Taxi drivers refuse to work over ‘extortionate’ airport cost

04/06/2024
Aberdeen International Airport

A GROUP of taxi drivers based in Aberdeen are refusing to work in protest over a new charge at Aberdeen International Airport (AIA).

The new £7 charge, which can be added to the meter and passed on to passengers, has been described as “extortionate”, with one taxi driver claiming the airport are looking at them as “debt collectors”.

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The drivers currently pay around £200 a week to gain access to the airport rank, with a £5 surcharge for all customers.

Around 60 drivers held a protest near the airport on Monday.

“We want to see the surcharge scrapped completely,” one driver said to BBC Scotland News.

Meanwhile, regional officer for the union Unite, Vic Fraser, said: “The taxi drivers are really frustrated that the airport is not listening to their concerns, and this will have a knock-on effect on the customers.”

He also claimed “the airport is stopping them from working”.

Aberdeen International Airport said in a statement: “We have plans in place to minimise the impact on customer service.

“We appreciate our customers’ patience in any circumstance where a longer than the normal wait time is experienced.”

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