Changes to Newcastle Airport parking charges annoy taxi drivers
04.06.08
The free waiting time for motorists dropping off or collecting passengers at the Newcastle Airport car park has been cut, sparking anger among passengers and taxi drivers. Since June 1 all vehicles have been restricted to 5 minutes in the pick-up and drop-off parking area, before charges of upwards of £1 are imposed.
Taxi drivers have described the reduction from a 10 minute waiting time as unworkable, but airport officials say that extra entry and exit points have been introduced to allow vehicles to move through the car parking more quickly.
One taxi driver told the Echo: ‘5 minutes is absolutely impractical as we must first locate the passenger and then join the queue to leave the pick-up area. If we can't resolve this then the charges will have to be passed on to customers, which is something we do not want to do.’
However, George Nesbitt, head of car parking at Newcastle Airport, said: ‘The investments we have made [to the parking area] will enable us to process the same number of people through free of charge. [For taxis] I'm confident that 5 minutes to drop-off is achievable and 5 minutes to pick-up, if the customer is waiting, is also achievable.’
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