Absolut
27th March 2010, 00:16
Fight about new taxi policy
Today a new queue system for taxis at Arlanda Airport started. Some taxi-drivers are very upset and the situation was tense when activists from left-radical Syndikalisterna held demonstrations.
The whole idea with the new system is that it privileges environmental friendly taxi cars and also to make it clear for the customers what company each taxi-queue belongs to. Taxi Stockholm has two lanes and the two other big taxi companies have one lane each. Independent taxi cars on the other hand have their own lane.
The independent taxi drivers are very upset while their taxi lane is placed in such a way that the customers start naturally with the others first.
Amir Abasi from Storstockholms Transportsyndikat (eng. Greater Stockholm’s Transport syndicate*), which represents around 250 taxi drivers, is very upset.
- The distance from our queue to the customers is very long and we are not able to contact our customers. We will not accept this system and we will react very decisive, Amir Abasi says to Sveriges Radio (SR).
But Jan Lindqvist, information officer at Luftfartsverket which is behind the planning of the new system has another view of the situation.
- The independent drivers complained also before when they had the same place as the big companies have today. Now they themselves stand there and they still complain about injustice. It seems like the injustice is the only permanent factor in this system, Lindqvist says to SR.
Lindqvist continues saying that the ambition is no to create a just system between the taxi drivers. It is instead to provide the customers with a fair possibility to choose taxi. The justice between different taxi is a second priority for Luftfartsverket.
When asked by Sveriges Radio if they will react, Amir Abasi says:
- Of course, we will block Arlanda Airport.
*Part of the SAC, organises around 250 taxi drivers in Stockholm
Stockholmnews - Fight about new taxi policy (http://www.stockholmnews.com/more.aspx?NID=5035)
Taxi drivers are blocking the way to Arlanda airport (updated)
About seventy Independent taxi drivers are blocking the way to Arlanda airport today as a protest against what they claim is an unfair system that benefits the large companies.
The protest has been going on since early this morning. Taxi drivers have placed their cars on the roads next to the entrance to the airport, so the only way to access the airport is by trains. The coaches are operating but stay a couple of hundred meters away. The police have tried to remove the blocking cars but drivers have then placed themselves under the trucks to prevent them from removing their vehicles.
One taxi driver says to the daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet: -We stay until we reach a solution, we can stay overnight if needed. We have pillows
Some fighting between drivers from different companies has also been reported.
Read the background here.
Update: At quarter to six pm the blockade was over. The drivers claim however that they might resume it tomorrow reports the Swedish radio
Stockholmnews - Taxi drivers are blocking the way to Arlanda airport (updated) (http://www.stockholmnews.com/more.aspx?NID=5046)
Today a new queue system for taxis at Arlanda Airport started. Some taxi-drivers are very upset and the situation was tense when activists from left-radical Syndikalisterna held demonstrations.
The whole idea with the new system is that it privileges environmental friendly taxi cars and also to make it clear for the customers what company each taxi-queue belongs to. Taxi Stockholm has two lanes and the two other big taxi companies have one lane each. Independent taxi cars on the other hand have their own lane.
The independent taxi drivers are very upset while their taxi lane is placed in such a way that the customers start naturally with the others first.
Amir Abasi from Storstockholms Transportsyndikat (eng. Greater Stockholm’s Transport syndicate*), which represents around 250 taxi drivers, is very upset.
- The distance from our queue to the customers is very long and we are not able to contact our customers. We will not accept this system and we will react very decisive, Amir Abasi says to Sveriges Radio (SR).
But Jan Lindqvist, information officer at Luftfartsverket which is behind the planning of the new system has another view of the situation.
- The independent drivers complained also before when they had the same place as the big companies have today. Now they themselves stand there and they still complain about injustice. It seems like the injustice is the only permanent factor in this system, Lindqvist says to SR.
Lindqvist continues saying that the ambition is no to create a just system between the taxi drivers. It is instead to provide the customers with a fair possibility to choose taxi. The justice between different taxi is a second priority for Luftfartsverket.
When asked by Sveriges Radio if they will react, Amir Abasi says:
- Of course, we will block Arlanda Airport.
*Part of the SAC, organises around 250 taxi drivers in Stockholm
Stockholmnews - Fight about new taxi policy (http://www.stockholmnews.com/more.aspx?NID=5035)
Taxi drivers are blocking the way to Arlanda airport (updated)
About seventy Independent taxi drivers are blocking the way to Arlanda airport today as a protest against what they claim is an unfair system that benefits the large companies.
The protest has been going on since early this morning. Taxi drivers have placed their cars on the roads next to the entrance to the airport, so the only way to access the airport is by trains. The coaches are operating but stay a couple of hundred meters away. The police have tried to remove the blocking cars but drivers have then placed themselves under the trucks to prevent them from removing their vehicles.
One taxi driver says to the daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet: -We stay until we reach a solution, we can stay overnight if needed. We have pillows
Some fighting between drivers from different companies has also been reported.
Read the background here.
Update: At quarter to six pm the blockade was over. The drivers claim however that they might resume it tomorrow reports the Swedish radio
Stockholmnews - Taxi drivers are blocking the way to Arlanda airport (updated) (http://www.stockholmnews.com/more.aspx?NID=5046)