The boss of a Whittlesey taxi firm is giving residents an early summer present by offering a 15 per cent discount off all fares for the next 3 months. Gurninder Singh Gill, managing director of Swift Transport, said in a Facebook post to various local groups: “You spoke we listened.”
It means the ‘fixed price’ fare to Peterborough for example is temporarily reduced to £12.20.
“All of our local fares have been reduced by 15 per cent for the next quarter,” he said. “You wanted cheaper travel, so we’re giving it to you.”
Mr Gill, a Conservative candidate for a vacancy on Whittlesey town council on May 2, began a survey on transport through Facebook in March.
He asked residents to comment on what changes they would like to see made to the passenger transport services within Whittlesey.
His questions:
1) Would you like more frequent buses including a late evening and weekend bus service?
2) Cheaper, more affordable taxis.
3) Demand Responsive Transport (DRT). For those of you who don’t know what DRT is, it’s essential a form of shared public transport which alters its route based on demand rather than using a fixed route or timetable. (Essentially the best of both worlds between a bus and a taxi).
“Or maybe you’d like to see all three of the above?,” he said. “Have your say and let us all know.”
In a series of exchanges with residents, he explained that DRT would be “especially beneficial for villages like Turves that are out of the way. People could book on when they wanted to, and minibuses/buses wouldn’t need to carry empty journeys”.
Mr Gill said he couldn’t do anything about DRT himself or another suggestion to improve bus services to Peterborough.
“But for those that don’t know, all our fares are reduced by 15 per cent,” he said.
Mr Gill added that he would like to see more trains stopping at Whittlesey station -the town is growing and requires better transport.
A reminder to @FenlandCouncil that you are yet to acknowledge my complaint about this video. I don't suppose @SteveBarclay realised where his henchmen were going to post it but perhaps he should pic.twitter.com/8SXKg7ODZC
— John Elworthy (@johnelworthy) April 8, 2024
He is a candidate in the St Andrews ward by election caused by the resignation of Simon Black.
Opposing him will be independent candidate Peter Bibb.
He said: “In terms of my message. I am very much pro; health and wellbeing, environmental protection, enabling people to help themselves and others (ref PYP, which I helped to set up now just got £86,000 to run youth services, which the council should really be doing).
“I want better opportunities and transport connections and especially improved educational opportunities for young people and adults. “
He added: “I will cooperate and work with anyone who wants to help achieve these things (as I showed by working with Gary Munns, while he was still a Conservative councillor, but clearly a decent bloke)
“I am stridently anti; anything which pollutes or damages the environment or people. I hate inequality and discrimination for any reason, and I will try to help anyone who is suffering from it.
“I will represent the best interests of any person in my ward, whether they voted for me, against me or not at all. Hope that helps. Oh, I am honest (even when I think it might not be an opinion which is currently popular)”.
“I would add that I use what skills I have to help others in the community. For example, all the tennis coaching I have done with juniors over the years has been completely free of charge, as I believe that improving yourself should not cost you money you don’t have.”
Gurninder Singh Gill (centre) flanked by Whittlesey mayor Cllr Kay Mayor and the Conservative police and crime commissioner candidate Darryl Preston.
