£1 taxi fare to boost Walsall town centre trade

People will be able to flag down a taxi and travel into Walsall town centre for just £1 from June 6, council chiefs announced today.

The Town for a Pound scheme is expected to help boost trade for hackney carriage drivers.

It is also hoped this will increase town centre footfall and licensing chiefs have described it is a "win-win situation" for all.

Council spokeswoman Natalie Greenway confirmed the Town for a Pound scheme will start next month.

Mirza Khalid, chairman of the Hackney Carriage Association in Walsall, has said drivers had the idea.

It is aimed at combating the "dead mileage" of journeys back to the taxi rank.

Under the scheme, hackney carriage drivers could be flagged down on their way back to the ranks.

They would then charge £1 for the journey, regardless of how many people are on board.

All journeys except for those back to the taxi rank would be charged as normal.

The Town for a Pound scheme has already proved successful in Bradford.

It is hoped more shoppers will head into the town centre, which will soon benefit from Primark and Co-op arriving under a refurbishment of the Old Square Shopping Centre.