Taxi Driver Online

April 9, 2008 Wednesday

24-HOUR BUS BID

Bournemouth Echo

A NEW night bus service is to be launched in Bournemouth in a bid to reinvigorate the night-time economy.

Wilts and Dorset will start running the 24-hour bus service in June, taking clubbers and pub-goers from Gervis Place to Poole, Charminster and through Boscombe to the Iford roundabout.

But the move has dismayed taxi drivers, who know they will not be able to compete on price with bus fares.

Ashley Miller, chair of Bournemouth Taxi and Private Hire Joint Committee, warned it could decimate trade and put some drivers out of work.

"This will affect the taxi trade big time," he said.

"We are struggling as it is at the moment and Saturday night is really the only time anyone makes any money.

"We are reliant on holidaymakers and people going to restaurants and bars in town. If they're not doing that, it hits us really hard.

"With the night bus you can expect a lot of people out of work. They won't be able to afford to run their cabs."

The night buses will run every half-hour on Friday and Saturdays and are set to run from June to December.

Bournemouth council and Wilts and Dorset will review take-up and decide if the scheme should be permanent.

Bournemouth's night-time economy has been going through a tough time lately, with the smoking ban, cheap supermarket alcohol and tight financial climate all blamed for falling visitor numbers.

The launch of the night bus is designed to help address that issue while also promoting the benefits of public transport.

Bournemouth council is subsidising local routes and Wilts and Dorset is funding the service to Poole.

James Duncan, transportation services manager at Bournemouth council, said: "By the end of December, it should be clear how successful it is.

"If it's as successful as we all hope it will be, we can look at having it on other nights as well."

Conservative Cllr Robert Lawton, cabinet member with responsibility for transport, said: "I'm quite excited that this will turn out to be an extremely beneficial service to people across the borough."
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GBC will know Selkirk well, but he will not be able to get a drink there from a pubs as they have all closed all six of them for good, due to the smoking ban, the only good thing thats come out of it is there are now more runs to and from Selkirk.
They have a population of about 6k and have a good bus service throughout the day but the last bus to go there is at 10.30 PM.
Our council was thinking of starting a night service at weekends covering a 10 mile radius with 2 double Decker's but First bus said no thank god

It fecked us in Edinburgh

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Bristol has had night buses for about 4 yrs now. We were also concerned of the amount of work the buses would take from the taxi trade. The buses are still running, but due to the grief the weekend revellers cause on the buses, First Group will only supply buses for the "better areas" of Bristol."leave the rubbish to the taxi driver"First Group has also the is added cost of bus marshells to control the drunks. good luck to them i'd rather drive a taxi with 5 people than a bus of 52 P***heads

London's had night buses for longer than I've ever been driving, and it has'nt had any great affect on my work.

How can I put it? .................. The folks who travel on the mobile big red drunk tanks are'nt the sort of people who would use a Taxi anyway. As there behaviour gets worse, more decent people will use taxi's.