Express Taxis acquires Apollo Taxis in Maidstone to create a 400-vehicle firm in bid to battle Uber threat
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent-busin ... at-342187/
Two taxi companies have united to create one of the county’s biggest operations - a move designed to help them tackle the threat posed by Uber.
Maidstone-based Express Taxis has acquired Apollo Taxis - with the new firm now boasting a fleet of almost 400 vehicles.
Although Uber, the app-based ride-hailing firm, has yet to get a licence to operate in the County Town, the new combined operation say it cannot ignore the threat “on the horizon”.
Tom Veitch, who previously ran Apollo, explained to KentOnline: “Uber doesn’t care about local people or businesses - they’re just there to swallow everything up.
“We wanted to make sure that we can compete and survive. So we can keep on offering a local service to the community.
“We were both doing well before we joined together, but what’s on the horizon is unprecedented so it was about making sure there's still a local service.
“My understanding is we're now the biggest in Kent. That should hopefully give us a decent fight against a global corporation like Uber.”
All operations have been moved to Express Taxis’ offices in Upper Stone Street, while phone numbers are being diverted into a centralised call centre.
The company, which stretches into Malling, also says it is looking at expanding out towards Ashford in the future.
Tom Veitch retains a role at the enlarged firm - with a focus now on business development.