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warren t claim

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Everything posted by warren t claim

  1. A tale from when I was working for Frank, the boss of a small local firm. We were down to maybe eight drivers, and three of them went and got an operator's ticket to start pitching for their own airport work. They had cards printed that they displayed in their cars and it was pretty obvious that whenever we gave them an airport job they were handing out cards to cuff the work. At the time we were pretty competitive on distance jobs and I could see the regular riders not ringing up as often as they used to. It was obvious what was going on so I cornered Frank to complain about the three amigos cuffing quality jobs. Frank's answer was "I can't afford to lose their base rents, find me another three drivers and I'll sack them." One morning I had a Man Air collection when June, Frank's bit on the side who was operating that day, found a piece of paper with the take out and flight details written in the handwriting of Danny, a driver who lost his badge due to an admin fuck up that Frank felt sorry for and gave him a job operating so he could feed his family. June made the reasonable assumption that Danny had forgot to put it in the book and sent me to pick them up. A fucking bonus as a back to back Man Air is the peppermint cream of jobs! I rock up to the take out address only to find that they'd just left! Fuck! As I was still having to go and cover the Man Air pick up I wring the neck of my Mondeo up the M56 to see if I can catch the driver who took them. At this time I was thinking that the punter had called two firms and jumped in the first car that arrived, a common problem back then. In fact, it is taxi code that if two firms turn up at the address of a double booker then neither car will take them and woe betide a driver that does! As I reach Chester Services on the M56 I see a familiar car, one of the three amigos displaying the door signs of their airport transfer company on his doors. I pull in behind and phone the contact number we had for the job. As expected, his passenger picks up their phone and tells me that they're already in the taxi. I politely thank them and continue to the airport to collect my passenger. During the return journey, I ponder what's happened. Danny has clearly fed a decent job to his mates which really isn't the done thing! Once the passengers have been taken home Evil Warren phones Frank to explain the situation. Frank sounds pretty hurt that a lad who he gave operating hours to just to help him out would do such a trick. Evil Warren just wants blood! Frank summons Danny to the office. Now dear reader, as you've followed this thread and read about the antics of Frank, the Gene Hunt, Life On Mars taxi firm owner I'll let you choose from the following three options to guess what Frank told me to do. 1. I'll sort this out Warren. It was probably just a mistake. 2. This is clearly a disciplinary matter and I'll sack him unless he's got a fucking good excuse. 3. Danny will be here at 10am if you want to come over and give him a slap for feeding his mate's with jobs. At 9.55 I'm back at the office waiting for my satisfaction. Danny turns up thinking that nothing is wrong only to be greeted by a VERY angry Frank! As the penny has now dropped that he's been caught, Danny makes a run for it only to have his escape route blocked by a seething Evil Warren! Evil Warren grabs him by the throat and chucks him on the sofa in the office. Evil Warren gives Danny a "how dare you!" monologue well worth of St Greta and demands a good reason why he shouldn't have the shit kicked out of him! Danny starts pleading "you'll get your money, you'll get your money" whilst held up against a wall. Evil Warren feels that he's made his pint and lets him go. Danny leaves with his tail between his legs. I turn around and look at Frank. He's got a smile wider than Katy Price's legs and puts his arm around me saying that he's proud of me for fronting up another driver and not willing to be taken advantage of. This, coupled with the fact that I actually gave a shit about the firm, cemented my position as "heir apparent" to the company. And what about yours truly and Danny? Well, Danny was also quite old school, spleens vented, no grudges were held and we still chat to each other today as mates. He's got his badge back and is apparently doing quite well. Did I get my £50 airport payment as promised? Well no actually. He was going through a hard time then and no way would I take the bread off his table. Sometime's the principle matters more than the price. TL:DR W.T.C x
  2. I was doing the overnight shift for Frank, just me and the oppo, and it was quiet so I told the lady oppo that I was going to have a kip in my Mondeo for an hour. I parked at the side of the office, turned the taxi radio off, reclined my seat and lobbed Classic FM on at a low volume. My slumber was disturbed by the NSR door being flung open and a couple of scruffy arseholes getting in telling me that the girl in the office told them to get in my car. Obviously, I lock my doors when having an in car siesta bit my Mondeo had non functioning central locking on the NSR door. Somewhat annoyed that the oppo had told them I'd take them when I clearly stated that I was having a sleep, I drove them the mile or so to the dingy ground floor flat they wanted to go to, it was the usual former shop converted into accommodation by a slumlord. They pay me, exit the car, walk over to their front door, go in and I see them through the window after turning on the light in their front room. I start to drive back when I realise that my trusty iPhone 4s is missing! The little cunts have robbed my mobile! I spin the car around and thrash it back to their gaff. Their living room has only net curtains and I can clearly see them examining my phone and trying to unlock it. As I now had proof of theft they'd waivered their rights to be given the benefit of the doubt so I surveyed my forced entry options. Putting their front window through and jumping in was considered but it's a double glazed unit meaning I might take some time getting in. I turn my attention to the front door, bingo! The front door not only was weak but also showed the signs of being forced open before, probably by a dealer wanting money. One hard charge and it flew open. The lads inside shit themselves wondering if a local grafter they owed cash to had decided to pay a visit! I storm into the living room and grab my phone. minus its case for some reason, off the arm of their flea ridden sofa and scream at them "why the fuck did you rob my phone lads?" They protest that they "found" my phone in my car and were going to hand it in to the police, a likely story. I walk out, get into my car and now being fully awake, go back to the office for a coffee. I walk in to see the lady oppo looking worried. Her side of the story was as follows, they'd asked for a taxi but she'd refused to let them have a cab as she'd heard them talking between themselves in the waiting room about the gun they had on them!!! After the knock back they'd started to walk but seen a taxi at the side of the office with a driver in it so tried their luck opening a door and struck gold as that was the door my central locking didn't work on. As I wanted a kip I'd turned the taxi radio off so the oppo couldn't warn me! With the benefit of hindsight, I'm pretty sure even Evil Warren would've had second thoughts about raiding their flat over a mobile phone and I'll admit my arse went squeaky when I heard about the firearm! Obviously, I played down this to the oppo and Frank when he heard what I had done.
  3. Most days, or rather nights, pass uneventfully, just the usual shit and nothing interesting happening at all. Once in a while, I get a fare that I'll never forget. Here are some examples. I started early that Saturday afternoon. I get sent a job on the local social services account to collect a 15 year old girl outside a park in Tranmere. I was driving a Pepper Red Mk2 Mondeo at the time which dates this to probably 2004. I arrive at the scene to be met by a tarty, know it all 15 year old, a couple of coppers and a drunk hobo being flung into the back of a Focus panda car. Being curious as to what the fuck is happening, the teenager says that the hobo had flashed at her in the park. The tramp turns around and glances at my car which causes one of the plod to open the back door of the Focus and scream, DON'T YOU FUCKING LOOK AT HER YOU DIRTY CUNT before slamming the door and looking at me with a grin expecting my approval. Although I'd be the first person to nail a nonce's bollocks to a table, part of me can't help thinking that he may have been having a piss in some bushes and Tasha Slapper overreacted to get some attention. I take her back to her social services home for wayward teenagers and explain the situation to her case worker. I tell her that this journey has been well weird. This makes her case worker go full on Corbyn snowflake and demand that I go for trauma counseling! Fuck that! I make my excuses and fuck off sharpish! Another teenage girl and police interface happened in the summer of 2006. I get a call to pick up a couple of 14/15 year old girls from the now closed down Hoylake police station on the Merseyside Police account. Apparently, the girls had got on the wrong train home and needed to get to Rock Ferry and the last train had finished. Sadly, earlier that evening my front pads had worn out and I was working my shift on gears and handbrake meaning I parked away from the police station. I trot up to the front desk and a kindly PC in his mid 50s leads me through to a back office to sort the paperwork out. Within a few minutes the Inspector, a copper known locally as being a fucking cunt, walks in demanding to know why there's a taxi driver in here. The PC explains the situation to his gaffer only to be screamed at for not thinking through what could happen! He did have a point though, his beef was what happens if I drop the girls off and there's nobody home? Does he expect this <said in a raging stutter> taxi driver to take care of them? The inspector starts to suggest that the PC goes with me to make sure that they get home safely, cue W.T.C to quickly think on his feet to avoid a copper hearing the fucked brakes in my Mondeo. Only one thing for it, I've got to up the ante and get thrown out of there so I can not get banged off the road. I forcefully tell the Inspector "It doesn't matter if you're a policeman, plumber of fucking porn star, you NEVER chastise a member of your staff in public". I followed this up with some shit about expecting higher standards from an officer of his rank. Luck was with me. Not only did one of the girl's parents listen to their voicemail and phone the station saying that they'll come and collect them, but the Inspector also demanded that I leave his station at once meaning I could fuck off out of there sharpish!
  4. When things go wrong. Copied from my thread on TDW 9/7/21. It was maybe 3am and quiet when my firm despatched me a job. I have a gander to see what it was and I see that it's a job on our discount NHS account to pick up an address a few miles away to take someone to A&E. I look at the fixed price and my finger hovers over the reject button to send the job back to base, but as it was dead out there I agreed to take the trip as I had fuck all better to do. As the drive to the pick up address takes me past a 24 McDonald's Drive-Thru I decide to grab a coffee en route but sadly they were closed. Never mind, I'll use the vending machine at A&E. I arrive at the pick up address and park in a way that I can see the punter leave his house, the last thing I want is a puker or someone bleeding profusely. The guy staggers out of his front door doubled up and holding his chest! He gets in the back of the car, and being concerned I ask him what's wrong. He tells me that he's having severe and stabbing chest pains! I offer to phone an ambulance for him but he says that he's tried to get one and it was a two hour wait but the hospital would send him a taxi! I think this guy might die in my car so set off asap. I immediately encounter a set of red lights, bollocks! I then notice a police patrol Peugeot 308 opposite so make the executive decision to jump the lights and ask the copper if his car is one of the local patrol cars that carries a defribulator and if so could he follow me to A&E. He says he doesn't and offers to shout for an ambulance so I explain the story to him. Sensing the gravity of the situation he asks W.T.C if I'm confident enough to drive at high speed and if so he'll give me a blue light escort to the hospital. Hell yeah! We set off, a gentle 55mph in a 30 until we joined the M53 to nip up one junction. His 308 was puffing a bit of diesel smoke through the gears but I'm pleased to report that my Ioniq was having no trouble keeping up, in fact I had to back off slightly. The police 308 seemed to be balls to the wall at about 110mph. Once off the motorway we ran the reds on the M53 junction 3 roundabout and hit the main road to the hospital. PC Leadfoot did slam on for the speed camera though, as did I. After give waying a couple more sets of lights we arrive at A&E. Copper in the passenger seat sprints out to announce our arrival and returns with a nurse and a wheelchair. PC Leadfoot comes over to have a word with me. He approves of me sparking up a tab and insists that I turn both the car and taxi datahead off for ten minutes and go and get a coffee and most importantly, don't even think about driving for ten minutes due to the adrenaline and red mist! Obviously I was more than happy to heed that advice!
  5. After a quick Google, it seems that Robin Askwith is from Southport. Is he @eddyramrod?
  6. When I was learning to drive back in '87 one local instructor trading under the name of REW School Of Motoring used to teach in a '76 Mk2 Escort complete with ladders on the roof for his second job window cleaning. I suppose that was the equivalent of your pre facelift Focus guy.
  7. It's not as if you're going to be putting in a full shift behind the wheel though?
  8. She only had a broken leg and needed transport home. What's your policy on securing wheelchairs?
  9. In my TX thread on here, I gave details of a £550+ job taking a wheelchair punter to South West London. Apparently I'm cheaper than an ambulance.
  10. The TX is utterly wank in the snow. And that's coming from someone who's owned six cylinder Capris and E21 BMWs!
  11. £650 iirc. Easy Jet were going to reimburse them apparently. For an airport in a capital city, Edinburgh is a dump and resembles a National Express coach depot. We've got our local train contract too. As well as that we've got other stuff like providing onward travel for the AA and RAC.
  12. My longest 7 passenger job therefore with someone in the E7 jump seat. He didn't complain once!
  13. The TX4 has a different rear suspension to the 1&2.
  14. Liverpool won't plate any cab for a front seat passenger although over the Mersey my council will. The black TX was plated for six but the blue only five. Some E7s have a proper front passenger seat but others, like mine, only have a jump seat in the front.
  15. I can assure you that the novelty will wear off in a few days. Are you plated for five or six?
  16. My E7 does fuckloads of overnight airport runs.
  17. We had a couple of Vauxhall /Suzuki Agila things plated 15 years ago. We used to have a simple 4 wheels, 4 seats and 45" between the rear door handles rule but nowadays anyone wanting to plate a car of a type that's never been licenced before in the borough they have to submit the car to the licencing panel for their approval. My MG6 had to go through this along with my Ioniq as they were the first of their type to get licenced. Sometimes this backfires. A junior licencing officer handed out a plate for a Toyota CH-R without checking if one had been licenced before. This means that although the CH-R doesn't meet local regs anyone can plate one now.
  18. Nope. Just one of a few nominated local MOT testing stations.
  19. When I was a bike instructor taking a punter for a 3.27pm test I'd have to endure sitting in the waiting room with an assortment of driving instructors due to the local cafe closing at 3pm. They'd all chat amongst themselves after the usual comments about wishing that they could take two punters out at once treating me like the second class citizen that in all fairness I am. This left me time to peruse the various DSA notices stuck to the wall. I remember reading that any instructor using a Pug 206 for a test had to provide written proof from Peugeot that said 206 had been in for a critical safety recall. Another notice stated that any car with pens in the air vents will be refused a test. Arnold Shark pay as you go dual control rental cars are not an acceptable vehicle for a test either along with any car fitted with an electric handbrake. As you can imagine, when I rocked up with my pupil to see that the examiner was using his car that day my heart jumped for joy as he'd usually invite me along with him to moan about the job/his marriage/ask to see pics of my ex in lingerie that I had on my phone.
  20. Are you sure it was a ZX? The early Xantia has a drivers seat that cripples me after a few miles. TX1,2&4 driver comfort varies from cab to cab. The black TX I've mentioned had a great seat but the tilt adjustment was jammed in the wrong position for me. The later blue TX had a pretty shagged out seat but I could get more comfy behind the wheel as all the adjustments still worked. Although banned in Liverpool about six years ago, fitting a Volvo drivers seat was commonplace back in the day. Would you not be better off looking for a car fitted with cruise control? No TX ever came equipped with it.
  21. 1760 miles so far, yes it's been a quiet couple of shifts. One EML huccup from a hot start earlier cured by a quick engine on/off. Cruise control working again. Discovered curry hooks in the boot. I'm not sure if Furious Driving has ever reviewed an MG6 but if he wants to try one then best leave it until just before Valentine's Day as it's got the sort of tea shelf that'll give him a diamond cutter hard on that Mrs Furious can enjoy later.
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