Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers fear new late buses could affect their trade


A late-night bus service linking the city centre with Royal Preston Hospital could hit the taxi trade.

Stagecoach will run post-midnight services from the hospital via Deepdale and Plungington and from the city centre to Moor Nook from next month.

Earlier Sunday morning services will also run from the city to Sherwood Asda for Royal Preston Hospital workers.

But the city's private hire taxi firms told of their fears the changes could hit income.

Some drivers have told the Evening Post they are already struggling, especially during the week, because of the effects of the recession on the city's once booming pub and club trade.

Gordon Riding, operations director at Miller Citax, North Road, Preston, said: "It probably will hit us but we don't know how yet until it starts. We have got the free phones in the hospital so we will be able to gauge it. We will have to keep an eye on it."

Alan Hill, driver and operator at AB Cabs in Moorbrook Street, Preston, said: "It is going to hit the hackney cabs as well as the private hire.
"We will be checking on it."

But Mark Selley, secretary of the Preston Hackney Carriage Association (PHCA), said: "Drivers were very worried about it. But they were more concerned that the late Longridge service running at 4am was going to be replicated in all directions."

The new timetable will be introduced by Stagecoach from March 22.

Later evening services will run to Moor Nook, as well as 11.45pm and 12.15am services from the Royal Preston Hospital to Preston via Deepdale and Plungington Road.

A midnight Preston to Lea service will continue to run.

Chris Bowles, managing director of Stagecoach North West, said: "Yes, we are a business but we are not going out to deliberately filch taxi drivers' trade. We have been running late buses to Penwortham and Longridge for some time now.

"I can't believe two late night journeys are going to affect taxi drivers' livelihoods."

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

To be fair we have late night buses here and whilst it has had a small impact on our trade it is nowhere near what we thought it would be. It tends to attract the kind of people you don't want in your taxi anyway. As far as I know it's a minimal fare so it saves them getting into HC or PH and not having enough to pay at the end.

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

They stopped here as soon as the funding ran out....drivers didnt want to drive them, and the police didnt want to sit in them.

CC

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

They just gave them more funding here. I can't blame them though it's like deadheadsville here of a weekend

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Same here as soon as the councils money ran out no more buses, if the punters were too drunk they sent them to the rank anyway

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Life? Don't talk to me about life!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjm2eslm6hI

It's just one those innit. Perhaps it depends on the need to clear the streets and get the deadheads offa them. I'm ashamed to say that animal nature is better behaved then human nature here at weekends as I'm sure it is in most towns and cities

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Its pretty bad here.

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

That would be because you are so close to Scotland

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Possibly

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

They are srill running round our way 4 years after the initial set up, they've got to be losing money because there's never a full bus, 3 out of the 4 buses are always running empty with no more than 4 passengers on board, how can they survive when they've got the drivers wages to pay, diesel etc etc.

They can't keep funding this loss making bus idea.

Since when did good financial sense come into council thinking?

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

If they are like our buses they will be subsidised so it won't matter if they are running at a loss. It's not costing them anything it's coming out of the rate payers pocket

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!