Winchester hackney drivers celebrate return to rank outside station

As previously reported, hackney carriage drivers will be picking up passengers at their original taxi rank directly outside the railway station from March 1.

The independent drivers, which require no bookings, were forced to the opposite side of the road after Wintax, which has pre-booking only vehicles, purchased a four-year tender for the taxi rank from South Western Railway.

However, following eight months of disputing the decision the hackney drivers will be reclaiming the rank after Wintax agreed to a new deal.

The hackney drivers, who lost customers when they moved, are relieved to be going back to their original spots.

READ MORE: Hackney drivers to return to Winchester Railway Station taxi rank

Paul Jeneway (Image: Adele Bouchard)

Paul Jeneway, 74, who’s been a hackney driver in Winchester since 1972, said: “Being over here has affected our business massively. We have really struggled. The customers would go to the pre-booked taxis first because they were right there.

“I’ve lost quite a bit of business because of it. Regular customers got used to it eventually but visitors had no idea and wouldn’t come over here.

“I’m very very thankful that we’re going back over there. It should have never been allowed to happen. The taxi rank has always been for independent drivers ever since I’ve been here and that’s more than 30 years.

“When Covid happened a lot of drivers had to give the job up. There’s so much paying out in this job that we can’t afford to lose customers like this.”

Hackney drivers Waqas, Mohamed and Paul (Image: Adele Bouchard)

Waqas Ali, 39, who’s been an independent driver for 16 years, said: “It’s been awful over here, disastrous for us. It’s been really difficult for us and a problem for the passengers too as most of them didn’t know how to scan the QR codes for Wintax.

“It will be back to normal now which will be amazing for us. Hackneys should always be on the right side, we should be given priority.

“South Western Railway should have asked us drivers because we have been paying them for more than 25 years.”

SEE ALSO: Wintax takes over taxi rank by Winchester Train Station after SWR deal

Mohamed Babul Miah, 54, who’s been a driver for 17 years, said: “We’ve been fighting and we got the deal. We’re very happy and so are our customers.

“We’ve been having to drive all the way around the one-way system to use this temporary rank. It’s been very hard and very difficult for us and our customers. We couldn’t help elderly people who were on the other side struggling with their luggage. I just want to say a huge thanks to our customers we’re so grateful to be going back to our spots.”

Passenger Matt Batten-Harris (Image: Adele Bouchard)

Matt Batten-Harris, an ecological contract from Fareham, aged 36, said: “If anything, all the drivers should be able to share. There is plenty of space and custom here so I don’t see why they can’t use it together. Competition is a good thing.

“In my experience, it’s only ever been the pre-booking taxi on this side and I haven’t had any issues. I’ll use whatever is closest so that will probably be the hackneys now.”

Richard Cordell, from Winchester, gets the train five days a week for work. He said: “I don’t mind what happens, it’s no problem to me. I just want whatever is easiest and with the least pollution, we need fewer idling engines.”

A spokesman for South Western Railway previously said:  "We can confirm that, following feedback from our customers and colleagues, Hackney vehicles will provide taxi services for our customers at Winchester station from Friday, March 1."