Hackney taxi drivers in Preston have voiced their concern over the misuse of the taxi rank on Church Street and are calling on the local council to take action to stop members of the public using it as a general parking area.
Unsafe Pick-ups
Members of the Preston Hackney Carriage Association (PHCA) say the designated taxi bays are being abused by the public and cause the drivers to park illegally in order to pick up fares which in turn is making it unsafe for the passenger too.
“We’re forced to pull up on the road or in bus stops and on double yellow lines.”
Asif Bukhari, vice chairman of the PHCA, said: “The rank system means we can have an orderly system of people in the queue getting into the next cab but every weekend cars that are not taxis are filling up the rank, which means we’re forced to pull up on the road or in bus stops and on double yellow lines.”
Taxi Rank Brawls
Drivers in the area who work the late-night shifts say they have witnessed brawls amongst revelers arguing who should get a taxi first because it’s impossible to form an orderly queue.
Mr Bukhari commented: “We play a vital role in getting people home from the city safely. But we’re seeing fighting and arguing as people coming out of the clubs try to scramble for their nearest taxi. There is no order to it because cars are blocking the rank.”
Despite the cabbies’ concerns that the council is not listening, Lancashire County Council has insisted that it’s looking into the case and will take action.
A spokesman for the council said: “Drivers aren’t allowed to park in the taxi ranks during the evenings and at peak times when taxis are operating.
“We’ll be working closely with the police and city council to look at how we can address this problem.”