2007/2008

Chairman's Annual Report  2007-08  (posted: 2nd December 2008)

The 2007/08 financial year has seen yet another substantial increase in calls to 131008. Total calls to 131008 increased by 15.45% and successful calls increased by 6.76%. As in previous years, a significant portion of this increase has been generated by regional taxi services, which have opted to promote 131008 as their only taxi booking phone number. The year saw the growth of digital dispatch systems and regional call centers specifically serving the taxi industry. As a result, many regional taxi services have chosen to outsource their call management facilities. 131008’s ability to deliver calls to anywhere in Australia at no cost to its members makes such business decisions economically feasible by minimizing telecommunication costs. Our metropolitan taxi services also continue to generate significant call growth to the 131008 service.

The company continues to maintain its policy of generating low profits, primarily by returning revenues to its members via decreased licence fees. The year saw a reduction in licence fees to nominal amounts in the range of $100.00 per annum for small taxi services to $500.00 for the major taxi services. With the minimum cost of maintaining a basic “13” service being around $12,000.00 annually, and very likely much more than that, 131008 offers excellent value for money to its members on that front alone. The net profit for the company last financial year was $16,481.00, which is slightly higher than in previous years, but still quite low, and an indication of the continued policy of keeping fees to a minimum.

The end of the last financial year saw the departure of Richard Quilty as the company’s Executive Officer, a role he filled since the company’s inception in 1992. I would like to take this opportunity to formally acknowledge Richard’s contribution to the success of 131008. Richard’s vision of a national taxi booking phone number was born in 1992 when “13” phone numbers were first introduced in Australia. At that time, many people in the industry doubted that the concept would become a reality. Now in 2008, 131008 accounts for about half of all taxi booking calls nationally – a success story by anyone’s standards. Richard is now engaged in other, less stressful pursuits, outside the taxi industry and I and the board wish him well in his semi-retirement.

Paul Mifsud was appointed as the company’s Executive Officer following Richard’s departure. Paul’s background is in commercial software development. He has served the last five years as the company’s Network Manager where he gained in-depth knowledge of the company’s workings and the taxi industry in general. With the industry now recognizing the advantages of recent developments in telecommunications, his IT and telecommunications background will serve the company well moving forward into the next decade.

On behalf of the board, I also wish to acknowledge the contribution of Murray Spence to the company, whose five-year tenure as a Director of the company will come to an end today. Murray has always acted independently and in the best interests of the Queensland taxi services, large and small, which he represented on this board.

The year also saw the advent of rival “13” services in the taxi phone booking market. Whilst these competitors may seem attractive in the short term, this company has considerable doubts about their methods and their intentions. Unlike Taxi 131008 Limited, these new players are likely to be seeking to generate huge profits, which may ultimately see money taken out of the taxi industry and into the hands of a few individuals.

The last financial year saw the company’s share register expand to include taxi services in Mount Isa and Glasshouse Mountains in Queensland, Sunbury and surrounds in Victoria, and Launceston in Tasmania. The share register remains open, and the company continues to encourage new entrants, primarily as a means of securing long-term access to the 131008 service in their taxi district.

The company continues to research and monitor new marketing services which are beneficial to all areas of the national number both for the regional and the major city taxi companies. I thank all services for their support in the last year and look forward to the continuing loyalty to our number from all shareholders.

Garrie Woolford

Chairman

28 November 2008

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New 131008 web site  (posted: March 2007)

The new 131008 web site was launched on 6 March. The new site, certainly the first of its kind in Australia (if not the world), enables taxi users to book taxis on-line in almost every place in Australia that has a taxi service. The old 131008.com site is still there with every one of its useful features - but now you will find those features under 'Member Services' on the new site. The focus of the new 131008.com is on the entirely new potential market for taxi patronage.

The new site is being promoted in the Australian Financial Review on 6, 12, 13 and 15 March - check those issues for the advertisements. More significantly bulletins promoting the new site are going to almost every Australian Travel Agent - those bulletins commenced on 6 March and will continue every day for the next two weeks. The bulletins encourage all Travel Agents store 131008.com in their 'Favourites' list.

Other promotions will be rolled out over the coming period.

Everyone in Australia who travels will eventually know 131008.com.

The only thing that has not changed is the address of the site - go to www.131008.com to see it for yourself.

  131008 - keeping ahead of the competition

Use of new technology  (posted: February 2007)

Use of new technology by Andrew Levick the 131008 licensee at Singleton in NSW (8 taxis) may have application to many taxi services in the 131008 network.

The Singleton system enables selected emails which are sent to the taxi operator to be automatically on-forwarded in the form of a text message direct to any mobile phone selected by the taxi operator. Thus for example a taxi operator who is going to receive email taxi bookings, but who does not normally check the computer daily for emails, can arrange to have those bookings (and no other emails)automatically on-forwarded to any mobile phone selected by the taxi operator. He or she never has to check the computer for email taxi bookings.

Even for some of the larger 131008 taxi services this new system may have management implications for the supervision of email taxi bookings.

Andrew Levick is happy to outline his experience with this new technology - you may phone him on 0429 699 997.

131 008 - Keeping you up with technologies that may assist your business.

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SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

21 September, 2006

Bank sets its sights on taxi takeover

Lisa Murray

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MACQUARIE Bank is launching an all-out assault on the taxi industry with plans to set up a rival cab fleet and a new voucher system to compete with Cabcharge.

The fleet would be in addition to the bank’s wheelchair-accessible cab company, Lime Taxis, and has been approved by the bank’s executive committee.

It will be branded separately from Lime and will recruit owner-drivers with their own plates.

The company expects to have a “comfortable number” of cars in its first 12 months.

Macquarie’s new vouchers would provide the first real competition to Cabcharge’s payments system, which has a near monopoly of the Sydney market.

Macquarie employs more than 5800 staff in Australian and spends more than $5 million on taxi fares for business trips every year.  The bank is expected to use the vouchers for its own staff and may also tap into its business network to pick up other corporate customers.

The new venture comes as Macquarie experiences further delays in getting its Lime service up and running. The service, for disabled passengers, was launched in February by a Macquarie executive, Bill Moss, who has muscular dystrophy.

It has faced  criticism from Cabcharge’s boss, Reg Kermode, who says the taxi industry is “far removed from the rarified atmosphere of merchant banking”.  Cabcharge owns Australia’s biggest operator, Taxis Combined.

Some Cabcharge directors believe Macquarie aims to build a fleet big enough to tie up all jobs to and from Sydney Airport, which is controlled by one of the bank’s biggest listed funds, Macquarie Airports.

Lime rejects this claim.

The company said in February that it would have 240 cabs on the road by Christmas. There are none officially on the road and the 240-car target has been pushed back until at least next September. The company was forced to wait six months before its network was authorised by the Ministry of Transport in March.

It has since been fighting a requirement for it to join the centralised booking service for taxis with wheelchair access, which is run by Cabcharge.

Lime’s chief executive, Stephen Albin, said:  “What started out as a realistic business proposition to raise the standard of service to the disabled community has uncovered an industry that’s so locked up to competition that you couldn’t reasonably expect to get a socially responsible initiative off the ground in itself.” Macquarie began expanding its taxi ambitions last November.

Lime has no cars in operation, although some of its Mercedes-Benz Vitos have been shuttling bank staff around Sydney as part of a test run. More than 300 drivers have expressed interest in working for Lime, promoting its decision to set up a second fleet.

Lime is selling franchises for about $27,500-plus a month. But the second fleet will not be a franchise business model. Drivers will have their own cars and licences and be given access to Macquarie’s booking service.

End of item

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131 008 says:

Is Macquarie Bank interested in Cabcharge?

If Macquarie Bank is being truthful about its intentions for a second taxi fleet then those who have already committed their time and money to the Taxi Industry will come to appreciate the national protection that 131 008 affords their market share.

But with the launch of Lime Taxis now apparently delayed for another year are these Macquarie Bank media releases simply an attempt to contain the Cabcharge share price?

Cash Incentive Scheme  (posted: July 2006)

Taxi 131-008 Ltd has announced a Cash Incentive Scheme -

More than $20,000.00 is to be distributed to selected 131 008 Taxi Services in recognition of contributions to the growth of 131 008 call volumes.

Monthly payments of $1,100.00 will be made to individual taxi services from October 2006 through to June 2007.

In June 2007 an additional payment of $11,000.00 will be made to one 131 008 taxi service.

Details of the scheme have been despatched by letter this week to every fee paying taxi service in the network.

Details of every winning Taxi Service under the Scheme will be published on the 131 008  Bulletin Board.

The money is there for the taking - all that is required is an intelligent approach to your best use of 131 008.

131 008 - Rewarding Taxi Services for growing this network.

NATIONAL PROMOTION OF 131 008  (posted: May 2006)

National promotion of 131 008 has started again in 'The Australian' Newspaper.

HARD COPY EDITIONS

The ads, in the form of the national 131 008 logo, will appear in colour on the top of the Business Section and the Sports Section of The Week-end Australian every week-end from now until the end of June.

ON-LINE EDITIONS

Additionally 131 008 has commenced a new and substantial advertising campaign in the 'On-line' edition of The Australian - permanent placement in those editions from now to the end of June. This advertising will appear at the top of six (6) sections of the 'on-line' edition of The Australian - including 'Breaking News', 'The Nation', 'Business', 'Sport' and other. To check out this new use by 131 008 of on-line advertising through this national daily newspaper check out each of those sections through www.theaustralian.com.au.

The attention grabbing 131 008 tags (with supporting back-up material through to our own web page) will continue as permanent placements on those sites to the end of June.

YOU CAN HELP

Your own 131 008 taxi service might consider running the same ads in your own State/Regional/or Local newspapers - providing near saturation national print media coverage to 131 008 some time between now and the end of June. To obtain the advertising material which you see in The Australian - in format for delivery to your own print media  organisations - just Email your request to mail@131008.com

131 008 - working together is working stronger.

FEES FOR ACCESS TO THE 131 008 SERVICE  (posted: April 2006)

At the Annual Breakfast hosted by Taxi 131-008 Limited in Perth during the current Australian Taxi Industry Association National Conference, the Chairman of the company, Garrie Woolford, announced that commencing 1 July, 2006 the fees paid by taxi services for access to 131 008 will be reduced by fifty per cent (50%). Licensees can immediately, and safely, make allowance for that huge fee reduction in their 2006-07 budget preparations. The reductions will take effect on and from 1 July 2006.

Confirmation of these fee reductions will be notified in writing by the company to each Licensee; those notifications will be dispatched separately to each Licensee before 30 April next.

Additionally Taxi 131-008 Limited is in the process of reviewing financial strategies with the objective of placing our participating taxi services in a more powerful position to confront the financial challenges associated with the efficient operation of their taxi services throughout Australia. That board review will involve:-

• the establishment of a Taxi 131-008 Limited fund to enable the company to assist those of our licensees that operate in strategic taxi markets to more effectively meet prospective and actual  threats to 131 008 posed by more financially powerful competitors and otherwise, and

• the re-introduction of a conditions based Volume Call discount - available to those taxi services generating the very highest 131 008 call volumes.

Further information on these additional initiatives will be circulated to the 131 008 network as the board completes its strategic planning.

131 008 – demonstrating its gratitude for your support of this National Service.

Potential Competition for the Taxi Market  (posted: Feb 2006)

Macquarie Bank today announced its intention to establish a Disabled Taxi Fleet - with an apparent initial allocation of two hundred and fifty plates in Sydney. The consortium developing this new fleet includes Macquarie Bank, Linfox Transport and interests associated with John Brown a former Tourism Minister in the Hawke Labor Government. Reporting on this prospective new taxi fleet, the Sydney Morning Herald (14 February) stated "...disabled passengers have long complained that they wait too long for taxis..." and that the joint venture partners "....believe State Government schemes have failed to look after disabled passengers...".

Based on the kind of financial rewards that Macquarie Bank usually expects, it is unreal to think that the Bank and Linfox Transport will be going for big financial returns from Disabled Taxis. Is it not more likely that this is the first play by some very powerful vested interests who are intending to provide some very substantial new competition for the Taxi Industry - in every part of Australia? Is the fragmented Australian Taxi Industry presently capable of meeting such a national challenge?

For more than 10 years 131 008 has been urging participation in the national 131 008 network as one means of building a Wall of Protection around our taxi customer base - against prospective future competition of exactly the kind that might now be sailing up over the horizon on the Macquarie/Linfox ship. The strength of 131 008 in such an environment will be very much dependant on the willingness of all in the 131 008 fleet to work together towards that Wall of Protection objective.

The enormous efforts to persuade the 131 008 fleet to adopt a single uniform national decal have been reasonably successful. Unfortunately a continuing misplaced loyalty to 'local' as against 'national' taxi brands is a lot more widespread than it should be - and that misplaced loyalty does continue to hinder the development of the single national 131 008 wall of protection. That continuing view of the significance of 'local brands' may some day prove to be in stark contrast to the single-minded national purpose that the likes of Macquarie/Linfox can bring to the same task.

131 008 - help us to protect your market.

Sale of Melbourne Taxi Plates  (posted: Jan 2006)

New Victorian Regulations governing the sale of Melbourne taxi plates came into effect on 1st January.

The Regulations apply only to Melbourne taxi plates; they do not apply to taxi plate transfers anywhere in Regional Victoria.

Against the previous background of taxi plate sellers (like plate owners in all other States) being reasonably free to choose the manner of sale of their taxi plates the new Regulations provide:- 

• That Melbourne taxi plates can only in future be sold through a Government Authorised taxi plate broker, (and they MUST be sold through such a Broker).

• That every Melbourne taxi plate sale will have to be 'traded' by that Government authorised broker through a Stock Exchange.

The nominated exchange has not yet been confirmed - but the Bendigo Stock Exchange is tipped for the job.

 It appears that these Regulations came about because of some complaints about the system that works reasonably well in almost every other part of Australia.

That said, it might be legitimate to ask:

• Is this simply more unnecessary Regulation adding to Industry costs?

• What will be the impact of these changes on the Melbourne taxi industry?

• Is it in the interest of the value of an asset for Government to regulate the trading environment?

• Who is going to pay the brokers?

• Is the Bendigo Stock Exchange going to act on these sales without charge?

• Why go to a Bendigo business to buy or sell a Melbourne taxi plate?

• Why is Bendigo Stock Exchange going to be given a monopoly on these new 'trades'? (Who owes favours to whom in Bendigo?)

• Will authorised brokers eventually have to compete on commissions until the task of acting as a broker becomes nothing more than a headache for the brokers?

Assuming the Victorian Government is capable of registering a change of ownership then why, if two adults are capable of agreeing on the terms of the sale, should they be forced to use a Government 'authorised broker' and why should they be forced to conduct their 'trade' through the Bendigo Stock Exchange.

 If other State Governments are watching what is happening in Melbourne then maybe it is in the Industry's interest in other States to assess whether the Government imposed solution in Melbourne is better than allowing reasonable adults to make their own trading arrangements within the existing Regulatory environment.

 131 008 - Always Interested.

131 008 CALL STATS - December, 2005  (posted: Jan 2006)

During December 2005, there were 4,593,882 calls to 131 008 across Australia.

That represented an increase of 33% over the November call volumes.

Against that 33% National increase, the impact of 131 008 on taxi bookings in some of those places where Australians spend their Christmas holidays is worth looking at.

The figures below identify the increased 131 008 call volumes - November to December - at some of the better know holiday destinations in Eastern Australia.

Most Australians probably do not know the local taxi phone number where they are holidaying - but these statisics do indicate that more and more of them seem to know what 131 008  is when they want a taxi while they are on holidays.

131 008 Call Volumes:  growth patterns last 12 months  (posted: Nov 2005)

The comparative figures (comparing the month in 2005 with the same month in 2004) :

This massive and consistent increase in 131 008 call volumes is simply a reflection of the support that our ever-increasing number of taxis throughout Australia are giving to 131 008.

Measured by call volumes, 131 008 is becoming the best known telephone number in Australia.

131 008 does sincerely thank all those Taxi depots, Taxi owners, Taxi operators and Taxi drivers that are making this happen.

ANNOUNCEMENT (posted: Nov 2005)   131 008 Financial Statement 2004 -2005: View Statement Financial Statement  (1.09mb) is in '.pdf ' format - download free viewer if unable to open file >     Taxi 131008 Member Websites (posted: June 2005) Taxi 131008 is pleased to announce a new FREE professional website design and hosting service for its members. You provide the text and pictures and Taxi 131008 will create a customised website for your Taxi Service: www.131008.com/yourtown Also included is a matching Email address: yourtown@131008.com Some of the featured pages include: taxi booking - four methods ( Phone, Fax, Email and Online ) localised Fare Estimator Job Vacancies News Our Services Our Company Our Drivers Our Vehicles Contact Us ( Online feedback/inquiries ) To view a sample, please take a look at the website we have created for Lake City Taxis at Mount Gambier in South Australia:   www.131008.com/mtgambier This is a great opportunity to provide your Taxi Service with a professional looking presence on the Internet. For more information about this great offer, please contact:  Paul Mifsud on 1800 067 010.

FILED BULLETINS - 131 008 SERVICE