N wseA Publication of Radio Taxis Group No.3 Summer 2011

FROM THE DESK OFGEOFFREY RIESEL:

MYTH OR FACT?Straight Talk aboutthe Olympic Gamesand Transportation.

We’re just one year away from the Olympic Games,known to most of us in the UK as simply “London2012.” This will be an incredible opportunity for us toshowcase our world-class capital city and all that it hasto offer.

With millions flocking to London’s almost three dozensporting venues for the Games, organisers have createdthe Olympic Route Network (ORN), which will serve tomove people to and from the competitions. The ORNwill run east-west from ExCel London to Horse GuardsParade, and north-south from Olympic Park toGreenwich Park.

And yet, even with such a short time left before theGames, there still seems to be a disconnect between“Fact” and “Myth” when it comes to transportation.

With that in mind, let’stry to set the recordstraight, at least on afew topics!

MYTH:“The Olympic RouteNetwork is closed to allnon-official vehicles.”In June at a meetinghosted by Radio TaxisGroup and the London

Chamber, Olympics organisers gave their unequivocalresponse to this myth, stating that at least one lane of theroads on the ORN would be open to all traffic.

MYTH:“Only a well known private hire company has the rightto use the Olympic Route Network.”Absolutely not. It is true that organisers plan to bring inseveral thousand BMWs to transport VIPs, but who thesedrivers will be, and how they will be hired and givenappropriate background checks, remains to be seen.

No minicab company has a lock on who drives the ORN,nor will they.

FACT:“London will be confronted with major traffic issues.”Yes, it’s going to be tough on all of us, drivers and clientsalike. In some ways, this will be “controlled chaos.”The millions of visitors coming to London will of courseput a strain on the system. The key is for everyone to allowextra time when making travel plans.

MYTH:“The ORN will operate 18 hours a day.”Well, we agree, this is a tricky one. Organisers say the ORNwill only operate as needed. “They will be determined bydemand, location and competition schedule,” according tothe London 2012 website. The bottom line is the public willbe counting on us to stay current on what is closed andwhat is open, and that may change from hour to hour.But a full-on, blanket closure of 18 hours per day for theentire ORN is not planned.

One year from now, just getting around London will bean Olympic event unto itself! But one thing we do know:There are no better or more knowledgeable drivers thanthose on Radio Taxis or Xeta to help move the publicsafely and efficiently to their destinations. When itcomes to reliable taxi transportation, RTG will alwaystake home the Gold!

“A full-on, blanket closure of18 hours per day for the entire

ORN is not planned.”

LONDON BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVES packed aprivate, invitation-only Transport Museum hall on June 14 tohear first-hand from Olympics organisers what the Gameswill mean for traffic disruptions. The event was hosted byRadio Taxis and the London Chamber of Commerce &Industry (LCCI) in an effort to shed light on what been attimes a confusing message from organisers.

Among key questions were plans for the Olympic RouteNetwork (ORN), a plan to move traffic along dedicated roadsto and from Olympic events in 2012.

Main messages from organisers included the need for Londonbusinesses to be flexible during the Games by reducing,rescheduling, re-routing and revising activities, schedulesand deliveries.

The evening brought relief as well as surprises. On the onehand, organisers dispelled what it said was a myth that theORN will open only to VIPs and official vehicles. Instead, atleast one lane of the roads, running east-west from ExCelLondon to Horse Guards Parade, and north-south fromOlympic Park to Greenwich Park, would be open to all traffic.

The evening, moderated by Colin Stanbridge, CEO of theLCCI, featured guest speakers from Transport for London, whomade presentations on route details, freight delivery issues, andcorporate planning needs as London braces for millions ofvisitors flocking to 31 separate Olympic venues.

“We all want the Olympics to be a resounding success in London,”said Geoffrey Riesel, CEO of Radio Taxis Group. “The Gameswill be an enormous logistical challenge as London balances theneed to be a good host with the need to have as little disruption apossible for business. It will require working together in a spirit ofpartnership, and quite possibly a good deal of luck.”

At the same time, no vehicles would be allowed to crossthe ORN, effectively cutting off businesses straddling eitherside of the route.

Riesel added: “People asked some great questions and it’s clearthat many are concerned about these plans and simply seek toprovide input. That’s why this event was so important. We need tohave business leaders discuss what they need to keep their dooropen and we need Olympic organisers to take that feedback andadjust plans accordingly.”

Stay tuned for more information from Radio Taxis about theORN and what it will mean for you!

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RTG Hosts London 2012 OlympicEvening to DiscussTransport Concerns

“London will brace itself formillions of visitors flocking to31 separate Olympic venues.”

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That poses a challenge for an industry that relies on theinternal combustion engine – and the emissions that go

with it. We do everything we can to ensure thatRTG drivers are behind the wheel of the mostefficient black cabs available, including offeringloan incentives for newer, cleaner vehicles.

While we can’t stop everything that comes out of a tailpipe, wecan ensure that at least we are having a “net zero” effect on the

environment as a whole. We do this with carbon offsets.

For the past five years, RTG has invested in offsetting emissions through theCarbon Neutral Company. In short, this means that we help build green andsustainable projects that alleviate the same amount of pollution that our fleet putsinto the air on any fare that is booked through RTG.

It starts by first undergoing an independent assessment of how much carbon isemitted by the company, including everything from tailpipe emissions toelectricity usage at our headquarters. We then take steps to lower thoseemissions on our own. For example, we have made available to our drivers amore environmentally friendly biodiesel fuel and have also made our officesmore energy efficient. Our commitment carries right down to the very lightswitches at our headquarters, which all have signage reminding employees toswitch them off when not in use.

What emissions we can’t stop, we seek to offset by purchasing carbon credits.These credits are then used by a third-party company to invest in clean energy.These purchases have been used in a number of ways that improve theenvironment.

For example, over the past few years, our involvement with the Carbon NeutralCompany has helped to:

� Create a successful project in Germany that captures methane from threeabandoned coal mines. Methane is 21 times more potent than CO2 as agreenhouse gas.

� Build four new run-of river power plants in China with have a total capacityof just over 17 megawatts. Powering local communities previously relianton more polluting forms of energy, this project has lowered the cost ofelectricity by 75 percent for local residents.

� Install solar panels for communities in India which – up until now – wouldhave been using kerosene, LPG or grid electricity generated by coal-firedpower stations.

One day there will be a taxi that does not pollute at all. Until that day, the nexttime you book an RTG cab, keep in mind that we’re doing our part to help mitigatethe effects of that pollution. That’s something we’re very proud of, and we hopeyou are, too. After all, you’re riding in the “the Greenest Black Cab in London!

WE’RE THE GREENESTBLACK CABS IN LONDON!WE’VE ALL HEARD THE SAYING that if a butterfly flaps its wings on one sideof the world it causes a hurricane on the other side, yes? Well, at RTG, we believestrongly that the world, its people, and the environment are all inter-connected.

Kevin explained that he began running about two years agoafter deciding to lose weight as he was nearly 19 stone. He said:“I started with a treadmill at home, then got some running shoesand go out about three times a week. I’ve now lost over six stoneand running has changed my life. I now have energy and can playwith my children when we go to the park rather than sit – plusI’ve achieved my dream of running the London Marathon.”

The father-of-two has decided that while he is running to keepfit he will raise money for Saint Francis Hospice as his mother-

in-law Susan received care at home and as an in-patientbefore she lost her 25-year battle with cancer in June2010.

Kevin said: “The hospice didn’t just help Susan, the wholefamily was supported. The nurses and medical team neverlet you feel you were on your own and nothing was a

problem – if we needed anything, medication or advice, all wehad to do was ask.”

Kevin has already raised over £6,000 and hopes that thechallenge of running 3 races in 29 days will ensure that hemeets his target of £10,000. He is also looking for supportfrom the local business community in the Havering,Brentwood, Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham area tohelp achieve this total. If you would like to sponsor Kevin hisjustgiving page is http://www.justgiving.com/Kev-Childs

Saint Francis Hospice has places in several running challengesincluding the women’s 5k Adidas Active in Hyde Park on 4thSeptember and Dublin Marathon on 31st October.

It also has places for the family-friendly Santathon run atDagenham & Redbridge Football Club on Sunday 4th December.Places are £5 per person with people asked to raise sponsorship.

To book a place on any of these running events or to find outabout other fundraising activities please call 01708 771 427,email: fundraising@sfh.org.uk or visit: http://www.sfh.org.uk

Fundraiser’s MarathonRunning Challengefor Hospice

RTG CLIENT, KEVIN CHILDS FROM BGCPARTNERS STARTED RUNNING TO LOSEWEIGHT and has now set his sights onrunning 81 miles this year and raise£10,000 for Saint Francis Hospice.

Kevin Childs, from Hornchurch, Essex has already completedthe Royal Parks Half Marathon, London Marathon andSantathon. Next he will take part in the Southend 10k, RoyalParks Foundation Half Marathon followed by the DublinMarathon, all within 29 days this October.

“I started with a treadmill at home,

then got some running shoes and go out about

three times a week. I’ve now lost over

six stone and running has changed my life.”

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WE ALL KNOW IT:Not all black cabs are the same.At RTG for example, they’re “GREEN”!

We’re pleased to announce that RTG hasbeen nominated for the “Greenest Fleet”award of the Institute of Travel & Meetings(ITM, formerly the Institute of TravelManagement). The ITM is dedicated topromoting business travel as a profession.The association lobbies, and is consultedby, government departments, as well as

educational establishments, thetravel trade and the corporatesector in general.

The ITM is host of the ICARUS project,whose primary goal is to “encourage the travelbuyer community and suppliers to take actionon addressing sustainability issues withintheir own organisations.” Among its prioritiesis a reduction in the carbon footprints, theleading cause of climate change. RTG is well inline with that mission as the world’s firstcarbon-neutral taxi company.

The final award winner will be announced inSeptember. We’ll keep you posted!

� WE ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCEthat Jeremy Butler has been recently recruited tothe One Transport team. Jeremy brings with hima wealth of experience from the ground transportindustry having been a senior member of thesales team at Addison Lee for the last 7 years.

One Transport Ltd is RTG’s independent transport management arm for multi-fleet/multi-type (cars, taxis and courier) across the country and across the worldutilising some of the most exciting and modern technology in the transport industrytoday. For more information visit http://www.radiotaxis.co.uk/one-transport orcontact us on: 020 7281 5522.

RTG Nominated for‘Greenest Fleet’

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