SMART MOVES
FIRST GREEN TAXI FIRM HELPS CUT CARBON IN LEEDS
Leeds’s first eco- friendly taxi service has arrived. Greenbean Cars, being ‘test trad- ed’ by 29-year-old Sam Fisher, is operating a small fleet of Toyota Prius hybrid cars, run on a combination of petrol and electricity, from Hunslet.
Motorists are trained in energy-saving driv- ing techniques in a bid to make fuel go fur- ther. Short, low speed journeys will be fuelled by electricity
with zero carbon emissions.
On the whole, the firm pledges that exhaust emissions will be up to 60 per cent lower when travelling with Greenbean rather than conventional private hire cars. All carbon emissions that are produced will be offset at no extra cost to the customers.
Sam, who previously helped companies improve their sustain- ability, said that
customers would be charged around £1.50 a mile, in line with the city’s other firms. He told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “I have always been interest- ed in social issues. A lot of the environmen- tal problems can be pinned down to a breakdown in social behaviour.”
The fledgling firm hopes to officially launch in the summer. For details, visit www.
greenbeancars.co. uk.
FARE PLAY TO SMART MOVE MADE BY NOTTINGHAM TAXI FIRM
Nottingham residents could be about to hail an ingenious new taxi service being laun- ched in the city. Just 4 One will offer a single passenger serv- ice using two-seater Smart cars that will not only be friendlier to the environment but will charge fares that are up to 25 per cent cheaper than conven- tional cabs.
The venture is being launched by Gordon Donaldson, his broth- er John and Gordon’s son Paul, who already operate the Chauffeur Drive and Corporate travel business, Where 2 UK Ltd, but who identified an opportu- nity for a service
specifically aimed at solo travellers. It will initially be run during the day only, for short trips such as trans- porting people to and from the supermarket, business or hospital appointments, or between hotels and East Midlands Airport. “Our research showed that the corporate business involved nearly 82 per cent of fares where people travel alone,” ex- plained Gordon. ”With customers becoming increasingly cost and environmen- tally conscious, fuel prices constantly on the rise, the use of a hackney cab or big saloon is, on certain
occasions, unneces- sary,” he added. The launch of Just 4 One is the culmination of a two-year cam- paign by the Donald- sons for a private hire licence from Gedling Borough Council. Dur- ing this process they gained the support and were advised by local Labour MP, Ver- non Coaker.
They refused to accept the original decision by the Council’s Environ- mental and Planning Committee and went back again with a revised plan despite the threat of an expen- sive legal process. This time they had the opportunity to discuss their proposal in detail and gave Councillors the chance to inspect the Smart car.
One of the Just 4 One Smart Cars PAGE 46
Just 4 One initially pur- chased a pair of Smart Fortwo Coupes, from Smart of Nottingham, and may look to increase that number once the venture has become established. “We now have a pri- vate hire licence for 12 months and an oppor- tunity to prove the merits of the one pas- senger service,” Gordon concluded.
DUO’S SMART IDEA MAY BE EXTENDED TO LONDON
An entrepreneurial duo look set to take their single-passenger taxi company to Lon- don after a successful trial period in the region.
Cab4One operates a single-passenger PHV service from Uttlesford and has just been given the green light from councillors to have its licence made permanent. Father and son duo Martin and Justin Ott thought up the inven- tive business last year after sitting in Cam- bridge traffic sur- rounded by big taxis with just one passen- ger.
Martin told the Saffron Walden Weekly News: “After some research, Justin and I discov- ered about 80 per cent
of taxi journeys in Lon- don were for just one passenger.
“Having a taxi for one is a surprisingly large niche and very eco- friendly.”
The company uses Smart cars which did not meet Uttlesford District Council’s licensing agreements, but the firm was allowed to operate on
a temporary licence for one year.
Justin Ott, 24, from Stansted, added: “We’re very happy the council has approved our licence perma- nently and we look forward to expanding our business to Lon- don, where we think the demand will be high and the benefits will be great.”
TONY’S SMART WAY TO BEAT THE NARROW LANES OF TOPSHAM
The quaint and narrow streets of Topsham may add to the town’s historic charm, but for cab driver Tony Goode they are a real pain. After scraping his new eight-seater vehicle twice in its first week he knew something had to be done. And so he had a smart idea and intro- duced a Smart car to match.
The small, but perfect- ly formed vehicle is perfect for zipping around Topsham and proved to be an eure- ka moment for Mr Goode, who runs the Sowton and Topsham Cab Company.
He and son Jamie, 40, have added the Smart car to their seven- strong fleet of vehicles. And they hope the days of scraped vehicles - after attempting to navigate the imposing walls of White Street
and Strand Court - are a thing of the past. “Most of our cus- tomers in Topsham are single old ladies,” 66- year-old Mr Goode told the Exeter Express and Echo. “We do so many sin- gle-person journeys within the Topsham area every day of the week. People will soon start seeing it around Topsham.”
The car can take one passenger, plus shop-
ping or small dogs, with the driver and returns an estimated 85.6 miles to the gal- lon of diesel fuel. Mr Goode, who has been a taxi driver for over ten years, said he was hoping the Smart car would turn out to be a smart idea. “It is like a Tardis in there,” he said.
“There is loads of room inside. It is amazingly quick and it is so economical.”
PHTM JULY 2011
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