Taxi for Rover!

Taxi for Pets has been set up by Carl Charlesworth

Pet travel idea is roaring success for Carl

NEVER mind walkies — a new business in Oldham transporting pets in comfort is proving a barking success.

Taxi for Pets has been set up by Carl Charlesworth, from Shaw, as an affordable and reliable way to get furry friends to their destination —such as the vets and back.

He came up with the idea several years ago after reading a story in the Chronicle about an elderly woman struggling to get her pet to the vet because taxi drivers refused to take them.

The former builder has now put the brainwave into practice and is doing a roaring (or should that be meowing) trade.

Mr Charlesworth said: “It’s a very new business and I’m just getting going. I’ve done quite a lot of research and I think it will be a massive help to people to be able to phone up like a human taxi and have us on hand.

“I’m mainly targeting elderly people who struggle to get pets to the vets. In Greater Manchester there’s quite a few people doing pet sitting and dog walking but for the pet taxi side of things hardly anyone is targeting it. There’s been an awful lot of interest. I have two vans at the moment but hopefully I can expand and move forward.”

Mr Charlesworth has established the business with his partner Amy Garside and there are two other workers who can step in when needed. They have set up a website and begun advertising in pet shops and at vets and distributing leaflets.

The firm also offers a dog walking service, pet sitting — for when people don’t want to put their pet in kennels while on holiday but want it cared for in their own home — and puppy care.

The pet lover, who has three dogs, wants to target the local area but is prepared to do any job anywhere.

He’s even agreed to a request to take a kitten from Elgin, Scotland, to London for a breeder — charging £695 for the 1,000 mile trip.

A recent job involved taking a lady and her bulldog from Chorlton to an eye clinic in Blackley and then waiting with them to take them home.

The 34-year-old said: “We will help where we can and can represent people at the vets if the customer can’t get there.”

They are focusing on domestic animals — mainly dogs, kittens, gerbils and rabbits — rather than exotic, but will consider any request.

He was asked by a hedgehog breeder to transport some prickly customers — but had to turn down the job as he could not guarantee his van would be maintained at a specific temperature. He is now looking at getting special temperature controls installed in the van.

The business charges £1 a mile for a local trip, which includes fuel and time, with a 25 per cent discount for elderly people.

Contact Taxi for Pets on 01706 882905 or 07830 760632