St Annes taxi company maybe a record breaker
A Fylde coast taxi company has celebrated its 138th anniversary and is hoping to mark the occasion by having its claim of England's oldest taxi company officially recognised.
Whiteside Taxis, based in St Annes, was founded in the town by Thomas Whiteside in 1880 and has been run by four generations of the Whiteside family with Daniel Whiteside the current director.
The firm has contacted Guinness World Records to see if its claim of England’s oldest taxi company can enter the record books.
Daniel, who is Thomas’ great grandson, said: “As far as we aware there isn’t another company in England as old as Whiteside Taxis and certainly not one which is four generations old.
“We normally do a customer competition for our anniversary but we have been really busy recently so hopefully the title will make up for it. We hope to plan something quite big for our 140th anniversary
Daniel says he puts the success and longevity of the company down to “hard work and a passion for customer care”.
He added: “We like to think we are not a stereotypical taxi company in which drivers are untidy and don’t talk to customers.”
The firm has a fleet of 85 vehicles and it is the only taxi company in the North West to adopt a full uniform which includes collared shirt and company tie.
It’s the largest taxi company in Fylde with its head office situated next to St Annes train station.
The company is still on the hunt for more evidence to show it’s the oldest taxi company and has asked anyone with information to call (01253) 711611.