Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers' anger over mobile phone network collapse


Taxi driver Frank Jones is frustrated by the lack of Vodaphone signal in WorthingTaxi driver Frank Jones is frustrated by the lack of Vodaphone signal in Worthing

Taxi drivers are missing out on jobs after mobile phone coverage collapsed and stopped them getting calls.

A fault at the base station for Worthing has left Vodafone with a fluctuating signal that has caused havoc for cabbies because the mobile system used to dispatch jobs for drivers is reliant on Vodafone coverage.

Frank Jones, a taxi driver for A2B Taxis in the town, said: “It has been a total nightmare regarding getting jobs for work as we can only work if our PDA mobile devices dispatch us a job.

“The only other way we pick up jobs is if the office phones us with work, but with a potential of fifty cars on the circuit at weekends it is impossible really.”

A2B Taxis has swapped over to T-Mobile to try to solve the issue.

Vodafone’s engineers have been working on the site for the past two week, but despite new equipment being delivered to the site, a further issue was highlighted which delayed the restoration of normal service.

A Vodafone UK spokesman said: “We would like to apologise to our customers in parts of Worthing that have recently been affected by a loss of coverage. We are aiming to restore coverage as soon as possible.”

Despite the 2G service being partially restored, allowing customers to make some outgoing calls, broadband and 3G remain down.

This has caused Mr Jones further problems with his other business – oldfootballprogrammes.co.uk, a company that buys and sells old football matchday programmes.

He added: “It is very sad really when you think I’ve spent more than £6,000 over the last few years, paying up to £180 a month.

“I just feel like I’m a number not a customer anymore and Vodafone need to get a grip as they are not the cheapest.

“I only stayed with the service because of habit really – it’s a gutter service now.”

Vodafone said it believed it had solved the issue last night but was continuing to monitor the situation.

If any customers experience problems, they are urged to contact their network provider.

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10365076 ... _collapse/

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

That's what you get when you run a Cab Firm on a mobile phone network.