External management of Grosvenor Casinos’ taxi concessions has delivered a better standard of service, full accountability and a new source of revenue
Part of the Rank Group, Grosvenor Casinos is the UK’s largest and most profitable casino operator. With 54 sites located in major towns and cities across the country, Grosvenor welcomes some 7.7 million visitors every year.
Before working with Taxi Management Services (TMS), the Rank Group had no formal oversight of their casino taxi arrangements. Each site had its own informal relationship with a local taxi operator.
This gave the Group no way to monitor the standard of service provided, and no way to ensure that any discounts and incentives offered to staff by the taxi operators were not contravening the Anti-Bribery Act. It also meant that the Group was missing out on revenue that could be generated by marketing official, exclusive taxi concessions to taxi operators.
TMS’s managed taxi concessions generate an annual six-figure income for the Rank Group.
Our solution
Liaising with the GMs at every Grosvenor Casino, TMS sent out tender invitations to local taxi operators. The selection process looked at a wide range of factors beyond the financial value of the tender, from the size and age of their fleet, fare charging rates and likely response times, to disabled access, carbon reduction measures and the availability of uniformed drivers.
As part of their contract, the selected taxi operators were required to give VIP status to all calls from the venues and provide a standard discount for venue staff travelling to and from their place of work. This maintained the benefits staff had previously enjoyed while making sure that they are legally compliant and above board.
All taxi operators are bound by a strict SLA. TMS handles any complaints on behalf of the venues, working directly with the taxi firms to improve performance. Should it become necessary, sub-standard taxi operators can be replaced with minimum disruption for venue staff and guests. TMS also takes care of invoicing and credit control, and retains up-to-date copies of the operators’ licenses and insurance documents.
Taxis are booked via discreet phones provided by TMS for each venue. Data on usage, taxi operator performance and the value of each concession can be analysed and, if necessary, used to the enforce the SLA.
The result
“I’ve been impressed by TMS’s ability to formalise taxi provision, extracting and maintaining the maximum performance and revenue for each venue without any disruption to service.” Paul Swendell, Purchasing Director, Rank Group.
TMS’s knowledge of the competitive UK taxi market was crucial in helping the Rank Group select the right taxi providers while achieving maximum revenue. Their new SLA-driven taxi concessions have generated extremely positive feedback.
Following the success of the program implemented at Grosvenor Casinos, TMS now manage all of the Rank Group’s taxi concessions throughout the UK, generating an annual six-figure income across the Group.
To find out more, call TMS on: 01223 622126
