North Station taxi drivers hit out at Greater Anglia over permit costshttps://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/189 ... e-permits/
Image: Gazette & Essex County StandardTAXI drivers are locked in a heated row with a train operator being told to pay £645 for their permits for the next six months despite passenger numbers dropping by almost three quarters.Greater Anglia says passenger numbers at Colchester North Station are down by 73 per cent compared to pre-Covid levels.
But despite the massive drop in footfall, taxi drivers have been asked to pay the £645 second instalment of their permit cost in order to continue working at the station for the next six months.
Greater Anglia gave drivers a three month extension to the permit, offering three months free between July and October, however drivers say they still can't afford to pay.
A permit to work at North Station works out at about £3.50 per day, however, with trade so drastically decreased Charlie Isbell, chairman of the Colchester Taxi and Hackney Carriage Association, said drivers simply couldn’t afford to pay.
He said: “There is no discount being offered at all and no concessions. We want to see some common sense and understanding.
“If footfall has dropped so much where are these drivers expected to get the money to pay for their permits from?
“It is a lot of money for these guys and if you times it by the 80 drivers who work at the rank then it is a lot of money to Greater Anglia too.
“We are not refusing to pay but the drivers can’t afford to pay the full amount.”
He added: “There is a lot at stake here, it is 80 people’s livelihoods.”
Councillor Tim Young is supporting drivers’ calls for a discount and accused Greater Anglia of being “unreasonable”.
He added: “I would urge Greater Anglia to review this situation and come up with a reduced demand so our taxi drivers can still serve the travelling public and ply their trade at Colchester’s main railway station.”
Greater Anglia said it negotiated a three month extension for the permits with the Department of Transport, which had seen them extended between July to October free of charge.
A spokesman added: “We do recognise and understand the difficulties being faced not only by the railway but also across every sector of the economy at this time.
“We are working on recovery plans for a time when we can start to rebuild our passenger numbers.
“But in the meantime will continue to listen to and engage with our partners to address their concerns wherever practical, in line with the wider approach across the rail network.”
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