Cabbies in the Southampton area have requested a re-evaluation of taxi ranks in the city, saying there is not enough space to justify the number of drivers.
Cabbie’s Appeal
At the moment, there are 283 hackney taxi licences within the Southampton City Council area with only 47 rank spaces at regularly used spots such as Central Station and Bargate.
Chairman of the Southampton Hackney Taxi Association, Ian Hall, said: “We are self-employed and we pay fees to the city council to administer our taxis.
“But now we are finding there is not enough space for licensed drivers to park, meaning sometimes they have to park illegally and are easy prey for traffic wardens.”
With such a huge disparity in the licence to space ratio, drivers across the city have pulled together in an appeal to the Council to expand the current space available and a requesting a new rank.
Perry McMillan, the chairman of the Unite Cab Section South East, said: “We as a taxi trade need rank extension, as much as new ranks.
“Most cabbies return to the same territorial rank because that’s where their colleagues are and most importantly that’s where they feel the work is.”
Council Review
A spokesman for Southampton City Council commented that while they had no plans to create any new ranks at the moment, they are willing to consider the request as part of their on-going parking reviews.
The council spokesman added: “Parking space is a premium in the city and taxi ranks have to compete with other demands for road space.”