TRADITIONAL PRIVATE HIRE, 21ST CENTURY APPROACH TO SERVICE ROYAL TAXIS SHEERNESS:
Located on the northern- most point of the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, Sheer- ness enjoys a rather unique position in Eng-
land’s south east corner. Royal Taxis provides a good deal of the transport to residents and visitors to the island – and has been doing so since 1995.
Denise Griffin owned her own private hire firm then; her husband had a different company. They joined the two together, and Royal Taxis was born; it remains a fam- ily-run business. Sadly Denise’s husband passed away in January, but she has car- ried on with the management of the business, with some very supportive staff and drivers – and a forward-thinking atti- tude towards technology.
“My husband was a technophobe, but he worked very hard and we built the busi- ness together. He would love the move forward we’re making with technology.”
The major step Denise has taken in that direction is to have brought in Cab Trea- sure as their supplier of booking and dispatch software. This happened in April, and they’ve never looked back. “We always do plenty of research before mak- ing any commitments, which is how we ended up with Cab Treasure. After looking at the many systems available on the mar- ket, this was the one that ticked all the boxes for our requirements.
AMAZING SUPPORT
“It is straightforward and simple to use. The transition was daunting at first, but with excellent support and backup from Cab Treasure we got through the ‘teething stage’ smoothly – and now we wouldn’t be without it. With the various features such as the driver app and Cab Tracker, the cus- tomers absolutely love it; so do the drivers.
“You know what: the people we’ve been working with at Cab Treasure are so
respectful! Talk about good manners.. and their support is amazing – they give 200 per cent. And through Cab Treasure we’ve got into web booking, which Google has promoted. We’ve streamlined our services altogether and are running more efficiently.”
Denise (known as Dee) is also more than willing to utilise the internet and social media: in addition to their slick website (powered by Cab Treasure, by the way) they advertise on Google and Facebook. They get some busi- ness via Facebook, and also advertise for drivers that way.
“Mind you,” Dee points out, “some of our staff have been with me over 25 years, and some of the drivers have been with us for over ten years. Now we’re up and run- ning with the new Cab Treasure system I’m looking at both customer and driver loyalty options. Our business is remaining strong because of the support of our reg- ular customers.”
At the same time as Cab Treasure was engaged, Royal Taxis also installed card payment machines in all 21 of their vehi- cles – four of which are owner/driver, the rest are owned by the company. They have their own maintenance garage and mechanic. Their office staff includes four dispatchers and four telephonists; Dee “does the accounts and all the paper- work”.
They have freephones direct with Mor- risons’, and additionally through Transport Innovation they have freephones in Tesco, Aldi and Iceland. “Transport Innovation has been a good company to deal with; very professional, and service backup is superb too.”
At the moment Royal Taxis aren’t running any electric cars, but Dee is “keeping a close eye on the market; hydrogen vehi- cles and Tesla are starting to look interesting. We’re watching our options very carefully, and hoping there will be incentives to switch to eco vehicles.
GLAD OF ONE CHANGE…
When asked about any issues with their licensing department at Swale Borough Council, Dee replies: “Under the previous licensing officer [who is no longer there; we know exactly who she means as the NPHTA locked horns with him on many occasions on behalf of our members] it was hard to
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get new drivers, as the council put every possible obstruction in the way, and tests that were unnecessary and costly.
“Fortunately there has been a change of staff, and relations with the licensing department are far better now.
“We are always looking for new drivers to join us and we are moving with the times.”
That is patently obvious, and a necessary outlook in these turbulent times for the industry. Denise Griffin means business; when you chat to her she is passionate about the job, and about her staff and drivers. We wish her the best of luck in the future.
ROYAL TAXIS Address:
Telephone: Website:
Year firm started No. of vehicles: Types of vehicle:
Unit 17 Duke of Clarence TE, Sheerness, ME12 1RQ
01795 662222/661111
royaltaxissheerness.com 1995 21
PH: saloon, executive, MPV, 8-seaters, HC transit WAV + tail lift
Licensing Authority: Swale BC Cost of:- Operator licence Driverʼs licence: Vehicle licence: Standard Fares:
Booking system: Phone system:
£430/5 years £150/3 years £290
£4/1st mile; £2/mile thereafter
Cab Treasure Avaya
OCTOBER 2019
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