Cambridge Labour Parliamentary Spokesperson Daniel Zeichner and Labour County Council Leader Paul Sales are calling on Cambridgeshire County Council to give Cambridge taxi passengers and cab drivers a New Year boost  – by ruling out moving the taxi rank from St Andrews Street.

Cambridge cabbies enlisted Mr Zeichner’s support earlier last year when suggestions that the rank could be closed were first mooted. At a specially convened meeting with Mr Zeichner, they explained to him and to Labour Councillors why moving the rank would be bad for customers, and damage their trade. They were particularly concerned about the impact on elderly people and those with disabilities who rely heavily on taxis to get to and from the city centre. Since then, they have been urging customers to sign petitions opposing the change -; hardly a cab in Cambridge is without a poster.

Councillor Sales believes that the County Council is close to ruling out closing the rank, and is likely to propose a feeder rank in Drummer Street instead: “the suggestion to close the rank was part of the Council’s bid for Government cash to improve local bus services, but it is now clear that a feeder rank nearby is a better option.”

Mr Zeichner says that almost a year of uncertainty is quite long enough: “the County Council should put an end to this and give customers and cabbies what they want -; a New Year promise that the St Andrews rank will stay.”