V CARS has bought a rival Swindon-based taxi firm to expand its reach across the town.

The regional private hire vehicle operator says it acquired United Radio Cars in a bid to become the best company of its kind in Swindon.

It hopes the takeover will allow more businesses and customers to benefit from an improved passenger experience when they book a taxi.

V Cars Swindon’s general manager Kane Wollen said: “We’re really pleased to be expanding the availability of the V Cars experience for the residents and businesses of Swindon through this acquisition.

“Through our app, driver partners, and infrastructure, our passengers will benefit from a high quality, convenient service 24 hours a day.

“We thoroughly enjoy serving the people of Swindon and, through this increased capacity, we look forward to creating even more amazing journeys for our new passengers and driver partners.”

V Cars has been operating in Swindon since 2005 while United Radio Cars set up shop here several years earlier in 1999.

Through the acquisition, more people Swindon will be able to use the V Cars booking app and benefit from increased capacity and transparent fares.

Partner-driver numbers are expected increase to approximately 400.

The app has been developed through more than £1million of investment and enables passengers to book a journey in three taps.

The app cuts out the need to book a journey through a centralised service, although passengers can still book through traditional methods such as over the phone, walking-in or on account.

V Cars is the south west’s leading private hire business, with more than 1,000 driver partners operating across the Bath, Bristol, Chippenham and Swindon areas.

The company is owned by technology-focused passenger services group, Veezu, which acquired the business in July 2017.

The group has three other major service hubs in the UK, each of them operating under established local brands – Dragon Taxis in south Wales, A2B Radio Cars in the West Midlands and Amber Cars in Leeds.