The Northern Connection

Transport improvements along the Northern Corridor (the main route from Derriford into the city centre) have been given the thumbs up in a survey of regular travellers.
Last year the City Council invested around £2 million in a package of improvement works, developed using feedback from public consultation carried out in 2007.
Improvements included a £750,000 upgrade of the George park and ride site, new bus and cycle lanes, real time passenger information displays at bus stops, raised kerbs to help people get on and off buses, pedestrian crossing improvements and resurfacing works.
People travelling along the route were asked to evaluate the improvements through an online survey and the majority of respondents said they felt the works had had a positive impact on buses and bus users (70 per cent) and on taxis, motorbikes and scooters (63 per cent). Of the 146 people who responded, 83 per cent travel daily on the corridor.
The results of the survey show that the improvements appear to be benefitting bus lane users, with no negative impact on the travelling experience of motorists, cyclists or pedestrians.
The new bus lane outside Derriford Hospital, which connects with the bus lane on Derriford Road, has improved 63 per cent of bus users’ journeys to and from Derriford and 40 per cent of motorists reported that they would now consider using public transport to get to the hospital.
New digital messaging signs on the roadside and real time passenger information (RTPI) displays at bus stops were also well received. Sixty-nine per cent of taxi users, motorcyclists and scooter users said they found the messaging signs useful for planning their journeys and 81 per cent of bus passengers said they found the RTPI displays at bus stops useful.
Both bus passengers and motorists said the removal of some of the right hand turns off Outland Road had been effective but some felt that this needed to be better enforced and the Council is now looking to address this.
Only 13 cyclists and pedestrians completed the survey but seven of these respondents said that improvements such as the additional bus and cycle lanes and resurfacing on Tavistock Road had improved their overall cycling experience. This is very encouraging because cyclists were among those least satisfied with the facilities on the Northern Corridor in 2007. The Council will continue work to improve the continuity of cycling infrastructure on the corridor.
Improvements that people are least satisfied with appear to be those at Drake Circus, where motorists report that they are still experiencing problems with the new road layout. It typically takes around six months for drivers to familiarise themselves with a new road layout so some uncertainty is to be expected. However, the situation is improving and the scheme is helping to address congestion on this part of the network. The Council will continue to monitor traffic flow in this area.
Councillor Kevin Wigens, Cabinet Member for Transport said: "We’re really pleased that improvements along the Northern Corridor have had a positive impact on buses, taxis, motorbikes and scooters without affecting other motorists or pedestrians. The programme of works was developed using feedback from people travelling on this route and it’s great that they have seen improvements to their journeys so quickly.
"We would like to thank everyone who completed the latest survey and will use their feedback to guide future programmes of work on the corridor. One of the areas we plan to look at is the section between the George park and ride and Woolwell, the ‘pinch point’ most frequently mentioned in public comments.”
The 2009/10 programme of improvements is part of a continuing investment on the Northern Corridor, with works this year focusing on Manadon roundabout. Improvements here include a more responsive and energy-efficient traffic light system, new lane designations, clearer signage and the repainting of white lines and road markings designed to reduce queuing and congestion on all approaches to the roundabout, including the A38 slip roads.
Transport improvements along this key route, alongside policies and planning documents such as the Derriford and Seaton Area Action Plan, will help to support the growth of the city and improve the travelling experience and choices of everyone using this part of the city's transport network.
For more information and to view the full results of the survey visit our Northern Corridor web pages.
Plymouth City Council Press Release
Meanwhile, talking about the Northern Corridor, the Northern Connect Taxibus service mentioned yesterday is indeed back up and running normally again and the drivers seem happy that it is safe for now at least. TaxiFast have gone bust and the service is now being run by TaxiFirst...
TAXI mogul John Preece has shut his Plymouth companies blaming a high street bank for driving them out of business. Mr Preece today told The Herald he had been left with no option than to cease the trading activities of his firms Taxifast Ltd and its parent company Key Cabs Ltd. A separate Plymouth taxi firm, in which Mr Preece is not involved, has made an offer to Taxifast staff and drivers to join it. And calls to the Taxifast offices were yesterday being dealt with by a separate company too.
More on this story on This is Plymouth
There is a brief statement put out by TaxiFirst:
Dear Sir or Madam -
Re: Taxifirst Limited Brief Statement
Sadly, due to all the rumours and scaremongering in and around Plymouth over the last few days, while we have been mailing our backup caff centre, we have had a lot of drivers in complaining about the uncertainty within the company and drivers leaving. This was seeping through to our customer base and contracts. I have taken the necessary steps to protect the workforce of 48 PAYE workers and 300 self-employed drivers as follows:
This is to inform you that Taxifast Ltd / Key Cabs Ltd has ceased trading. TAXIFIRST LTD is solely owned by DAVID TRACE - THERE IS NO OUTSIDE INFLUENCE.
May I thank you in anticipation for your support and in return I will endeavour to support you. To ail of you I offer my best wishes for the future as the company grows, good luck.
Yours most respectfully,
David Trace
(I have left out the details dealing with the financial business between drivers and the company)

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Today, as I had a few hours free in the middle of the day, I visited the west Hampshire town of Romsey. Southern England Bus Scene

Since it is the site's birthday and I have nothing to report on from the weekend just past I hope you won't mind if I take this occasion to go through a few favourite views of favourite places and their vehicles. Transport Illustrated (new look!)

Who would have thought that the boss of transport giant Stagecoach would stray into a market at which many consider him to be at odds? I was shocked. Transport of Delight

Times, they are a changing

A quick look back on the VOSA web site over the past few weeks to see what changes the local bus companies have in store for us in Plymouth:

40956 seen on the 3 back in January, just one of the services changing in July.

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On the 18th June we get

PH1064253/1 - KEY CABS LTD T/A TAXIFAST, FARADAY MILL BUSINESS PARK, ELLIOTT ROAD, PLYMOUTH, PL4 0ST Cancellation Accepted: Operating between Plymouth, St. Budeaux Square and Plymouth, St. Budeaux Square given service number 222 effective from 06-Aug-2010.

PH1064253/2 - KEY CABS LTD T/A TAXIFAST, FARADAY MILL BUSINESS PARK, ELLIOTT ROAD, PLYMOUTH, PL4 0ST Cancellation Accepted: Operating between Plymouth, St. Budeaux Square and Plymouth, St. Budeaux Square given service number 223 effective from 06-Aug-2010.
These are the taxibus services which are coming off. I am suprised to see only the St Budeaux services have appeared here so far, as the Northern Connect services are also stopping from the same date. No doubt these will appear before too long.

Step forward a week to the 25th June and we get a batch from First:

PH0004983/35 - FIRST DEVON & CORNWALL LTD, THE RIDE, CHELSON MEADOW, PLYMOUTH, PL9 7JT Variation Accepted: Operating between TORPOINT FERRY and PLYMOUTH Bus Station given service number 81/81C effective from 25-Jul-2010. To amend Timetable.

PH0004983/330 - FIRST DEVON & CORNWALL LTD, THE RIDE, CHELSON MEADOW, PLYMOUTH, PL9 7JT Variation Accepted: Operating between Plymouth Royal Parade and Goodewell given service number 6 effective from 25-Jul-2010. To amend Timetable.

PH0004983/336 - FIRST DEVON & CORNWALL LTD, THE RIDE, CHELSON MEADOW, PLYMOUTH, PL9 7JT Variation Accepted: Operating between Plymouth Royal Parade and Barne Barton given service number 3 effective from 25-Jul-2010. To amend Timetable.

PH0004983/395 - FIRST DEVON & CORNWALL LTD, THE RIDE, CHELSON MEADOW, PLYMOUTH, PL9 7JT Variation Accepted: Operating between City Centre and City Centre given service number 13 effective from 25-Jul-2010. To amend Timetable.

It is good to see that these changes are all down for the same date as the next Citybus changes. Coincidentally the date of the WNPG Rally on The Hoe. I will be looking more closely at these changes, over the course of the next week or so.
Finally we get one registration variation recorded on the 2nd July:

PH0000135/13 - PLYMOUTH CITYBUS LTD, MILEHOUSE, MILEHOUSE ROAD, PLYMOUTH, PL3 4AA Variation Accepted by SN: Operating between PLYMOUTH Royal Parade and DERRIFORD Hospital given service number 50 effective from 25-Jul-2010. To amend Route and Timetable.Omnibuses: Half year statement Seems these extra links are working!
Busworld Photography: Western National 86 Plymouth to Barnstable Nice shot!
Uncle Terry: 144: Arial repairs carried out

Taxi for Taxibus

Taxibus are going - all of them!



WF57UUA in plain white livery on Taxibus 226

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It seems I underestimated the withdrawal of the Taxibus Northern Connect service in my recent post. A notice has now gone up in the taxis used to announce that all the Taxibus services are coming to and end on the 6th August 2010. This includes the St Budeaux Taxibuses which have been running for quite a few years now. It also means that the services which were cut by the city council last year and replaced with Taxibuses will also now lose the Taxibuses. I can see this upsetting quite a few people!

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TGP Dads Daily: Scary

TGP Public: A Closer look at life

Omnibuses: Bus to Where?

Cutbacks: 10 and 226

Previous Posts: Cutbacks 4 Keyham 6 Goosewell 7D Radford Park

Continuing our look at the re-tendered services after the cutbacks on the 5th July 2009 Service 10 City Centre - Derriford   View Plymouth Bus Services: 10 in a larger map Quite a big change for the 10 which is going to be unpopular for some users I feel. The main service 10 remains with Target Travel but is severely cut back to 4 runs in the morning peak and 3 runs in the afternoon peak. It also looses the Saturday service completely. During the day there is a partial replacement in the form of Taxifast's Taxi-bus service 224 detailed below. Service 226 Estover - Whitleigh   View Plymouth Bus Services:226 in a larger map This is a brand new Taxibus service to be operated by TaxiFast. It is supposed to be a partial replacement for the off peak service 10 and part of service 44B. I will keep my thoughts on Taxi-buses in general for another post in the near future but I can see this being an unpopular move. It does open up a few new links though. I have a friend who now has a direct day time connection to Asda which she can see being very useful. However, with only 7 seats available an hour she only hopes that no one else on her estate notices!

Cutbacks

" It will be very interesting to watch the local news over the coming week ”

View Plymouth Bus Service Cuts July 2009 in a larger map If you live on one of the routes detailed above you may soon notice a reduction in your bus service. Plymouth City Council have retendered all their supported services in order to save some £200,000 and there are some big cuts to some areas. I have roughly mapped the routes which are most effected as they stand at the moment. The changes are as follows (FDC First, TT Target Travel, PCB Citybus, Taxibus Taxifast) Service 4 No Sunday or Bank Holiday evening service. FDC Service 6 hourly evening service Monday to Saturday TT Service 7D reduced timetable TT Service 10 Revised timetable. TT Off peak service Eggbuckland to DH by Taxifast Service 13 Saturdays to PCB Service 16B as now PCB* Service 17 combined with 26A timetable and some route changes. TT Service 18 reduced timetable less journeys. TT Service 19A peak hours by TT Off peak by PCB commercially as service 12 a local town service in Plympton only Service 20/A No service to Steer Park evenings and Sunday PCB Service 23 Evenings commercial operation by PCB* Service 25 Slight timetable revision Commercial by PCB* Service 26A withdrawal of part route TT Service 28B as now PCB* Service 31 as now PCB* Service 39 Split - operating as three separate routes TT and Taxifast Service 42 as now PCB* Service 42A withdrawn Service 44B withdrawn replaced in sections by other services. TT Taxifast Service 44C withdrawn Service 57 withdrawn. Partial replacement by taxi bus. TT Taxifast. * these routes are not mapped as there is no major change. I will refrain from comment for now, but will be coming back to this in the week ahead. It will be very interesting to watch the local news over the coming week as I feel we will be hearing from a lot of angry passengers who will see the planned spend of nearly £1 million to value Plymouth Citybus prior to any sale, against a lot of inconvenience for many and even loss of service for some. Watch this space - its going to be a bumpy ride! I guess the changes will start at the end of this month.

Oh Yes - More Oh Eights

The final set of this small series looks at buses...

I know its not a Plymouth bus - but it was photographed in Plymouth

This is the bus I catch to work - when I miss the Target Travel Solo at 8am

Thats it for 08s at the moment. Will be having a quick look at Emergency vehicles this next week starting with a look back a few years ago then a look at the more modern scene during the rest of the week.

Its often the little things that make all the difference

When the Taxibus service started these smart looking cabs carried no destination display at all, as can be seen in the photo above. They were soon given A4 laminated cards with the Taxifast route number 224 (cant remember what the other route number was!) so you could tell what route they were on. However, the fact that even I cant recall the route number used on the other service shows that this isn't that much use. Most passengers just know it as the Taxibus. This is not an issue for me where I catch them as its clear where they are going but if you catch one from Derriford Hospital, or The George its a different story. Derriford in particular is awkward as its such a busy stop people dont like to try and flag them down only to find out its going the other way! Well, after all this time the drivers have finally been given nice simple A4 laminate display which actually say where they are going. The service is slowly picking up and the drivers report they are getting busier now - I often have to share my cab to work in the mornings now. The display cards were probably very cheap, and easy to produce. They make it a lot easier to identify your taxibus. Shame it took so long to get them!

This is not the posting I had planned to make tonight but I have been having one or two 'issues' with my PC over the past few days which i have been trying to iron out this evening, and as is often the case, has taken longer than I expected! For some reason my Virus checker (AVG) was causing issues and the PC kept asking to be restarted! A different product now installed and it seems things are settling down so hopefully I can get back to proper blogging again!

I have made one requested change to the blog settings too - I had set the front page to only display one blog post to cut down loading times, especially as I often use a lot of photos. This meant that on days when I made more than one post people were missing them. I have now found out how to change it so that now you will always see one full day of posts on the front page. If I make more than one post you will see them all on the front page. I might make this a couple of days if people prefer though.

Odds and ends

Major back problems cutting back on my computer time tonight so just posting a few odds and ends:

Target Travel

I was surprised to see a different Target Travel bus arrived at my stop tonight (sadly not the route I wanted). It was a gold coloured minibus of some sort, Iveco I think, registered Y266JBM, although I cant find any information on this bus. It has come from Tilleys, in Cornwall. Apparently one of the Solos is off the road at the moment which is why this bus was being used. Not sure if a permanent addition to the fleet though as driver couldnt really stop and chat! Typical - the one day this week I didnt have my camera with me! More details on this bus when I get them.

Northern Connect

On the subject of Northern Connect I have noticed an uptake in their passengers over the last week or so. It does seem that more people are beginning to use the Taxi-buses than I have noticed before. This week I have actually had to share four journeys with other people! There were three of us from my own bus stop this morning as the 50 and the 52 were both running late so the taxi was the only way the others were going to get to Derriford before 09:00. At the moment its quite a difference in fares with Citybus being only 65p to Derriford against the flat £1 for the taxi-bus. This will change when Citybus fares go up in June to 80p. Only 20p difference so slightly less incentive to wait for the Citybus. Target have put their fares up last week, but the £1 maximum still applies to the Northern Connect.

Bus Pull

Plymouth Citybus are sponsoring the Bus Pull event on Plymouth Hoe on Saturday (10:30 till 2:30) when Dave The Shed is attempting to pull 2 double-deckers on his own. On the same day, teams of between six and ten people will be pulling a bus against the clock over a distance of 100 metres in a bid to win the coveted Bus Pull Trophy. I hope to be there myself all being well (assuming I can walk again by then!) so hope to get a few pictures.

Discovery Tours

While we are on the Hoe, Plymouth Discovery Tours are looking out for another bus driver. If you can help or know someone who might be interested in driving for them please contact them direct: ride@plymouthdiscoverytours.co.uk

There is more - but my back really has had enough now!

A 'land train' could be up and running in Plymouth city centre by the summer

 

A 'land train' could be up and running in Plymouth city centre by the summer - three years after the idea was first put forward.
Taxifast boss John Preece, who first acquired the £200,000 machine in 2005, says he is now '99 per cent there' in negotiations with the city council.

FULL STORY

I must admit I thought they had given up on this so was surprised to see it back in the news.

Quick Note

I see that the visitors count has just passed the 50,000 mark! A big thank you to all who have passed by over the past few years - and made it all worthwhile - even when things are really busy like they are at the moment and time is tight!

Taxibus Progress

I was told today that the leaflets for Taxifast Northern Connect service have finally arrived and will be sent out and about very soon. I then received a copy leaflet as a PDF which I am guessing is the new leaflet itself.

If you cant wait until it lands on your doorstep, then you can download the pdf file here

The drivers report that business is slowly picking up now that more people are aware of it, so hopefully these leaflets can only improve matters.

Not quite sure about the "another one in 10 minutes" claim though on a service with a 15 minute frequency at best, although I guess this could be be based on both services at peak times passing through Derriford Hospital or The George!

Taxi - Bus ?

A bus that thinks its a Taxi...

A Taxi that thinks its a bus...

Confused yet?

Taxifast SF08BUU

 

I have finally managed to get a decent(ish) photo of one of the new Fiat taxibuses in use on the Northern Connect by Taxifast. Seen here at the Crownhill end of the route. I just had time after taking this photo to walk to the bus stop and hail it for the quick run back to Derriford Business Park.

 

RTP Update

Just a quickie update to my post on 1st April (not the April fool one!)

The Taxifast part of the Northern Connect is being added to the RTP system and should be live on Monday. It wont be the full live service as the cabs dont carry the live tracking equipment but at least the time tables will appear.

Thanks to the Transport Dept at the City Council for letting me know. (By pure coincidence I also ended up sharing a cab home tonight with the gentleman who sent me the email - nice to meet you!)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Also updated today:

The other half

After discovering that Taxifast were operating yellow and red taxis on the Northern Connect service I decided to have a go this morning. I actually let the Citybus 50 go by (sorry Brian!) as I had already seen the Taxifast taxibus turn into Asda.

A few moments later I was waving it down and sure enough it stopped for me. Took a while to get into the cab as it was brand new and I was the drivers first ever passenger on this route - and he couldnt find the switch to unlock the doors! He explained he was still getting used to the cab. Very comfortable ride to work in a very nice 6 seater cab. This new service will make my life a lot easier, especially coming home from work as it saves changing buses at Derriford Hospital.

Home as last night was on the Target Solo. Running a good 10 mins late this time but with a very friendly driver who announced that no fares were being taken this week. No difference to me as I have a pass anyway. This driver also made a point of stopping at each stop and announcing where he was going. It will take a while for people to get used to this new service. I know several people who let the bus / taxi go by who could have caught it.

I do hope that this service is a success, not least because its ideal for me! They do have to sort out the timiings as its clear that not enough time if allowed to make the full run, especially at peak times. I do have doubts as to having only 6 seaters - there are often that many at my bus stop in the morning. If they all catch the taxibus then its full up.

It is also a shame that they do not appear on the City Councils RTP system either.

I do hope to get a photo soon as they are distinctive vehicles.

Northern Connect

 

© Darren Williams used with permission

I was looking forward to today and the start of Northern Connect which would finally save me having to change buses at Derriford for work.

I was at my usual bus stop by 07:30 and was happy to see a pink Solo turn into Asda as it ran in the other direction. I was disappointed though in that nothing came the other way so it was the usual Citybus 52 to Derriford and then changed onto another Citybus for the final part of the run.

During the day I kept an eye out for the buses and only saw one or two go past the estate. Not looking good!

The City Councils own bus site where you can see the next bus due at any stop was only showing a journey at 16:25 - and this was still lunch time!

After a bit of detective work I did come across a timetable on Traveline - which is not exactly the easiest system to use. It only shows about 5 journeys a day - a lot less than the regular service I was expecting.

I decided to try and catch one of the runs that was timetabled and kept an eye out for the bus as it ran down towards Crownhill. Sure enough just a few minutes late it went through so I left the office and waited for five minutes and sure enough it turned up.

I was the only passenger for this run but was told that they had been picking up a few passengers on earlier runs. I am sure this will pick up once people get used to it. I am sure many let it go by today without realising they could have caught it.

I enquired about the 'missing' journeys and discovered that they are being covered by Taxifast so I need to keep any eye out for these tomorrow rather than the pink solos. I have yet to see one myself though they are out there somewhere!

There was actually a two man crew on this bus as the driver was route learning so I got to chat to the trainer who asked if I was the one behind Plymothian Transit! Apparently he has appeared on a couple of my photos both with Target and other companies has has driven for. I cant remember your name - but thanks for the information!

Hopefully tomorrow will see a report on the Taxifast side of this operation.

Land Train

Taxifast have announced that their planned new 'Land Train' wont now be lpg powered, or at least they have lost their planned supplier and the alternative is to send the 'train' on a low loader to a supply elsewhere in Plymouth every couple of days!
The £197,000 automatic vehicle has, however, got the latest technology, following a £30,000 revamp.It's equipped with 18 CCTV cameras, and 14 DVD screens, which will show news and entertainment.The three carriages can seat 58 people, and their doors open automatically.It is only allowed to drive around the city centre at 3mph, but has a top speed of 14mph.
The Taxifast landtrain could be carrying passengers around Plymouth city centre by the end of the month after police and the city council backed the project.Private hire mogul John Preece must now apply to the Department for Transport for a 'vehicle special order', but is confident this is 'a rubber stamp'. Now the council and police have decided to support Mr Preece's bid to the Government, subject to 24 conditions being met.These include restricting the landtrain to a maximum speed of 3mph within the pedestrianised area, insisting passengers are seated and that it can only run during daylight.

LandTrain

Saturday saw the annual Lord Mayors Day Parade which although long past its hayday when it seemed everyone came to town to see the show, is still a pretty good show if the weather is ok. Well, the weather did hold up reasonably well so I took my wife and my three year old son Zak to see the show. I will be posting several photos of vehicles in the parade over the next week or so but have to satr with this one: The Taxifast Landtrain.



A few news posting from the past year or so...

CHAMBER BACKING FOR LAND TRAIN PLAN
TONY RICHARDSON ©This is Plymouth 02 May 2005
Plymouth's business community has given its backing to a pioneering scheme to bring a futuristic 'land train' to the city. City taxi boss John Preece last week announced his ambitious plans to improve the city's transport system with a £200,000 train which could serve shoppers, clubbers and tourists. Subject to council approval Mr Preece, who runs Taxifast, says Plymouth could have its first train within two months. Now Plymouth Chamber of Commerce is supporting Mr Preece's initiative having read about it in last Tuesday's Evening Herald. Members believe the gas-powered land train, which runs on LPG, would bring huge benefits to the city, providing convenient transport for local people as well as visitors. The land train, which can carry up to 56 passengers in three enclosed carriages, would be fitted with CCTV cameras, sound equipment and a DVD system. The Italian-manufactured train would be equipped with self-levelling pneumatic suspension, and one of the carriages would have wheelchair access. It would be operated by a licensed public service vehicle driver, and a competent guard would double as a conductor.

17th May 2005:
Mr Preece said: "We were down to our last day of the option to buy the vehicle. The council is very positive in its support for the Taxifast land train project and I'm appreciative of their assistance so we can make an early start to run our pilot schemes and trials." He added that five land trains could eventually run through the city's pedestrian precincts. Fares should be about £1. Mr Preece said: "These services will require tests and appraisals. We also want to provide a service to tourists that will be attractive and practical. "The obvious routes will be around the Barbican and Hoe so we may portray the history and future of Plymouth." A city council spokeswoman said that there was no objection 'in principle' to the scheme. But she added: "We have not yet received any details on how the scheme would work, such as the routes proposed and the methods of operation. There is a lot of work to be done before this can be properly considered." The council is to look at the impact on traffic and consult with other road users. The spokeswoman said: "The land train would require approval from the Secretary of State, which would only be given once these matters have been resolved."

17 July 2005
Plymouth's first land train has now arrived in the city and is being fitted out at a secret location. The £197,000 train has been bought by Taxifast boss John Preece, who plans to ferry passengers around the city in high-tech style. The train has yet to be granted permission to operate in the city, but Mr Preece says he is confident the Government will give him a licence and that both Plymouth City Council and Devon and Cornwall Police will approve the routes he has in mind.

8 August 2005
Taxi boss John Preece is set to test drive his revolutionary 'land train' around the city centre one night this week. Mr Preece, boss of Taxifast, is planning to take the wheel of the 22-yard long, liquid petroleum gas-driven vehicle himself and give it a spin, at a top speed of 14mph, around the shopping precinct. The businessman is keen to test the manoeuvrability of the £197,000 train and work out a route for when it is in operation, possibly as early as next month, subject to Plymouth City Council approval. He will be in negotiations with police and the council about a time for the trial, but is aiming for a 4am or 5am start, and said: "I'm looking at where we can go, and can we get it up alleyways. It's a very manoeuvrable piece of equipment." He also plans to put the vehicle on display in the city centre, again subject to council approval, so people can have a good look at it before it goes into service

This gives an idea of the planned operation of this unusual vehicle. Lets wait and see what happens next!

Taxi Fast court case

Plymouth City Council has lost its court case with TaxiFast.
The council now faces a large bill for the case and a large proportion of TaxiFasts costs.
I reported on the background to the case back on 13th February.

From this is Plymouth
City private hire firm Taxifast yesterday won its appeal against a council decision to refuse it a Hackney carriage licence in 2003. The ruling means the council may have to scrap its 359-cab limit on Hackney carriages - a move that could hit current Hackney drivers and bus firms.
And, as well as paying its own costs to challenge the appeal, the authority has been ordered to meet 60 per cent - about £270,000 - of Taxifast's legal costs, estimated at more than £450,000

The council had relied in court on a survey carried out last year that, it claimed, showed there was 'no significant unmet demand' for black cabs in the city. But trial judge Mr Recorder Jonathan Fuller QC decided that the survey data, collected by Plymouth employment agency Mayflower Recruitment and analysed by Transport Planning (International) Ltd, was not 'sufficiently reliable'. It followed allegations made in court by Mayflower employee Elizabeth Hamilton-Bruce that she was asked to falsify hundreds of questionnaires used in the survey.

The council spokesman said: "Plymouth City Council is disappointed with the court decision that 'whilst Plymouth City Council acted reasonably throughout' a portion of the evidence upon which it relied was found to be unreliable through no fault of the council. "The court did not find there was significant unmet demand; all it found was that Plymouth City Council had failed to show there was no significant unmet demand. "Plymouth City Council will study this case and consider any implications for its current policy on Hackney carriages."

It does indeed look like it was through no fault of the council this time as it seems that the company which undertook the survey didnt do it properly. Or at least thats what it looks like. The company itself may well end up having to face further charges on this issue
as also reported by This is Plymouth


A Plymouth employment agency which conducted the survey on which the city council relied in court could face prosecution for forgery. Trial judge Mr Recorder Jonathan Fuller QC has called on the Director of Public Prosecutions to investigate the way in which Mayflower Recruitment carried out the survey into cab demand. It comes after Mayflower employee Elizabeth Hamilton-Bruce told the court that she was asked to falsify questionnaires by the firm's director, Christopher Moore.

This looks like it will run for a while yet!
I am usually among the first to criticise the council - they certainly are a poor council in many areas but it really does look like they have been caught out here through no major fault of their own. Many taxi drivers are against Taxi fast getting more licenses so there is not universal support for Mr Preece within the trade. I am not sure how big a threat it will be to bus companies though?

Taxi Dispute

From This is Plymouth:
12:00 - 13 February 2006
A Plymouth taxi rank was surveyed by two people at the same time - and each came up with different cab figures, an appeal hearing has heard.Two observers working on a survey of Plymouth's Hackney carriages mistakenly went to same the rank at Old Town Street. They recorded different figures for the number of cabs passing through the rank, Plymouth Crown Court heard.Taxifast, run by John Preece, is appealing a council decision from 2003 to refuse it 30 Hackney licences.

This is a battle going through the courts for more Taxi licences in Plymouth. The council having done a survey said no more were needed and the taxi company dispute this. Most of this case so far has been into the survey itself and how accurate it was.

back on the 8th February
Taxi mogul John Preece, has launched a court battle against Plymouth City Council which could result in the city's black cab limit being scrapped - hitting existing Hackney drivers and bus firms.More than 1,000 taxi drivers, plus bus bosses and the council, are anxiously awaiting the outcome of the appeal hearing at Plymouth Crown Court this week.If Mr Preece wins, the council is likely to have to scrap its 359-limit on Hackney carriages.Dozens of black cabs, which can sit on ranks and be flagged down, unlike private hire vehicles, could then create competition for council-owned Citybus, which the court heard fears 'revenue extraction', and Hackney drivers worried about their businesses.Mr Preece, boss of the private hire firm Taxifast, is appealing against the council's decision to refuse him 30 hackney licences in 2003.The council is one of only 30 per cent of local authorities still employing controls. Mr McKee, questioned by the council's barrister James Findlay, outlined how TPi was paid £20,000 to carry out its survey in January and February last year, with observation of 44 Hackney ranks, for a total of 775 hours. Observers noted vehicles, customers, and waiting times.The test for significant unmet demand is based on whether passengers have to wait for a taxi. A complicated mathematical formula is used to reveal this from survey findings.The TPi report revealed there were excess taxis for 11.4 per cent of the time, and excess people for 4.5 per cent of the time. The court heard Plymouth's Local Taxi Association, backed by the TGWU, said that it was 'rare' for passengers to have to wait for taxis and removing the limit would be 'detrimental' for reasons including 'public safety', 'stability providing confidence', increase in part-time drivers and because business would be affected.

John Preece: The person behind Taxifast, who is based in Plymouth. He started in coaches with Plympton Coach Lines, which he built up to 17 coaches from 2 within a couple of years. He then became the Managing Director of Western National Bus Company which was sold to First Bus. He then turned his attention to taxis with Key Cabs and 70 cabs in 1989. Hs is very prominent in local politics and has had a lot of influence in the local bus scene over the years.