Causing congestion, delay and misery for residents and city workers will do nothing to further their case or win public support

Peter Crispin, Bristol City Council

The go-slow was also in protest at subsidised late night buses brought in by the council.

As well as taking business, the cabbies say they are unsafe because young people are not dropped near their homes.

Roger Phillips, one of the organisers, told BBC News Online: "The turnout is amazing which shows the strength of feeling.

"The aim is to highlight to the council that this is an ultimatum.

"Bristol hackney carriage drivers have had enough."

Taxi signs

Council officials had asked the drivers to cancel the convoy and to work together to tackle the problem of private hire cars trading illegally in the city centre.

In a statement, the council said it was actively tackling the problem and had brought more than 50 prosecutions in the past two years.

We have been in negotiation with the city council for a good many years and frankly we're getting absolutely nowhere

Martin Lawrence, taxi driver

New regulations were planned to ensure private hire vehicles carried signs saying they were only available through pre-booking.

"However, the council firmly rejected calls by the drivers to end subsidised late night buses or to relax a plan to ensure that all cabs are accessible to the disabled by 2008 - both measures which it believes have widespread public support," said the statement.

Councillors said they were disappointed that the public was being inconvenienced by traffic congestion caused by the protest.

'Realistic room'

Councillor Peter Crispin, executive assistant for environment, transport and leisure, said: "We want to sit down with the hackney cab drivers to resolve those issues where there is realistic room for discussion - and reassure them about the action we are already taking.

"We meet with the taxi trade every two months and will continue to do so but we have to strike a balance between the needs of cab drivers and the needs of all travellers and other road users.

"Causing congestion, delay and misery for residents and city workers will do nothing to further their case or win public support."

'False promises'

Roger Phillips said: "They have been holding meetings for 20 years."

Another cabbie, Martin Lawrence, said: "We have been in negotiation with the city council for a good many years and frankly we're getting absolutely nowhere.

"We're greeted with false promises - the council are going to do this that and the other but in reality they do nothing.

"The city council make promises openly in public forums and we want them to stand by them."