Reasons to be cheerful, World War Three

This month I was hoping to talk to you about the upsurge in bookings and enquiries being welcomed into our inbox now that Covid-19, (for now) has been relegated to that of a mild cold.

Alas though, we only had a few days to revel in our new found optimism before the threats made towards Ukraine became reality. The pressure is on me now knowing that you are all expecting to read my condemnation of Russian president Vladimir Putin…

Hang on though, we need to take a step back here to consider all the facts first. Here is a man who has won Russia’s ‘Man of the Year’ for the past 22 years, which is more titles than the needle-phobic No-Vax Djokovic will now manage. Putin is a man who, while topless, rides a bear into the Duma building following a cold water swim that saw him unearth priceless Roman artifacts.

In fact, Vlad is so popular with his people that street demonstrations were held in order to beg him to stay on as leader, even though the USSR’s Glasnost reform policy allowed him only two terms. So there, the facts do not lie!

The scrapping of covid rules and restrictions will fill some with trepidation I am sure but, for me, it is time. Time to get back to normality, time to start travelling again and time to earn the money in which to pay back my bounce-back loan. A time for optimism, before Ukraine kicked off, but certainly we had a right to be encouraged by our swelling order book.

Most in the professional driving industry are beyond ready for this, having slimmed down to become a leaner and meaner force. Regardless whether that decision was taken by design or enforced is, at this point, as irrelevant as the manner of streamlining.

Culling overheads, staff numbers or vehicles in order to survive were the hard decisions we had to take to enable those of us that remain in the trade to be better prepared to get stuck into growing a business once more.

On that note, be aware of the significant depletion in the pool of available, registered drivers now on offer and, please, take into account the more stringent regulatory demands that hamstring our operations. Petrol prices, parking and drop off charges and insurance have all gone up so we, in our entirety, need not be afraid to charge customers accordingly.

This is our chance to reset some common sense back into the game. Sense that was lost when allowing a bidding war culture to flourish as we slashed each other’s throats when undercutting colleagues by five quid just to nick an airport transfer.

God help me for saying this but let’s be more like the French and set standard price tariffs and stick to them. We do not need a union or association to achieve this either, we just need to change our mindset by realising the value of service we provide and how much we deserve for crawling out of bed at 3am on a Sunday morning to head out to a pick up.

New blood will not enter into our ranks until it is a job worth doing again, as the job market is awash with work so drivers need a reason to want to return to or join us.

Following two long years in the wilderness, people are looking to travel again, they are gagging for it. Travellers, as do we all, know they are going to face higher air fares and increased hotel rates. They will certainly need to pay more for the food and drink consumed so there is absolutely no reason why they shouldn’t be charged correctly for your professionalism and for the car provided.

Although events in Ukraine plunge us once again into an uncertain future I believe the only thing to do is plough on with things. After all, we cannot seek to change the twisted mind of a Russian leader who resembles the paedophile uncle banned from kids’ parties.

Remember – all through the Cold War the West were led to believe that the Soviet Union was a superpower, capable of destroying us at a moment’s notice, only for Perestroika to reveal that they had been bluffing all along. This is a nation that cannot win an Olympic medal without pumping copious amounts of drugs into child athletes. And how can we forget how their ‘military grade’ novichok poison they brought to Salisbury failed to kill their intended target.

Take hope, Russians themselves are taking to the streets to protest against the invasion, Ukraine are fighting back and the rest of the world is turning the financial screw. Trust me, the 1% of their population who own most of the roubles will not appreciate having their playboy lifestyle interrupted for too long. Putin’s assassin will probably be an inside job.

Try not to become too distracted, trust that good always triumphs over evil and give what support you can afford to the displaced people of Ukraine. Then crack on with business, exploit the changes brought by the UK not being in the EU (though I always thought we were better together, safety in numbers) and drive your business forward.

Finally, Naked Drivers Calendar. I am looking for taxi drivers, chauffeurs, in fact anyone who reads this magazine to step up and help raise money for Ukraine. Twelve brave souls are needed to bear all when posing for the Naked Drivers Calendar, with all profits to be donated to a charity helping the Ukrainians. If you are interested in modelling for this unique gift then please get in touch, I would appreciate any help on the photography, marketing and printing side too. All sizes welcome.

Kevin Willis runs Chirton Grange, contact@chirtongrange.co.uk – 07725467263