Taxi drivers bid to stop pick-up ban at hospital

TAXI drivers have come together to set up a petition to stop Wales’ largest hospital from allowing only one taxi firm to pick up patients.

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board claims stricter parking measures are being introduced at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW) to ease congestion around the concourse area.

It put a contract out to tender which will allow just one taxi firm to set down patients.

But taxi drivers claim this will have a huge impact, both on their jobs and the patients they have built up relationships with.

Kartar Singh, 54, from Penylan, Cardiff, who has been a taxi driver for 33 years, said: “We have a very good relationship with the patients and have wheelchair facilities.

“Many times the porter will bring the patient out and ask us to ensure the patient gets through their door safely.

“The security who work there are only doing their job and enforce their restrictions. There is no congestion from the taxi drivers but from the overflowing car park.

“The patients definitely need Hackney carriages.”

Yousef Jama, hackney carriage car driver, believes the decision is wrong and wants to challenge it.

He said: “950 hackney cars are available in Cardiff to supply the demand from UHW as the largest hospital in Wales. We also have the biggest fleet of wheelchair vehicles in the taxi trade.

“We believe the public can make a change and that is why we have started a petition.

“We all take pride in supporting those working in the medical profession. However, we will lose this rank unite and show our support.”

Any unauthorised vehicles set down there will receive an automatic £70 fine using the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. The changes coincided with controversial parking charges being scrapped at UHW.

Heath councillor Graham Hinchey has met with taxi drivers and is organising a meeting with the health board to seek a resolution.

He said: “Adding unnecessary costs, by charging for the rank, will not provide any benefits to the patients, staff and visitors who use it.

“The additional cost will only be passed on to customers. It could also lead to a private company from outside Cardiff taking work away and bringing vehicles that are not as easily identifiable as the black and white hackney vehicles.

“People need to travel to and from this hospital more easily and I have constantly argued for a public transport (bus, taxi and cycle) hub to be built on the UHW site near the concourse.

“This would not only ease the problem for the 10,000 people who visit every day, it would also reduce car reliance and serve as the centre for a cross-Cardiff Hub, allowing people to travel to different parts of the city without having to go into the town.”

A previous statement issued by the health board said: “The health board is currently out to tender for a taxi company to provide a taxi service at UHW.

“The risks are compounded by the fact that hackney carriages consistently exceed the allocated number of spaces available to them. They have six allocated spaces but the number of hackney carriages in the concourse area is consistently well into double figures. They also double park, park in drop zones, and are in constant circulation of the area.” if we don’t