Can you help get Trev’s Taxi back on the road?

With increasing living costs and high interest rates, now is not the time for any hard-working person to lose their livelihood, but that is exactly what will happen to popular Bude taxi driver, Trev Plant, unless he gets some very real help. On 21 October, Trev’s Taxi broke down and will cost around £8,000 to fix. Trev hates asking for help, so a couple of us have decided to ask for your support on his behalf.

Trev moved to Bude in 2007 and adores the town he has adopted as his forever home. Trev is very much a part of the community fabric. He has been instrumental in many local initiatives, such as: Light Up Bude (to bring Christmas lights to the town); promotion of the town and its businesses through his Facebook page; Big Up Bude; business sponsor of Bude Sea Pool.

Big-hearted, community-minded Trev collects for the renowned Bude Surf Life Saving Club during their Christmas Day Swim and has recently made sizeable charitable donations himself to Bude Christmas Hampers (£400 raised for his birthday) and Born to Be Wild (a local wildlife charity). He will help anyone in need, and often does.

Now it is Trev who needs our help, as the taxi on which he relies for his living has badly broken down. On 21st October, at picturesque Hartland Quay where he was collecting customers, Trev’s taxi simply stopped working, despite being regularly professionally maintained and serviced.

He is, of course, fully insured, buying a new vehicle every 5 years because he needs a taxi people can rely on. Sadly, the insurance does not cover such massive repairs, and as luck would have it, the warranty on Trev’s Taxi ran out just two weeks before the major breakdown.

Additionally, he still has two years left to pay on his finance deal for the vehicle. An early settlement fee, if he had to buy another one, would cost £7,800. Even if he had the money, the wait time for a new, taxi-ready vehicle is March 2023.

The turbo and engine have blown and repair costs will be around £8,000. Peugeot isn’t looking at the vehicle until 8 November, so Trev is really stuck.

Basically, Trev needs to get his taxi fixed, otherwise he will go out of business and be seriously in debt.

Trev cannot fault the local kindness he experienced during a recent spell of illness and, of course, the Covid pandemic, when he lost a year’s worth of income. He is immensely grateful to Phil Wallis, the wonderful owner of Bayside Taxis, who has lent Trev a spare vehicle to use as and when it is available, but Trev is currently turning away vital work, so is struggling to meet his financial commitments.

The breakdown has been a major blow to the well-loved local. His worst nightmare is that he will be forced to lose the business he loves, while also still owing money on the vehicle, which is where you come in.

Trev will need upwards of £8,000 to get his taxi repaired so he can work again, which he is desperate to do. If you can help, please donate to help Trev get back on the road.