Taxi drivers claim they could be forced out of business after they were banned from picking up passengers at the front of Belfast's busiest train station.

In a move that has been branded a shambles, public hire cabs can no longer collect people at the entrance to Central Station.

It follows a clampdown on drivers using the bus lane that passes the front of the busy station. A taxi must encroach the lane to collect a fare - landing its driver with a £90 fine.

The move has angered public hire companies and led to warnings that it could force drivers out of business.

Gerry Maxwell from the Belfast Public Hire Taxi Association said it was a shambles.

"There is nowhere else for our drivers to go - basically, Central Station is now off limits for public hire taxis," he said.

Central Station is Belfast's main railway station. It is the starting point for the cross-border Enterprise rail service connecting Belfast and Dublin and carries thousands of passengers a day.

It is also the arrival point for many visitors to the city.

Now, however, passengers will not be able to access public hire taxis at the front door. Instead, they have to walk to a less obvious pick-up point at Mays Meadows, which is accessed through a side entrance.

Mr Maxwell said the issue was confusing passengers. "The black taxis always parked there because that's where people come to - they don't walk downstairs," he said. "People are arriving from Dublin, or maybe they are coming from abroad via Dublin. They come to the front door, but then they can't hail a public hire taxi."

Value Cabs, which is Translink's "recommended partner", has a free telephone ordering system on the way out of the station.

Mr Maxwell said public hire taxis were at a serious disadvantage. He warned some drivers could go out of business.

"This is the death-knell for the public hire taxis at Central Station," he said.

"It's the only place in the UK where public hire taxis don't have a rank at the bus or train station.

"There is a lot of anger among drivers. For many drivers that is their main source of income."

The issue has been taken up by DUP MLA Lord Morrow, who has submitted a series of questions to Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy.

"It is vitally important that we provide the best transport service," Lord Morrow said.

"In relation to Central Station, we want to make sure that it's as convenient for commuters as possible. The fact that they can't now come out at the front and get a public hire taxi is a step in the wrong direction."

Mr Kennedy said: "The bus lane legislation for East Bridge Street does not permit taxis to enter this bus lane. Therefore, it would be an offence if a taxi entered the bus lane to pick up a passenger."

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/taxi-drivers-enraged-at-pickup-ban-from-outside-belfasts-central-station-31327948.html
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 ALBANY — The so-called Taxi of Tomorrow cleared a major legal roadblock Thursday.

The state's highest court, in a unanimous decision, ruled the Taxi & Limousine Commission did not overstep its authority in 2012 when it ordered medallion owners to use Nissan's specially designed cab.

"The City Council granted the TLC extremely broad authority to enact rules, including the ToT rules," Court of Appeals Judge Leslie Stein wrote in the decision.

Stein's decision delivered a stinging defeat to the Greater New York Taxi Association, which had argued that the TLC did not have the power to compel medallion owners to purchase the Nissan.

A lawyer for the association did not immediately return a call for comment.

The "Taxi of Tomorrow" was a major initiative of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration.

The TLC, after a design competition, selected the Nissan NV200 and in 2012 issued ruled requiring medallion owners to purchase the Nissan NV200 for their fleets.

The tall, boxy cabs debuted in 2013 and include many rider-friendly features like iPhone charging ports, large windows and a see-through roof.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-high-court-nissan-taxi-tomorrow-requirement-article-1.2270986
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Two police officers based in Westminster licensing unit have been arrested this morning in connection with an anti-corruption investigation.

The PC and sergeant were held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office following claims of corrupt practices between licensing officers and local business owners.

Two men, both aged 48, were also arrested at addresses in Camden and Slough.

All are being questioned by detectives from the Met’s anti-corruption command.

A total of nine residential, business and police premises were raided by officers and searches of them all are ongoing.

DCI Tom Whorwood, investigating officer, said: “These arrests are part of a long running intelligence operation, led by our anti-corruption command.

“It was started in response to allegations of corruption by Westminster Licensing Officers and inappropriate relationships between the police officers and people running local businesses.

“At this stage it would be inappropriate to comment further on the specific intelligence that we have investigated.”

http://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/crime-court/police_officers_from_westminster_licensing_unit_among_four_arrested_in_corruption_probe_1_4125021