David, Congratulations – 16 years of service is something to be extremely proud of. How was Galaxy formed and why?
Galaxy was formed when I was 21 years old so 19 years now. I always knew from an early age of about 9 10 years old that I would start a business. At the young age of 8 maybe 9 a group of friends started a football league which had teams, league and you could even trade and buy players at dinner breaks in school. I was £5 to buy if i remember. The rest were more! This continued from primary school until we were at secondary school but then we found parties when we were 14 years old.
I’ve always wanted to build something with friends and that’s how the journey started.
I bought a Ford Galaxy and with the help of my old folks Steve and Christine, and some friends – Galaxy Travel was formed.
Give us Galaxy Travel in a ‘nutshell’. Which areas do you cover? Which different services do you provide?
We are a taxi service which covers all services. We have a range of cabs for everyday transfers. We also have a range of executive vehicles, such as Mercedes for business transfers. These are popular for business customers transferring to airports. Our luxury vehicles are also popular for events such as weddings, proms and travelling in style.
We also have a range of minibuses and 7-seaters for larger groups. We have it all.
What do you think is a vital quality that any taxi/cab driver should possess?
Respect. There are passengers who want to talk, laugh, and feel at ease with our drivers. We are very lucky to have a team of professional drivers who have amazing, unique personalities. They respect every passenger, whether they want to talk during their journey or be left in peace.
Give us an example of a struggle you have faced over the last couple of years or so and how have you prevailed?
Like many other businesses, Covid was a huge shock to our system. Of course, we didn’t have the volume of passengers we would normally have had. From a business point of view, this was concerning. Our focus was on those passengers who were still travelling and making them feel safe and at ease. We still ensure this now that things have picked up. Our mission if to make passengers feel safe in every way possible.
As a local, traditional and family run taxi service, what industry issues and challenges do you face? (e.g. Uber, App services)
Obviously, the App based companies have really taken a chunk of the market. Luckily in areas here, up north, people still want a traditional, friendly and reliable service which is cost-effective. That is what we do and it’s in our nature. We have many returning clients and our priority is providing a service new and existing clients are comfortable with.
Tell us about you – What are your hobbies outside of work?
There was a time when I used to love to party. I have now swapped that for early nights. I thrive on family and no matter how busy or stressful it gets, my work-life balance is healthy. I am relatively sporty. I enjoy snowboarding, boxing and football.
This is why we formed Galaxy FC. We have a wonderful group of people, players, supporters, and we are absolutely SMASHING IT right now.
Where do you see Galaxy Travel Taxis heading over the next 5 years or so? Anything exciting in the works?
We want to continue doing what we do. We love our work. We are also continuously looking to expand the business, the fleet and the service offerings. Not only would this offer more availability to clients, but it will help us create more local jobs.
Why should Chesterfield/Derbyshire locals choose Galaxy as their taxi service? What makes you unique from the competitors?
Well, we do things like this. We love talking to our locals about what we do. It’s not all about business, we care for our clients and want to continue the local tradition in providing a fast and friendly service to the community.
