FOLLOWING the prolonged tirade by Fenland taxi drivers against Fenland Association Community Transport in your newspaper, I would like to make my point speaking from both sides of the argument.
I am a registered Fenland District Council private hire driver and I work for FACT as a driver and am very proud to do so.
It is my considered opinion that the taxi drivers have no idea what they are talking about with regard to FACT “stealing” their trade and their customers.
I can wholeheartedly vouch for the fact that none of the services provided by FACT could be offered at the same low cost by local taxi services.
In the case of wheelchair users or disabled users, taxi drivers could not provide the level of care or service that FACT does. I do not know of a single taxi in the region that has any disabled facilities, although I am prepared to be proven wrong.
In the UK there are hundreds of similar community transport schemes that run alongside taxi and minicab services without any rivalry or argument. In rural communities, these transport service are a vital lifeline to many of the users.
Why do all these taxi drivers seem to think it’s fair game to take a pop at FACT, when there are many unlicensed drivers and cars operating in the region?
The problem of these unlicensed, unregistered and uninsured cars is a far greater worry to me and my private hire driving than the FACT buses.
A PRIVATE HIRE AND FACT DRIVER
Via e-mail
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