New Street braced for 'taxi wars'

Jul 13 2005 By Ben Hurst, Evening Mail

BIRMINGHAM'S New Street Station could be hit by "taxi wars" with council chiefs set to let any hackney carriage pick up passengers there.

Currently only up to 1,000 members of the Birmingham and Solihull Taxi Association can use the lucrative New Street ranks, which cater for 135,000 passengers per day.

But from July 31, all hackney carriages licensed in Birmingham - about 1,600 - will be able to use it.

Network Rail is aiming to install a barrier when drivers will swipe a card to be allowed in.

Each entry will cost 20p, which will be added onto the taxi fare.

The B&S Taxi Association today predicted gridlock, with potential flashpoints between rival drivers.

Secretary Mike Shingler said: "It could be chaos. They already queue out onto the street and it will only get worse, especially if there is a barrier to further slow things down.

"It will cost the passenger more and if there are traffic problems, how can they evacuate the place quickly enough if there is an emergency?"

In the past, police have been called to confrontations between drivers around the station area.

Ron Pearson, a cab driver with the Transport and General Workers Union, said he had been pushing for the change.

He said: "They have controlled the ranks for a long time so it is good that everyone else can have a chance."

Jackie Kennedy, head of trading standards and licensing at Birmingham City Council said: "The extra 20p for passengers will mean an improved service and there will be more taxis.

"Plus if a taxi picks a person up and there is a problem, then we will be able to trace which cab this was."

A spokesman for Network Rail, which runs the station, said: "The taxi association pays £20,000 each year and we hope to bring in more than ten times that, which will be ploughed back into rail improvements."

The change is set to be rubber stamped at the Licensing Committee meeting next Wednesday.