A taxi company owner in Ormskirk, Lancashire, has made a plea to the council to subsidise the cost of taxi marshals in the town centre, which he wholly believes are essential for the safety and wellbeing of the taxi trade.
Increase in Violence
Business director of Ormskirk Coaches and Taxis, Manni Anderson, has noticed such a strong rise in violence and abuse against taxi drivers that he personally funds the town’s taxi marshals.
Mr Anderson, commented: “Over recent years, we have seen increasing levels of abuse to our staff and increasing numbers of violent and anti-social incidents in the vicinity.
“Many of these incidents are now controlled in some way by our taxi marshals, however, there are at least two other locations in the town centre where both hackney taxi and private hire cars operate with no such control as we are the only company to supply a marshalling service.”
Voted Out by Committee
Mr Anderson made the decision to pay for the scheme when West Lancashire Borough Council voted against the proposal to introduce taxi marshals at a committee meeting in 2012.
Mr Anderson said: “We were approached by the Licensing Department of West Lancashire Borough Council some two years ago with a proposal to supply taxi marshals in the town centre.
“It was agreed that I would supply marshals on a Friday and Saturday night, initially at my own expense, for a trial period.
“Some two years later, I am still supplying the taxi marshal service at a significant cost to my business with little intervention from any other agency to help reduce the incidents that are almost common place on Friday and Saturday nights.”
Mr Anderson is hopeful that the council will listen and speak directly to the drivers of the town to look into ways of supporting the safety of the taxi drivers by providing extra marshals.