 |
The Football Association (The FA) is the governing body of football in England. Headquartered in Soho Square, Central London, the FA promotes the development and welfare of the game around the country and sanctions leagues and tournaments.
The FA is also responsible for appointing the manager of the England men's and women's national teams, administering discipline across the professional game and organising the FA Cup competition.
Business Issues
The Football Association is an extremely high profile organisation. Players, managers and other leading figures in the national game are regular visitors to Soho Square, often in the full glare of the media spotlight.Personal transportation arrangements must run smoothly. Members of staff and guests often require immediate collection. It is impractical for such public figures to rely on public transport, placing a premium on the operational efficiency of taxi services. Reliability, promptness and discretion are commercial imperatives.
Staff and administrators at the FA travel extensively around the UK in the execution of their duties. All taxis must have sufficient space to accommodate luggage, computers and other personal belongings.
While most journeys take place between 9am-6pm, the varied demands of the football calendar may demand extended working hours. To ensure the safe movement of staff employees at all times, the FA requires Preferred Suppliers prepared to match their own level of flexibility.
About Cab Services
Radio Taxis have provided black cabs in London for over half a century. The company can now call upon the services of over 2,500 self-employed drivers, all certified in ‘The Knowledge’. Passenger compartments are designed to ensure maximum comfort and all cabs are fully equipped for wheelchair access.As part of London’s transportation network, Radio Taxis’ traditional black cabs enjoy privileged access to bus lanes. Travelling swiftly around the capital, the entire fleet is licensed by Transport for London and fares are fully regulated.
Sophisticated software platforms are at the heart of first-class levels of performance. Bookings can be taken by telephone, fax, e-mail, SMS or via the internet.
Utilising GPRS (Global Positioning) technology, Radio Taxis’ Pathfinder system logs every call on to an automated platform and allocates each fare to the nearest vehicle. If a taxi is unable to arrive within three minutes, the fare is transferred onto a secondary system and reallocated to the driver who is closest.
Designed to ease communication between driver and passenger in crowded areas, Radio Taxis’ Arrival Advice service is available by telephone or SMS text message. Upon request and for the convenience of passengers, the control room will ring ahead of pickup with details of the driver’s name and licence plate.
Working Together
The Football Association and Radio Taxis have been working in tandem since 2005. 75-100 cabs are booked each week for transfers to meetings, train stations, sponsorship events, dinners and other social occasions. The vast majority of cabs are required at extremely short notice and responsiveness is a key business driver.Radio Taxis’ Account Managers are regular visitors to Soho Square. Working together in an open, friendly, and productive atmosphere, both organisations have developed a keen understanding of each other’s businesses. Meetings are used to assess levels of service and generate recommendations for process improvements.
Management information is critical to the FA. Radio Taxis provides a detailed breakdown of services at departmental and user levels. Such information allows the FA to monitor performance and efficiency, identifying staff who book cars, length of journeys and average waiting times.
Testimonial
‘Radio Taxis’ service is superb. They answer the phones quickly and ASAP cars are extremely fast. The drivers are friendly and chatty but then most cabbies love an excuse to talk about football!
We have an excellent relationship with their sales team and support staff. They pop into Soho Square on a regular basis and if there’s a problem, they respond very quickly.
The lack of feedback from our people is extremely telling. If someone is happy, you hear nothing back. The fact we hear so little is a very good sign.
We have even recommended Radio Taxis to a contact of the FA. I think that speaks volumes about the service they provide’.
Anna Molloy, Football Association
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
