Taxi drivers who regularly drop passengers off at Aberdeen International Airport have slammed a new £7 daily exit surcharge fee, which has forced many to avoid the popular route.
The charge replaces the weekly £200 cost for taxi drivers who pay to get access to the drop-off area at the major airport.
As the airport looks to update its charging method, many taxi drivers have refused to pay the “extortionate” fees.
Drivers who drop off passengers will now have to add an extra £7 to the meter to accommodate the costs to exit the terminal.
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The airport charges £5.50 for 15 minutes at drop-off areas
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Aberdeen International Airport already charges customers £5.50 for 15 minutes at drop-off areas, with the costs going up by £1 every minute they overstay.
The short stay area, which allows drivers to park for up to 20 minutes, costs £6, while the fee to stay for an hour is steep at £15.
The current taxi dispute involves roughly 60 drivers who are refusing to work over the expensive charges and have called for the scheme to be scrapped.
One driver told BBC Scotland News that the new system is “extortionate” and that it makes taxi drivers feel like “debt collectors”.
The driver said: “These poor people have had their holidays, they’re coming back through, they’re finished with the airport, they’re getting into my car, and I’msaying ‘oh by the way, the airport would like another £7 please’. It’s just not on.”
Supporting the strike, dozens of passengers who have used both the taxi rank and station shared their support for the drivers.
One person wrote on Facebook: “We stand with you, [airports] make it totally unaffordable to run a taxi business with the overhead costs, little people lose out once again because of greedy money grabbing city crushing authorities.”
Unite the Union which has 45 members who work on the taxi rank warned that they will refuse work for “as long as it takes”.
Vic Fraser, regional officer for the union explained that taxi drivers are “really frustrated” that the airport is not listening to their concerns and warned that this will have a “knock-on effect” on the customers.
He added that taxi drivers are “available and willing to work”, but the airport is stopping them from working.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Aberdeen International Airport confirmed that it has plans in place to help “minimise” the impact on customer service.
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Roughly 60 drivers are refusing to work over the harsh fines imposed by the airport
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The spokesperson added: “We appreciate our customers’ patience in any circumstance where a longer than the normal wait time is experienced.”