Carl Davies reports.
What would your reaction be if someone called to say you’d won a brand new car? ‘No way, there must be a catch?’ I think most of us would think this as nothing appears to be free nowadays. However, this is exactly what happened to Ipswich taxi driver Dave Meers.
“My initial reaction was that someone was winding me up. Then after a few minutes I started to think that it could be real so I made sure that the guy on the other end of the phone knew I wasn’t going to entertain any jokes!”
Dave Meers is the fourth winner of the annual Cab Direct Prize Draw to win a brand new car. The draw took place at the recent Telford Private Hire and Taxi Exhibition, which Dave visited with colleagues Peter Boswell, Alex Harvey and Richard Farrow.
Dave has just been voted onto the board of Ipswich company Avenue Taxis, who celebrate their 50th anniversary this year. In addition, Dave’s father is a former chairman of Avenue so the company has very close links with the Meers family.
Dave himself has been driving for just over three years, after spending ten years as a manager with Homebase. “When I first started in the job I wasn’t sure how it would go after spending most of my career in retail. However, I can honestly say I love it!”
Winning a brand new Peugeot Station Wagon couldn’t have come at a better time for Dave since his Toyota Avensis had just reached the 150,000 mile mark. “The reason I went up to Telford was to look at the vehicles on show. My Avensis had served me well but I wanted to change. So to end up with a brand new Peugeot Station Wagon for nothing was incredible!”
The Peugeot Station Wagon is recognised as one of the most versatile taxis on the market today, with superb driver comfort and huge luggage capacity making it one of the most popular vehicles available. So what does Dave think of it?
“I absolutely love my new car! It’s the perfect taxi and will be ideal for a variety of different hires. Already I’ve been hugely impressed with the fuel economy which is a great benefit and also the vehicle’s versatility. What more can I say but thank you Cab Direct!”