Minicabs are barred from using the capital’s bus lanes, a European court has ruled. Eventech, a subsidiary of Addison Lee, challenged Transport for London at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over their policy of banning private hire cars from bus lanes.
But the ECJ said only black cab drivers are allowed to share the bus lanes because they were distinct from mini cabs and did not give them an economic advantage.
TfL has argued that taxis are allowed to drive in bus lanes because they can ply for hire, whereas minicabs cannot, and are required to be wheelchair-accessible.
Allowing tens of thousands of minicabs to drive in bus lanes would also affect the reliability of bus services, it added.
The case was previously heard by the High Court and the Court of Appeal before being considered by the ECJ. It will now return to the Court of Appeal.
Leon Daniels, TfL's managing director of surface transport, said: "Our policy on bus lanes was upheld by the High Court. We welcome the opinion from the Advocate General and now the European Court of Justice, but ultimately await the decision of the Court of Appeal.
"As this process continues, we are maintaining our well-understood and effective policy that helps to keep London moving in the interest of everyone."
source:
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transpor ... 77704.html
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