This week, Edinburgh Waverley station officially launched its new dedicated taxi zone in the New Street car park.
Network Rail and parking management company APCOA have collaborated to design the space to accommodate up to forty taxis.
The facility is the largest taxi zone in Edinburgh city centre, and will be used by both Hackney cab and private hire vehicles, including people carriers for groups of up to eight and standard TX taxis for passengers with mobility impairments.
Staff will be available throughout the station to take specific bookings at no extra cost, and if a vehicle isn’t available immediately, passengers will receive real-time updates on their wait.
Around thirty thousand passengers per day pass through Waverley, the principal railway station in Edinburgh’s capital city.
Edinburgh Waverley’s station manager Chris King commented, “We’re delighted to have worked with APCOA to create a dedicated facility within the station area which will be great for passengers, particularly for those with reduced mobility, or those travelling with children, prams or luggage. It has also generated employment opportunities for local people and offers convenient onward travel options to those who need it, with the reassurance of either getting a taxi straight away or knowing for certain that one is on its way.”
Responses
It’s a long walk! And the more accessible taxi ranks aren’t signposted.
Agreed! It looks like a deliberate attempt to divert people away from the very convenient rank of black cabs on the street, towards private hire vehicles. No vehicles were waiting when we arrived in the car park. We had to give our details and wait for one, whereas we saw later that the black cab rank on the street had cabs but no customers (because the signs divert everyone down to the car park). It doesn’t seem to be improving customer convenience so I wonder if someone is making money out of it?