A RADICAL new taxi service is to

be launched tonight (fri 17/12/10), one of the busiest party nights of

the year, to provide West End revellers with a safe way of getting home.

The Golden Fares scheme is

designed to give visitors to central London an accessible, easy to use

and safe way of travelling home late at night and into the early hours

on Fridays and Saturdays, and encourage revellers not to be tempted by

touts in the knowledge they can get a trustworthy licensed taxi at a

fixed price when they most need it.

Operating from Leicester Square

from 10pm-4am both Friday and Saturday nights, passengers will be pay a

fixed price up front to travel to four zones stretching as far as from

Redbridge to Richmond and Croydon to Copthall, with the most expensive

fare being £50, and the cheapest £20.

The scheme has been developed

by Westminster Council, Transport for London and representatives from

the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association, Unite, the London Cab Drivers

Club and Heart of London Business Alliance.

Westminster City Council’s cabinet

member for transport, Cllr Lee Rowley, said: “This will be a boon to

revellers this Christmas, especially those living in outer boroughs. We

want people to come to the West End and have a great time, but we also

want them to get home safely and not be tempted by touts who pose a real

risk to their safety.”

Westminster

council’s city commissioner of transportation, Martin Low, who came up

with the concept of the Golden Fares scheme whilst taking part in a

phone in on the LBC radio’s James Whale show, said:

“We all know how difficult it can

be to get a taxi in the early hours, but it struck me whilst taking

calls from cabbies that what was needed was some extra incentive to

encourage them, as well as ensuring a good deal for the passengers.

“Golden fares offers customers

certainty about what they are going to pay and the taxi driver gets the

fare up front at the start of the journey with no risk of the passenger

not paying. Also, many cabbies do live in many of the outer boroughs, so

it makes sense for them to be heading home with a fare paying

passengers instead of driving empty. It’s a win-win situation for

everyone.”

It has also been

backed by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, whose Director Catherine Skinner,

said: “Suzy Lamplugh Trust would encourage revellers visiting the West

End over the festive period to either book a licensed minicab in advance

to come and collect them or take full advantage of the Golden Fares

Scheme and stay well clear of illegal minicabs touting for business on

the streets.”

John Mason,

Director of Taxi and Private Hire at Transport for London said:  "TfL

are delighted to have been involved in the introduction of this new,

innovative scheme. It provides yet another alternative for the public to

get home safely from the West End at night using licensed taxis.

“The pricing structure for the

scheme provides both taxi drivers and the travelling public with a

transparent and simple structure of set fares that we hope both will

find attractive. We will monitor this trial closely and work with

Westminster Council and the taxi trade to expand the scheme if it proves

successful.”

Licensed Taxi

Drivers’ Association General Secretary Bob Oddy said: “This is the

busiest time of the year and we want to do all we can to ensure people

can find a taxi as quickly and easily as possible, and are not tempted

to put their own safety at risk by using a tout. It’s a great deal for

passengers, as a group of five people travelling to the same location

can travel in safety and comfort to places as far as away as Croydon and

Barnet for as little as a tenner each. I’m confident taxi drivers will

embrace this scheme and if a success it could become a regular fixture

this time of year.”

Passengers and taxi drivers are being asked to

agree fixed fares for journeys made from the Golden Fares Taxi Rank

located on the north side of Coventry Street at the tourist coach bus

stop outside G Casinos by Wardour Street and Swiss Court.

Passengers tell the driver their

destination postcode or the street name and the driver then inputs the

information into an ipad which identifies which Golden Fares zone the

address is in and the cost. Divided into four zones of three, seven, ten

and twelve miles the fixed fees will be priced at £20, £30, £40 and £50

respectively.

Drivers are

not obliged to participate in the scheme but only drivers willing to

accept payment via the Golden Fares Scheme are permitted to use the

identified rank.  Visitors still be able to choose to hail a taxi in the

street as normal if they so wish, which would be cheaper and more

convenient for shorter journeys as the scheme is primarily aimed at

those travelling home, particularly to the outer boroughs. 

Businesses in Leicester Square and

Piccadilly, represented by the Heart of London Business Alliance

(HOLBA), also backed the scheme and provided the marshalling point.

Golden Fares will operate from

10pm to 4am Friday and Saturday nights for four weekends starting on

Friday December 17th, but excludes the Friday and Saturday of Christmas

Eve and Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. LTDA will

supply taxi marshalls during the trial, and the casino will also provide

a place for drivers to use the facilities.

The Council has loaded

special software on Apple ipads to calculate the fare, which is based

upon the post code of the destination or a road name and the following

fixed fares:

Up to 3 miles   

£20

Up to 7 miles    £30

Up to 10 miles   £40

Up to 12 miles  

£50