Taxi Driver Online

Taxi boss hopes office will provide a safe haven





A taxi boss hopes plans to open an office close to the heart of the city's club land will stop people having to queue up late at night and provide revellers with a safer way of getting home.

Mark Streeter, the owner of Courtesy Taxis based in Whiffler Road, Norwich, has applied for a change of use from offices to a taxi firm at an empty building in Prince of Wales Road as part of a bid to provide a safe haven for youngsters waiting to get a taxi home.

The proposal, which will also see marshals usher people to cabs, follows the launch of a pilot scheme in Tombland earlier this month to provide taxi marshals to supervise queues of people waiting for Hackney carriages which attracted more than 400 clients in the first two nights it was operational.

Three months ago Mr Streeter failed in his bid to turn premises in Rose Lane from offices into a taxi hire company, after a number of people expressed fears about potential antisocial behaviour and an increase in noise.

But Mr Streeter said today: “I'm more confident this time because we have addressed the issues brought up by the planning committee.

“What I'm trying to do is get a taxi office in the city centre that's safe for people to wait in.

“I have a proposed taxi booking system that works like Argos. Customers will get a ticket and when that number flashes up there will be a taxi waiting outside, which marshals will take the people to.”

Julian Foster, chairman of Central Norwich Citizens' Forum, said he and partners including the police, were developing a strategy to allow the night-time economy not only to thrive and be successful, but also be safe, particularly for young and vulnerable people.

He said: “When occasional trouble occurs on the streets at night, it is predominately at 'hot-spots' outside fast food takeaway premises and offices of private hire car firms, mainly because of the amount of time that large numbers of largely young people are forced to wait to be served food and for hire cars to take them home.

“Since the introduction of the pilot scheme it has already proved to be spectacularly successful having, on the first two nights of operation, attracted over 400 clients and the general approval of the police and the public who have been reassured that they are safer in the city centre as a result of it.

“The premises that have now become available to Mr Streeter at 58, Prince of Wales Road not only offer office space upstairs from which to control his car hire business but also, on the ground floor, adequate waiting room space for his customers and toilet facilities.

“In the longer term it would be our hope that we could persuade all private hire car firms in the city centre to voluntarily adopt similar facilities and practices.”

Earlier this year, Mr Streeter introduced a pioneering taxi voucher scheme whereby family members or friends of young people can order vouchers in denominations from 50p to £20. The vouchers are sent recorded delivery to the recipient and can be handed to a Courtesy taxi driver instead of cash either for the full fare or part of it.

Any comments or objections on Mr Streeter's application for a change of use should be formally lodged by November 12. Write to Planning Services, Norwich City Council, City Hall, Norwich NR2 1NH or email planning@norwich.gov.uk

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