Taxi Driver Online

Aberdeen Evening Express

October 4, 2006 Wednesday

HEADLINE: Taxi firm bans bookings after five miss trains

BYLINE: Craig Walker

A Taxi firm is refusing to take bookings during rush hour because of massive roadworks in the city.

Rainbow City Taxi bosses made the decision after a customer missed his train. It was the fifth customer in 10 days who failed to make it to the railway station, leaving the firm to foot the bill.

Bosses have now decided that between 7.45am and 8.45am and 4.45pm and 5.45pm they will not take cash pre-bookings. They say the Market Street roadworks is causing chaos.

The move comes only weeks after the firm wrote to 600 account-holding clients to apologise for delays and to warn people to leave extra time.

Ray Burgess, who co-owns the Tullos-based firm with Russell McLeod, said: "We are not taking on any pre-booked cash hires during peak times. We've had people miss five trains in the last 10 days because of the roadworks and we've had to pay for them.

"If people call and we have a taxi nearby we will do our best. But this is costing us a fortune."

The Market Street roadworks began in July and are scheduled to last until December. The £2 million scheme is to replace the Victoria Bridge roundabout with traffic lights and put in cycle lanes as part of plans to pedestrianise Union Street by 2010.

Access is also being created for the £190 million Union Square shopping centre, being built at Guild Street. Local businesses have claimed that the works have affected business.

And earlier this week travellers arriving in Aberdeen at 5.30pm from the 10.30am London service were left waiting almost an hour for a taxi.

An Aberdeen City spokesman said: "We are sorry for any delay but these are major works involving a carriage closure and it is impossible to do the works without the carriageway closure."

cwalker@ajl.co.uk

Have you been stuck in the Market Street roadworks?

I try to avoid them, it's just dead slow and stop. I think it's ridiculous, I don't see why they can't do work like that during the hours of darkness.

Michael Bavidge , 53, taxi driver, city centre

I was delayed last week when I was walking from Kincorth to the end the of Market Street. Because of all the traffic I couldn't get across the road.

Dan Gillespie, 32, community carer, Alford

It's especially bad during rush hour, having to go a different way, trying to find different roads. It's a bit of an inconvenience.

Angelika Eberhard, , 45, regional manager, Cruden Bay

I was temping just off Market Street and it was an absolute nightmare. It got to the point where everyone was late getting to work.

Rachael Hamill, 22, credit controller, Summerhill
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All pre-booked train jobs must leave a minimum of 40mins to get there within the town, otherwise the base are told to say we cant guarantee they will catch the train.
We've had some problems here.

Not much gets my goat more than people who book their cars to the station late, then expect you to whizz there.

Of course I do put my foot down, and if by any chance they do miss their train, I'm very up-set for them.

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IDFIMH

I always ask what time the train departs, and offer a pick up time, and stick to it. If the passengers are late getting out of the house, they cannot say I didn't advise them to leave earlier.

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Former taxi driver

Happens all the time, they ask what time they should leave, you tell them and they take no notice and then get there late.
It's called dealing with the (thick) public.

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stressed controller!!!