THE borough’s largest taxi firm is proudly sporting Bring on the Games stickers to show its support for next summer’s Olympic and Paralympic sailing events.

Weyline Taxis, which benefited from a £7,500 boost purely through airport transfers during the Olympic test event, has snapped up 80 window stickers for its cabs.

The latest batch of 10,000 free Bring on the Games stickers have been produced by the Dorset Echo, in partnership with the Weymouth and Portland 2012 Operations team, the borough’s Chamber of Commerce and NHS Dorset’s Team Dorset Challenge, following the popularity of 5,000 stickers launched in March to mark the 500-day countdown.

Manager Mandy Fry said: “We’ll be giving all the stickers out to all of our drivers.

“Taxis and drivers are the first meeting point for many of the visitors getting off the train.

“Obviously the drivers need to be positive about it and look to the future because the people who come here now could be the visitors of the future if they’re looked after properly and shown what a lovely place Weymouth and Portland is.

“Weyline as a company benefited greatly over the summer, we made over £7,500 purely in airport transfers for Olympic officials.

“We had taxis going to Gatwick, Heathrow, Southampton and Bristol airports over the two weeks at the end of July and the beginning of August.

“It worked really, really well and hopefully we can repeat that next year.”

She added: “I think sometimes a lot of people are a bit negative but you’ve got to look to the future.

“It’s bringing a spotlight to Weymouth and Portland, which is a lovely place. I love it and would never live anywhere else.

“There are a lot of positives to this.”

Mandy said the Olympic sailing test event, entitled the Weymouth and Portland International Regatta, gave local businesses a taste of the economic benefits the home Games will bring.

She said: “We made very good contacts, they were very pleased with the service we have them.

“Our company is the biggest in the borough and obviously we can cope with the volume.

“We have 80 taxis which operate round the clock and w’ve got about 90 drivers in total.”

She added: “Gary Fooks the deputy head of the Dorset 2012 Operations Team came to one of our driver’s meetings and talked about the benefits of local knowledge and how we can take visitors around and talk to them about the area.

“That was when we first saw the stickers, we’re really pleased the Echo could provide us with 80.

“It can only be good to have them in our taxis, it just shows that the transport industry is behind the Olympic Games.”

Taxi operation

WEYLINE is Weymouth and Portland ’s biggest taxi operation with a fleet of 80 vehicles – saloons, estates, MPVs and minibuses.

It provides a 24-hour service, 365 days a year, computerised bookings and a ringback service, which calls passengers just before the taxi arrives.

Passengers can call 01305 777777, book online or via text message.

There are freefones in Asda, Brewers Quay, Marks & Spencers, Morrison, Somerfield, Tesco, The Rembrandt Hotel, Wilkinsons and the Co-ops on Portland. The offices are near the railway station and by the Town Bridge.