Traffic boss hits back at taxi claims

Christmas and New Year is the busiest time for taxi drivers

A Guernsey politician has hit back at critics who blame a shortage of taxis in the island on the Traffic Committee.

Its president, Deputy Pat Mellor, has rejected claims that a long application process is putting potential drivers off.

The general manager of Bluebird taxis, Mike Newsom, claimed it can take up to three months for applications to be processed by the Traffic Committee and such a wait makes candidates re-think their options.

However, Deputy Mellor said the claim was incorrect as applications can be dealt with within two weeks.

Earlier in the month, passengers were warned by the Taxi Owners' Federation it could no longer offer a proper taxi service because of a shortage of drivers.

Deputy Mellor said it is down to the individual candidates to complete all the relevant information.

She says there are other factors to be considered and suggests taxi companies may need to re-assess their businesses, taking into account Guernsey's full employment situation.