Taxi Driver Online

Bullies won’t stop me
Jul 4 2007 by Dawn Collinson, Liverpool Echo

Dawn Collinson meets the woman-only taxi boss who’s fighting back against intimidation to run her dream company

When Jaci Scott decided to get her own women-driver taxi company on the road, she had no idea of the backlash she was about to unleash.

In the space of six weeks, she had her offices petrol bombed twice, her own cab smashed twice and sand poured into her petrol tank to put her out of action.

But Jaci, from Kirkdale, was determined not to let the bullies close her business before it even started.

“It’s been a nightmare,” she says, “but this is my dream and no-one’s going to stop me.

“I’ve felt like packing it all in a hundred times and I’ve been a nervous wreck, terrified for my family. But I’ve never retaliated, I’ve just kept my head down and kept going.”

The 47-year-old former landlady came up with the idea for Liver Birds taxis when she was running The Medlock pub in Kirkdale.

“When I had the pubs and my teenage girls were growing up I was forever running people home, picking them up and making sure they got back safely,” says Jaci.

“I wouldn’t go out if my girls were out at weekends and on New Year’s Eve I’d make sure I was always on hand to give people lifts.

“Then when I had The Medlock it was a locals’ pub and it was often hard to get taxis to take home my older regulars so I’d take some of them myself at the end of the night. In January and February when the pub was quiet, I thought I’d go on the taxis to boost my income.

“Within a few months I realised I could earn as much money without the pressures of running a pub, so I stayed with it. And I had such positive feedback from passengers saying ‘a lady driver, isn’t that nice’ and how much safer they felt. I realised there was a market for a firm with only women cab drivers.”

Eighteen months ago, armed with her idea, mum-of-three Jaci approached a recruitment agency and was put in touch with Train 2000 who helped her to build a business plan.

“Then I was introduced to Merseyside Special Investment who loaned me some money to start up, and Sefton Invest who gave me a grant,” she says.

“I was going to take Liver Birds to the little firm I worked for, but that didn’t happen so I ended up finding my own premises and starting from scratch.”

A former taxi office in Bootle seemed like the ideal base, but when Jaci applied for planning permission and started contacting radio operators, that was when her problems began.

The first attack came in March, when a window of the office was smashed, petrol poured in and the foyer set alight.

“The damage was horrendous,” says Jaci. “We were half way through fitting it out, and it should have cost about £2,000, but it’s ended up costing more like £20,000. It’s absolutely wiped me out.

“Then just as we were getting things sorted, someone broke in and ransacked the place, pulling all the pipes and the tank out. The ceiling fell in and I had to do it all over again.

“Within weeks, I had my taxi smashed up twice outside my flat, and they forced open my petrol cap on Grand National weekend and poured sand into my tank so I couldn’t work.

“Eventually I got security in at the office, but they still smashed the window again with a screwdriver through the grille and squirted petrol in.

“It was then that the police got involved and we’ve had no trouble since.”

Jaci admits the intimidation was almost enough to make her quit, but the good experiences she’d had in setting up Liver Birds outweighed the bad.

“The journey’s been exciting if nothing else,” she smiles, “and I’ve met lovely people along the way. I’ve realised the city is basically made up of nice people, and there are just a few nasty ones out there.”

With Liver Birds up and running this week, Jaci now has security cameras installed in the offices and all cars.

Now, she says, she can look forward to the business growing and filling a gap for Liverpool passengers.

“We’re starting off small, but we’ve got wheelchair accessible taxis, a limo and minibus and we’re actively recruiting more women drivers. All I’m doing is giving the city a choice and, if everything goes well, we hope to have 30 Liver Birds cars by Christmas.”

Call Liver Birds taxis on 0151 933

A month? two?

A pink lady told me they had plans to start up in Manchester and they have 18 vehicles operating in Warrington.

Perhaps the business has been turned around?

In respect of this thread the lady in question didn't deserve the intimidation she got from these scum.

Regards

JD

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Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.

give it a chance, 3 or 4 months maybe, it doesn't work

JD's quite correct, we should'nt make light of what's happened.

But............... Does'nt it all sound very familiar in a certain former posters world??

Next thing the TX2 will transform into a saloon............

Or a salon.

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IDFIMH

The hassle is bang out of order. However,



Isn't this sexual discrimination?

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

I have made a few inquiries today, I actually know the people that own the premises that she rents, and I also know the company that used to work from them, after speaking to quite a lot of the people in the know in the Sefton cab trade, the outcome was that this is the first anybody has ever heard of this lady having any problems, which seems mighty strange, I would suggest that whoever she is having problems with are from her own circle of acquaintances.?

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

Yes, the article did seem a bit strange, but no more strange than your implication that you've spoken to everyone in the trade who could have known what was going on

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

I think she's telling porkies JD.
This is from a post on a local forum Warrington Worldwide


I;ve just received the Administrators 6 month report on the case of Pink Ladies Ltd in Administration.

As we all know the Directors of Pink Ladies Ltd bought back the assets of their old Company for £11750 before other interested parties had the opportunity to bid and improve the offer.

What the report now reveals is that a deal was struck whereby these Directors (Dutton and Winders) would pay this sum of £11750 in 8 equal instalments of £1468.

And guess what. They have up to know... 6 months later , paid only £2389, and the Administrators have appointed solicitors to take proceedings in order to recover the debt in full.

Wonder if Warrington Pink Ladies will now put themselves into Administration?? Would seem a good proven strategy.

Anyway, the Administrators fees totalled £28,500 and so far they have only been able to pay themselves £1500.

So not only did Pink Ladies stuff all their Franchisees, they also managed to stuff the Administrators. Cant say I feel sorry for the Administrators though after the way they sold the Company back to Winders and Dutton when ex-Franchisees were wanting to be considered in the bidding process.

But it just goes to demonstrate further the business ethics of these 2 ladies.
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As far as i can tell they have 4-5 operating in Warrington, it certainly isnt 18!!

You must live a very secluded life

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

As sefton has quite a number of polish drivers , whos grasp of the english laungauge, is even worse than mine . It must be a very clever man, who is able to speak to them. streetcars

I think the Lady, is exaggerating any problems, she has had.

Any sympathetic publicity, can get can only help.
streetcars

I know of none that are driving a Hackney. and according to the licensing offers there are only two or three Polish private hire drivers, and Two of them drive in Southport.... if you can provide evidence that is different I would appreciate it.. personally I think you are mistakenly thinking of all the Asian drivers in Liverpool, two-to-three months ago one particular city cab was stopped by a number of Sefton drivers,, he kept approaching people on the street in Sefton asking if they wanted a taxi, which the drivers did not appreciate, on closer examination they noticed that the picture on his badge did not correspond with his face, he went away with the police, and the cab was collected by someone else.

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

The boss of Delta ,has asked the licensing department . He says, they say twelve. by the end of the year, there will be alot more.
If thats a good thing or a bad thing, depends on your point of veiw . For a operator like you, it must be like cristmas, coming early. Streetcars