Angry taxi drivers say that new drop-off charges will put drivers off from doing airport runs. Manchester Airport is replacing its free drop-off lanes with chargeable parking bays. Senior management at Manchester Airport has said the move is about tackling congestion rather than profits.
Debate Over Manchester Airport Charges
From June 2018, drivers will be charged £3 for five minutes at the terminal forecourt and train station car parks, or £4 for a maximum of ten minutes. A free off-site car park is due to open on Thorley Lane where passengers can board a shuttle bus to the terminal. The changes have proved controversial and have sparked a debate in the local taxi trade. Some drivers believe that the exercise is a cash cow and charges will inevitably be passed onto customers. Chairman of the National Taxi Association, Paul Brent, said that many taximeters won’t be able to add airport charges and drivers may have to pay out of their own pocket. Alex Zeb, Manager of Oldham taxi company, Startax, believed that the charge was excessive for only a few minutes wait.
Senior management at Manchester Airport has said the move is about tackling congestion rather than profits.
Congestion Management
The airport’s Chief Operating Officer, Tricia Williams, noted that as passenger numbers increased, there had been major congestion problems. Williams argued that as growth at the airport continues, a more proactive approach to congestion management was needed to have a knock-on effect on the wider airport estate. She added that the forecourts were not designed to handle the number of vehicles that flow through and that it wouldn’t cope with any further growth. There’s been a trend towards congestion pricing across many UK airports and it seems unlikely that Manchester Airport will rethink their policy regardless of pressure from the taxi industry.
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