Southampton Central taxi rank change could lead to strike

A £5.5m redesign of Southampton Central interchange has been blasted by angry cabbies, who say the revamped rank on the southern forecourt is not wheelchair accessible.

They say the narrow design also means taxis sometimes have to drive across the pavement to leave - but the council claims it consulted drivers ahead of the changes.

READ MORE: Southampton Central railway station works are almost done

Taxi ranks at the new southern entrance to Southampton Central station (Image: Newsquest, Jose Ramos)In an email to the chairman of the city council's licensing committee, the Southampton Hackney Organisation called for an urgent meeting with key decision makers - and said it was 'putting in plans for multiple strikes against the council regarding this matter'.

These would start from February and run straight up to May's local election.

"It is a mess that has been created by Southampton City Council, which the council needs to fix," the email said.

Because the kerb for the new rank does not drop, wheelchair-bound passengers often struggle to get into the back of disabled-friendly taxis.

Chairman of the association, Ajmal Sudhan, said he has had disabled passengers rant about how they struggle to get into the back of taxis without a dropped kerb.

The 55-year-old said: “The passengers were very frustrated. I had one lady who couldn’t even get out of her wheelchair, and she couldn’t get into the car.”

Because of the narrow design of the rank, the only taxis which can easily leave are at the front of the queue, or at the end - because they can reverse out.

So if someone needs a wheelchair-friendly taxi and it is not in these positions, they often have to drive on the pavement to get out of the queue.

The council claims this issue is being managed by taxi drivers - but Ajmal disagrees.

Ajmal Sudhan, 55, pointing at the pavement kerbs (Image: Newsquest, Jose Ramos)

He said: “The way that they designed this makes it look like they weren’t thinking.

“What the council have said to us is that cars behind it can just reverse to let the van out.

"But tell me how when it’s so busy here in the station, how are you going to get three taxis out of the rank while cars and passengers are at the station?

The driver of 30 years added: “The old rank was preferred because we had a lot more space. The new one they have come up with just makes things worse for us.”

The former chairman of the association, Sam Shahiedi, 69, met with the local authority to discuss the plans in 2021 - but claimed they 'changed the plans but didn’t check with us that it was okay with us'.

In response, Southampton City Council said:  “The improved forecourt layout on the south side of Central Station has been designed to take into account the needs of all rail users and transport operators.

"Two dedicated areas for taxis have been provided, including a rank on the forecourt and a waiting area on Western Esplanade.

"The detailed designs were shared with representatives of the taxi trade, with the opportunity to pose any questions or concerns they had. The taxi rank was designed within the space available and the width is comparable to taxi ranks at other similar stations.

"The forecourt has only recently been re-opened and we are continuing to monitor its usage at this early stage. When a taxi with wheelchair access is located in the middle of the taxi rank, this is being managed by the taxi drivers.

"Wheelchair users also have the option to book a taxi to collect them from the disabled bay in the southern forecourt or use the northern side of the station where there is more space available for the wheelchair-accessible taxis.”