A KEIGHLEY company which already runs a private hire service and a patient transport facility has expanded into the field of vehicle repairs and servicing.

Transcare, which operates Keighley’s Metro Go Taxis, has opened a garage on the edge of the town centre, in Worth Way.

Company boss Stuart Hastings said the venture, which is called Moto Go, would create seven jobs and has so far received £75,000 worth of investment.

Another £25,000 is intended to be spent on the project within the next six months.

The general manager at Moto Go, which was previously In-pulse Garage, is Andrew Mallinson who has 13 years worth of experience of owning and running a garage at this same site.

Mr Hastings said the new base, which first opened its doors for business on Monday November 20, will be used to maintain Transcare’s own substantial fleet of vehicles, but will primarily aim to serve the general public with vehicle repairs, and MOT servicing.

“We’ve spent two to three weeks refurbishing the garage and giving it a facelift,” he added. “We’d been searching for somewhere like this for a long time.

“At the moment we’ve got three mechanics and an auto electrician based there but we’re hoping to end up with about seven staff.

“We have revamped the place and brought it into the 21st century and it’s already busy.”

Mr Mallinson, who lives in Oakworth, said: “I think it’s an exciting time to be able to offer a five star service to customers.

“For many of them the second most expensive purchase in their lifetime will be their car.

“So it’s essential that we provide good quality care of vehicles for those customers.

“It is important to offer friendly advice and where possible to offer competitive rates for repairs and MOT servicing.

“And the garage’s location is also great for us. It’s ideal for customers who can easily come and drop off their cars then go into town to do some shopping.

“In terms of Transcare’s vehicles, I’ll be working with Bradford Council’s hackney carriage inspectors in order to keep up to date with any changes in regulations.”

Sean Parnham, the general manager of Transcare, said the company needs to set very high standards of maintenance for its fleet, and would be looking to replicate these standards with the general public’s vehicles.

Mr Hastings said the company’s own cars have previously been maintained by a number of different contractors.

But he he noted that it will be easier to keep track of their servicing records now they are being looked after at the same central garage.

He said the business will also be investigating the possibility of having two electric car charging points installed at Moto Go.

“The introduction of electric vehicles has been one of the developments that we’ve been exploring at Metro Go,” he explained.

“As far as our firm is concerned electric vehicles are the future.”