In message , Helen Deborah
Vecht writes




Helen Deborah Vecht wrote:

The Taxicard scheme does cover minicabs in some boroughs, such as
Hillingdon, AFAIK.

Sensible.


I bear no malice to anybody but if I ring a minicab firm, they can tell
me if they have cabs free in the area. If they have none, I can (& do)
phone another firm. ComCab can't do that (and their control centre is in
Aberdeen, giving them no local knowledge...)

Aah yes, the Scottish call centre. At one point (and I don't know if
this is still true), they were unable to process a call if you did not
have the *Post Code* of your destination. Unfortunately, (a) not all
destinations have post codes, even in London and (b) the chances of
knowing the post code of your destination are low if it is seldom used.
Post codes are difficult to look up when you are out and about. The
lack of local knowledge also tells.

I had that, at least for a pick-up, a while ago.

I was outside Chix Chox restaurant, in North Finchley, unsure of the
street name (Ballards Lane or High Road, North Finchley...) and said I
was 'just north of the apex of Tally-Ho Corner, opposite McDonalds'.
Such information was of no use to them, but would have surely helped any
punter on the ground...

Had a similar story from another customer who said that the call centre
wanted to know the exact post code for Trafalgar Square!! As he said
"Every London taxi driver knows where that is", but the call centre
wouldn't have it.

Once again I have to say that it's not the drivers that the weak link,
it is the call centres / driver query operators who do not answer the
radio or phones quickly. No driver is going to wait indefinitely unless
he can keep his meter running.

Of course to do this requires more operators, preferably with some sort
of knowledge of the job but this costs money and reduces the company's
profits. Not so much of a problem when the company was owned by the
drivers and was set up for their benefit, but now...

--
Mike Hughes
A Taxi driver licensed for London and Brighton
at home in Tarring, West Sussex, England