FOR FOUR SIXES TAXIS: HIGH STANDARDS START WITH THE FIVE-STAR BASE
As a small transport provider based in Chorley, Lancashire, the guys at Four Sixes have been rather busy of late. They’ve completely
revamped their operator base, brought in special equipment in all departments, and generally have gone to town to upgrade and vastly improve their offices.
Bearing in mind that this is a company that actually started off in 1970, Four Sixes are hardly ‘fly-by-nighters’; however the current management took over the firm in 2016 and have seen vast improve- ments over the past couple of years in particular.
The firm covers journeys primarily in the Chorley borough; on average they do around 430 jobs a week – which is pretty hefty for a nine-car fleet, six of which are owned by the company and include a wheelchair accessible taxi. Seventy per cent of their work is account, and the busiest season for them is the build-up to the festive sea- son.
Proprietor Shaz Malik tells us more: “We were pen and paper up to three months ago, and used a radio to communicate with the drivers. We changed over to data when we started our office renova- tions, and we’ve chosen to go with DataMaster, who are based inWarrington so are quite local to us.
“For our size of company the DataMaster solution is ideal: there was no expensive outlay or long-term financial commit- ments; it is fully upgradable to make use of the latest developments; there are no fitting issues when changing vehicles or starting new drivers, and with virtually ‘throw-away’ technology there are no expensive repairs.
“After Christmas DataMaster
are
launching a new cloud-based version of their booking system. This solu- tion is perfect for us, as we are only a small company that was able to get on the dispatch ladder because the Data- Master price was within our budget.
“The system has helped us to develop a “third eye” which gives us visibility of all our vehicles and enables us to dispatch jobs smartly and efficiently. And Data- Master have been on site numerous times to support us and fix any issues, which is really good.”
COMPLETE TRANSFORMATION
The company’s upgrade to their Data- Master system is all part of Four Sixes’ renovation programme, focusing on com- fort and efficient operation at the base. The office was specially designed specif- ically for the base operators to provide an area where they are able to work in com- fort. The whole idea was inspired by a luxury taxi office in Dubai. (Pity they couldn’t copy the climate out there!)
The office chairs have built-in massagers, and footstools are provided so operators can rest their feet. Ambient lighting has been installed around the room so opera- tors can choose their desired lighting level and colour at the start of their shift.
Two alcoves have been designed with a docking station, especially for charging only, with 14 dedicated charging points in total. And get this: a 65” TV is installed for mapping to assist the base operators; they’ve added a PS4 freeview box for them to use as and when.
As Shaz says: “I do believe the world of business has changed over the past few decades. We have built something unique not for ourselves but for everyone to use. From an owner’s perspective, as long as the calls are being picked up and there are no customer complaints and the operators maintain their professional standards, I do think they should be allowed to use the PS4 or watch some- thing on YouTube.”
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During the renovations a kitchen has been added as well, for the use of both the base operators and drivers so that they are able to make brews etc. Also, the company provides free bottled water to all the base operators and drivers. Can’t be bad!
But the company has not lost sight of its mission statement: “Since the 1970s getting people to their destination safe- ly has been our number one priority.”
Couple that with the company’s primary values of safety, reliability, customer ser- vice, communication and innovation, and Four Sixes should be successfully contin- uing to carry passengers around Chorley and environs for the next 50 years.
FOUR SIXES Address: Telephone:
Year firm started No. of vehicles: Types of vehicle:
Licensing Authority: Cost of:-
Operator licence: Driverʼs licence:
Vehicle licence: Standard fares Booking system: Phone system:
Unit 2, Hollinshead Street, Chorley, PR7 1EP
01257 276666 1970 9
Hackney carriage WAV, minibus and private hire saloons
Chorley Borough Council £128.81
£246 (dual licence 3 years)
c. £110 (6 months) Starting fare £2.30 DataMaster VOIP
OCTOBER 2018
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