THE public can now call for a Barnsley hackney cab instead of trying to flag one down on the street.
Barnsley Hackney Carriage Association has set up a new system which allows customers to speak to its drivers direct and get a realistic estimate of when their cab will arrive.
Calls are logged by a computer which sends a voice message to cabbies to see who is available to pick up from the address, then connects the customer.
Dennis Hayes, a taxi-driver for nine years, says the move is in part a response to complaints from the town’s disabled about their struggles to get a Hackney cab. So far 11 of the association's 61 drivers have signed up and John expects around half of all hackney cabbies to be using the system within a year.
The number to call is 699699.
