Taxi Driver Online

Train Bosses Under Fire From Cabbies

20th July 2009

Railway bosses and Northampton Borough Council are in talks about the management of the 70 Hackney carriages coming and going from the station.

The talks come as Hackney carriage drivers claim the number of cabs allowed to park at the station at any one time has been vastly cut, an allegation Midland Mainline has denied.

Joe Matthews, chairman of the Northampton Hackney Carriage Association, said the station management told them they were no longer allowed to queue up outside the station or in the overflow car park.

He said: "The station have said they only want 12 cabs there at any one time. We have never had a problem with the number of cabs in there before.

"There has to be space to park so cars can take the spaces of those leaving.

"Yesterday people were left standing there, and they will just get into private hire cars, which is illegal."

He said the cars used to park in Green Street before residents complained so they moved to the overflow car park, which they have now been told to leave.

A spokesman for London Midland said station bosses were currently discussing ways to manage the Hackney carriages through the station to improve health and safety in the small area where passengers can be collected.

He said: "We met the borough council yesterday. One of the things discussed was taxi spaces and making sure accessibility is good. There is limited space."

Conservative MP for Northampton South, Brian Binley, said: "No wonder the drivers are angry, they pay a fee to the station to park there. The station management has taken into their heads to be anti-taxi. The people who run our transport are urging us to believe these people are pariahs. They are not pariahs, they are decent men and women trying to earn a living."

Prospective parliamentary candidate for Northampton North, Michael Ellis, said: "Northampton taxi drivers are getting a raw deal. These drivers perform a valuable public service, often late at night, and regularly are subject to abuse and are in danger of assault."

Source; Northampton Chronicle & Echo - northamptonchron.co.uk

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
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Sounds about right for Midland Mainline which Stagecoach run. The next step will be to screw every driver for an extra few hundred pounds a year, if they kick off Stagecoach will get a PH frim in to do the work.

Typical, we'll take yer money and deny you the use, if a football club sold 30000 tickets for a game in a stadium that only held 10000 there would be uproar, anyone notice the complete disregard for a HC right now, they want the service but won't allow us to provide one, talk about PMT woman syndrome.

It seems to me that the train company will be looking to the council to provide a feeder rank at rate payers money rather than provide it themselves at their own cost.



Doom your comments weren't unnoticed but at least they don't suffer from SIS like some gentlemen I could mention

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

SIS?

I've dyed my hair blonde for this one

Stella Induced Syndrome

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

I don't drink wife beater tbh, so it should be either CIS,FIS or VIS, I know you will work it out luv

Now, get me full english on will ya, I'm starving.

Would that be Carlsburg, Fosters & Vodka? You'll have to get your skates on cos the full english is nearly ready

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

Toots, you're learning well now!!!

Love it!!!

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

If only I could learn as well with regard to taxi and ph matters

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