The closure of the Forth Road Bridge is having a “devastating” effect on Fife’s taxi trade, an industry leader has claimed.
Brian McGurn of the Fife Taxi Owners Association said that the timing of the crossing’s closure could not have come at a worse time, coinciding with the Christmas party season.
“Fares between Fife and Edinburgh have virtually disappeared,” he told The Courier.
“Equally, airport work has gone down as you’ve got people worried as to whether they’ll make it in time or not.
“Before you were quoting people £40-45 for a trip to Edinburgh but now it’s closer to £120, which is clearly putting people off.”
While the cost of travelling across the Forth has increased considerably, Mr McGurn claimed that logistics issues were proving even more problematic for the region’s cabbies.
“The biggest problem that we have is that we are not classed as public transport, but as private transport.
“That means we can’t use the A985, which is reserved for buses and HGVs.
“That is despite the fact that we can use bus lanes in the city.”
Though the closure has delivered a considerable blow to the local taxi industry, Mr McGurn, who is based in Kirkcaldy, said that local trade had been boosted slightly.
“Members of the public understand the situation,” he said.
“A lot of the drivers I have spoken to have said that things have picked up in the town because they’re not going over to Edinburgh now.”