Exeter cabbies are concerned about plans which could see the number of taxi ranks reduced in the city. Proposals by the local council include the reduction of many ranks, while busy areas are to hopefully to be extended.
The review was carried out to assess the demand for ranks and taxis in the city. It has highlighted that the busiest areas are at Central Station in Sidwell Street, while the quiet areas which could face closure include North Street, South Street and Mary Arches.
Wheelchair Accessible Taxis
The taxi rank survey was conducted by Mouchel Ltd on behalf of Exeter City Council. The study also looked into whether there is sufficient provision of wheelchair accessible taxis in the city.
“Some of the current hackney carriage ranks are extremely busy and hackney carriages should use other ranks to avoid congestion and obstruction of other road users, or those ranks should be extended,” the survey reports.
“It also identifies a number of ranks which are rarely, if ever, used and consideration should be given to revoking those, allowing the areas to be used for other purposes.”
The taxi rank survey draws attention to the lack of wheelchair accessible taxis and suggests improving the marketing of taxis and black cabs with the introduction of fares posted at ranks and public buildings and tourist spots.
Cabbie Ali Tameem says: “I think any extension of the busy taxi ranks will be good for us. But I hope they don’t carry out too many closures, though some in the city like North Street rank are hardly used.”