Taxi Driver Online

Cabbies' bus lane protest

PRIVATE hire drivers fighting to be allowed to use bus lanes to pick up and drop off passengers are staging a protest cavalcade. Twenty cars will take part in the procession, carrying signed petitions from private hire companies across Manchester to the town hall on Wednesday.

Petitions by black cab drivers and businesses will also be handed over to council chiefs. Denton and Reddish MP Andrew Gwynne backs the fight. Current bus lane regulations permit black taxis but prohibit private hire firms from pulling in and out of bus lanes. The private hire drivers say this discriminates against older and disabled passengers.

Driver Derek Brocklehurst has already challenged regulations on a number of specific bus lane routes. He said: "Most of our work involves picking up disabled and older customers, visiting doctors, opticians, hairdressers and shops which run alongside bus lanes.

"Many struggle to walk great distances, but despite this, bus lane regulations in the city force drivers to drop off and pick up passengers yards away from their destinations.

"Ironically, the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive is urging taxi drivers to `go that extra mile' by playing a bigger role in helping disabled people making essential journeys, which is rich when we are faced with difficulties like this.

"Warrington, London and Sheffield already allow private hire drivers to use bus lanes, and it's about time that Manchester did before a disabled passenger claims discrimination."

The cavalcade will travel from Droyslden Road in Newton Heath to Albert Square, when the petitions will be handed over. Representatives are then due to have talks with council and transport bosses in a bid to resolve the bus lane issue.

Mr Brocklehurst, who has organised the cavalcade to the town hall, has already championed the cause of private hire drivers who have been fined for using bus lanes across the area.

He personally challenged a fine imposed after he was caught using a bus lane outside Manchester's Victoria railway station, on the grounds that the signs were wrong, and therefore illegal.

Council chiefs admitted there had been a technical error with the signs and cancelled his fine ticket, paving the way for scores of similar challenges.

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IDFIMH

Then as soon as the public see PH using bus lanes they are going to think hey I'll use the bus lane to.

And when they get photographed they will get a nice letter through the post.

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IDFIMH

That's cr@p. We've had use of bus lanes for years here and it's not a problem. The public don't go into them as a rule, but, you'll always get the cheeky ones

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

We have a junction in our town that has a right turn for buses and taxis only, which includes private hire. There are no entry signs for everything else but that does not stop many people. We have a taxi only lane in our old bus station, this is used by many others. The entrance and exit to this area which includes a car park is signed but many people enter by the exit. My point is there will always be some that ignore signs and directions regardless.

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Grandad,

They used that crap here for years, doesn't seem to be a problem now PH have access.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

No we don't, never have done, and never will do.

That was one of the new Mayors pledges.