Eastbourne gets its Dial-a-Ride service
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• Eastbourne is to get its Dial-a-Bus service despite objections from local taxi men. The Corporation was granted approval last week by the South Eastern Traffic Commissioners to run the service on a trial basis for four months starting in September.
However, taxi men scored a partial victory by successfully blocking the Corporation plan to include hail-a-ride in the Operation.
Taxi men said hailing was a taxi function and they were bound by strict regulations which governed how many fares they could carry at any one time. A 15-seater minibus being used as a "maxi taxi" would be unfair competition.
The Commissioners agreed on this point and refused hail-a-ride. But they said that the taxi men had failed to make out a strong enough case against Dial-a-Bus and this would be approved.
The licence was granted for one year backdated to July 1 but the Commissioners said that if the Corporation only wanted to run the experiment for four months they could apply for special dispensation and have the licence withdrawn.
Mr Tony Smith, for the Corporation, said the service would operate from parts of Hampden Park to the town centre.
It would run between Willingdon Park Drive and Eastbourne railway station with links to Hampden Park station and the Congress Theatre at suitable times. It would operate only at peak periods and late evenings on Mondays to Saturdays inclusive.
It would not cut across local taxis because it would be tapping a new market. The sort of people they expected to try it would be housewives stranded without the family car and the elderly — neither of whom would normally hire a taxi for a shopping trip. Commuters too might like it, he suggested.
Passengers would telephone the transport department and book a place on the 15seater minibus. It would then pick them up at their garden gate.
If there was room on board it would be possible for some people along the route, waiting at bus stops, to catch it and thus hail-a-ride. But this was of secondary importance, he said.
Transport manager Mr Edward Leach said he hoped to introduce the service on September 24 but there were staff problems at present which might mean delaying its introduction until October to avoid adversely affecting the present service.
Mr Ralph Parker, secretary of Station Taxis, representing 40 taxi men, said the Corporation plan to operate at peak hours was "skimming the cream off the milk" and could lead to a deterioration in the local taxi service.