Charlton Cars, London

Company Profile
Name	Charlton Cars
Address	46f Charlton Church Lane London SE7 7AB
Telephone	020 8855 3939
Website	www.charltoncars.com
About	Charlton Cars offers minicab services throughout South East London and surrounding areas. Our regular pick up areas include Charlton, Greenwich, Blackheath, Woolwich, Plumstead, Abbeywood, Thamesmead, Eltham, Lewisham, The Docklands, The City and The West End. So whether you require a local run, a long haul journey, an airport transfer or an executive car we can cater for your needs and will transport you safely to your destination in good time.

Eco-Friendly, Progressive - and Very Busy

There's green, and then there's green. And in this day and age of serious ecological considerations, one private hire company in South East London is actively seeking to reduce its carbon footprint, whilst further expanding and refining
its business: Charlton Cars.

This forward-thinking company was originally started in the 1960's but was taken over as a family run firm in 2000 with 20 drivers. Today they have a fleet of 70 vehicles and cover primarily the areas of Charlton, Greenwich and Blackheath, to the tune of some 5,000 journeys weekly. Joint managers Rizwan Ahmed (Operations, Accounts, rents and payroll) and Qasim Mirza (Sales, Marketing and Technical) have brought about some amazing changes, particularly over the last three years, with the solid aim of raising standards: they are LPHCA five-star graded, they have gained ISO9001 certification, and they have gone computerised in a big way, thanks to Cordic. More about that later.

We can send the nearest suitable vehicle to the job, cutting down on fuel costs and reducing our dead mileage. Drivers appreciate this as their fuel costs are kept lower and it maximises their earning potential

Here we have a company which has set out to offset its entire carbon footprint, by planting trees for the Woodland Trust. You may have heard of this initiative before; it holds a particular attraction for nature lovers, who have justifiably complained for decades about the reducing green belts and destruction of woodland in the name of progress. So the management of Charlton Cars decided to do something about it. On the 19th December several of their drivers went to Heartwood Forest near Sandridge, St Albans, and spent the day planting saplings in England's largest new woodland area. The Woodland Trust and the Heart of England Forest Project are able to calculate the amount of carbon a business creates, allowing them to offset the damage it does to the environment. The trust is a leading UK-wide drive to re-establish the nation's lost forests and endangered wildlife habitats. Charlton Cars' manager Qasim Mirza said: "We wanted to increase our business and along the way we decided we wanted to become environmentally-friendly as well as help save the planet. It also brings down costs at a time when petrol is at an all-time high."

I.T. = MORE ECO

Now then, about Charlton Cars going computerised... We'd best let Qasim take over here: "The installation of our Cordic cPAQ booking and despatch system has had a tremendous impact on our company, and the team at Cordic made the changeover so smooth. Every member of staff adapted easily and they were glad to see the back of paper dockets and the noisy radio.

mentioning the key features of our despatch system helped me close potential customers, and our sales constantly increase as we add on more available features. Our fleet has nearly tripled since we purchased the system

"Initially the drivers had many insecurities about the change from radio to computer, but after the XDAs were issued they also adapted very quickly and fears were laid to rest. "As the Marketing Manager at Charlton Cars I found that mentioning the key features of our despatch system helped me close potential customers, and our sales constantly increase as we add on more available features. Our fleet has nearly tripled since we purchased the system. "We have also recently purchased the iPhone application from Cordic and are planning a huge launch in the new year. This app is the best: customers can book, pay for and track their vehicles through their iPhone/iPad/iPod. We've projected a 25 per cent increase in sales by the middle of 2012 from this feature alone."

Now here's a twist: Cordic is also a big boost to Charlton Cars' eco-friendly efforts as well. As Qasim points out, "Another feature in the Cordic solution which helps to keep our emissions and fuel costs down is Closest- Cab Auto Despatch. We can send the nearest suitable vehicle to the job, cutting down on fuel costs and reducing our dead mileage. Drivers appreciate this as their fuel costs are kept lower and it maximises their earning potential."

As proof positive that other establishments are more than impressed by Charlton Cars' progressive development programme, currently around a quarter of their business is account work, and they have some pretty exciting contract
tenders out at present, including being shortlisted for the Media and Technical Officials Transport Services tender by LOCOG (the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games). Watch this space!

We'll leave the last word to Qasim, as it conveys precisely the mission statement of Charlton Cars: "We are working very hard to try and stay ahead of the industry, and at the same time play our part in sustaining the life of our planet. Plus
we are such a big part of people's everyday lives in the local community." That says it all, really... the next decade should be even more exciting for them. Check out their new state-of-the-art website for even more of an insight: www.charltoncars.com What about 2012? Bring it on!

 

 

Profile from Private Hire & Taxi Monthly, January 2012 www.phtm.co.uk

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