Taxi drivers criticise 'unfair' bus lane rules

Taxi drivers have criticised a bus lane in Derby city centre which bans private hire vehicles from using it.

Lee Roach and Adnan Khan called the bus lane on Corporation Street - which runs from the Assembly Rooms to the Council House - as "ridiculous" and "unfair".

Signs state taxis are allowed to use the road between 07:00 and 19:00, but the city council has said this applied to licensed yellow hackney carriage vehicles and not for private hire taxis.

Derby City Council defended the ruling and said allowing private hire vehicles to use bus lanes could "negate the benefits" and cause more traffic.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council had raised £1.7 million in just over a year from the CCTV-monitored bus lane since restrictions began in 2021.

The GMB union is now involved following complaints and said it hoped to meet the council to talk through concerns raised by their members working in the private hire trade.

Mr Khan, who has been a taxi driver for two years, said: "The bus lane on Corporation Street is worse than a nightmare. How is it fair?

"As a taxi driver, I am licensed by Derby City Council for a private hire vehicle. I am doing exactly the same job as a driver of a hackney vehicle, but apparently the rules are different, and I can't use the road."

Mr Roach, 52, who has been a taxi driver for 25 years, said the restriction was causing him and other cab drivers problems.

[It] affects taxi drivers' big time," he said.

"The Assembly Rooms and Quad are the major dropping-off points in Derby for private hire vehicles and if we get a job, for example, at the Morledge, we now have to go the long way round and have to use more fuel.

"When this happens at 5pm each night, it is so frustrating. It's just ridiculous."

Craig Thomson, GMB union officer, said: "While the council has been tallying up millions of pounds from fines, private hire drivers have been stuck in unnecessary queues and forced to drive additional miles to make a living.

"Restrictions placed on the movement of private hire vehicles must be reconsidered to help get Derby moving again. Not only do these restrictions appear completely unnecessary, they are causing a drain on the private hire economy."

A city council spokesperson said the scheme in Corporation Street reduced traffic at a busy point, allowing buses to be punctual and more reliable, which, in turn, encouraged sustainable travel and created a better experience for pedestrians.

"Hackney carriages meet the legal definition of a taxi as they are subject to stricter licensing requirements, including vehicle specifications such as wheelchair accessibility, driver training, and fare regulations. As such, they are permitted to use some of the bus lanes (including Corporation Street) as part of the city's integrated public transport system.

"Hackney carriages differ from private hire vehicles, which must be booked in advance and can be confused with other cars.

"If private hire vehicles were allowed into the bus lanes, the sheer volume of these vehicles could negate the benefits for buses and potentially create congestion in bus lanes."

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