The co-owner of a large taxi firm has said Isle of Man TT 2026 was one of the busiest periods the business has experienced, with demand forcing the company to turn work away during peak times.

Stephen Rundle, co-owner of Elegance Taxis, said the volume of bookings and calls received during the fortnight was ‘exceptionally busy’, with staff often unable to meet demand at short notice.

‘In general it felt exceptionally busy in terms of the number of jobs dispatched and calls received in the office,’ he said.

‘We turned a lot of work away and found ourselves asking people to call back in half an hour to give a clearer picture of when we could realistically get a taxi to them on numerous occasions… a lot of the time we were quite literally fully booked.’

Mr Rundle said the firm experienced its busiest spell from midnight on Senior Race Day (Friday into Saturday) through to midday on June 6, with demand stretching resources across the network.

‘We had a ridiculously busy spell from midnight Senior Race Day to midday June 6th, but we did our best to answer as many calls as possible to not let people down and get them home safely,’ he said.

The peak in demand coincided with a turbulent moment for the island’s wider taxi sector, after another firm temporarily suspended operations during one of the busiest nights of the TT period.

A WhatsApp message sent to drivers for Telecabs and Opul Taxis at around 11.30pm on Friday informed staff that the booking system would be switched off until further notice due to ‘circumstances beyond our control’.

However, by lunchtime on Saturday, the office had reopened and bookings were once again being taken. It is understood full-time drivers were subsequently called in and told the situation had been a ‘misunderstanding’.

Mr Rundle said heavy traffic conditions during the event also had a direct impact on efficiency and turnaround times for drivers.

‘Traffic also felt heavier this year which hinders booking capacity,’ he said.

‘It was taking 25 minutes to get from one end of the prom to the other on some occasions, so job turnover was less and customer wait times were sometimes sadly longer due to this.’

Despite the pressure of demand, Mr Rundle said overall figures for the business showed continued growth compared with previous years.

‘In terms of the number of jobs dispatched; we were up 16% on TT 2025 and 23% up on TT 2024, which again points to a busier fortnight for us and the business is growing in the right direction,’ he said.

He added that the outlook for the remainder of the summer season also appeared positive, with a series of major events and increased visitor activity expected to sustain demand.

‘On paper, everything looks positive for the summer starting next week where we have the Crown Green Bowls Festival, who use Elegance frequently,’ he said.

‘We have a number of cruise ships visiting again this summer which is positive for the island in general, not just the taxi industry.’

Mr Rundle also highlighted growing interest from travel operators and the expansion of the firm’s fleet, including five minibuses now in operation.

‘We have a number of requests to set up accounts from third party travel companies booking transfers on behalf of people visiting the island’, he said.

‘We have five minibuses in the firm now and have bookings in the diary to support the transfer of guests for weddings and general celebrations, and our wheelchair vehicles are kept busy with new bookings coming in daily.’

He said the business was now ‘gearing up for a busy season ahead’ following what he described as a strong TT performance.