recalls with gratitude, the many occasions does not hesitate to take issue with those in away is it?), more details can be read in the
he has been assisted by taxi drivers when authority on such issues and indeed will “tell ʻCasey Columnʼ on page 43 also see advert
dealing with violent prisoners or serious traffic it as it is”. Consequently our readers will read on page 35. Some invited speakers include:
accidents etc. After writing his fully illustrated his sometimes-controversial views from a the Secretary of State for Transport, the
autobiography ʻOff the Cuffʼ which became different perspective, which of course are not RT Hon Sadiq Khan MP, John Thompson
a best seller, Swasie entered the rough and necessarily the views of the Editor. Swasieʼs (that name rings a bell!), Secretary NALEO,
tumble world of journalism. He writes for a column can be found on page 18. Once Paul Lowry, Head of Taxis/Accessibility,
number of publications and has now almost again, welcome to the team Swasie! DfT (whereʼs the Farmer?), Ian Millership
completed his tenth book.
Divisional Manager – Mouchel Ltd and the
As one door closes…
one and only Peter Huntington… Oh dear!
After recently learning of a most unsavoury No ladies weʼre not repeating ourselves! In
Weʼre not too sure whether we can make this
incident in Wallasey involving a considerate last monthʼs editorial, as we were punching
yearʼs conference now…
lady taxi driver, he was incensed that she away at the keyboard about the above article
was penalised to become a ʻvictimʼ of the an interesting e-mail came through to us from
ʻTill next month, please enjoy…
surreptitious, and now much resented and a French journalist by the name of Emmanuel
David Millward and Derek Cummins aka the
maligned, ʻspy cameraʼ car being used by Haddad, and a selection of photos taken at
ʻDoom Twins
the infamous Wirral Borough Council. She the Geely plant in China by his friend Lucas
was photographed and ultimately received Schifres. In view of the ʻnot so niceʼ publicity
a fine because she stopped her cab and LTI have been getting lately, we decided to
assisted her passenger, a disabled old lady, give them a break and publish an encouraging Quote of the month
to alight from her vehicle on double yellow ʻexclusiveʼ written by French Journalist
lines! Swasie wrote a scathing, illustrated Emmanuel (in English by the way). It makes for
by Mario Puzo
critique to highlight such devious and totally interesting reading from a foreign journalistʼs
uncaring methods used to raise money to perspective and can be read on page 32.
A lawyer with his briefcase
fill the council coffers. To penalise such
drivers for showing compassion during their And finally…
can steal more than a
daily duties caused Swasieʼs red-hot pen The National Taxi Association Conference
hundred men with guns
to ignite the pages of the Wirral Champion. will be taking place again towards the end of
Not known for ʻpulling his punchesʼ Swasie next month in sunny Eastbourne (not too far
The View from The Taxi Centre
New September Registrations
T
he September registration will hopefully be a welcoming stepping stone industry just a little more acceptable and secure. The Taxi Centre certainly
for many dealers and vehicle suppliers towards the second half of the will continue to provide Taxi Insurance and the widest range of vehicles.
downturn that has affected everyone in the taxi and private hire industry.
“Second half” because it is believed that there will be an upturn - albeit a For further information please call Allan McGinness
slow one - at the beginning of the New Year. at the The Taxi Centre 0141 847 6999.

As things have gone, the number of vehicle enquiries for taxi drivers have
not decreased in comparison to last year. What has changed often is the
availability of cars from different manufacturers who, if not already have
reduced stock, are actively reducing the number of vehicles to minimise their
exposure and increase their cash flow.

The answer to that problem has been successfully solved by The Taxi Centre
by having a “conveyor belt” of vehicles arriving every month for the demands
as they occur. Explains Allan McGinness Sales Director of the company: “The
vehicles that we have sold and will deliver from 1st of September onwards, were
ordered by us in the autumn of 2008. It guarantees a constant supply of cars for
our customers when they are ready to take delivery and at the same time gives
the manufacturers the time for production and shipping.“

And then there is the issue of finance or should it be the “problem” of obtaining
finance for many taxi drivers. A number of the larger finance houses - some
of which been saved by the taxpayer - apply what can only be described self-
serving conditions, or make the conditions impossible to meet. That often makes
it very difficult if not impossible to get 4 or 5 years terms when trying to buy a taxi.
Again, The Taxi Centre can be of help with an in-house finance broker and other
partner companies that will try very hard to accommodate the ongoing deals.
For many years the company has supplied cars to the taxi and private hire
industry and they are not only one of the best known vehicle suppliers, but
also one of the most respected. The Volkswagen Group consider them as
their preferred supplier to the Taxi industry for Skoda Octavias and Superbs
and VW supply them with Passat and Sharans; cars that are undoubtedly
reliable and have made their mark with many taxi drivers.

Allan McGinness comments: “The range of vehicles that we offer are specially
selected to accommodate all the different demands and needs of the taxi
and private hire drivers. Our sales advisors are trained to offer the best deal
available and fully understand their needs and requirements. The line up of the
vehicles for delivery on September 1st include not only Octavias, Superbs and
Sharans but also our new “star ”the Citroen Multispace Taxi; this in addition to
having our own Taxi Centre Insurance give customers the advantage to get
competitively priced quotes for the vehicles that they have purchased.“

As the new registration comes and new private hire vehicles take their
customers to the airports, shopping centres, golf clubs etc. it is hoped that by
March 2010 the economic climate has sufficiently improved to make life in the
8
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