agrees that weneed to bring the trade into the 21st Centuryand that good service to clients is paramount.

Letters & Emailsto the Editor...

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Roger

I just received the new paper version of MountviewNews, and am pleased that you are now back in print.

I notice that there are only 2 full page ads (M&O’sand KPM) and would like to know whether you wouldaccept a quarter page ad?

I would like to give you some background regardingmy connection with Mountview: my father was one ofthe original board members who started the circuitunder Joe Stern in the early 1950’s. I worked Saturdaynight shifts in the basement at Highpoint when I was 17and with the knowledge thus gained, did the Knowledgein 8.5 months in 1961, and became a subscriberimmediately. I have been with Xeta now for almost 2years, so my subscriber connection will be 50 years in2011, although there was a break from 1971 – 2008.

In the intervening years I established anaccountancy practice specialising in the black cab tradewhich I sold in 1986. After an extended break I am nowrebuilding the practice with a base of clients that I hadretained.

So, here you have a really interesting story about thecircuit and possibly some ad revenue. Could you let meknow the rates for a 1/4 page ad? I would be happy tomeet up with you some time should you consider thestory interesting enough to turn into copy for themagazine.

Do you happen to know whether there are any othersubscribers with a 50 year connection? I know JackGold is still a subscriber.

Len Joseph, BFS.Ed: Len, someone will contact you with our rates anddetails.

SEND YOUR LETTERS BY:

Email: [email protected]

Or snail mail:The EditorMountview NewsRadio Taxis GroupMountview HouseLennox RoadLONDONN4 3TX

The Mountview Puzzler PageCLUES ACROSS1. Inhabitant of an island (8)6. Breathe convulsively (4)8. Lunatic (6)9. Burial cloth (6)10. Swiftness (5)11. Sentimental songs (7)13. Threefold (6)15. Cold and damp (6)17. Unlawful liquor (7)19. Corpulent (5)22. One who enjoys inflicting pain (6)23. Person who wields an axe (6)24. Tooth (4)25. Large deer (8)

CLUES DOWN2. Flee (7)3. Spring up (5)4. Pack of cards (4)5. Investigate (8)6. Ape (7)7. Noise (5)12. Runaway (8)14. Necking (7)16. Communication (7)18. City in Nebraska (5)20. Baked dough (5)21. Worn by women in India (4)

Jotting space:

The MountviewAmusing CaptionCompetition

MOUNTVIEW SUDOKUThe object is to write in the missing numbers in the empty boxesbelow. But to satisfy only one condition: each row, column and3 x 3 box must contain the digits 1 through to 9 exactly once.What could be simpler?

Hooked? You can find more Sudoko online at: www.sudoku.cc

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?

JEFF NORDEN (Fox 29) sentin this picture of a cheeky birdwho took a free cab ride fromPiccadilly Circus to CambridgeCircus, where he took off. Did heleave a small deposit on the backwindow? Did he really want BirdCage Walk, or Canary Wharf?

Send us your funny captionsand win a bottle of Champagne!

Mountview News PictureCaption September 2010 –Thanks to all those drivers who sent in theirpicture captions, they were all very good.This month’s winner is Martin Griffiths whohas a new call sign for our dog – “Come inK9” Martin’s call sign – wait for it – K99.

If you spot something funny, take apicture of it and send to:[email protected]

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Cyber MirthCyber MirthWe were sent these genuine answers to questions, we don’t think they were meant to be funny,

but they did make us chuckle. Do they demonstrate that education standards are falling?What do you think?