Taxi bus operator clashes with Arriva and airport officials at Liverpool John Lennon Airport Tony Mullane, director of A&J Taxis, had agreed to take passengers from the airport to the city centre
A Liverpool taxi firm director who also has a licence that allows his vehicles to compete with bus operators is claiming officials from bus giant Arriva and Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) tried to disrupt his service during an incident last Friday.
Tony Mullane runs A&J Taxis and since May 2011 has been using his fleet of vehicles to ferry passengers to Anfield from the city centre for Liverpool FC home games for £2 each.
Using more than 10 black cabs he claims that he can carry between 400 and 500 people each matchday. In January this year he started a similar service between Skelhorne Street in Liverpool city centre and LJLA.
Mr Mullane claims larger bus operators are unhappy with the competition. In August he appeared before a traffic commissioner and was accused of illegally “touting” for passengers. However, the commissioner ruled he was entitled to actively seek out passengers.
On Friday last week he walked over to the bus stop at LJLA, where he has a timetable displayed, and met two Wirral residents who he agreed to take to Lime Street station.
As he accompanied them to his vehicle he claims an official from Arriva shouted at him to stop. This man was then joined by an airport official who Mr Mullane insists was also hostile to him. Mr Mullane told ECHO Business: “The man from the airport said to me ‘don’t come back – you won’t be doing that again’.
“We are allowed to engage with the public to let them know about the service that we offer and when we do that we are not breaking the law – and the airport should be aware of that.”
Arriva spokesman Derek Bowes said: “We refute the allegation of aggressive action by one of our inspectors. We believe that our employee took the correct action in speaking to the taxi driver and reporting the matter to the officials at the airport, who are now investigating the full circumstances of the incident.”
And a spokesman for LJLA added: “We are aware of an altercation between the operator of the Taxi A1 service, an Arriva employee and an employee of a contractor working on behalf of the airport company and this is currently being investigated.
"The Taxi A1 service continues to be permitted to operate at the airport, however the exact operational procedures for this service on site are yet to be agreed, which we will subsequently be seeking to clarify with the operator.”
source:
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/bus ... va-7935478
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