Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Party donor loses government cab contract after bus lane row

 

Jo Adetunji
Friday 27 April 2012 23:39 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

The minicab firm run by Conservative donor John Griffin is to lose a lucrative contract with the Government, it emerged yesterday, hours after the company was banned from encouraging its drivers to illegally use bus lanes.

Government departments have spent thousands on Addison Lee's services but the contract will not be renewed when it expires at the end of the month.

Mr Griffin, who has donated £250,000 to the Conservative Party, has faced criticism since telling his 4,000 drivers that the company would cover fines incurred from driving in bus lanes as part of a campaign to compete with black cabs.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said the contract would not be renewed due to Whitehall efficiencies. "The only existing cross-government contract with Addison Lee will expire at the end of this month and is not being renewed. Departments are reducing travel expenditure," the spokesperson said.

The Foreign Office alone spent £70,798 with Addison Lee between May and December 2010 and the Department for Education spent £37,299 between August 2011 and January 2012.

While the High Court ruled that Mr Griffin could no longer offer to pay driver fines, it called for a speedy resolution to an application for a judicial review on the issue made by the firm.

Mr Griffin said: "Addison Lee remains committed to our bus lane campaign. Having got the judicial review moved forward to July in time for the Olympics, we are confident the campaign will be successfully resolved for the benefit of all our... customers and drivers."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in