This raises more questions than answers.
I mean, how could drivers refuse someone on the basis of a pong from a suitcase?
Sound like a bit of a pretence (like police stopping a car they are following because they can smell cannabis), so to that extent may be due to racism...
On the other hand, if it's been happening regularly then there must be a self-evident smell of some kind, surely?
And if the drivers are genuinely being 'overpowered' by the pong, surely that's grounds for refusal, as opposed to the LO saying it can't be?
And it reads like it's been happening regularly, but read the small print towards the end and it seems to be just about one incident...
All smells a bit fishy to me
Aberdeen taxi drivers suspected of ‘racial motivations’ in refusing airport passengers
A row over the refusal of fares at the airport is understood to have started over smelly food in passengers' luggage.
Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson
Taxi drivers at Aberdeen airport have been scolded for the potentially “racist” refusal of passengers – in a row understood to be about smelly food.
All drivers working from the airport have been warned against discrimination, as an investigation is launched into allegations.
Licensing chiefs blamed a “small minority” of Aberdeen airport taxi drivers for the issue.
Enforcement officer David Mckane put out the blanket email, threatening licensing and police action if anyone was found to have refused fares using excuses about potentially smelly food.
‘Suspected racism’ warning for Aberdeen airport taxi drivers
The Press and Journal understands a number of drivers refused passengers arriving from Africa recently.
It is thought they had pongy fish in their luggage, which almost overpowered drivers as they were asked to load them into the boot.
But Mr Mckane suspected those involved of being “racially motivated” in turning the fares away.
In an email seen by The P&J, he said: “It has been brought to our attention that a small minority of drivers working from the airport are refusing fares due to there being ‘fish’ or ‘other foodstuffs’ in the luggage of certain passengers.
“There is no licensing condition that permits you to refuse a fare for such a reason.
“It is suspected that these refusals may be racially motivated.
“Any driver found to have refused a fare using this excuse or any similar excuse will be taken before the licensing committee and reported to Police Scotland.”
Aberdeen airport bosses ‘aware of an incident’
Only taxis with green identification plates are able to pick up fares in the Aberdeen airport zone.
The city council website suggests there are around 150 taxi drivers operating from the airport.
But the trade has suffered from dwindling numbers since the pandemic, so there could far fewer than that.
The city’s outdated street knowledge test has been blamed in part for the shortage.
A spokesman for the airport said staff had been “made aware of an incident”.
“[It] is the subject of an investigation, and it would be inappropriate to comment further,” he added.
Aberdeen City Council declined to add more to Mr Mckane’s email to airport taxi drivers over the “suspected racism” warning.
The P&J understands the enforcement officer has since raised concerns to drivers about his message being leaked to this newspaper.
