| Taxi Driver Online http://taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/ |
|
| Plymouth council backs taxi bus service http://taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7560 |
Page 1 of 1 |
| Author: | JD [ Tue Dec 25, 2007 2:10 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Plymouth council backs taxi bus service |
December 21, 2007 Friday Evening Herald Council backs 'taxibus' service Private hire firm Taxifast will run a ground-breaking 'taxibus' service across the north of Plymouth in the New Year after landing a £658,000 council contract. The firm has this week ordered six new Hackney black cabs and two buses so it can deliver what it says will be 'a local bus service to the northern industrial estates'. Taxifast managing director Simon Hirst said this would mean picking up passengers from "Belliver to Crownhill, Southway to Estover" from the end of January. He said: "It's going to be fantastic, and do something major for the north of the city." The firm has yet to decide on fares, but says it hopes the project will be similar to, and match the success of, the taxibus service it launched in St Budeaux just over a year ago. For a flat-rate £1, or £1.50 return, passengers will be able to get on a taxibus anywhere along the route of St Budeaux's 'high-frequency' 10-minute service. Taxifast said the service had blossomed from carrying 78 passengers a week to 1,500, the vehicles' total maximum capacity. The new 'Urban Bus Challenge Northern Corridor' service will be called Northern Connect, and cover about 25 per cent of the city. The contract was awarded by Plymouth City Council. The decision was made by Cllr Glenn Jordan, Cabinet member for healthy communities and leisure, under delegated powers. The deal also includes transporting 'non-urgent' patients to Derriford Hospital by bus, for which Taxifast will work jointly with local firm Target Travel. The project has been funded by £342,000 from the Department of Transport's Urban Bus Challenge Grant and £316,000 from various Section 106 and developer contributions. The decision to allow the taxibuses does not affect the council's limit of 360 black cabs operating in the city. In January 2007, the council decided that the cap should be retained but additional licences could be issued 'upon evidence of the need to establish specific dedicated taxibus services... where need cannot be met from existing hackney carriage licences'. The same council report said the authority had decided a maximum of 20 such licences could be issued. The report, which went to Cabinet last month, said there had been 'a decline in economic activity in the western parts of the city' and residents there had sought jobs in northern business and industrial estates. However, it said jobseekers found bus services infrequent or even non-existent, and firms found it hard to recruit and retain staff. Taxifast chairman John Preece said: "The taxibuses should provide the passenger with a very good service." The Derriford bus project would replace the hospital car service, he said, and also take the pressure off the emergency services. _______________________ |
|
| Page 1 of 1 | All times are UTC [ DST ] |
| Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group http://www.phpbb.com/ |
|