Taxi firms go head-to-head with bus operators in Liverpool

Two taxi operators in Liverpool are teaming up to operate taxibus services in competition with bus operators. 

The firms, A&J Taxis and Gawiths, have created a new company, Taxi One Solutions Ltd, which will operate taxibuses as well as bidding for contract work.

A&J already operates a taxibus service to Anfield for Liverpool FC home games and plans to launch a new service this month between Liverpool Lime Street station and the city’s John Lennon Airport. The service, Taxi 1A, will operate at hourly intervals from 10.15 to 16.15, with additional services at 10.45 and 15.45. 

The service will run in competition with Arriva’s half-hourly bus service 500. The taxi fare will be £3 per passenger. On the way back into the city the taxis will call at bus stops, charging adult passengers a flat fare of £2. 

Holders of English National Concessionary Travel Scheme passes can travel on A&J’s taxibus services for free, with Merseytravel paying reimbursement. The services are also eligible for Bus Service Operators Grant.

Tony Mullane, the owner of A&J Taxis, told LTT he was awaiting final paperwork from the Traffic Commissioner to allow him to launch the Taxi 1A service, hopefully on 19 January. He is still waiting to hear from John Lennon Airport about access arrangements there.

“This is not about taking passengers off other taxi companies,” said Mullane. “This is about giving the bus operators a run for their money. I’ve got plans to roll out another 15 routes in 2014.”  

A&J Taxis has a special restricted public service vehicle operator’s licence, granted under section 12 of the 1985 Transport Act, which allows it to run taxibus services carrying up to eight passengers. 

The Anfield service – Taxi One – was launched in May 2011, operating between St John’s Lane in Liverpool city centre and Liverpool FC’s Anfield stadium for the three hours before home games. Passengers pay £1.90, undercutting the £2 fare charged by the Stagecoach 917 soccer bus. Mullane said the taxibus service had carried over 20,000 passengers since its launch. 

Mullane has discussed his plans with DfT officials. “They’re very interested in what I’m doing,” he said, adding that the Government had never really encouraged taxis in local transport planning.

He said taxibus services had huge potential as an alternative to traditional tendered bus services for cash-strapped councils. 

Mullane said bus operators were going “absolutely bonkers” about his services. He said Stagecoach managers “pestered” people sitting in Taxi One vehicles waiting to depart for Anfield, repeatedly telling them that the competing bus was “about to go”. “They’ve taken photos of us, they’re up to all sorts.” 

A&J Taxis uses several of its own taxis on the service but other self-employed taxi drivers can operate the services by adding A&J’s name to their taxi licence. Drivers keep the fare income but pay Mullane a small fee. 

Mullane said holding the special restricted operator’s licence had allowed him to bid for a wider range of contracts. 

Last January A&J won a year’s contract with Merseytravel to provide some Merseylink dial-a-ride services. But he said A&J had been unsuccessful in a recent tender to win further Merseylink work, despite his bid being £200,000 cheaper than the nearest rival. “From what we gather they [Merseytravel] want to go back to buses. They say our vehicles are non-compliant. If that’s the case, why did they give us a contract in the first place?” He thought a change of personnel at Merseytravel could be the explanation.

Mullane voiced more general frustration and puzzlement with Merseytravel’s attitude towards his company. “[Chief executive] David Brown won’t even see me,” he said. “I will get to the bottom of it, but it’s not dampened my enthusiasm.”