Taxi Driver Online

It all started with a little white car with a blue line around it.

Today, Blueline the North East’s largest taxi service — but it’s still got the same family at its heart.


The company began in 1958, in Woolley Street, in Wallsend, when former tobacconists Colin and Audrey Shanks started offering lifts to neighbours, naming the endeavour after the distinctive look of their little Morris motor.

The couple passed their small business on to their three children, Jane, Paul and Ian, who saw it grow and grow.

The world of taxi drivers has seen some dramatic changes since the days of that blue-lined car, and the family have had to adapt their operation from the days when clients would wait for lifts in Audrey’s living room while Colin made his way back from his last job.

Today, Blueline’s Wallsend office has something reminiscent of an international spy hub: huge screens cover the walls, plotting the exact location of each car on neatly divided interactive maps of the region.

Becca Sykes in the control room
Becca Sykes in the control room (Photo: newcastle chronicle)
I visit on a quiet afternoon, but at peak times, the office is filled with call handlers, directing drivers to their closest client.

The company has around 850 cars on its books, and since the self-employed drivers pick their own working hours — paying a fee to use the Blueline system and name — it’s possible they could have that many people waiting for work at any given time.

Manager Ben Bell (another family member - son of Jane and nephew to Ian and Paul) explains the detailed online system which ensures the fairest possible distribution of jobs among drivers: each new pickup is offered on a first come first served basis to any drivers currently based in the same map section as the client - if they turn down the job, it’s offered to the second person who arrived, and so on.

If there’s no car currently sat in that area, the computer calculates which available car is the shortest drive away from the customer.

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

and led to millions of pounds wasted in stupid court cases, cross border offices - and ultimately being scr*wed by uber

hahaha

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

TLDR, you won the challenge