Radio Saves W asted Taxi Mileage
Page 37
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ASYSTEM of taxi control and maintenance which pays handsome dividends, is that run under the direction of the La Salle Taxi Association of Canada. There are approximately 310 taxi-cab owners in this Association, the cabs in service numbering well over 500..
Each member of the Association pays $25.00 a month for administrative service:s, but a cab owner is not compelled to use the service facilities to which membership of the Association entitles him. Those who do so get the benefit of any profit which may be made to the extent of a dividend of 6 or 7 per cent. quarterly.
Bonus for Cab Owners
As an example of what this means, a member owning 10 cabs and who used the co-operative service facilities available to him. might receive a bonus of as much as $400.00 from the .profits derived from the sale of petrol, oil, lubrication and tyre service, and to purchasing of accessories at a discount.
The Association also operates its own financial-assistance scheme, whereby a member can borrow to meet a repair hill or expenses incurred in carrying Out improvements to his equipment. Such loans are repayable by small monthly instalments at a low rate of interest.
In the Association's three-storey building, erected in 1945 at a cost exceeding $50,000.00, is a restaurant for the drivers where meals are obtainable at a low price. Employees have their _own rest roam, as well as a recreation room. .
The " incoming " telephone room has nine trunk lines and a radio-telephone receiving and sending board. The radiotelephone system is operated by -remote control, the sending apparatus being installed on top of the new Laurentian Hotel, one of the highest buildings in Montreal.
35 Telephone Operators
The installation of another sending tower is now being carried out in the north of Montreal. There are 35 telephone operators, or dispatchers as they are called, working three shifts. During the rush hours there are always 22 dispatchers on duty and these are engaged in sending out calls to over 70 telephone stands. In addition, there are 22 special radio-car stands. The administrative staff numbers 54, and there are .750 taxi drivers.
: There are now 50 taxis equipped with radio, and although the initial outlay was heavy, the expense has been justified. 'I he wasted mileage Of cabs so equipped has been much reduced, and several hundred fares,. which otherwise would have been lost, are picked up weekly.
The radio taxis work in . dose +co-operation with police cars similarly equipped. As a result a number of quick arrests have been made.
Even in the ease of radio equipment, the Association runs a loan scheme, so that the cab owners do not have to pay high rates of interest as they would have to do in the case of purchase by easy payments through a finance house. .
Drivers work on a I2-hour shift, and out of this they are entitled to lake ao hour for dinner. Driving time is never more than eight hours, the other three hours being accounted for in time lost at the telephone stands..
The Association's regulations regarding the engagement of new drivers are rigid. Recruits must be courteous. know the city thoroughly, have a perfect police record, and must know the city's traffic regulations.
A driver must not park his vehicle in front of a night club or cabaret, neither must he behave in a boisterous manner with his fellow-drivers while waiting at a telephone stand. He must be courteous to the extent of going to the client's door and ringing the bell, and not wait about outside in the hope that the perso'n who telephoned for the taxi will see it arrive. As in London. drivers are not permitted to smoke when they have a fare in the cab.
Dirt Not Tolerated Taxi owners, too, also receive close scrutiny, and if the Association thinks that a cab is not being maintained up to the requisite standard, the owner is first requested to give the vehicle the neceSsary attention. Should no steps he taken within a reasonable period, the owner is asked to leave the organization.
All taxis must be washed at least once a week, but should the weather conditions necessitate it, washing must be carried out more frequently. Vehicles are given a weekly lubrication service, and the oil level is checked every time a driver comes in for petrol. Tyres are checked daily, as is the lighting system and all lamp bulbs. On each shift, cab interiors are brushed. out.
Minor repairs are taken care of in the Association's service station, but in the case of major overhauls, or any work requiring specialized equipment, the owner may take his cab wherever he pleases; he is not compelled to use the Association's service facilities. The average taxi in Canada runs approximately 200,000 .miles before it is replaced.