Taxi bosses in Coventry have warned that the recent dispute, which led to industrial action by the city’s black cab drivers, has not yet been resolved.
The strike was triggered by the arrest of a driver in Pepper Lane, near Coventry Cathedral, for parking illegally. This ignited a long-running dispute over the number of licenses being issued by the council and a shortage of cab ranks in the city.
Black Cab Complaints
Black cab drivers are complaining that ranks in the city are over capacity as a result of increased numbers of licensed cabs and that they are being “forced” to park on double yellow lines as a result.
Chairman of the Coventry Taxi Association (CTA), Imran Zama, said: “This has been coming for the past couple of years. There are too many black cabs in Coventry. We had an agreement with the police saying they wouldn’t ticket any taxi in town but will ask them to move if they are a nuisance.”
On the Friday afternoon of the protest, over 100 black cabs were parked down the length of Little Park Street in the city. This appeared to direct the protest towards police involvement in the dispute as Little Park Street is the site of the city’s central police station. However, according to traffic wardens on duty at the time, they were given instructions not to issue any penalty notices to the protesting taxis parked illegally in Little Park Street.
Crunch Talks
Throughout the dispute, members of the CTA met with city council licensing officers and Coventry police chiefs in an attempt to find a resolution. The strike was finally ended with the council agreeing to conduct an investigation into the issue, and to discuss solutions – including a cap on black cab licenses – at their next Labour Group meeting.
Following the talks, Imran Zaman said: “The council and the police have been really supportive to what we needed during this hard time and we have had very positive talks with them.
“On the whole the public have also been very supportive but I would like to take this opportunity to say how sorry we are to the passengers, local businesses, and everyone else affected by the action we were forced to take.”
Chief Insp Kerry Blackman, of Coventry Police, commented: “Cab drivers are crucial to the effective running of the city’s economy and people need them. I’m sympathetic to their plight and recognise their concerns – so I’m pleased constructive talks have resulted in a positive outcome.”