GREEN MEANS GO WALLINGFORD FIRM RIDES OUT RECESSION WITH GREENER TAXIS
A family has driven its way out of recession and is on the road to success after setting up a new business. Builder Michael Hatter, his stepson Mark John, an IT worker, Mr John’s sister Melissa Spencer and her hus- band Nick all found themselves out of work in 2009.
But Mr Hatter and Mr John refused to let redundancy put the brakes on their ambi- tion, so they set up their own taxi compa- ny with a green twist and have never looked back.
Mr Hatter sold his builder’s van while Mr John sold his car and pooled his redundan- cy money into buying a Toyota Prius, a more
environmentally frien- dly hybrid car. Mr John told the Abingdon Her- ald: “Michael’s bus- iness in the construc- tion industry was hit by the slump and I was made redundant. “We started out by doing odd gardening jobs around the Didcot area, and then we thought: ‘Why not start a green taxi compa- ny?’ Go Green Taxis came into being, with just one car and a tele- phone.” Now, less than two years later, Go Green Taxis has five of the vehicles along with eight drivers and has just opened an extra office in Wallingford in addition to its original Didcot base.
Mr John said: “It has
developed into a real family affair. Melissa works part time pick- ing up calls and Nick is joining as a fleet manager. Then there is my girlfriend Ellie, who works as office man- ager.”
He said the company had streaked ahead of its original business plan and was already turning over about £200,000 a year. He said: “It has cer- tainly answered the problems we faced when we were out of work.”
Go Green is chasing the corporate market and is finding green- minded clients including the Ruther- ford Appleton Lab- oratory and Soha Housing.
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From left to right are green taxi firm co-directors Mark John and Mike Hatter with JR Willis, John Mundy and Alan Busby
A Radcliffe-on-Trent woman has launched her new business - a one-seater taxi service. Joanne Higgott had the idea for Cabs4one while she was driving her two-seater Smart car.
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Ms Higgott, who has been granted a taxi licence by Rushcliffe Borough Council, plans to use female taxi drivers and her company has already created six jobs. She told the Notting- ham Evening Post: “Cabs4one aims to make taking a taxi extremely safe for both female passengers and female drivers. “I have already hired six unemployed peo- ple to give them a chance and I hope to recruit more over the coming months. “We’ve launched with two Smart CDIs which are the greenest car in production.
“These cars are also very safe. Our research shows that over 60 per cent of taxi journeys are taken by single passen- gers who don’t really need to be picked up in a five, six or eight-
RADCLIFFE-ON-TRENT TAXI FOR ONE REALLY IS A SMART IDEA prices.
seater car, so we’re try- ing to do our bit to keep emissions down. “Customers benefit from the use of Smart cars as the fares are set lower than the four-passenger com- petition. We also have a four-passenger car and all our cars are black with our distinc- tive lime green logo.” Cabs4one will be con- centrating its service in Radcliffe, Bingham, Newton, Shelford and the surrounding areas. It will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, doing local and long-distance work, plus airport transfers at what Joanne says will be competitive
Cllr Eddie Fearon, chairman of Rush- cliffe’s licensing com- mittee, said: “I am very encouraged to see a local business taking the lead in providing environmentally- friendly Smart cars, with female drivers available too.
“The council was ap- proached by Joanne Higgott and was only too pleased to be able to help with the licens- ing of the Smart cars, which in turn has given employment to people and brought a much-needed service to the Radcliffe area. “I wish them every suc- cess in their venture.”
Joanne Higgot with one of the Cabs4One Smart CDIs
PHTM NOVEMBER 2011
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