Taxi drivers are accusing Dundee City Council of sitting on £45,000 set aside for employing marshals at a taxi rank.
In March, the council’s licensing committee voted to introduce the stewards outside the Grosvenor Casino on Marketgait, but eight months later they have still not appeared despite taxi drivers each paying £30 towards the service.
Stuart Elder, president of the GMB Dundee WAV (wheelchair-accessible vehicles) Taxi Branch, said: “It’s now November and there’s still no sign of the marshals.”
He said the trade union branch recently took a vote on the issue and has decided to reimburse its members for the time being.
“The GMB demands that the council introduce these marshals with immediate effect if it is a real public safety concern, otherwise they should reimburse every taxi driver in Dundee.
“We will repay the £30 to every GMB member to help, but we must work with the council and Police Scotland to come up with a better long-term plan about how we deal with this.”
A cab enforcement unit is already in place in the city, which allows certain members of Police Scotland’s Tayside Division to stop taxis in transit or carry out checks of stationary vehicles at taxi ranks.
Because of this, the GMB has previously contested the idea that marshals are necessary.
“Our members have always found the fee unfair and can’t understand why they have to pay it,” said Stuart.
“Every taxi driver already pays Police Scotland through annual fees to ensure taxi drivers are doing what they should be doing and not causing any public safety concerns.
“Yet we now have to also pay for two marshals.”
Drew Duffy, GMB organiser, said: “The GMB Dundee WAV Branch has given up its entire budget to reimburse these fees. Dundee City Council must get the marshals in place immediately or pay the estimated £45,000 they have sitting in their bank account back to taxi drivers.”
A Dundee City Council spokeswoman said: “We are currently going through the recruitment process.”