Taxi marshal brought in to beat congestion at Wolverhampton train station
A new taxi marshal has been employed at Wolverhampton train station to help with the flow of taxis during evening rush hour.
Taxis have been clogging up residential streets since changes were made to entrance of the station earlier this year.
Wolverhampton council has employed the new taxi marshal with the aim of improving both taxi and customer access to the city's new railway station turnaround area.
The marshal began work on Friday and will posted at the station from 4pm to midnight, seven days a week. The marshal will be responsible for directing members of the public to Hackney carriages and private hire services, and talking to the drivers to help improve traffic flow.
They will also be on the look out for illegal touting for business and will report back to the council's compliance officers about their findings.
After a three-week trial, the impact of the marshal's role will be reviewed.
Councillor John Reynolds, cabinet member for city economy, said: "We are aware there have been issues with congestion at the railway station, which is making life difficult for users.
"A regular taxi marshal will provide a familiar face for members of the public and the taxi drivers to work with, which in turn should lead to a smoother operation for everyone.
"We will also be holding weekly review meetings with the marshal to reflect on progress.
"We hope people will quickly see an improvement within the turnaround area so they can feel the benefits of the new access arrangements at the station."
Parminder Sekhon, chair of Wolverhampton Taxi Owners Association, said: "We welcome the trial of a taxi marshal in this location as this will assist passengers into their correct taxi and deter touting."
The news comes as earlier this month, Hackney carriage drivers in the city centre were told it would be illegal for them to continue to use Albion Street as an interim feeder taxi rank.
Bailey Street is now the permanent location for the drivers, though some drivers had concerns that they would not be able to know when to send more taxis up to the station from that location.
The new entrance to Wolverhampton train station opened in January, with 13 spaces available for for taxi drivers.
It is understood that there are a total of 104 Hackney carriage drivers in the city.
