There can't be many organisations like Eltham's Mayday Cars.  The company has a uniquely relaxed feel - and you can trace that right back to the friendly and affable company owner, Ian Andrews.

When asked about the Mayday approach to business, Ian has a simple explanation: "We try to run a family-oriented company," he says (Ian's son Steven works in the office too).  "We are Eltham-based, and we try to look after local people.  We have a lot of respect for our customers."

To illustrate that point, one touching example we hear suggests the feeling is mutual.  "We had an elderly lady who was a regular customer of ours for a number of years," Ian explains.  "Unfortunately she recently died, and we sent some flowers to her funeral.  The family sent us a lovely card, thanking us for looking after her and getting her home safely so many times."

It is just one of several examples which show the personal way this company is run.  "You should see this place at Christmas," Dispatcher Sue Hodge continues.  "The office is full up with presents from customers: bottles of wine, and crates of beer.  It's brilliant."  Having turned up shortly before the festive period, it seems we scheduled our visit at the wrong time!

And this spirit of goodwill extends to the drivers, too.  "We try to offer a friendly service to everyone; to the drivers that sometimes means helping out if they are struggling with the rent," says Ian.  It seems the gesture is appreciated: "New drivers often ask if we have any vacancies for family or friends.  We have five drivers from one family - and some come from as far away as Ilford," he continues.

So what is the secret recipe for driver happiness?  Sue insists Mayday's unique feel is key: "The atmosphere here is a huge part of it," she explains.  "There's just nowhere else like it."

But of course what could be better for drivers than a computer system built from the ground up around the needs of drivers?  This is where Auriga comes in, with its 'next generation' Evocab Data Dispatch system, and mobile PDA units for the drivers.

"I chose PDAs because I wanted to give the drivers their freedom," says Ian.  "I'm old school, and I want the drivers to be able to get out of the car and have a laugh together.  Now, when the weather is nice they can sit in the park and read a paper while they wait for a job."

A recipe for disaster?  Not so, with Auriga managing operations: "The great thing about Auriga's PDAs is that they have this timer, so the system holds the job for two minutes, and then if the driver isn't back in the car, they lose the job."

This ingenious feature is called 'Policed Out of Car', and Ian couldn't be happier: "It's the perfect solution because it means I can give my drivers that freedom, but our customer service never drops."

Another big plus of the PDAs is the ease of fitting: "With a PDA, new drivers can be working in minutes, which makes life so much easier for us," Ian explains.

And the final consideration was cost: "We have to pay for the data the PDAs send, but the system pays for itself in the reductions we've made with our radio set-up.  Plus, with GPRS we get wider coverage, so cars can stay in contact for airport work," says Ian.

The result of all this technology is an incredibly driver friendly system.  "The great thing about Evocab is that it's so fair," Ian explains.  "At the end of the day I run a report to check the drivers' earnings - and they are always all within around £10 of each other.  The drivers know it's a level playing field here."

Having recently upgraded to Auriga's Evocab system, Ian is currently enjoying the range of features offered by the new equipment:  "The new system has stopped a lot of the cheating, and life in the office is easier with the new Advanced Caller ID, which speeds up bookings.  The fact you can process £5,000 worth of account work, and print out all your invoices in under 15 minutes is great."

Sue picks up the reins again: "Auriga's Help Desk have always been excellent," she insists.  "Our GPS had a problem one weekend, but we called them and they had it back on within 30 seconds."

"We are very happy with our decision to upgrade to Evocab," Ian agrees.  "We wanted to stay with Auriga because I have always had good service, and with the new system it was important that I knew things would be done right."

Having grown to 60 cars, this is a company which is well established, and happy with its place in the world.  "We could certainly grow, and the system would allow it, but we're happy where we are," concludes Ian.  "We want to keep the company family-oriented.  I wouldn't want 150 drivers and not know any of them; I prefer to have 60 drivers, know them all, and earn a decent living."