Taxi Driver Online

The Evening Standard (London)

July 27, 2007 Friday

O2 AND TFL ARGUE OVER WHO IS TO BLAME FOR TAXI QUEUES

A ROW has broken out over a shortage of taxis at the O2 arena.

It comes after hundreds of people waiting for cabs were left stranded when the venue's busiest night ended in traffic chaos.

Confusion over which taxis were allowed to pick up concert-goers, combined with roadworks, meant only a trickle of cabs got through to the hundreds waiting on Wednesday night after three major events at the arena.

The O2 arena today accused Transport for London of restricting the number of taxis allowed to collect from the venue.

But TfL blamed the problems on the O2 arena, saying taxi drivers were not told that three acts would be playing on the same night, with more than 23,000 fans leaving at the same time.

The taxi drivers themselves blamed roadworks at the Limehouse link for stopping them travelling from central London to Greenwich to pick up fares.

The confusion left hundreds of people waiting for taxis for up to two hours after a Barbra Streisand concert, a Joss Stone gig and The Simpsons Movie British premiere finished at the same time.

A spokeswoman for the O2 arena said: "We advertised the events heavily especially around the taxi rank in Greenwich. The problem is that currently there are rules saying taxis can drop off at the arena, but they can't pick up unless they are dropping off a fare. Obviously no one will be travelling to the arena at 10.30pm. We just want more taxis at the arena."

She said the only exception to the rule is Greenwich-registered cabs and those licensed to pick up across the whole of the capital.

But a spokesman for TfL said: "The taxi rank at the arena can be used by all London and Lewisham, Greenwich and Bexley suburban licensed taxis. There are currently no restrictions on the rank and we welcome any evidence that O2 and their partners have to reflect otherwise."

Les Dalton, a taxi driver from Ruislip, said: "Because the Limehouse link is closed at night, traffic is flowing onto Commercial Road, which is my route to go to the O2.

"It is putting taxis off going there. We would be able to get from Tower Bridge to the O2 arena in 10 minutes if there were no roadworks, but it takes about 45 minutes now. We are losing money by going there."

Another taxi driver, Peter Ryan, said: "We are very keen to go and pick people up from the O2 but the roadworks are preventing us from getting there.

"After Justin Timberlake we were working until 5am trying to clear the ranks. We don't leave people stranded, unlike TfL who shut the Tube overnight."

Stella Vasey, 43, from Staffordshire, said: "I had to take a taxi because my mum is 70 and can't walk down the stairs on the Tube.

"We waited for more than two hours for a cab. I have been to a lot of other stadiums and transport is usually simple -- at the O2 it was stagnant."
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Eh?

The dome is next to North Greenwich Jubilee line station.

All the Jubilee line extension stations are wheelchair accesssable with lifts. I would have thought a 15 minute trip into Westminster station, and a Taxi there would have been better that waiting for an alledged two hours?

Yet more evidence of London Cabs not going south of the river.

But has the O2 Dome not heard of a phone?

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IDFIMH

More a case of cabs being unable to get south of the river.

Just to settle everyones mind, I attended the rank at the end of Sundays Scissor Sisters concert as I was over that way.

The rank had more cabs than people, so it looks like the 'unmet demand' has been soaked up. I trapped a job to Stratford after 20 mins, so it was worth the wait.

Of course the new influx of taxi's was nothing to do with the unhindered access via the old bus route they've now opened up..................