Visitors face lack of early morning taxis

Monday 12 August 2019

With fewer taxi drivers choosing to work early mornings, it seems more and more travellers on red-eye flights are struggling to find a lift to the airport.

Many visitors and locals have voiced their concerns on the issue and, despite having noticed the difficulties, the States do not have any current plans to change the rules around taxi operating hours.

At the moment, there are 129 registered taxis in Guernsey - that includes 115 general vehicles, 10 reduced mileage cars and 4 wheelchair accessible plates.

Although the majority of those vehicles are required to cover a minimum of 25,000 miles per year, operators do have the freedom to choose the days and hours they work. That can be problematic for tourists who need a lift to the airport during unsociable hours, but did not think to book ahead.

Pictured: The Town taxi rank.

"The number of registered taxis has been determined by the Committee as a sufficient amount to meet the needs of the public whilst seeking to protect the licence holders, ensuring that, as far as possible, there is sufficient work for all," said a spokesperson from the Committee for Environment and Infrastructure.

"Company owners, holding multiple plates, are encouraged to have at least one of their vehicles serving the airport and to provide a 24 hour service wherever possible. However, it is recognised that this can be difficult for small businesses to achieve.

"The Committee is aware that is can be more difficult to obtain taxis for early morning flights or on a Sunday as there are fewer drivers choosing to work at these times. It is recommended that those requiring a taxi at these times book in advance where possible."

For many, there doesn't seem to be much alternative though. Currently, the earliest bus leaves the Town Terminus at 05:50 on weekdays, reaching the airport at 06:05 - just in time to check in for the red eye flight. However, those hoping to catch a bus to an early flight at the weekend may be out of luck, with the first leaving Town at 06:35 on Saturdays and not until 08:04 on Sundays.

Pictured: Guernsey airport.

"The bus timetable is regularly reviewed and often adjusted following receipt of feedback," the spokesperson continued. "The possibility of providing additional early morning services will be discussed with the operator."

 One other option for those living in the island is to get in touch with Home James, which offers an airport car return service for people with their own vehicles.

"We have also had a lot of complaints from customers regarding the red eye flight," said Director Steve Glendinning. "We do have drivers available in the morning for airport jobs. We do advise customers that we start at 09:30, so we collect keys the night before from all customers booked on flights before this time. If it's after this time we meet them at the airport.

"We always ask customers to book in advance as we can be quite busy and want to allocate everyone."

Taxi drivers are allowed to employ additional drivers if they see fit.