Taxi Driver Online

4 Jan 2008

Taxi Firm Hailed For Taking Over Bus Route

Campaigning OAPs have won their battle to get a vital bus link restored to
their neighbourhood.

Residents of Houghton's Dairy Lane estate complained at being left out on
a limb when an operator axed all services to the area for "commercial
reasons."

The move meant elderly people were left housebound or having to walk a
one-hour round trip to get their shopping, while some workers had hours
added to their day.

But bus companies remained firm that the route was not financially
sustainable.

After months of wrangling, Tyne and Wear transport executive Nexus
agreed to set up a service to carry passengers from both Dairy Lane and
Fence Houses into Houghton – and brought a taxi company in to run the
route.

The TB20 service, operated by Station Taxis, starts on Monday and
passengers will be able to hail the seven-seater bus at any point on its
route.

Bernard Garner, director general of Nexus, said: "The hail and ride nature
of the service makes it an easy service to catch on those streets that don't
have fixed stops."

He added: "This is a vital link for people in Houghton and Fence Houses,
which is why Nexus decided that there was a case for securing it through
subsidy."

The Taxi Bus scheme, the first of its kind in Sunderland, has already
proved a success in South Tyneside.

Councillor Joe Lawson, who represents Houghton and is responsible for
transport in Sunderland, said the scheme might be a good alternative if
bus companies "wouldn't play ball" elsewhere in the city.

He said most people would have preferred to see the return of a full bus
service and he was concerned about the number of passengers each taxi
could carry.

But he thought that once the service was up and running passengers
would be able to plan their journeys to avoid problems.

Edith Corney, 54, from Dunelm Drive on Dairy Lane Estate, who has
campaigned for a service to be returned, said: "Let's get it put on and see
what happens, but I just don't think it's going to be big enough.

"Obviously I appreciate people have worked very hard to get the service
on, but I just think Go North East has let people down all over the place.

"They've cut services left, right and centre and all because they said they
couldn't make enough profit."

The hail-and-ride service will run from 9.30am until about 5.30pm, taking
in Houghton Health Centre on Leyburn Grove, the centre of Houghton,
Dairy Lane, Fence Houses, Fence Houses Durham Street and back into
Houghton.

Station Taxis director, David Blyth, said: "We were aware from stories in
the local press that the residents in the area were left without a bus
service, so when we were approached by Nexus we were only too pleased
to step in and help."

Source: Sunderland Echo