Hertfordshire County Council has voted to allow hackney taxis in Watford to use bus lanes in the borough.
Until now, cabbies are regularly caught up in rush-hour traffic which involves them sitting in congestion, while customers are feeling the brunt of high fare charges.
Taxi Direct via Bus Lanes
The new scheme means hackney taxi direct access to bus lanes in the area, including key throughfares such as High Street, Station Road and St Albans Road.
According to local taxi drivers, the move was a long time in coming. Chairman of Watford Hackney Carriage Drivers Association, Shafiq Ahmed, has been campaigning for two years to have the rules imposed in the borough. However cabbies are now delighted that their campaign has finally been successful.
Mr Ahmed commented: “It’s logical as it will make our service more efficient for the passengers and then drivers will be able to go on to their next job.
“I’ve been stuck in gridlock for 20 minutes with a hackney carriage behind and seen customers get out of the cab saying that they have clocked up £6 while sat in the jam and walk off.
“This change was desperately needed,” added Mr. Ahmed.
The bus lane proposal was given positive support from councillors who agreed that the changes should be put in place to free up drivers and to help cut fares for customers, who expect a taxi direct to their destination and are disgruntled with waiting in jams.
Councillor Andy Wylie said: “There is a high demand for taxis in Watford and we should be accommodating them as public transport.”