NICK Astley left school at the age of 15 with no qualifications — but now he is in top gear running Bolton’s biggest private hire taxi firm.

His company, Metro Cars, now has 350 registered drivers handling more than 40,000 calls a week which at an average of 2.5 people per job means the company moves more than 90,000 customers around every week.

Now as a thank you to his customers, Mr Astley is footing the bill for a free daytime taxi which is randomly sent to callers across the town who will not be charged, regardless of their journey.

Mr Astley said: “Having the free car is a way of giving back something to our customers — it is my way of saying thank you and it is available between 9am and 5pm, five days a week.”

He said he does not know who will be picked up by the free car as it is randomly generated by the computer system they use to control the taxis.

Mr Astley added: “It is the luck of the draw who get the free taxi, but those who have benefited from it have called us to tell us how pleased and surprised they were when they realised they didn’t have to pay the fare.”

He also promises that Christmas revellers will only pay normal fares this year.

Metro Taxis evolved out of Halliwell Taxis, run by his parents, which he joined when he left school early and later became the town’s youngest cab drivers at the age of 18.

Now he and his mother, Norma, and his eldest son, Nicholas, run Metro from its hi-tech base in Tonge Moor.

Mr Astley, aged 43, who lives in Darwen, admits to thinking about taxis day and night and is always looking at different ways to improve the service.

And he hopes younger son Scott, aged seven, will join him when he is older.

He has a huge communications aerial on the roof of the company’s Tonge Moor base and four booster aerials situated around the town so drivers are never out of touch.

He said: “Metro Taxis is only as good as the staff you have and my staff, both in the operator’s office and our drivers, are absolutely fantastic.”