Unified Central Taxi Dispatching

http://raymondford.webs.com/centraltaxidispatching.htm










Yellow Toyota Hybrid Taxi.

Unified Central Taxi Dispatching is so efficient, it lowers the crime rate in any city by up to 50% +during the bar rushes or any major events.

Last Edit/Update 03:21 hundred Hours, Monday, August 09, 2010 A.D.

London, Ontario, Canada. Population 353,000. Founded in 1826, became a town, in 1840 and was incorporated as a city, in 1855.

Environment Transportation Committee, (ETC) City Hall, City of London, ON. Presentation for Raymond Ford August 24, 2009.

Part A.
Members of the Council, Ladies and Gentlemen. On the 2nd of March, and on the 24, August, 2009, I was granted Delegation Status and I presented Unified Central Dispatching (U.C.D.) to the E.T.C. and the City of London. It was decided by the E.T.C. Committee, to recommend, to the Taxi Drivers Association and to the Taxi Association, that they listen to my presentation on U.C.D.
I met with Mr. Mohammed S. Osman,of the Taxi Drivers Association and they fully support U.C.D., which the city has a copy of that written recommendation. Mr. Hasan Savehilagha, of the London Taxi Association, returned my telephone call and said he was on his way to Aboutown, to meet the Powers that be and right after, he could meet me. Mr. Hasan Savehilagha did not show up for our appointment, nor did he ever telephone me back to explain what happened or rebook the appointment. I tried several times to contact Mr. Hasan Savehilagha and I left messages on his answering machine but to no avail. Since that time period, I have realised, that the transportation industry and City of London, have totally different agendas. The transportation industry, is motivated by profit, where the City of London's agenda, is to cater to the needs of the many and all concerned. So because the agendas, are so different from each other, it is not realistic to expect the different transportation Bosses to cooperate with each other or City Hall, which leaves us with the next question? Where do we go from here?
The only logical course of action left, in my opinion, is to upgrade the licensing requirements. Everyone I have surveyed, believes that the taxicabs, in the City of London, are an essential service. So if taxis are an essential part of our transportation system, upgrading the taxi and limo licensing requirements, is justifiable. Requiring the applicants applying for a taxi or limo licences or drivers renewing their existing taxi or limousine licences, with a signature and a sworn oath, to uphold the standards of the City of London and most importantly, to place the interest, of the public first and foremost, is paramount to the successful evolution, of the transportation industry, mainly taxis and limousines.
Once the the taxi & limo licensing upgrades are in place, this will give the City of London, complete control of the future direction, of the transportation industry. Only then can Unified Central Dispatching move forward and address a serious safety problem, pertaining to insufficient availability of taxis and limousines during any major event or bar rushes, bad weather etc. As I have stated, in my earlier presentation, on the 2nd of March, this year, I believed it was an oversight by the City of London, when they completely missed a serious safety issue during the peak times. Now that the city has been aware of the situation, and for some time, any further delays by the city to evade their responsibility in resolving the issues, could be looked at, as negligence on the part of the city. The time for real change is now! Will the City of London, commit here today, to upgrading the taxi and limo licences and move forward in creating U.C.D. ? Part B.
Since it is the City of London's regulations, regulating the total number of taxi plates, based on population growth, which is responsible for the present situation, of high street market prices, of taxi plates, selling at $150,000. per - taxi plate and climbing, it only seems reasonable, that the city go all the way and regulate the entire transportation industry, by following Mayor Greg Nickels of Seattle, Washington.

Important Update

Daily Classifieds Classifieds London Free Press
Ads found: 8. Category Group: Business Opportunities ... TAXI PLATE FOR SALE Transferable. Asking $140000. Published: Aug 7, 2010 ...www.lfpress.com/classifieds/dailyclassifieds/home.html?...classifieds...classifieds - Cached - Similar

Unbelievable

Wow...$140,000. for a frozen taxi plate. The freeze on city hall issued taxi plates which, the city charges $500 for, when issued and this 40 year old supposedly temporary bylaw, creates this monopoly.

The classified ad, appeared in the Saturday Addition of the London Free Press but, I haven't been able to access it recently. I suspect it has since been hidden from public view.
Proof....conformation that, taxi plates in London, Ontario, Canada, are being advertised for a monopoly amount of $140,000.

It's your basic equilibrium. The demand for taxi plates, far exceeds the supply. As a result of this situation, leases and concessions are greatly affected, as well. I believe, as so many other people do, that the time has come, to overhaul our taxi industry, to meet the growing needs of the many, in the Great City of London.The need for further taxi regulations, such as, regulating taxi leases and concessions, is imperative to maintaining a viable stable transportation industry in London. It would seem that whenever the taxis receive a meter rate increase, the leases and or concessions go up as well. For the last 2.5 years that I have been leasing my taxi licence plate, I have paid $690. monthly to the owner of the plate. I have already been informed by the owner of the plate, that come October, my monthly rental of the taxi plate will be going up from $690. to $1050. This increase of $360. is 52%. Other cities are regulating their taxi and limo leases and concessions, creating a maximum or ceiling of what can be charged and with great success I might add and we should too!
Also, We need the city of London to take a much stronger position in leading the industry into the future. We need green taxicabs....hybrids and or electric taxicabs. Other cities have set dates for the complete conversion, of the gas guzzlers, usually Ford, Crown Victoria's, to upgrade to hybrids. Below please find a news release... link to the City of Seattle, Washington, where Mayor Greg Nickels has implemented a very courageous green program and a complete regulation of the taxi leases and concessions. Worth reading!
Do have a read at this link below and compare what's happening in Seattle.
http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsdetail.asp?ID=8253&dept=40
Will the City of London, today, agree to commit to making our city a better place, by agreeing, to the need for all these changes and taking much needed action immediately?

Thank you!

Raymond Ford

The links below are interesting reading, relevant to this story and are organized here, for your convenience.
http://www.altlondon.org/article.php?story=20090824154122282 http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2009/08/21/10546796-sun.html
http://council.london.ca/meetings/ETC%20Reports/2009-03-02%20Report/Item%2011.pdf http://www.london.ca/returns2006/allcounts.htm#Councillors4-5http://www.frommybottomstep.com/2009/03/20/unified-cab-dispatching/comment-page-1/
http://www.taxi-library.org/regulation.htm
Environment Transportation Committee (ETC) Presentation For Raymond Ford March 2nd,, 2009.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon, my name is Raymond Ford, son of Joseph & Anna Panzavecchia. I arrived at the shores of Canada, being London, ON., some 45 years ago, from Malta.
I have a concern, which I wish to share. I drive a taxicab at night and I see a lot of things, I'd rather not see. During the peak times, especially the bar rushes, when the night clubs & bars close and everyone is forced outside, where many crimes will take place, because most people have been drinking and not enough cabs will be available, for some time too. This a formula for disaster. It appears, most emergency 911 calls, to the Police, take place between 2 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. and especially on the weekends, according to Police, Media Stats Department.
At the same time, there is a growing number of people, calling both Taxicab and Limousine companies, requesting service and the first dispatched vehicle to arrive, has earned the callers money and the customer then leaves, without cancelling the other companies, that were called. Even if they wanted to cancel, the other calls for service, they wouldn't be able to get through, because the telephone lines to the cab and limo companies, will be swamped and there will still be several other transportation vehicles... other cabs or limos, on the way, to an address, where the caller has already left, in the first arriving cab or limo. The loss of potential income, to the drivers, is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. So that's the main reason, why there is a shortage of cabs, in the peak times. Which means, roughly half the fleets, on all transportation companies are chasing ghost, whilst real paying customers, have to wait too long and needlessly too!

Other taxicab and limo companies, in other cities, throughout Canada and the United States of America, have turned to Unified Central Dispatching, in an effort to escape, the disastrous formula, which was not working and we have yet to escape it here, in London, ON.
During the bar rush, when I drive into the Richmond Strip, with huge crowds of people, I am literally swamped and surrounded by very desperate people. Some crying, from the pain of being partially frozen and their desperate need to get home, to avoid the aggression and violence on the streets. Many people leave early, where they are socialising, having fun, to catch a taxicab home bound, to avoid being stranded. Many people are staying in, at night, also because of the fear, of being stranded, in freezing temperatures... which deprives our businesses, in London, of potential sales. I feel for all the people hurting, scared and very cold, stranded on our streets. This is what has inspired me, to stand up and speak, on behave of the people of London.

I believe, a Unified Central Dispatching system, is the solution, to a very long standing problem, in the city of London. With all due respect, to the City of London, this oversight, by the City, needs to be recognised and addressed immediately, by hosting special meetings or creating a special committee, to address these serious concerns, by discussing all our options openly, to strive towards achieving, cooperation, understanding, mutual respect, community effort, and a real genuine desire, to make our city, a safer and better place to live, which in turn, makes our world, a better place to live, for all of us. Together, through dialogue, I believe, we can make a real difference, in improving the quality of life, in the City of London.
Part B of Presentation for Raymond Ford...March 2, 2009 continued...

Within the jurisdiction, of the City of London, ON. I believe the city, has a legal and moral obligation, to protect the health, safety and welfare, of it's citizens, at all times. This includes the time periods, of the taxi and limo, peak time of service...in short, 24/7...without exception to the rule. Therefore, it is the city's place, to help and encourage dialogue, between the different transportation companies, to arrive, at a resolution, which would benefit all concerned and especially the majority of the population.
Thank you.

Raymond Ford

Check out 10 of the coolest taxis in the world, at this link below.
http://www.toxel.com/inspiration/2009/11/01/10-cool-and-unusual-taxis/

Conclusion of my actions. I was granted Delegation Status, at the Environment Transportation Committee, ETC, City Hall, London, ON. The first time was March 02, 2009 and the second time on August 24, 2009, to talk about Unified Central Taxi Dispatching and the much needed improvements, within the taxi industry. Just 4 days later, on August, 28th, 09, my contract to continue leasing the taxi plate after October, 2009, was to be cancelled, which made me jobless. Of course I found work as a driver at less than half of my usual income. I have reported this to the City Clerks Office, City Hall, as well as the Mayor and I was assured it would be looked into. That was late August, 2009. I am still waiting for the City of London to get back to me with the conclusion of my complaint, as well as, the conclusion of my meeting with the ETC. I realize it was referred for consideration but, what is the City's position today? Do have a read about my ETC Presentation.The link below... marked central taxi dispatch, will direct you to the right page.

Raymond Ford