Over 60 of cab drivers have been banned from Edinburgh Airport for blocking an exit road used by buses and coaches outside the terminal, the Edinburgh Evening News reports. A total of 62 taxis have been handed a three-month ban after falling foul of the airport's strict rules on waiting for fares.
The rank is one of Edinburgh's busiest but has only 22 spaces. This has been resulting in cabbies queuing on the road in front of the terminal building, which causes congestion, blocking the path of buses and emergency vehicles.
The cab drivers had been warned about the problem and told that they could be banned. A crackdown in June last year saw dozens of taxis receive similar three-month bans. An airport spokesman said they had no choice but to ban the drivers.
In related news, the newspaper reports that Edinburgh Airport is hoping to reduce the number of black cabs queuing outside the terminal by tendering out the rank to a single operator, rather than the current free-for-all. |