Taxi Driver Online

'Let's return it to former glory': Businessman acquires taxi firm Street Cars

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/168322 ... reet-cars/


Street Cars offices in Maiden Street, Weymouth (Image: Dorset Echo)

A WEYMOUTH taxi firm has changed hands.

Ian Ferguson, who owns both Weyline Taxis and Bee Cars, has purchased Street Cars, which have offices in Maiden Street.

Mr Ferguson confirmed the move during an interview with the Echo.

He said: “I have come to an arrangement to purchase Street Cars and as of next month (September) I will be the official operator.”

Street Cars will keep its name, but Mr Ferguson aims to return it to its ‘former glory’.

He explained: “It’s not always been a bad firm, but I want to get it back to being a viable and safe option for passengers.”

He added that the offices in Maiden Street will undergo a six-week refurbishment, but phones will still be answered and the firm will continue to operate all over the borough.

Although this acquisition means Mr Ferguson will own three of the town’s taxi firms, he says he does not own a monopoly, with taxi firms, including Fleetline and Nicky’s Taxis, still operating in the area.

He also said that there are still plenty of private hire operators.

“In this game it’s very difficult to grow organically, so growth by acquisition is the only viable option” he added.

Mr Ferguson first moved to Weymouth in 2009 and has been working in the taxi business for 37 years.

He says he is responsible for bringing automated dispatch systems to Weymouth taxis, which he introduced five years ago.

“The system we use can dispatch five cars in the space of two minutes.

“We track every vehicle and can play a journey back on our link" he said.

Since introducing this dispatch system Weyline and Bee Cars have completed more than half a million jobs.

Mr Ferguson is also Vice Chairman of Weymouth BID.

He said: “I live in Weymouth and am committed to the town as a business owner and member of the community. We at Weyline have always worked very closely with charity organisations and provide a taxi to and from the homeless bus shelter. I like to think I am doing my bit.”

Pretty thin story this unless you know the Weymouth trade well, but what was maybe odd is the number of comments on the website for a local piece like this - almost 40 at the time of writing.

And amid the normal comments about local competition and fare levels, parking outside PH offices, the taxi/PH confusion, and Uber, according to several contributors the office has a licence to sell alcohol, which could be sold to punters on their way home from pubs and clubs at 'sillyoclock' in the morning. Which is certainly a new one on me - I thought a cab office would be the LAST place to be granted a licence to serve alcohol

And if anyone's wondering about the anonymous look of the office in the photo, I had a look on Google (as you do at 5am ) and seems that the window stickers have been taken out, so at other times it's clearly looked more like a conventional cab office.

But in the context of selling alcohol, perhaps interesting that apart from the firm's name and phone number, the largest lettering in the window display is 'WE SELL CIGARETTES '

So 'WE SELL CIGARETTES' obviously more important than:

'COMPETITIVE RATES 24/7'

'DRIVERS WANTED WITH OR WITHOUT OWN VEHICLE'

'LADY DRIVERS UPON REQUEST'

'MULTISEATER AND WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VEHICLES'

“The system we use can dispatch five cars in the space of two minutes.

I can do that in ONE minute using good old fashioned two way radio as long as the drivers are listening and i don't have to repeat each jop 3 times

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

That has got to be a misquote surely?

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IDFIMH

It does looks the scruffiest and most unwelcoming taxi office I've ever seen.

No wonder the new owner says it's not always been bad.

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IDFIMH

well he's promised a refurbishment

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