IN reply to Stuart Rivers' letter of the November 6, ‘Why Should Taxis Jump the Queues?’, I would like to make the following points.

Not all taxi users belong to ‘the privileged few’ he seems so set against. After all, with the cost of bus fares as they are, it can often be cheaper to travel by taxi, certainly if there are three or four passengers. The less well-off, who cannot afford a car, are sometimes obliged to travel to places, or at times when walking, cycling or taking a bus would be impossible, unsafe or impracticable.

Many taxi users are elderly people or those unable to drive because of their physical condition. Some have to budget very carefully in order to be able to pay for the journeys that would otherwise be impossible for them.

Many special schools or colleges or other organisations, including charities, pay for taxis in order to facilitate the attendance of their students/clients. These people are not usually thought of as privileged.

By all means let us encourage car sharing and discourage journeys which involve only a driver. Let us not see taxis as part of the congestion problems.

JULIE WARBURTON Copse Avenue Swindon