Long-serving Blackpool taxi operator Whitesides adds more hybrid vehicles

One of the world’s oldest taxi firms, Blackpool-based Whiteside Taxis, has added 13 new hybrid cars to its fleet of nearly 100 vehicles.

The £500,000 investment in nine Hyundai Ioniqs and four Skoda Octavia e-Tec hybrids was via The Taxi Centre, a division of major dealer group Vertu Motors.

The taxi company was founded by Thomas Whiteside in 1880 as a horsedrawn taxi service.

The Taxi Centre has been supplying the taxi and private hire trade for 20 years and supplies thousands of vehicles each year. Mike Amann, Sales Manager at The Taxi Centre, said: “It’s a real honour to support the world’s oldest taxi firm with its latest vehicles. This investment to modernise its fleet will not only help Whiteside to reduce its emissions but will also help it save money on fuel, whilst providing customers with a comfortable journey.”

Daniel Whiteside, Managing Director at Whiteside Taxis, said: “We’ve come a long way since the horse-drawn days of our first taxis. This latest investment means that we can support our drivers to make their shifts as profitable and eco-friendly as possible.”

Vertu Motors plc is the fifth largest automotive retailer in the UK with a network of 152 franchised sales outlets and 4 non-franchised sales operations from 120 locations across the UK. Its dealerships operate predominantly under the Bristol Street Motors, Vertu Motors and Macklin Motors brand names.

Vertu acquired The Taxi Centre in 2015 and moved it to a new £100,000 site in Glasgow on Kennishead Road in later 2020.