Plan for taxi rank marshals aims to boost safety

Popular for its student nights, LGBTQ+ bars and walkable city centre, a night out in Leeds attracts thousands of people every weekend.

However, taxi drivers say they fear customers and pedestrians are at risk from traffic, anti-social behaviour and unmarked cars at taxi ranks as they try to make their way home.

Drivers have collaborated to fund taxi rank marshals on Fridays and Saturdays.

"People are drunk, it is late at night and there is anti-social behaviour," Azhar Mahmood says.

"They jump in the front of taxis and there is nobody to stop them.

"It is dangerous."

The hackney carriage driver has been taking people on journeys in and around Leeds for 24 years.

"It is quite hectic," he adds.

Improper use of taxi ranks is a safety risk on a night out, according to the Leeds Taxi Volunteer Group.

"Coaches park up on ranks, private drivers park up and delivery drivers too," one taxi driver, who does not want to be named, says.

He has been working in Leeds for four years and says: "There is not enough space in ranks for taxi drivers.

"We are making it safer for vulnerable people, especially those who are going home after midnight, they have had too much to drink and they just want to get in a car and go home."

Only hackney carriage drivers are permitted to pull up on taxi ranks.

Private hire vehicles must be pre-booked and face a fine or legal action if they wait for passengers on the rank.

While using a rank, hackney carriage drivers are required to follow a queuing system on a first come first served basis.

The Leeds Taxi Volunteer Group says failure to follow these rules can lead to disorder and danger.

The group is pooling donations from taxi drivers to fund marshals at the ranks to help stop unauthorised parking and assist people who are trying to find their pre-booked cars.

Leeds City Council also employs street marshals as part of the authority's night safe initiative.

The council's marshals work for a security service, are fully SIA licensed and undergo rigorous training in de-escalation techniques, safeguarding and spotting vulnerable people.

They also focus on promoting women's safety and identifying risks associated with drug or alcohol use, according to the council.

However, the Leeds Taxi Volunteer Group says more marshals are needed.

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council says they are "aware and supportive of a trial of a taxi marshalling system".

"This is a positive development expected to help passengers access hackney carriage services in a safe and orderly manner, and which mirrors a successful, long-standing arrangement at Leeds Train Station, which is funded by the Hackney Carriage Joint Trade Committee."

At a taxi rank in the city centre in the run up to Christmas, there are several private hire company drivers parked up and waiting for a job, despite it being prohibited.

"It is disappointing," taxi driver Akram Sharif says.

He has been a hackney carriage driver in Leeds for the past 40 years.

"There is no-one enforcing the rules - it is chaos, you cannot even drive through.

"Customers get confused, they think private cars are taxis.

"These marshals will make it a bit smoother for everybody."

Despite the efforts, not everyone is convinced the marshals are the key to keeping the city centre safe.

Tom Schofield was on a night out when he spoke to the BBC.

"It might cause more disorder having a queue or trying to organise drunk people," says the 38-year-old.

"Everyone is trying to get home and everyone is a bit past it, that might actually cause more disorder because everybody is going to be grouped together fighting for the next taxi."

Emily Bickerdike agrees: "I used to live in Lincoln, there was a specific taxi rank and it was always a long queue at the end of the night.

"It was constant fights and people pushing in front - it was chaotic," the 29-year-old says.

However, Chloe Binns, 31, says the marshals could be beneficial.

She says she usually uses private hire vehicles to get home from a night out, but can struggle to find the cars.

"They are difficult to flag down, usually parked in a very odd location - wherever they have been able to pull over," she says.

"I do think one marshal would struggle to contain people when they have had a drink though.

"It is whoever is first, whoever is loudest, whoever is confident is getting the taxi."

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