Taxi!

Town centre visitors can once again take advantage of the successful taxi rank initiative designed to help people get home quickly, easily, and safely.

The popular stewarding scheme gives people the reassurance of dedicated security when queuing for a taxi ride home, thanks to a joint initiative led by BSafe Blackpool and the town centre’s Business Improvement District (BID).

The scheme provides dedicated security from 1am until 4am at the popular Talbot Road island taxi rank, in Talbot Square.

The scheme has been a great success in previous years, and will back in operation for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, when town is expected to be extremely busy.

Party-goers leaving late night bars and clubs can take advantage of the scheme on the following days:

Friday 22

Saturday23

Sunday 24

Friday29

Saturday30

Sunday 31

Cllr Sue Wright is Vice Chair of the BSafe Blackpool, a partnership that includes Blackpool Council and Blackpool Police. She said: “The taxi rank scheme has become a festive Blackpool tradition, and I’m sure local residents will welcome it once again. The important thing is that people out having fun at this time of year get home safely and quickly.”

Town Centre Manager Nigel Hanson added: “This initiative has provedtremendously successful and the Business Improvement District is strongly committed to supporting taxi stewarding both now and in the future.”

It’s important to remind revellers, for their safety,to pre-book a taxi or approach licensed taxis on recognised ranks only.These are identifiable by the vehicle being plated and the driver wearing an identity badge. It may be cold and you may be desperate to get home, but opting for an illegal minicab is never worth the risk.

There are plans to extend the taxi stewarding scheme next year to cover the Queen Street area but as yet this is still in the planning stage.

Top tips for getting home:

Keep your taxi fare separate from your beer money, so you don’t spend it.

Try and agree a time to return home before you go out.

Leave the club 20 minutes before it closes so you have less of a wait for a taxi.

Make sure you know where all your friends are, and they know where you are