Taxi Driver Online

More idiot ramblings from politicians. They use cabs because they are cheaper than buses or coaches, and easier to manage.

£798.30 trip from Wick to Inverness highlighted as ScotRail is taken to task over taxi costs

https://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/ne ... il-422742/

Scotland’s publicly owned train operator has been taken to task over the “extraordinary” sums spent on taxis when rail services are cancelled or delayed – notably a bill of almost £800 for a road trip from Wick to Inverness.

Figures obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats show that since ScotRail was taken into government hands in 2022 more than £20,000 a month on average has gone on taxis and private hire firms for providing replacement transport options.

Freedom of information requests by the party revealed that just over £840,000 was spent in this way between April 2022 and September 2025.

During that time the single most expensive journey was a fare of £798.30 from Wick to the Highland capital by an eight-seater taxi, calling at all stops in between for passengers whose train had been cancelled.

That figure was first reported in December 2022, almost nine months after ScotRail services had been brought into public ownership. The train operator is run by an arm’s-length company set up and owned by the Scottish Government.

Overall expenditure on taxis and private hire vehicles across that period of three years and five months came to £840,013.01.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats’ transport spokesperson Jamie Greene said: “This is an extraordinary amount of money for nationalised ScotRail to have spent on taxis since the government assumed control. It’s supposed to be a railway company, not a taxi firm.

“These funds should be going towards lowering fares and investing in modern trains, carriages and station upgrades.

“If we want people to choose rail over private cars, commuters need a reliable, high-quality service. The Scottish Government must work with ScotRail to reduce its dependence on costly and inefficient replacement transport and provide the standard of rail service that taxpayers and passengers deserve.”

David Green, the Liberal Democrats’ candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross at the 2026 Holyrood election, said: “Too many passengers have been left frustrated while hundreds of thousands of pounds have been wasted – money that should have gone towards lower fares and better services.

“If the Scottish Government truly wants people to switch from cars to rail, it must provide a reliable, high-quality service. That is the basic standard people expect.”

Lib Dem candidate David Green: ‘Too many passengers have been left frustrated while hundreds of thousands of pounds have been wasted.’Lib Dem candidate David Green: ‘Too many passengers have been left frustrated while hundreds of thousands of pounds have been wasted.’
Jamie Stone, the Lib Dem MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, said: “Quite apart from the fact that cancelled or late train services run up these taxi costs, these service failures damage public confidence in the services themselves – and this will lead to reduced passenger numbers as travellers seek more reliable transport such as road travel.

“This in turn reduces the viability of rail services and does nothing for any green agenda.”

Phil Campbell, ScotRail’s customer operations director, said: “ScotRail is absolutely committed to providing the best possible service for our customers, and we have an obligation to help people get to where they need to be when trains are unable to operate.

“The use of taxis as alternative transport is a measure of last resort which we only use when we are unable to get people to their destination by rail, replacement bus, or through ticket acceptance on other public transport.

“We know how much of an inconvenience it is when travel plans have to be changed due to planned maintenance or unforeseen emergencies, and we will continue to keep delivering for our customers when that happens.”

Other expensive rail-replacement taxi journeys included one from Glasgow to Chester which cost £721 and another from Glasgow to Liverpool at £706.85.

Mr Greene, an MSP for the West Scotland region, added: “Scottish Liberal Democrats are determined to deliver a public transport network that serves every community, supports all age groups and helps tackle the climate emergency.

“That’s why we are calling for ScotRail to be redesigned around passengers’ needs, with flexible two or three-day-a-week season tickets and joint work between government and councils to explore new rail lines and stations.”

_________________
IDFIMH

The LibDems were moaning about that £798.30 run almost exactly three years ago...

And Sussex was moaning about the LibDems moaning back then as well

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=39112&p=423378

Speaking as someone who now drives rail replacement buses, what on earth do they expect to pay? I don't know what the mileages are for those journeys. don't the Libdems realise that the cab has to go back to its area and that has to be paid for. The cost of a replacement bus would probably be about the same, but will take more people. But, bus drivers are covered by law on the hours they can drive either on tacho or domestic drivers hours. On domestic hours it must not be a route of more than 50km; the way round that is to split the journey into under 50km lengths, and all that is IF there's a driver and bus available.

One of my regular runs recently has been Dartford or Gravesend to Gillingham, a route of about 25miles/40km, not including the dead journey from the depot near the Sheppey Crossing. I don't know what my employer get for such a run on a planned replacement basis, but I'd guess between £400 and £500. My wages not including employer NI, annual leave entitlement etc is between £100 and £120 for a 4 hour duty. So that leaves the employer maybe £250 to cover running costs and overheads. As for passenger numbers on that service, I usually take a 35 seat wheelchair accessible low floor bus. Most nights I get an average of 4 passengers, about £100 a passenger. Some nights there's nobody but it still has to run. Whether or not the passengers have a valid rail ticket is not my problem, chances are most don't. The fare for that sort of journey by train is around £14. Oh, and if it's an emergency rail replacement, such as a derailment, person under a train etc. we get an extra £50 call-our for e-rail. Most coaches and buses expect to get £700-£800 a day for their services.

Maybe I should contact the Lidbdems and put them wise to the cost of running buses.

I've just looked up those journeys, Inverness to wick via the direct road is about 130 miles. Serving every station involves 3 large loops away from the coast. I reckon they'd add another 80 miles or more to the journey. Google maps reckons 3 hours for the direct route, the train journey is 4hr 14 minutes, the replacment bus would take longer. so not do-able with 1 driver in a day's work, drive time is 9 hours maximum. Liverpool and Chester, about 250 miles from Glasgow with a 4 hour journey time. So on those journeys the cab driver is just about getting his £1 a mile. Nice fare if you can get it.

Maybe if Scotrail, like all the other train operating companies had invested in train drivers over the years they wouldn't be so short of staff.