Reading taxi driver's 'humongous thank you' to council after

[The Dark Knight]

Reading taxi driver's 'humongous thank you' to council after bus lane decision




amran Saddiq, chair of the Reading Private Hire Association, Mian Saleem, chairman of the Reading Pakistan Community Centre, and councillors Rachel Eden and Wendy Griffith at the Reading Pakistani Community Centre Christmas Party. Credit: James Aldr

A Reading taxi driver has expressed his humongous gratitude as he and his fellow drivers have been granted access to a bus lane on a busy road in the town.

Taxi drivers in Reading are divided between cab hackney carriage drivers, which passengers can use on the spot, and private hire drivers, who have to be booked in advance.

Cab drivers have been allowed to use both the inbound and outbound bus lanes in Kings Road for years, but private hire drivers have only been allowed to use the inbound lane.

But now private hire drivers will get access to the outbound bus lane following a decision by Reading Borough Council’s traffic management sub-committee on Wednesday, March 6.

Celebrating the decision, Kamran Saddiq, the chairman of the Reading Private Hire Association said: “It’s fantastic, I’m really happy with the outcome considering the long struggle it’s been.

“Bus lane access will be useful for our customers, special needs children who need to get to school, people trying to get to the airport for their holidays and more.

“We also serve people with health issues getting to the Royal Berkshire Hospital, and those with mental health issues as well.

“It’s a massive relief for everyone, including myself, as the campaign has been going on for 16 months.

“One of the councillors said that it’s been going on for a significant amount of time, and they don’t want to come back with the situation not being resolved later on.”

The decision means the outbound bus lane will be accessible for Reading cab and private hire drivers only.

A new sign will be installed to legally enforce the rule change, with estimated costs of up to £15,000.











uk.news.yahoo.com/reading-taxi-drivers-humongous-thank-124000104.html