Taxi firm struggles with only one phone

A ROYTON taxi firm is still battling to operate with only one telephone line, 12 days after a telecoms company crashed, leaving it without a service.

Borough Taxi’s managing director Fazal Rahim said its 110 drivers had suffered a 75 per cent cut in their takings since the crash as customers struggled to get through on only one landline — four fewer than are needed.

He said: “It is still a big problem. Our drivers and, most importantly, our customers are going through a difficult time.

“Businesses like ours depend on the telephone system — we are just another innocent victim of the credit crunch.”

Communication problems struck the Middleton Road taxi firm when Global Telecoms and Technology of Bury collapsed and the lines went dead.

Mr Rahim has been waiting to get new lines set up with British Telecom ever since, but engineers are struggling to get them up and running.

He explained: “We have a computer system put in by Global Telecoms, and BT is having problems converting it — it’s just one of those things.”

Borough Taxis is currently using 0161 624 2448.

Hundreds of companies were left without lines by the collapse, including Crompton and Royton Private Hire and MB Precision Engineering of Royton, which lost its phone, fax and internet.

Crompton and Royton Private Hire’s telephones were back up and running five days later.

Global Telecoms closed with the loss of 100 jobs.