In the last year St Andrews Taxis has gone from strength to strength, honoured as “Scottish Taxi Company of the Year – Medium 2024”, increasing engagement by Fife Council Licensing with the local taxi trade and kickstarting several new initiatives.
When St Andrews Taxis scooped “Scottish Taxi Company of the Year – Medium 2024” earlier this year, owners James Glen and Linda Holt were surprised and delighted by the recognition of the company’s unwavering commitment to excellence and its position as a trusted leader in the transportation industry.
Kerrie Flynn of Scottish Passenger Transport Awards said: “This accolade serves as a testament to the diligent efforts and commitment of both the company and their employees.”
Three years ago James and Linda bought St Andrews Taxis, which was established in 1998 with a single taxi by St Andrews-based entrepreneurs Alan and Valerie Sturrock. James and Linda had themselves started the iconic Big Yellow Taxi Company with a single car in the East Neuk of Fife only a year previously, winning in their first year of operation “Taxi Website of the Year”.
According to James Glen, the jump from being a single owner-operator to running a company with three cars and five staff was quite a challenge. Three years on, St Andrews Taxis now numbers ten cars and seventeen staff.
The company has also been the driving force behind increased engagement with Fife Council Licensing, encouraging the regulator to take action against rogue operators who were beginning to give the industry a bad name and to set up a Taxi Forum for better engagement with local operators.
St Andrews Taxis also helped set up The Shuttle, a new shuttle service to Edinburgh airport run by Sharon Nellies. Unlike other shuttle services, it is fully regulated by Fife Licensing, the police and Disclosure Scotland, offering passengers a one-way transfer for as little as £20.
James Glen has just launched a new service for all operators in the area, via facebook, where passengers to and from Edinburgh airport can catch a discounted ride. “It’s crazy that there are so many empty cars going up to the airport for pick ups or returning from the airport after drops off. It makes sense economically and for the environment to fill these cars with passengers if we can. They win too because they pay considerably less than the normal one-way rate which varies from £125-£150. The facebook page lets operators advertise the trips they have booked and prospective passengers can get in touch with them directly if the date and time matches their needs.”
Reflecting on how St Andrews Taxis has gone from strength to strength, James Glen said:
“Our motto is More than a Taxi Service. It arose quite naturally when we realised that’s what Linda and I in the office, and our staff in the cars were instinctively doing in looking after our customers.
“Like every industry, the taxi trade is constantly evolving and you have to be adaptable and flexible to respond to ever-changing market conditions. With everything becoming more and more online, my background as a web designer has been very helpful. But while being newbies in the trade was scary at first, it’s actually helped us think outside the box and see new opportunities.
“We’ll shortly be setting up a Trusted Taxis scheme and launching St Andrews Executive Cars, a bespoke and exclusive transportation service.”
