NEWS...IN THE LEICESTER CABBIES FURIOUS AT CAMPUS BAN
Taxi drivers are furious after a student union banned them from picking up passengers on campus in the evening. Last month, University of Leicester Students’ Union banned all but one taxi firm from driv- ing on to the campus in the evening. It is understood the firm paid about £10,000 for the privilege – a figure neither the union nor company would con- firm. A spokesman for the students’ union said the move was de- signed to improve safety. Cabbies said it could put them out of business. Black cab driver Gur- pal Singh Atwal,
secretary of the RMT Union in Leicester- shire,
in the told
thisisleicestershire: “We have been proud to pick up students and staff
evenings for 40 years and this decision is unfair. “Drivers who are not with this chosen firm are losing about £100 a night. We have fami- lies to feed and people will go out of business. The union is giving the work of ten companies to one. It says it is safer to make this decision and cheaper for students, which suggests other firms are dangerous and expensive. That is not true.” Cabs used to drive on
and off campus via Mayor’s Walk, off Uni- versity Road, even though the road was exit only. It has now been blocked and the con- tracted company is allowed to enter the university via Wygge- ston Drive, using a swipe card to open the barrier. Drivers exit via Mayor’s Walk, where they pick up fares. Dan Flatt, academic affairs officer at the union, said:
“This
decision was solely taken to prevent a seri- ous accident – and, from the evidence so far, is working very well.” He said the serv- ice involved fixed- price journeys, a voucher scheme for
students short of cash and the vetting of driv- ers. “This is a service tried and tested in other cities, notably Birm- ingham and Leeds,” Mr Flatt said. “We are obviously concerned that an important group of business people are distressed, but there have been many efforts to prevent cabs driving the wrong way on to the campus, to no avail, so the clo- sure of this road was inevitable.” The union said the contracted company was chosen after a tendering
process
which saw four or five firms invited to bid for a one-year contract.
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The firm’s owner said his firm was chosen because of its low fares and in-car tech- nology. “We won the contract on the basis of our prices as well as the service we offer,” he
said. Mr Atwal said: “Big firms said they were not contacted. If they had told us black cabs,
I’m sure we
would have clubbed together to offer more money.”
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