‘Nobody else had one’: South Wales cabbie travels 400-miles across Britain to secure elusive Toyota in just four days
- Perry Richardson
- 14 minutes ago
- 2 min read
A self-employed taxi driver from South Wales travelled more than 400 miles to Glasgow to collect a new Toyota Corolla Touring Sports after an extensive nationwide search failed to locate the vehicle he wanted closer to home.
Mark Frowen, who operates in Pontypridd, spent weeks contacting dealerships across the UK in search of a new, unregistered Toyota Corolla Touring Sports that met his requirements. According to Frowen, most dealers could only offer used vehicles or advised him that he would need to wait until August for a factory order.
Determined to secure the right vehicle, Frowen expanded his search beyond Wales and contacted The Taxi Centre in Glasgow. He said he discovered within minutes of speaking to Branch Manager Stephen Porter that the dealership had the exact model he had been trying to source.
The deal moved quickly. After placing his order on the late May Bank Holiday Monday, Frowen opted to collect the vehicle in person rather than have it delivered. The dealership arranged and funded a flight from Cardiff to Glasgow before collecting him from the airport and completing the handover at its Darnley headquarters.
The rapid turnaround meant Frowen was able to drive the new vehicle back to South Wales the same day and begin using it for passenger work shortly afterwards.
Frowen said: “I wanted a new, unregistered car and contacted every dealership in the UK looking for a Toyota Corolla TS but the only option was either a used model or to wait until August for delivery.
“I was aware of The Taxi Centre, but the distance to the dealership had put me off. However, as soon as I made the call and spoke to Stephen, the distance became insignificant when it became clear they had exactly what I was looking for.”
He added: “To sort everything and get the car ready to be collected in four days was impressive and it made the whole process enjoyable rather than a battle. I’ve bought many cars and motorbikes in my lifetime and never has such a pleasant experience. If I were to expand and need another car, then there is no-one else I’d contact!”
The case reflects ongoing challenges faced by some taxi drivers seeking suitable replacement vehicles. Demand for reliable, fuel-efficient and low-emission models remains strong across the sector, particularly among drivers looking to balance operating costs with increasingly stringent environmental requirements.
For The Taxi Centre, which has supplied vehicles to taxi drivers across the UK for 25 years, the transaction also highlights how vehicle sourcing is becoming less geographically constrained, with drivers increasingly willing to travel significant distances to secure specific models.
Stephen Porter said: “Although we are based in Glasgow, we’re proud to support customers all over the UK and Mark’s story is the perfect example of how we do everything we can to help when an enquiry comes in.
“Our knowledge and expertise in terms of knowing what our customers want meant that we had the exact car Mark was looking for on site, and then it was just a case of sorting out the slight logistical issue of us being 400 miles apart!”
