Hoards of black cabs from Edinburgh and Glasgow ferried stranded train passengers down to Carlisle at the request of Virgin Trains bosses as a result of a technical fault on the West Coast mainline.
In an effort to disperse commuters from two of Scotland’s busiest train stations, Virgin Trains took the decision to organise fleets of the city’s cabs to transport its passengers so that they could make a connecting train journey south. However, the ensuing effect was utter chaos according to some black cab drivers.
“I’ve had two jobs in the last three and half hours; usually I would have had 10 or 11 by this point.”
City Chaos
Local Carlisle cabbies were said to be furious with Virgin Trains saying that the decision had caused pandemonium and gridlock in the city centre, resulting in empty pockets at the end of the day.
Cabbie, Enver Oguz, commented: “I’ve had two jobs in the last three and half hours; usually I would have had 10 or 11 by this point.”
Right Choice?
Another taxi driver, David Irving, of Carlisle Taxi Hire, backed Virgin’s decisions: “There was literally hundreds of people stranded at the station and Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley had the same problem. It was in the public interest to pick up these people.”
Explaining the situation, spokesman for Virgin Trains said: “During times of disruption Virgin Trains sometimes charters coaches and taxis via a subcontractor to ensure our customers can get to their destinations.
“A number of local taxi hire firms based in Carlisle were used as well as taxi companies in Glasgow and Edinburgh.”
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