A LEADING cabbie today claimed taxi customers in York will lose out under major new plans to transform the area surrounding the city's railway station.

Gerald Grisdale, chairman of York Taxi Owners and Drivers Federation, said the existing taxi rank, inside the station's covered area, or portico, should be the only one in use at the station.

He has called for charges currently levied on taxi drivers using the rank to be dropped.

Mr Grisdale said: "GNER charges drivers an annual fee to use that rank and so about 40 per cent of York taxi drivers refuse to pay it, no matter what it is. That means the amount of taxis available from that rank is drastically reduced, customers are having to wait longer for a taxi so they are losing out.

"City of York Council has stated the best option with regard to integrated transport and customer service is for there to be one rank at the station that could be used, free of charge to the taxi driver, by all York taxis, like every other rank in the city."

But GNER spokesman David Mallender said the company had no plans to remove the fee system.

He said: "The city council has come up with a very good scheme, proposing to improve access to and from the station. We would propose to continue with the existing taxi arrangements."

Part of the station area proposals will see the existing taxi rank taken out of the middle of Station Road and a new one built in front of the station's covered area, or portico. The rank underneath the portico would stay open.

The new rank would see taxis queuing in the opposite direction, with nearby Tea Room Square used as an overflow area. It is subject to a 28-day consultation period.

Peter Evely, the council's head of highway regulation, said: "The land GNER occupies is not under the control of the city council. It is for GNER to do as it sees fit with."

All the station area proposals are due to return to the council's planning and transport (city centre area) sub-committee early next month.

Updated: 09:53 Wednesday, March 12, 2003