Private Cabbies Face Decline as Bus Service Gains Popularity

Private taxi drivers at a railway station are voicing concerns about being undercut by a low-cost bus service. Westlink, a subsidized service established by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), was introduced to fill the gap left by axed bus routes. While it typically operates a shuttlebus service at Parkway in Bristol, it has recently started using cars to provide this service.

Taxi drivers claim this shift has resulted in passengers bypassing the taxi rank in favor of the Westlink car service, which offers tickets for just £2. Vaughan Hinsley, a private cab driver, expressed his frustration during an interview, stating, "It's very galling that they're parking in the car park. We've got ex-customers walking past our taxis where we're providing a service. You've got to bear in mind this is taxpayers' money."

Hinsley emphasized the financial strain, noting that it costs approximately £20 an hour to keep his taxi operational, compared to the £2.40 fee for sitting in his cab.

In response to these concerns, WECA explained that the use of taxis is a temporary solution while Westlink awaits approval for a new fleet of smaller minibuses. 

A WECA spokesperson clarified, "Due to a short delay in getting the new vehicles approved by South Gloucestershire Council and from the Traffic Commission’s Office to use bus stops, there were a number of temporary taxi saloons that couldn’t use the bus stops. This may have led some taxi drivers to believe they were operating like taxis, but moving forward, it will operate as Westlink has since last year, just with smaller minibuses."