York Station taxi drivers SUSPEND STRIKE as LNER addresses vital Uber pick-up point concerns and further talks

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The York Station Permit Holders Alliance has decided to SUSPEND its planned strike after London North Eastern Railway (LNER) agreed to meet one of their key demands.

The strike, scheduled for Thursday 22 August, was set to coincide with the prominent Ladies' Day event at York Races.

The Alliance, representing York’s taxi drivers, announced that LNER has agreed to address the issue of Uber and private hire vehicles using the Portico drop-off point at York Station. This concession comes after a series of grievances raised by the taxi drivers, who have long felt sidelined by LNER’s policies.

In addition to the Portico pick-up issue, LNER has committed to discussing the remaining concerns in a face-to-face meeting next week. These include the ranking system in Tea Room Square, which taxi drivers argue favours Uber drivers, and the use of a WhatsApp group for communication between drivers and LNER.

The decision to postpone the strike follows increasing tensions between the station’s permit holders and LNER. Drivers, who pay a premium for the right to operate at the station, have expressed frustration over what they perceive as unfair competition from Uber and other private hire vehicles. They also cite the removal of live stream TV screens and the lack of marshals at the feeder rank as contributing factors to their discontent.

Arshad Mahmood, York Station Permit Holders Alliance, said: “York Station Permit Holders Alliance have jointly announced to postpone tomorrow's strike as LNER has agreed to one of our demands regarding Uber and Private Hire pickup from Portico drop-off point.

“LNER have further agreed to resolve remaining two demands regarding Tea Room Square ranking by Uber drivers and Whatsapp group communication in a face-to-face meeting to take place next week.

“We welcome LNER decision to agree and resolve Portico pick-up issue and look forward to resolve remaining issues in the face-to-face meeting next week.”