Michael Lock
Taxi For One is the brainchild of Dartmouth taxi driver Michael Lock. His Smart car can get around the back streets of town and country lanes, with a solo passenger and their belongings.
Michael said: ‘‘My little car can get to places in the town that others can’t, including Southford Road and Above Town. Business is good and I have more than 50 regular customers. People weren’t sure it would work but I’ve proved them wrong. No one else is doing this around here but there are others in the country.
“The nice part of being a taxi driver is I get to hear everything that’s going on. Lots of older people like me because I’m Dartmouth born and bred and know their families. I look after my older customers including delivering shopping and fetching their pills from the chemist.
“I spend a lot of time going up and down the hill into town and also doing runs to Totnes train station and Exeter Airport.”
Michael operates the business from his Townstal home, often working from 7.30am to midnight, including weekends. Sunday can be his busiest day.
He added: “I love it. I like meeting people and talking to everyone. My earliest recent booking was a 3.30am to Totnes, for the coach to London.
“People sometimes forget I’m a single seater and book me for more than one passenger. Three women booked me the other day and I did three trips up and down the hill – but they were happy to wait!”
Michael set up the business, with its distinctive orange and white logo, in October 2013.
He said: “I’m amazed how many people take photos of the car. A couple of years ago I couldn’t decide what to do so I looked at taxis. I was on the moors having something to eat with my wife, Diane, when we saw a Smart car and thought ‘why not?’
“I had to speak to South Hams District Council, who’d never issued a taxi licence to a car with less than four doors before. After four months of to-ing and fro-ing, checking wheelchairs could fit in etc, they granted me a licence.
“The car’s actually deceptively big inside. It can easily fit a wheelchair and has room for two suitcases. I’ve even had a fridge in there, when I picked up one of the officers from the Naval College who’d just bought one from Currys!”
Michael was born in Dartmouth and both he and wife Diane attended Dartmouth primary and secondary schools. Diane was in the year below Michael and they didn’t know each other at the time. They met while out with mutual friends at the Market House pub in the town.
They married four years later, in 1978, at St Saviour’s Church.
Just after they met Diane went to work in Kensington, London, as a nanny “to three lovely red-haired children”. Her neighbours at the time included David Jacobs, Lord Snowden and the 70s band Mud. Michael would regularly visit Diane and her boss paid for their honeymoon in Majorca.
The couple bought their home in Townstal 31 years ago, which now has the most beautiful mature garden backing onto a wonderful rolling view. Michael said they have “fantastic neighbours and friends”.
Diane’s parents Averil and Rex Boulton owned Boulton’s Newsagents in Broadstone for 34 years. Michael’s dad, Donald Lock, was a steward at the Naval College.
Michael and Diane have four boys, now in their 20s and 30s – James, Daniel, Thomas and Matthew. James, Daniel and Matthew went away to study at university.
Architect James lives locally with four children; Daniel is in Aberdeen working for an oil company; Thomas is in Bath working for a publishing company; and Matthew is a photographer who lives in Galmpton.
Michael left school at 14. He said: “I wanted to leave as soon as possible and earn money. Nobody I knew made plans to go to university in those days.
“My first job was at International Stores which is now the Co-op. Then I worked at the Naval College, Pillars Builders and the higher and lower ferries.
“I worked on the lower ferry when it was the old wheel system and it was lots of fun. I also worked as a wine steward at the Naval College in the 80s, first in the gunroom then the wardroom with the officers.
“I saw many members of the royal family and served wine to The Queen. I saw Princess Diana, Prince Andrew, Prince Philip and Princess Anne. I also spoke to Prince Michael of Tongo when he came in the bar – he was really nice.”
Michael worked briefly for a local taxi firm, which he said he always enjoyed as he got to meet lots of people. He was Dartmouth’s first Hopper Bus driver 31 years ago and set up his own mini bus company.
He added: “It was wonderful. I used to drive the Royal Corp Drums band all over the country with their bugles and drums. I’d drive them up to Cambridge and to London for the First Sea Lords’ concerts. I also did lots of runs up to Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
“I’ve always worked with people and like talking to them while driving. I can rabbit on for hours!”
Michael was a regular player for Dartmouth Rugby Club “many moons ago” and drove his minibus for the twinning association, to Courseulles sur Mer in France.
He clearly loves his town, adding: “I wouldn’t move from Dartmouth, I really like it here. It was a really easy place for bringing up the boys. They could go off and do their own thing without us worrying. And when you go out and about you always meet someone local you know.
‘The town centre has pretty much stayed the same all these years and the pubs haven’t changed much, which is great. However, it’s become more expensive and very difficult for youngsters to buy houses in the town.”
Michael has also noticed a difference on the roads as he’s driving around.
He said: “People don’t tend to acknowledge you on the roads these days and don’t thank you as much when you let them pass on the lanes. But I still love my job and driving around chatting to everyone. I shall keep going with this service until I retire, which thankfully is some time off yet.”
First published in By The Dart magazine July 2015
Sadly, Michael Lock died aged 59 in January 2017 after a short illness.
