Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers slam East Midlands Airport parking price rise as 'scandalous' and a 'disgrace'

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/loc ... ds-3012858

One taxi firm owner said airport bosses were behaving like 'idiots'

Taxi drivers have slammed East Midlands Airport's decision to increase parking charges to its rapid drop-off zone, calling it "scandalous" and a "disgrace".

From Monday, June 24, the rapid drop-off tariff cost changed from £2 for 10 minutes to £3 for 10 minutes.

Airport bosses have said the increased price is to fund investment in the rapid drop-off area.

Kevin Clarke, owner of NG11 Cars in Clifton, has been in the taxi trade for 20 years and said airport bosses were treating customers like "idiots".

He added: "At the end of the day, customers are going to have to foot the extra bill more because taxi drivers can't afford it every trip there - this could lead to us losing trade.

"It was £1 for 10 minutes 18 months ago. It's a joke. They are treating people like a captive audience and it's just a money making move.

"We have at least five or six taxis going there every day, and more on weekends.

"It's got to be one of the most expensive airports in the country now for drop-offs.

"They justify it saying people can use the long stay where it's free for an hour but that's a mile away that you need to get a bus - people aren't going to do that.

The airport previously scrapped changes to its rapid drop-off parking charges after drawing heavy criticism from drivers.

On May 20, the airport changed the fee for dropping off from 10 minutes for £2 to five minutes for £2.

Drivers were then charged an additional £1 per minute after the five minutes had passed.

Now a decision has been made to increase the price to enter the drop off point, but for the same 10-minute duration.

Paul Fenway, 42, of Stapleford, has driven taxis for 18 years and said the price hike was "scandalous".

"It's absolutely crazy that it's gone up. It's a rip-off airport. Of all five terminals at Heathrow Airport, I don't think any of them charge for drop-offs," he said.

"I don't mind paying to collect someone because you might be waiting for a while for them to come out of arrivals, but charging to drop off is such a scam."

The airport has said the increased revenue will lead to upgrading the existing barriers at the rapid drop-off zone, installing additional barriers and adding more exit lanes. The airport has committed to making the changes, but has not said when they are likely to happen.


Image: Nottingham Post

Azeem Hanif, chairman for the Nottingham branch of the union United Private Hire Drivers, which represents more than 150 taxi drivers, added: "The price increase is going to have a big bearing on our drivers who either have to put up their costs or be left out of pocket.

"I am in agreement with drivers that they will just see this as a money-making scheme. The public shouldn't be forking out the extra cost for infrastructure improvements.

"The airport should take out a business loan to pay for it not leaving the costs with customers. That's like me saying I want an executive car, I'm going to put my costs up so customers can pay for it.

"We understand that there is an emphasis on cutting down on emissions but a lot of our members' vehicles are as economical and green as they can be.

"This is not the way to cut down. I think the public will see straight through it."

The airport said it has begun increasing staff presence at peak times to assist with passenger queries and to help improve traffic flow at the rapid drop-off point (RDO).

Karen Smart, East Midlands Airport’s managing director, said: “We recently made changes to the waiting times in rapid drop-off with the best intentions of resolving traffic flow issues which cause road congestion across the airport site.

"We still need to address this problem as passengers want to enter and leave the airport easily. However, we listened to customer feedback and many drivers felt that five minutes drop-off wasn’t long enough.

“It is clear that the overall passenger experience of RDO can only be improved if we make some changes to the infrastructure and staff it better. But this comes at a cost and therefore we need to raise the funds to pay for it.

"The new price is also designed to encourage more passengers to consider other parking options as well as using public transport such as the SkyLink bus service.”

Nothing new,everybody treats Taxi and private hire trade as a cash cow.

not just us ALL motorists using EMA

Lets face it Stansted and Madchester both £4 so EMA which is same company

The thing is most airports have a captive market and I doubt this puts many off using EMA if there was another airport close by with flights to the same destinations but not charging cars there might be competition

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Where would we be without an upgraded barrier, and a few more exit lanes?

How the f*** did the world cope in the last few years without such a technological improvement?

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IDFIMH