Daniel Zeichner, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Cambridge and Shadow Transport Minister, is concerned about unresolved issues around taxis serving the new Cambridge North station.

Despite the fact that the first passengers will be arriving in Cambridge North on 21 May, a little over a week from now, the plans for the taxi rank and which taxis serve it remain unclear.

Cambridge North falls inside the South Cambridgeshire licensing authority, and therefore cannot be served by Hackney Carriages from Cambridge city. However, local taxi firms are concerned that there are not enough Hackneys in South Cambridgeshire to provide an adequate service to the new station.

If this situation is not swiftly resolved, Mr Zeichner fears that problems encountered in other cities will arise around the new station.

He said: “With too few Hackney carriages working from the station rank, the area could become a magnet for private hire vehicles licensed through companies like Uber. Local taxi drivers are already noticing Uber taxis from as far away as Rutland, Brighton and Wolverhampton. They are concerned that the high standards demanded by Cambridge City are not matched by other authorities. Only those licensing authorities can take enforcement action – leaving the public at risk. The current law is a mess – it needs updating, but in the meantime, we need our local authorities to work together swiftly to get a solution for Cambridge North.”