Christmas fast approaches. Family gatherings
Office parties and trips to the theatre
Presents to be bought and carried
All made a little easier if there is an INTERLINE car to
take you and bring you back.
Someone to help you carry those heavy parcels.
Someone to make sure your relatives get home safely
Someone to rely on when you want to have a few drinks
and enjoy yourself
Let’s face it, driving yourself at Christmas and New Year can
be frustrating and you could run the risk of losing your license.
So why not relax and let INTERLINE do all the hard work.
As usual we are open all over the festive period
We can supply estate cars and people carriers
Our chauffeur service is available to those
wanting to treat themselves
Our couriers are on hand to assist business and
private clients with any last minute Christmas presents
that may need delivering
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
What's in a name?
You want to go somewhere. You want someone else to drive you. You are going to Heathrow or St Pancras. You will want someone to meet you when you come back. So what do you want?
Do you want a taxi or a minicab. Will you try to book a cab or a private hire vehicle. What do you call your transport? We are licensed by the Public Carriage Office and they have read our website and told us we cannot use the word TAXI because that relates to a black cab. Now we know how hard a black cab driver studies to become qualified and we have no wish to affect their income. However what difference does a name or title make? Black Cabs are technically called Hackney Carriages but who calls them that? If you are at home in Pinner or Harrow and you want to order a MINICAB you find a number (hopefully ours 020 8864 7888) call them up and order a what?
My experience from answering the phones in our office for the last ten years would say that everyone calls it by different names but they now if they are telephoning for a car they are using minicabs. The black cab guys do have a telephone booking system but even they would admit that the bulk of their work is off the street.
The black cab guys are not big fans of the minicab industry. They argue that we do not know where we are going, that our cars are rubbish and we take their work. Whilst that might have been true 20 years ago that is certainly no longer the case. Our drivers are professional, have modern cars and , truth be told, there is more than enough work for everyone. Black cab drivers would not do the jobs we do at the prices we charge and not everyone can afford a black cab.
So does it matter what we are called? The Public Carriage Office clearly think so and we are not about to have an argument with them, but what do you think? Do you think we should protect black cabs by only calling them TAXIS. Or do you think, as I do, that we all know the difference and can make up our own minds what we call our MINICAB,CAB,SHERBERT DAB,TAXI,JOE BAXI.
Let me now what you think. In the meantime if you want a minicab, chauffeur driven vehicle,courier and not a taxi ring us on 020 8864 7888 or go online at www.interlineonline.com.
Enjoy the summer
Regards Chris
Do you want a taxi or a minicab. Will you try to book a cab or a private hire vehicle. What do you call your transport? We are licensed by the Public Carriage Office and they have read our website and told us we cannot use the word TAXI because that relates to a black cab. Now we know how hard a black cab driver studies to become qualified and we have no wish to affect their income. However what difference does a name or title make? Black Cabs are technically called Hackney Carriages but who calls them that? If you are at home in Pinner or Harrow and you want to order a MINICAB you find a number (hopefully ours 020 8864 7888) call them up and order a what?
My experience from answering the phones in our office for the last ten years would say that everyone calls it by different names but they now if they are telephoning for a car they are using minicabs. The black cab guys do have a telephone booking system but even they would admit that the bulk of their work is off the street.
The black cab guys are not big fans of the minicab industry. They argue that we do not know where we are going, that our cars are rubbish and we take their work. Whilst that might have been true 20 years ago that is certainly no longer the case. Our drivers are professional, have modern cars and , truth be told, there is more than enough work for everyone. Black cab drivers would not do the jobs we do at the prices we charge and not everyone can afford a black cab.
So does it matter what we are called? The Public Carriage Office clearly think so and we are not about to have an argument with them, but what do you think? Do you think we should protect black cabs by only calling them TAXIS. Or do you think, as I do, that we all know the difference and can make up our own minds what we call our MINICAB,CAB,SHERBERT DAB,TAXI,JOE BAXI.
Let me now what you think. In the meantime if you want a minicab, chauffeur driven vehicle,courier and not a taxi ring us on 020 8864 7888 or go online at www.interlineonline.com.
Enjoy the summer
Regards Chris
Wednesday, 15 April 2009
A Chauffeur's Story
When I first started at Interline I worked primarily as a minicab driver but I also moonlighted at a chauffeur company based in the City for a few months whilst a friend of mine was away travelling. It was certainly an eye opener as to how the other half lived.
The company had a contract with the BP head office and we would drive executives and their wives to various functions. The usual format would be to collect the wives from their home, drive to BP near Waterloo station and then on to the function. The better placed the executive, the nicer the house we picked up from. Hampstead, St Johns Wood and Richmond were favourites but I always seemed to land a couple who lived near the common in Barnes. They were South African and had previously lived on a huge ranch near Capetown. I don't think Barnes Common was quite on the same scale. There was certainly a distinct lack of emus which they used to breed !! Really lovely people but you knew that life had been very kind to them and money was not a problem.
One evening I collected the lady and she asked if I would pick up a copy of Vogue magazine for her. As she flicked through the magazine she obviously spotted something that she liked and made a phone call. I have changed the names but the conversation went something like this.
"Hello Trudy it's Ruth How are you? Good , Good
Have you got this month's Vogue? Of course you have. Have you seen the Manolo's on page 248
Aren't they lovely. His shop is just round the corner from you. I won't have a chance to get into London this week. I am a size 5. Would you pick me up a pair and we will sort it out when I see you next. Thanks Darling bye."
So we picked up her husband and onto Claridges. Vogue magazine was left on the back seat so of course I had to look. The Manolo's on page 248 turned out to be a pair of boots. They were a snip at £1295!!! How many people can you ring up and ask them to buy you something for £1295?
On another occasion as I was getting ready to leave the chauffeur company offices the controller took a call from an American gentleman who had a booking that evening. He wanted to confirm that his chauffeur was also a bodyguard. The company did not offer that service. However I am 6' 3" and weigh about 18 stone. The quick thinking controller explained that whilst they did not have a bodyguard/chauffeur they did have a chauffeur that looked like a bodyguard and as the booking was in 1/2 an hour I would have to do. At first I agreed to do the job but then the thought hit me. Why does this guy need a bodyguard? On the run from the Yakuza! Drug deal with the Colombians gone sour. Or, most dangerous of all, a woman scorned.
I was told the newly invented position of bodyguard/ chauffeur paid an extra £20. Well you would take a bullet for £20 wouldn't you. It turned out he was an oilman from Texas who was travelling abroad for the first time. The first part of his trip was a visit to the companies operation in Nigeria where you only left the compound in 3 car convoy with armed guards. He thought he needed similar protection on the mean streets of Mayfair. Thankfully he had managed to meet his "niece" who was from Norf Laindon, thought Texas was a diy centre and seemed to need rather a lot of pocket money to buy fings wot I need innit.
Interline does not do bodyguards and I am now a little long in the tooth. We can, however, offer E and S Class Mercedes along with luxury MPV's. The corporate client may choose to use them for senior staff and important guests. To sink back in those leather seats and relax as you are transferred from Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted to your London base is a rare treat. Equally they can be a huge asset if you have to spend the day travelling between appointments and need to work en route. Privately you may wish to treat yourself on that special night out for dinner or to the theatre. Your chauffeur can be booked to take you and then be waiting for you when it is time to go home. Our offices are based in Harrow but we cover all of London and the Home Counties.
Please visit our website http://www.interlineonline.com/ for further details. You can book online or if you would rather, telephone us on 020 8864 7888
Kind Regards Chris
The company had a contract with the BP head office and we would drive executives and their wives to various functions. The usual format would be to collect the wives from their home, drive to BP near Waterloo station and then on to the function. The better placed the executive, the nicer the house we picked up from. Hampstead, St Johns Wood and Richmond were favourites but I always seemed to land a couple who lived near the common in Barnes. They were South African and had previously lived on a huge ranch near Capetown. I don't think Barnes Common was quite on the same scale. There was certainly a distinct lack of emus which they used to breed !! Really lovely people but you knew that life had been very kind to them and money was not a problem.
One evening I collected the lady and she asked if I would pick up a copy of Vogue magazine for her. As she flicked through the magazine she obviously spotted something that she liked and made a phone call. I have changed the names but the conversation went something like this.
"Hello Trudy it's Ruth How are you? Good , Good
Have you got this month's Vogue? Of course you have. Have you seen the Manolo's on page 248
Aren't they lovely. His shop is just round the corner from you. I won't have a chance to get into London this week. I am a size 5. Would you pick me up a pair and we will sort it out when I see you next. Thanks Darling bye."
So we picked up her husband and onto Claridges. Vogue magazine was left on the back seat so of course I had to look. The Manolo's on page 248 turned out to be a pair of boots. They were a snip at £1295!!! How many people can you ring up and ask them to buy you something for £1295?
On another occasion as I was getting ready to leave the chauffeur company offices the controller took a call from an American gentleman who had a booking that evening. He wanted to confirm that his chauffeur was also a bodyguard. The company did not offer that service. However I am 6' 3" and weigh about 18 stone. The quick thinking controller explained that whilst they did not have a bodyguard/chauffeur they did have a chauffeur that looked like a bodyguard and as the booking was in 1/2 an hour I would have to do. At first I agreed to do the job but then the thought hit me. Why does this guy need a bodyguard? On the run from the Yakuza! Drug deal with the Colombians gone sour. Or, most dangerous of all, a woman scorned.
I was told the newly invented position of bodyguard/ chauffeur paid an extra £20. Well you would take a bullet for £20 wouldn't you. It turned out he was an oilman from Texas who was travelling abroad for the first time. The first part of his trip was a visit to the companies operation in Nigeria where you only left the compound in 3 car convoy with armed guards. He thought he needed similar protection on the mean streets of Mayfair. Thankfully he had managed to meet his "niece" who was from Norf Laindon, thought Texas was a diy centre and seemed to need rather a lot of pocket money to buy fings wot I need innit.
Interline does not do bodyguards and I am now a little long in the tooth. We can, however, offer E and S Class Mercedes along with luxury MPV's. The corporate client may choose to use them for senior staff and important guests. To sink back in those leather seats and relax as you are transferred from Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted to your London base is a rare treat. Equally they can be a huge asset if you have to spend the day travelling between appointments and need to work en route. Privately you may wish to treat yourself on that special night out for dinner or to the theatre. Your chauffeur can be booked to take you and then be waiting for you when it is time to go home. Our offices are based in Harrow but we cover all of London and the Home Counties.
Please visit our website http://www.interlineonline.com/ for further details. You can book online or if you would rather, telephone us on 020 8864 7888
Kind Regards Chris
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
The life of a Courier
During my time at Interline I have started many couriers for the company. You take all their details,check their documentation, explain our procedures and show them how the radio works. You then send them off on their first job, which they do. They then drive back to the office, give you back the radio and resign. When you ask why they say "have you seen all that traffic, it's bloomin' murder" or words to that effect.
So being a courier is not for everyone. We can deliver and collect parcels from and to Central London. Carry urgent blood supplies between hospitals. Reunite people with lost or forgotten passports. We cover the whole of the UK and as I write one courier is collecting computer parts to take to Portsmouth. Tomorrow he may spend the day delivering corporate invitations to W1,EC1,SW1 and Canary Wharf E14. The next day may require boxes to be carried to the tenth floor when the lift is broken. He has to find somewhere to park, find the quickest route and try to avoid the traffic. We offer an immediate direct delivery service and very often the client is expecting the delivery to be done in double quick time. Thankfully, most of the time, that is exactly what happens.
We always ask our couriers to ensure we get the printed name of the person we deliver to. You would be amazed how often we get a call two or three hours after we have delivered asking "who signed for that parcel" as no one can find it. Nine times out of ten it has been signed for, put down and forgotten.
So next time you need a parcel delivered immediately please call us and we will quote you or help you to open an account. From our offices in Harrow we expect to be able to supply a courier within 15 minutes and you can be sure of a professional and cost effective service. Just spare a thought for the courier as he negotiates the traffic on your behalf.
So being a courier is not for everyone. We can deliver and collect parcels from and to Central London. Carry urgent blood supplies between hospitals. Reunite people with lost or forgotten passports. We cover the whole of the UK and as I write one courier is collecting computer parts to take to Portsmouth. Tomorrow he may spend the day delivering corporate invitations to W1,EC1,SW1 and Canary Wharf E14. The next day may require boxes to be carried to the tenth floor when the lift is broken. He has to find somewhere to park, find the quickest route and try to avoid the traffic. We offer an immediate direct delivery service and very often the client is expecting the delivery to be done in double quick time. Thankfully, most of the time, that is exactly what happens.
We always ask our couriers to ensure we get the printed name of the person we deliver to. You would be amazed how often we get a call two or three hours after we have delivered asking "who signed for that parcel" as no one can find it. Nine times out of ten it has been signed for, put down and forgotten.
So next time you need a parcel delivered immediately please call us and we will quote you or help you to open an account. From our offices in Harrow we expect to be able to supply a courier within 15 minutes and you can be sure of a professional and cost effective service. Just spare a thought for the courier as he negotiates the traffic on your behalf.
Monday, 9 March 2009
Working Heathrow and Gatwick airports
When times are quiet we tend to get a lot of telephone calls from drivers and chauffeurs looking to switch companies. What is interesting when you meet these guys and discuss where and how they currently work is how unprofessional some companies are, particularly when meeting clients at Heathrow and Gatwick.
We are told how companies will give the driver or chauffeur the mobile number for the client and then tell the driver to call the client to come outside and find them somewhere at the drop off point or near a vending machine. The client, having managed to find the car, then loads their own baggage in the boot, because if the driver gets out of the car he will get a parking ticket. How can you charge the client for such a service? We are told this happens even when a S Class Mercedes is being supplied. Premium Service I don't think so!!!
Not suprisingly Interline does things a little differently. When you make a booking we will arrange a time to meet you after your flight has landed allowing time for you to collect your cases and make your way to the information desk within the airport terminal. Your driver or chauffeur will be there with a board with your name on. He will carry your cases to the car and then drive you home to Harrow, on into Central London, transfer you to your hotel or another airport. We do the same thing whether you are using our standard saloon car or our E and S Class Chauffeur service.
Being met at the airport usually means the end of a long tiring day. Interline keep things simple and takes care of you. You can book online at www.interlineonline.com, by email info@interlineonline.com or by telephone on 020 8864 7888. Any other way seems like more hard work to us.
Regards Chris.
We are told how companies will give the driver or chauffeur the mobile number for the client and then tell the driver to call the client to come outside and find them somewhere at the drop off point or near a vending machine. The client, having managed to find the car, then loads their own baggage in the boot, because if the driver gets out of the car he will get a parking ticket. How can you charge the client for such a service? We are told this happens even when a S Class Mercedes is being supplied. Premium Service I don't think so!!!
Not suprisingly Interline does things a little differently. When you make a booking we will arrange a time to meet you after your flight has landed allowing time for you to collect your cases and make your way to the information desk within the airport terminal. Your driver or chauffeur will be there with a board with your name on. He will carry your cases to the car and then drive you home to Harrow, on into Central London, transfer you to your hotel or another airport. We do the same thing whether you are using our standard saloon car or our E and S Class Chauffeur service.
Being met at the airport usually means the end of a long tiring day. Interline keep things simple and takes care of you. You can book online at www.interlineonline.com, by email info@interlineonline.com or by telephone on 020 8864 7888. Any other way seems like more hard work to us.
Regards Chris.
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
Taking Care
A belated Happy New Year to you.
It is hard to ignore the current economic climate when coming to write this blog but it is important to try to see some positives for Interline as a company. We are very much an account led business and we can react quickly to the changing needs of our clients. It is also sad but true that the smaller minicab offices will fall by the wayside when the going gets tough. Interline has been established over twenty five years and has ridden out previous recessions by cutting our cloth accordingly. It would be easy to take on new drivers every day but we pick and choose the best in an effort to improve the quality of our workforce and make sure we do not flood our circuit. We remember those drivers and couriers that have been with us for sometime and ensure they earn as much money as is possible. A disgruntled and unhappy driver can badly effect the business very often without you even knowing about it.
It is also very important at these times that the customer ensures the legality of their driver and his car. I have written before about the dangers of illegal minicabs and when times are hard and people want to earn a few extra pounds you will see unlicensed cars, particularly at night, cruising town centres or parked outside clubs and takeaways. Always book your car over the telephone. Our number is 020 8864 7888. We will tell you what car is coming to collect you,it's colour and registration number and the name of the driver. His car will have a green disc on the top right of his windscreen and he will have his PCO badge on display. Never get in a car that does not have a green disc. We will collect you from wherever you are, with a little notice, and will quote you for any journey you may wish to take.
Regards Chris
It is hard to ignore the current economic climate when coming to write this blog but it is important to try to see some positives for Interline as a company. We are very much an account led business and we can react quickly to the changing needs of our clients. It is also sad but true that the smaller minicab offices will fall by the wayside when the going gets tough. Interline has been established over twenty five years and has ridden out previous recessions by cutting our cloth accordingly. It would be easy to take on new drivers every day but we pick and choose the best in an effort to improve the quality of our workforce and make sure we do not flood our circuit. We remember those drivers and couriers that have been with us for sometime and ensure they earn as much money as is possible. A disgruntled and unhappy driver can badly effect the business very often without you even knowing about it.
It is also very important at these times that the customer ensures the legality of their driver and his car. I have written before about the dangers of illegal minicabs and when times are hard and people want to earn a few extra pounds you will see unlicensed cars, particularly at night, cruising town centres or parked outside clubs and takeaways. Always book your car over the telephone. Our number is 020 8864 7888. We will tell you what car is coming to collect you,it's colour and registration number and the name of the driver. His car will have a green disc on the top right of his windscreen and he will have his PCO badge on display. Never get in a car that does not have a green disc. We will collect you from wherever you are, with a little notice, and will quote you for any journey you may wish to take.
Regards Chris
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