Taxi Driver Online

Anger as Scots cabbies swarm into Carlisle



Anger brewed in Carlisle as hundreds of Scottish taxi drivers swarmed into the city.

Problems on the West Coast Mainline forced Virgin Trains to organise replacement transport for its passengers in Glasgow.

Many were ferried south to Carlisle in taxis brought in by sub-contractors to catch connecting trains yesterday. But city cabbies were furious after their Scots counterparts stayed in the ranks near the Citadel railway station, hoping to take people back north with them.

Carlisle-licensed drivers said they couldn’t get into the rank, costing them business as a result.

Several told the News & Star their takings had suffered dramatically.

Atila Eyin, a driver from Upperby, said: “This is completely wrong. We pay for the taxi licence here.”

He explained that the number of taxis from Glasgow had meant local taxis could not park in the ranks near the station.

“They (the Glaswegian drivers) are bringing people down but they are not allowed to pick up a passenger,” he said.

Mr Eyin added that priority should have been given to local taxi drivers.

Sedat Pasa, a driver from Raffles, said he had once been asked to take people to Lancaster in a similar situation and had not been allowed to pick up people at the station there.

“I feel like we have been left out and we can’t do our job,” he said.

James Jeffrey, of Harraby, said: “I am down quite a bit of money today.”

Michael Irving, of Low Hesket, was also affected.

“If you parked outside the ranks you would get a fine.”

Enver Oguz, who lives in the west of Carlisle, added: “I have had two jobs in the last three and half hours; usually I would have had 10 or 11.”

The situation arose after a problem with the electrical powerlines at Lockerbie stopped trains travelling directly between Carlisle and Scotland for much of yesterday.

The use of the vehicles led to chaos around the station with British Transport Police on hand to direct vehicles.

Two Glaswegian taxi drivers defended their behaviour.

Stevie McGhee said: “They (Virgin, though sub-contractors) have a contract with us so it makes a lot of sense to hang around and see if we can pick people going back.”

He added that he did not believe the local firms would have had the numbers to help the situation.

Mr McGhee also said this was the first time in 20 years as a taxi driver he had seen a situation like this.

David Richie added: “It has been at least 200 taxis that have come down here.”

A Virgin Trains spokesman said the company had asked a sub-contractor to arrange replacement buses for the cancelled trains but could not find enough available coaches. This had led to the use of taxis.

He added that the company had felt it made sense to allow the same drivers to pick up anyone going back to Scotland.

There were problems on the line, the main route through Cumbria connecting Scotland with London, from just before 10am until 4pm.

source: http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/anger ... -1.1223038

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Not quite true

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

When shit happens on the Eastcoast line they bring in Buses..loads of them...more than they ever actually need infact.

I wonder which company was used to organise the taxis? It could be a reincarnation of Fraser Eagle and the drivers might not get paid.

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Grandad,

Forgive my ignorance but Im assuming the scots are hackneys and once they have dropped off in Carlisle they would only be allowed to do PH work and if they pick up off the Carlisle taxi ranks aren't they guilty of plying for hire ?

not if the booking went from virgin rail via their Glasgow HQ?

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

They may well have been advised by their company to hang about Carlisle because there were return bookings. That said they shouldn't have been parked in the ranks that's just rude

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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 think it is also illegal.

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Grandad,

You don't say, sarcasm just doesn't translate in to the written word as it does in my head

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

Cabbies row: Cumbrian taxi drivers picked up people at Scottish ranks


A rail company has defended its use of Scottish taxis on a day of railway trouble.

Cabbies from Glasgow and Edinburgh made their way to Carlisle on Sunday after hundreds of rail passengers were left waiting in the city as a result of problems on the West Coast Mainline.

In an attempt to ease the chaos, Virgin Trains was forced to organise replacement transport. It arranged for taxis to bring passengers down from the two Scottish cities, so they could then catch their connections south.

Some local drivers were furious though, as their counterparts from north of the border waited at the Citadel station’s ranks to take passengers north again, claiming this had crowded them out and they had felt a big hit on their takings.

A spokesman for Virgin Trains said: “During times of disruption Virgin Trains sometimes charters coaches and taxis via a subcontractor to ensure our customers can get to their destinations.

“A number of local taxi hire firms based in Carlisle were used as well as taxi companies in Glasgow and Edinburgh.”

He added that the company had laid on taxis because of a shortage of buses in Scotland on Sunday. One of the Carlisle drivers who picked up passengers also defended this course of action.

David Irving, of Carlisle Taxi Hire, said: “There were literally hundreds of people stranded at the station and Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley (stations) had the same problem. It was in the public interest to pick up these people.”

Mr Irving said that Cumbrian cabbies had also waited at the two Scottish stations to take people south to Carlisle.

The issues on the line were caused by overhead power problems in Lockerbie. This resulted in problems on the line – which is the main route through Cumbria connecting Scotland with London – from just before 10am until 4pm on Sunday.

Mr Irving added that the problem had been at its most acute in the middle of the day.

source: http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/1.1223238#

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin