Taxi Driver Online

Two taxi drivers have joined forces in a bid to keep a taxi office open in Bradford on Avon after their employer was taken over by a Bath firm.

Drivers Mike Brigham, 54, and Terry Chivers, 50, who work for Ashley Cars, have taken over the lease of the call centre in Station Approach, and will run it independently, to keep the office open and manned for the forseeable future.

Abbey Taxis, based in Bath, which has taken over Ashley Cars, wanted to take over the lease of the building and put in a freephone, meaning it would not be manned and could close after the year-long lease ran out.

Mr Chivers said: “To close the local office is total madness, sometimes you have to put the needs of the local community before profit.

“So many people come from the nearby doctors’ surgery knowing they can wait for a taxi, and have a friendly chat and a cup of tea.

“Then you have the younger end of the customer base who come in on the last train at midnight knowing they can wait in safety for a taxi.”

Following the two drivers’ successful bid for the lease, the office will continue to be manned from 7am to midnight on weekdays, except Friday and Saturday, when it will be open until 2am.

John Innerd, chairman of Abbey Cars, based in Bath, said the office would still have been there in the short term if they had won the bid for the lease.

He said: “The facility would still be there to call a taxi from the office, but we didn’t know whether the office would be secure enough to house a computer, so we were a bit unsure how we were going to manage it.

“The taxi drivers just resent the fact that Abbey has taken over the company.”

He insisted his firm remain committed to providing a good service for Bradford,.

The Abbey taxi firm, which has 180 cars, started out in Bath in 1971. They have taken on the employment of the five drivers with Ashley Cars, who they are in training to work the firm’s latest technology installed in all cabs.

Another four have also been recruited since the takeover.

Mr Innerd added: “Bradford has been under-provided for a long time with taxis and hopefully we can resolve that problem.

“We have already brought in a new data system and we have employed and trained more people over the last 12 months in preparation for our expansion.

“We are well-known and have a good reputation which we want to maintain and carry on in Bradford on Avon.”

In the long term, the owner of the office, Warren Jones of Sires Property, has secured planning permission to demolish it and replace it with a new building for a gym. The plans also include a separate mobile building, which the taxi firm can continue to operate from.

Building work is not expected to take place for another two years at least.



http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/46 ... t_fare___/

This happened here some years ago. The larger firm buys up all the small firms and closes all the offices down putting a button on the door so the customer can book a taxi. We went from lots of companies to 4 large companies and a few small ones. Gone are the local firms to each of the areas where customers and drivers knew each other, but, that's what they call progress

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

I wish them well, big isn't always beautiful.

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IDFIMH

What i have found about big companies is that they lose interest in the things that matter rank space,taxi numbers,drivers attitude.As long as they keep getting there fees then to hell with everything else.Good luck to theses guys.

You certainly hit the nail on the head with big companies. They have no regard whatsoever for their drivers. The company I work for don't even ask anymore why a driver is leaving. The chaps who own the circuit I work from avoid the drivers at all costs they're only interested in getting their weekly settle.

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!