The increase in taxi turf wars around Edinburgh Airport might mean a police intervention to solve this ongoing problem. Last week the Edinburgh Evening News reported that several taxi drivers are continuing to flout Edinburgh Airport by-laws by picking up fares in the drop-off zone, while authorised cabs are missing out on fares while they wait in the designated bay.
Police Called to Calm Edinburgh Airport Taxi Crisis
With an official contract in place for taxi firm City Cabs, drivers who pay a fee to picks up fares from Edinburgh Airport are starting to lose patience with the regular appearance of other taxis in the Edinburgh Airport drop-off zone. This frustration has now resulted in Edinburgh Airport chiefs calling in the police to help deal with the problem. As well as working with car park operators and the Edinburgh City Council, airport officials are taking the problem seriously in order to appease the contracted firm and its drivers, as well as continuing to provide a good service for airport users.
New Airport Design to Blame?
With the contracted drivers being charged £2.90 by the airport for each fare they pick up, they are now calling the frequently flouting of rules by other drivers ‘soul destroying’ as they have to wait for up to two hours in the designated rank, and one driver states the problems began following a change in design to accommodate the increase in Edinburgh Airport passengers. With the hub having just experienced its busiest ever May, playing host to over 1.1 million travellers, the taxi feud look unlikely to die down any time soon.
Potential Edinburgh Airport Parking Solutions
Although passengers aren’t being directly affected by the taxi driver dispute, a busier airport could mean they may start looking for other ways to get to and from the terminal. For holiday makers, making use of the Edinburgh Airport parking facilities could well be the answer. Being situated only 5.8 miles from Edinburgh city centre, this departure point is in a convenient location for locals and not only could making use of parking at Edinburgh Airport prove easier, but for many passengers, it might be much more financially viable that endless taxi fares.
With the outcome of the Edinburgh Airport taxi dispute still in limbo, passengers forced to look elsewhere for a more economical alternative might mean an increase in the use of Edinburgh Airport parking facilities. And with this continuing increase in the number of travellers using Edinburgh Airport, it might prove beneficial for airport congestion as well as any potential future taxi turf wars.