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In 1901 a gentleman by the name of Monkhouse Graham better known as “Yorkie” Graham, began operating a horse drawn hackney carriage in Sunderland. He was later joined in business by his son Edward and together they purchased stables in Tunstall Road.
By 1922 the business had prospered to such an extent that Mr Graham was able to purchase his first motor vehicle, a model “T” Ford, which operated alongside the horse drawn carriages around Sunderland. At this point it was decided to name the company “Sunderland Carriage and Motor Company” to reflect the new mode of transport.
In 1934 the last of the horse drawn carriages were taken out of service and the business concentrated on serving customers at the north end of Sunderland railway station in High Street West.
Following the retirement of “Yorkie” Graham, his son Edward continued running the business until his own death in 1970. “Eddie” was succeeded by his daughter Monty Atkinson and the company became more commonly known as Graham’s Taxis and subsequently Station taxis.
In 1971 a small group of drivers joined together to form Sunderland Owner Drivers Association and set up in business in Athenaeum Street outside the south end of the Railway station. The aim of this association was to accept bookings from customers and share the available work amongst all members.
The association prospered and membership grew, and in 1974 following the closure and demolition of the of the north end of the railway station, Sunderland Carriage and Motor company were forced to move their operation to the south end. The two companies worked side by side sharing a small wooden shelter which had been donated to the taxi drivers of the town by a grateful benefactor many years previously.
Mrs. Atkinson retired in 1979 and was succeeded by her two daughters, Catherine and Gina, who in May 1980 following protracted negotiations agreed to merge with Sunderland Owner Drivers association
By 1985 Station Taxis were rapidly outgrowing their available facilities and it was decided the time had come to convert the association to a Limited company. Each member was allocated one equal share in the new company once Station Taxis (Sunderland) limited was incorporated. In 1988 it became evident that the existing radio system was no longer able to cope with the volume of work being generated for the expanding fleet and the search began for a more modern booking and vehicle despatch system.
Following much research the company finally decided upon a computer based system which automatically allocates each booking to the nearest available taxi.
The new system was purchased in 1990 and installed in two leased offices in Waterloo place next to the railway station. As booking increased and the taxi fleet continued to expand the computer system was constantly upgraded and developed, and by 1995 the need had arisen to move the technology forward a further step. Following further research a new state of the art data transmission system was purchased and installed in April 1996. The new system effectively removed the need to relay bookings to taxis by voice, and instead transmits job details directly onto a data screen in the taxi. The company is constantly looking at new communication systems
that are becoming increasingly more available in the market place. In 1998 it was decided the that the Waterloo place office was no longer large enough to accommodate all the requirements of the expanding Company, and as a result additional premises located in Brooke street on Sheepfolds industrial Estate were purchased. The accounts and administration departments were relocated to the new premises leaving the operations department in Waterloo Place. Further expansion took place in 1999 with the opening of a subsidiary company ‘City Taxi Services Limited’ (later changed to City Motors Limited). This company provided garage services to the fleet and provided the Company with the facility to install all the necessary radio and data equipment. The company continued to expand in 2004 the fleet was further increased when station taxis purchased Park Lane Taxis, who were at that time the main competitor within the city. Shortly afterwards the decision was made to move the Waterloo place and Brooke street offices (Including City Motor Services) into a new much larger building that had been purchased in Riverside road, Southwick.
This move has allowed Station Taxis to increase both the number of cars in its fleet and the number of staff employed, while City Motor Services teamed up with Bosh to become a Bosh car service centre offering vehicle servicing and repair facilities to the general public, other taxi companies and small fleet operators. In 2009 another important decision was made which resulted in the purchase of the Autocab booking and despatch system, and this was followed in 2010 in the fitting of the new Autocab Zeus Data Terminals to the entire fleet. The next step is to purchase a new “chip and pin” system which will allow credit cards to be accepted for the first time. While Station Taxis continues to adopt new technology in order to improve its service to customers and expand its fleet, the original taxi shelter in West back Fawcett street, now replaced by a modern kiosk, remains on the original site at the south end of the railway Station. This kiosk and the modern unit at Parklane interchange will continue in use as booking and enquiry offices for the Company thus providing a continued presence at the major transport hubs in the City centre.
