Airport and taxi drivers hold strike talks
28.02.08
Taxis returned to Aberdeen Airport yesterday after striking drivers agreed to talks with airport management. Passengers faced long queues on Monday night after the drivers held a lightening strike to protest over planned new charges, with the threat of more action. The divers are unhappy at a planned £1 charge they are likely to face every time they enter the airport.
The action came days after Rainbow Taxis announced its fleet of 140 cabs would stop serving the airport on March 31. The firm had only recently agreed a new contract with BAA to be managing agent for taxis at the terminal until January 2010.
Under the current deal, each airport taxi driver is self-employed and pays £116.50 a week to Rainbow Taxis - £34 for a permit to operate at the airport and £82.50 to rent the radio used by the firm to contact them. However, from August 1 this would change, seeing the drivers having had to pay the £1 barrier charge, the £34 permit, and the £82.50 radio rental fee. This would have added around £100 a week to their costs.
Now drivers, airport officials, and ComCabs (who are taking over the airport contract in April) will hold talks tomorrow (Friday) morning. However, airport taxi drivers' representative Alan Norval said: ‘At the moment, [Aberdeen Airport] do not want to comprise on the £1 barrier issue.’
An Aberdeen Airport spokesman said: ‘We're pleased from the passengers' point of view that there will not be any action taken by the drivers while the talks are continuing. From our point of view, we appreciate that the drivers are speaking to us. We are speaking to ComCabs as well.’
The firm's proposals, which could change, are believed to have the £1 barrier fee, keep the radio rental charge but there would be no permit payment. In addition, the £1 fee would go 20% of the way towards the cost of a new taxi rank almost at the door of the airport, part of a £1.7million redevelopment.
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