Post by Teddy Bear on Mar 24, 2009 22:38:45 GMT
Anger as BBC taxi bill to ferry guests to interviews rockets to £1.5million a year
By Ian Drury
The BBC's bill for transporting guests to TV and radio studios in taxis has rocketed to £1.5million.
The huge sum is up 53 per cent in just three years, when the licence fee-payer forked out £980,000 on cabs for contributors.
Many 'talking heads' who appear on round-the-clock shows are reluctant to appear unless they receive taxis to and from studios.
The BBC released details of the enormous cost of ferrying guests to programmes in response to queries under the Freedom of Information Act.
They were uncovered by Liberal Democrat frontbencher Norman Baker who condemned the 'bloated and careless' increase.
The corporation admitted that in the last financial year the cost of transporting guests and contributors to BBC buildings was a staggering £1,509,163.
This was up from £981,736 in 2004-05, £1,256,681 in 2005-06 and £1,238,279 in 2006-07.
It is only the cost of taking guests to BBC buildings, and not to other locations such as council buildings where shows such as Question Time are recorded.
The £4,130-a-day cost is equivalent to spending 11,000 TV licences on taxis.
Last night Mr Baker said: 'The BBC still hasn't learnt that it has a duty to the licence payer to keep costs down, and a duty to the environment to keep carbon emissions down.
'The bloated and careless increase in the cost of ferrying guests to studios shows that the organisation has yet to appreciate the need for financial and environmental responsibility.'
The transport spokesman said that when the BBC wanted him to do an interview in its studio in Brighton, they would always offer to send a cab to pick him up from his home in Lewes, East Sussex, even though it is only 10 miles away.
He said the cab fare was £60 compared with a return train ticket costing £3.90.
Mr Baker said: 'If I say I want to take the train, they seem amazed and flummoxed and unsure how, if at all, I can reclaim the ticket price.
'This simply isn't good enough. The BBC should always make their guests aware of public transport options, which in any case often provides a more predictable arrival time than a journey by road.'
A spokesman for the BBC said: 'The vast majority of taxi journeys are programme-related, and the number taken will fluctuate depending on what programmes we are making.
'We constantly monitor the use of taxis to ensure we negotiate the best deals with suppliers and keep track of how taxis are used.
'Like all organisations the BBC is facing increased costs due to the economic climate with, for example, the price of fuel significantly increased.
'However, by using preferred suppliers, we have protected ourselves against the worst of these price increases as the rates have been held throughout the year.'
By Ian Drury
The BBC's bill for transporting guests to TV and radio studios in taxis has rocketed to £1.5million.
The huge sum is up 53 per cent in just three years, when the licence fee-payer forked out £980,000 on cabs for contributors.
Many 'talking heads' who appear on round-the-clock shows are reluctant to appear unless they receive taxis to and from studios.
The BBC released details of the enormous cost of ferrying guests to programmes in response to queries under the Freedom of Information Act.
They were uncovered by Liberal Democrat frontbencher Norman Baker who condemned the 'bloated and careless' increase.
The corporation admitted that in the last financial year the cost of transporting guests and contributors to BBC buildings was a staggering £1,509,163.
This was up from £981,736 in 2004-05, £1,256,681 in 2005-06 and £1,238,279 in 2006-07.
It is only the cost of taking guests to BBC buildings, and not to other locations such as council buildings where shows such as Question Time are recorded.
The £4,130-a-day cost is equivalent to spending 11,000 TV licences on taxis.
Last night Mr Baker said: 'The BBC still hasn't learnt that it has a duty to the licence payer to keep costs down, and a duty to the environment to keep carbon emissions down.
'The bloated and careless increase in the cost of ferrying guests to studios shows that the organisation has yet to appreciate the need for financial and environmental responsibility.'
The transport spokesman said that when the BBC wanted him to do an interview in its studio in Brighton, they would always offer to send a cab to pick him up from his home in Lewes, East Sussex, even though it is only 10 miles away.
He said the cab fare was £60 compared with a return train ticket costing £3.90.
Mr Baker said: 'If I say I want to take the train, they seem amazed and flummoxed and unsure how, if at all, I can reclaim the ticket price.
'This simply isn't good enough. The BBC should always make their guests aware of public transport options, which in any case often provides a more predictable arrival time than a journey by road.'
A spokesman for the BBC said: 'The vast majority of taxi journeys are programme-related, and the number taken will fluctuate depending on what programmes we are making.
'We constantly monitor the use of taxis to ensure we negotiate the best deals with suppliers and keep track of how taxis are used.
'Like all organisations the BBC is facing increased costs due to the economic climate with, for example, the price of fuel significantly increased.
'However, by using preferred suppliers, we have protected ourselves against the worst of these price increases as the rates have been held throughout the year.'