Dundee is to introduce taxi marshals to help prevent the illegal activities of some cabbies in Dundee’s West Marketgait.
Councillors have agreed to the scheme to use two marshals to help ease taxi problems outside the G Casino and the nearby rank at West Port/Hawkhill which have been described as a “serious public safety” issue.
The city council’s licensing committee heard some taxis were ignoring the rank queues and were stopping on zig-zag lines at the pedestrian crossing to pick up passengers coming from the casino.
Some members of the public were even vaulting the metal barriers to get into taxis which were backing up from the crossing, members heard.
Four deputations from representatives of the taxi trade in Dundee were heard, with Chris Elder from Unite Union insisting the problem was a policing matter.
He said taxi drivers already pay for the city’s Cab Enforcement Officers and for the police and drivers felt they should not be liable for the extra £30 levy to pay for marshals.
Referring to drivers stopping to pick up fares on zig-zag lines he said: “If we can see it why can’t the police?
“The police should be booking them.”
His comments were backed up by Eric Thoresen of the Dundee Hackney Association and Willie Lees of the GMB Union, who both said if police came down hard on the offenders they would soon stop as it would hit them in the pocket.
Both felt it was unfair for law-abiding drivers to have to pay for what, after all, is being caused by a minority.
Graham Stephen from the Dundee Taxi Association, who is in favour of the taxi marshal scheme, pointed out that the £30 fee was for three years, or 20p a week.
He said patient drivers on the rank were not getting any work due to some cabbies ignoring the rank and stopping outside the casino.
Mr Stephen also pointed out that in other cities, marshalls were used to regulate the queuing public whereas, in Dundee, the opposite was true.
“The marshals will be there to make sure the drivers don’t pick up at the casino,” he said.
Council officer Stuart Galloway said taxi marshalls would have the same powers as traffic wardens and, if need be, could issue parking offence notices to taxi drivers.
Moving approval of the motion, committee convener Stewart Hunter said: “Our priority and sole duty is public safety.”