Courtesy of Fife Council, my old residence of Dunfermline is now a building site. The local drivers are now seeing their business dwindle.
Dunfermline Press
Taxi boss fears city 'mayhem'
by Ewan Ferguson
A DUNFERMLINE taxi driver is predicting “mayhem” in the coming months when the redevelopment of the city centre moves into its next phase.
Work in the area has meant that the number of taxi ranks has already been reduced but they are soon to be further limited.
John Aitchison, chair of the West Fife Taxi Association, said, “We used to have 22 spaces at James Street and a rank at Queen Anne Street for a few cars.
“With the closure of the bus station we were moved to Queen Anne Street and it has operated quite well.
“The problem in the near future is that Queen Anne Street will be reduced to just seven spaces, which will be the total for the whole of Dunfermline’s daytime economy in the city centre. It’s going to be absolute mayhem.”
And he claimed that the roadworks in recent months had hit the taxi business.
“People who are entering the town are brassed off,” he said. “There is no fun in going into the town. It’s a toil and a total hassle to come here. That spills over and has an effect on taxis.
“We get customers in our cars from the West Fife villages who say they are going to Alloa for their shopping and people from the eastern expansion think nothing of going to Edinburgh or Kirkcaldy.”
But he argued that a thriving taxi industry was vital to the city centre becoming a successful shopping and business hub.
“Taxis are going to have to get back in there if the city centre is going to survive and thrive,” he said.
“The taxis are often an afterthought. The council is strict on licensing but on the other side of things they forget about us.”
The situation was highlighted at a meeting of Fife Council’s regulation and licensing committee last week when an applicant was refused an operator’s licence because of an over-provision of taxis in the area.
Login
Register
FAQ
