A BELOVED taxi service specialising in transporting vulnerable people has entered liquidation after more than three decades.
Droitwich’s Blue Door Logistics Ltd, also known as Blue Door Taxis, has officially shut up shop after 35 years, accusing Worcestershire County Council of choosing cost over care.
Worcestershire County Council said it was sorry to hear about the closure of Blue Door Taxis, however, it wanted to make it clear that no contracts were withdrawn and all contracts have a finite length.
The taxi firm had been a specialist transport provider for Worcestershire County Council for the last five years, spending hundreds of thousands of pounds over that time buying custom vehicles and putting staff through essential and optional training to safeguard and transport the vulnerable users – including many schoolchildren.
A spokesperson for Blue Door said: “Between Worcestershire County Council and us, the main priority was the care, safety and wellbeing of our very vulnerable service users.
“From Blue Door’s perspective, this care never faltered.
“Unfortunately, in recent years it would appear that Worcestershire County Council needed to prioritise cost over care.
“We have been directly informed of absolute horror stories, by parents and carers of vulnerable people, telling of the heart-breaking and awful situations that have occurred at the hands of substandard transport providers, who were picked by Worcestershire County Council because they quoted the cheapest price.”
Alongside losing the Worcestershire County Council contract, Blue Door had been feeling the pressure from ‘out-of-area taxis’ coming into Worcester.
The spokesperson added: “In addition to the ongoing demand to cut costs for Worcestershire County Council, our day-to-day taxi work was also feeling the strain, with competition from out-of-area taxis coming into our local area, charging prices that just aren’t viable to compete with whilst adhering to all rules and regulations and full safeguarding practice.
“When someone is in the confines of a vehicle, they are in a situation that makes them incredibly vulnerable.
“It is imperative, from a safeguarding perspective, that the driver of the taxi is licensed by the local authority in which they are actually working in.
“With us not being prepared to lower our high standards, ever-increasing overheads, and the sheer cost to be a law-abiding employer, despite all attempts and sacrifices made to save us, the heartbreaking decision had to be made to close our doors and leave so many of our brilliant team without employment.”
Blue Door Taxis was formed over 35 years ago by Paul (known as Poli) and his wife, Jackie. The company came to be after Poli was left with permanent spinal injuries in a farming accident, leading him to become a taxi driver. Blue Door Taxis would go on to become the biggest taxi company in Wychavon.
A Worcestershire County Council spokesperson said: “We are really sorry to hear about the closure of Blue Door Logistics.
“We want to make it clear that no contracts have been withdrawn from Blue Door and that any contracts held by them were surrendered at the point of closure.
“All contracts have a finite length, and when a contract reaches its end date, it is retendered.
“This has been the process, in line with legal procurement requirements, for years.
“Contracts are awarded through a robust, fair and transparent evaluation process that considers both quality and cost, ensuring good outcomes for those who need the services, balanced with the use of public money.
“This is not just a Worcestershire County Council requirement, but our legal obligation as a local authority, which we are regularly audited.
“We appreciate the contribution Blue Door Logistics has made in providing transport services over the years and extend our best wishes to those affected during this difficult period of its closure.”
The spokesperson for Blue Door Taxis added: “We would like to thank every single person who has sent us messages of condolence, love and memories.
“There are comments on the public Facebook posts from other high-quality transport providers who are facing the same battle as we did, after, like ourselves, investing money, time, blood, sweat and tears into building their businesses and reputation.
“We would like to thank our dedicated staff members and our loyal customers from the bottom of our hearts for the last 35 years.
“It is very much the end of an era.”
A new company, BDT Droitwich, has been formed by former staff but is not associated with Blue Door Taxis. Other companies bearing the Blue Door name have not been affected, including Blue Door Fleet Services Ltd, and Berry Hill MOT Centre Ltd.
