Station taxi limit 'ridiculous' - MP
Angry Hackney carriage drivers have branded a decision to allow only 10 cabs into Northampton Station at any one time as "ridiculous", warning the rule will end up hitting commuters.
Meteor Parking Ltd, the firm appointed to oversee the station's taxi rank, has imposed the new rule under a fresh agreement offered to the town's Hackney carriage drivers.
Under the current agreement, cabbies can pull up in an overspill car park inside the station and are able to join the taxi rank when a space becomes available.
However, under the terms of the new contract, which is being delivered to Hackney carriage drivers, only 10 drivers will be allowed into the station at any one time and cabs will have to instead circle the area while they wait for a space.
Joe Matthews, chairman of the Northampton Hackney Association, said the move would hit cab drivers financially and end up harming commuters.
He said: "They don't seem to worry about the affect it will have on their customers. They won't get picked up and they will just have to wait."
From May 21, Hackney carriage drivers will have to pay 257.14 for a permit to allow them entry into the station for the rest of the year, and until April 2011. Drivers who break the terms of the contract risk being banned from the station.
Mr Matthews said during rush hour, especially when train services were delayed, more than 30 taxis are required to meet demand.
He said: "What do we do with the cars that aren't allowed in? Where do the drivers go? We can't just drive round and round and round. It is ridiculous."
He added: "We need to earn a living and we are fighting for survival.
"Things are bad enough as it is. This is just like a hole in the head."
Brian Binley, MP for Northampton South, has already written to Northampton Borough Council and London Midland to express his "serious concern".
He said: "People like me and other customers come out of the station and need a taxi. Taxi drivers are a vital part of our public transport and there will be no way for them to top up the rank."
Email to a friend
Print this page- BREAKING NEWS: Tributes paid to Niamh Curry as brave five-year-old loses battle against cancer
- BREAKING NEWS: Pensioner dies after collision at Northampton shopping centre
- Man tied to tree and beaten on Northampton Racecourse
- BREAKING NEWS: Woman’s body found after ‘suicide’ in Northampton hotel room
- BREAKING NEWS: Seven-year-old boy dies following house fire in Northamptonshire
- Northampton binmen at ‘breaking point’
- Staff strike at Northampton school over academy plans forces closure
- Saints’ stadium plans get support as long as traffic issues solved
- Eastern European pupils helping school standards across Northampton
- Exclusive: PM David Cameron says Northamptonshire Police Commissioner role is “a big job for a big local figure”
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Northampton
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
