N wseA Publication of Radio Taxis Group Spring 2011

FROM THE DESK OFGEOFFREY RIESEL:

THERE IS MUCH DISCUSSIONand concern in Britain about the needfor austerity when it comes togovernment spending. We at RTGbelieve the government should always

be looking for ways in which to save taxpayer money. Infact, we already know that we have a system availableright now that could save millions of pounds a year.

How? In a word: consolidation, especially when it comesto transportation. Simply put, it’s a new way of hailing ataxicab or private hire vehicle.

When Sir Philip Green issued his Efficiency Review lastyear at the request of the Prime Minister, among his keyfindings were that “Basic commodities are bought atsignificantly different prices across Governmentdepartments” and “Multiple contracts have been signedwith some major suppliers by different departments atdifferent prices.”

One of the biggest costs to government istransportation. Why? The answer is because thegovernment does not practice consolidation.

In short, the governmenthas dozens of offices makinghundreds of phone calls tobook thousands of taxis andprivate hire vehicles, andthen an army of staff tohandle an avalanche ofinvoices. When this isunderstood, one can seewhy the very act of

procurement alone has historically representedapproximately one-third of the total cost of the travelactually booked.

The ground transportation procurement system isredundant thousands of times over. It’s time to do thingsdifferently. That’s why we created One Transport. It’s aneasy to use web portal with a single dedicated UK based

call centre that manages all ground transportation needsfor organisations and their clients, whether they aremoving throughout London or the UK.

One Transport uses a sophisticated rules engine thatsearches for the most cost-effective groundtransportation option for any particular journey.It calculates these options based on a combination ofGPS, a roster of known and reputable companies andtheir rates, the time of day, and the number ofpassengers – but it does much more. It also allowsorganisations to impose their own business rules such aswhat type or level of transportation is allowable –including green vehicles; it accounts by division orservice and it finds the closest vehicle cutting down deadmileage and thereby cutting emissions. It tracks vehiclesand makes sure the organisation only pays what it wasquoted and never more.

There is no favouritism of any one cab company,including RTG, in the world of One Transport – onlygood business decisions.

One Transport now moves up to £15m worth of travelcosts across its platform every year. The cost savings toclients are enormous. When the BBC came onboard as aclient, for example, One Transport saved it £1m intransportation costs the very first year of the contract.

At a time when some of the government budget cutswill be acutely felt, consolidating the procurement oftransportation services is one of the ways to makeBritain’s austere reality a little less harsh whileputting our taxes to more effective use.

“One Transport saved the BBC£1m in transportation

costs the very first year ofthe contract.”

DISCOVER RTG’S‘BOOKER LITE’ SERVICE!

DID YOU KNOW that even if you have not yet registered for an onlineaccount, you can still book a taxi through our website?

Any RTG client can use our quick and easy online service called ‘Booker Lite.’All you need is the exact name of your account as it is registered with RTG.

To use this service, go towww.radiotaxis.co.uk – Click theupper right blue button ‘Book acab online now.’ A row of bluebuttons will appear. Click on‘Radio Taxis Online Booker Lite’and then follow the instructionsto book inserting your accountnumber!

Once booked, your request isrouted through our automateddispatch system thatautomatically finds you the

closest cab. The driver of that vehicle is sent an immediate messagethrough an in-vehicle data terminal. The driver has 30-seconds to acceptthe trip; otherwise, your request is offered to the next closest driver.

Use of such technology is part of the reason why 99 percent of our cabsarrive on time. So the next timeyou are in hurry, try RTG’s ‘BookerLite’ and see how you can dependon our legendary speed and serviceat a reasonable rate.

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“The biggest group yetof runners, walkers

and wheelchair pushers!”

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RTG Proud to SupportAction for KidsACTION FOR KIDS (AFK) is a national charity working with children andyoung people with physical and learning disabilities and their parents and care-givers. This outstanding organisation helps transform young lives by removing thebarriers to independence.

RTG is proud to be a supporter of Action for Kids. Last September, for example,more than 40 RTG staff members and drivers got together with othersupporters of Action for Kids in Hyde Park for the organisation’s annual 5k raceand summer picnic. The weather was perfect and it was a fantastic day to getactive, meet old friends and make new ones. This turned out to be the biggestgroup yet of runners, walkers and wheelchair pushers, and we are lookingforward to it again this year!

IF YOU ARE AN ACCOUNT CUSTOMER,you can have RTG book a taxi anywhere in the

world for you.

We can organise safe, reliable transport for youanywhere in the UK, Europe and throughout

the world, from Birmingham to Bangkok,Newcastle to New York, Portsmouth to Paris and

Sheffield to Sydney.

So when you travel next, let our network of worldwide associatestake care of the surface travel details. Just call The Network Team on:020 7561 5072 or e-mail network@radiotaxis.co.uk

Let our Network Team find you a Cabanywhere in the world!

RADIO TAXIS GROUP IS PROUD to count among its professionaldrivers Stuart Schaffer, a.k.a. Malcolm the Pipe, who has been driving forthe RTG circuit for more than 50 years!

Malcolm has been on the Radio Taxis circuit since 17th October1960. He was given his nickname“Malcolm the Pipe” because he used to smoke a pipe. Although he gave up smoking in 1987, thenickname stuck.

The very first cab that he rented was as an Austin FX3, which happened to be already fitted with a“Mountview Radio.” When asked why he had joined Radio Taxis, Malcolm said it was the benefit of

having access to another stream of work and the company of the voicedespatchers to keep him entertained during the dark evenings with a joke, aquiz or a cooking recipe or two.

Malcolm chose to join Radio Taxis because of its reputation for being a well-run radio circuit with the driver’s interest at heart.

Malcolm believes that probably the biggest change in driving a “radio” cab thathe has seen over the years, is the introduction of the first computer despatchsystem and then the upgrade to Closestcab GPS and Pathfinder. Compared tothe “good old days” of voice radio, Malcolm regards the current data despatchmethodology as a very fair system for drivers that also dispatches much faster.

Like most cab drivers, Malcolm has had many celebrities in the back of hiscab, everyone from ballet dancers to footballers. He recalls a few notables,

including Tony Curtis, Princess Alexandra, Lord Snowdon, Rudolph Nureyev, Stirling Moss, GrahamHill, George Best and Bobby Charlton.

Now 72 years of age, Malcolm is happily married with two children and four grandchildren. He keepsfit by playing tennis and sailing. In his spare time he races model yachts.

Congratulations to Malcolm, our dear friend and respected colleague at Radio Taxis Group, on morethan a half century of service to London’s public!

GORDON BROWN (not the former Prime Ministerbut our former Financial Director) hasbeen promoted from Finance Director toChief Operating Officer. Peter Gibson, whoheld the position of Chief Operating Officer,has been promoted to Strategic Director.Congratulations to both Gordon and Peter,and a heartfelt thanks from all of us atRTG for your continuing guidance andleadership!

Malcolm the Pipe:A Half Century of ServiceBehind the Wheel

Announcements...

Peter Gibson