...IN THE NEWS...IN THE


CITY CABS’ £10K FREE TRIP GIVEAWAY ON 90TH ANNIVERSARY It is the Scottish Cap- ital’s oldest taxi company, dating back to a time when milk was delivered by horse and cart. Now City Cabs is cel- ebrating its 90th year as one of Edinburgh’s top taxi firms by giv- ing away £10,000 worth of free fares – and a family holiday. The business first launched in 1925 when 25 drivers came together to form an association, opening their first branch on Easter Road with a deposit of £13 and six shillings. To mark this year’s milestone, 93 cabs offered free taxi jour- neys throughout the


city between 8am and 10pm on Mon- day 14 September – with anyone who booked a cab also entered into a prize draw to win a £1,000 voucher for a family holiday.


Company secretary Les McVay admitted the anniversary had “crept up” on them. He told the Edinburgh News: “When you tell people, it raises a few eyebrows that we’ve been around since 1925.


“Now all these new kids on the block are coming through, all these different apps which we have to compete with – we know that. But we always adapt.”


the same.”


Alan Moir is the oldest employee driving for City Cabs


Mr McVay, who has been with City Cabs for 35 years, said the business had “changed greatly” since he was younger – let alone since things first kicked off nine decades ago.


“The demands are a lot greater on drivers and the expectations are a lot greater,” he said. “But one of the things you realise from reading the minute book in 1925 is there’s a lot that’s


When City Cabs first launched there were 25 association mem- bers – made up of those who owned the taxis – and 80 drivers. These days there are 427 members and around 1,100 drivers. Honorary president Alan Moir, from Stockbridge, is City Cabs’ longest-serv- ing employee, having been with the associ- ation since 1970. The 72-year-old grandfather remem- bers a time when cabs were hailed from special public pay phones placed throughout the city. He said: “It gets me up and it keeps my brain active. As long


as I keep passing my medicals I’ll keep doing it. Most pas- sengers are great with you.”


And both men are optimistic about the future – despite Mr McVay being careful not to race ahead of himself. On a recent taxi jour- ney, he joked to a pensioner in the back that the next step for- ward would be to implement a “Beam me up, Scotty”- style system from Star Trek.


The taxi driver was taken aback when the old man leaned forward and solemnly enquired: “So how would that work, son?”


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OCTOBER 2015


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