Hansom-Rigby said she and her husband had “worked hard to create a restaurant that supports the local community”.
“When we first opened, we had a lot of people coming from out of town who didn’t really appreciate the situation with the taxis we have,” she said.
“They were coming in a taxi or maybe an Uber from Darlington or York, and thinking they’d just be able to get another one to get home, but that’s not always possible.
“Or they might have been staying at a local AirBnB or hotel when the taxis won’t come out for a short journey, which is understandable as it’s not viable for them.
“We kept having to give people a lift home anyway, so we thought we could offer this as something we do to make sure everyone gets home safely, as Mark’s free anyway in the evenings.”
Hansom-Rigby said their “only intention was to make things easier and safer” for their customers.
“This was a complimentary service offered in good faith, with no intention of disregarding council regulations or breaking any laws.”