Passengers will pay for Brighton taxi rank closure, drivers claim
Angry taxi drivers say passengers will be the ones to suffer after the Brighton Station cab rank was closed.
Southern, which manages the station, has started a £140,000 renovation project which includes repainting the canopy at the front of the building.
Cabbies, who pay £410 a year to use the rank, have been moved to a temporary spot at the back of the station.
However they have only been given eight spaces and say disabled and elderly passengers will find it difficult to walk to the new rank.
Yesterday cabbies angrily remonstrated with Southern officials after they were moved from the existing taxi waiting area, which was then coned off.
Taxis had started to queue at the marked bays near the drop-off point but were told to move to a reserved area further from the station.
A Southern spokesman said: “Although the bays are marked for taxis as well as for buses, the cones have been placed for the duration of the work to reserve space for rail replacement bus services only.
“This will ensure that taxis will be in the same place throughout the work and be less confusing for our passengers.”
Taxi drivers fear they will be left severely out of pocket by the time the work is due to finish in April.
One cab driver said he would normally have made £50 in fares by 1pm but had only picked up one person yesterday.
Passengers and drivers claim the new rank has not been signposted properly and they have to walk too far to pick up a cab.
The Southern spokesman added: “We are aware that passengers have further to walk to get a taxi, but passengers who have difficulty with walking or heavy luggage can ask a member of staff for assistance.”
source:
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/
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