Cab drivers demand access to bus lane

Taxi drivers are currently not permitted to use the A33 bus lane

Taxi drivers have called for access to a bus lane along one of Reading’s busy main roads.

The lane on the A33 takes buses to and from the town centre and Whitley, and on to Basingstoke.

Reading Taxi Association launched a petition claiming access to the bus route would cut down journey times.

Reading Borough Council agreed that highways officers would consider the request.

The road is used by thousands of drivers every day and is often heavily congested, with a bus lane on the A33 running between Rose Kiln Lane and Junction 11 of the M4.

A petition signed by 231 people has asked Reading Borough Council to allow cab drivers access to the bus lane.

Asif Rashid, chairman of Reading Taxi Association, said it was the only bus lane in the town that cab drivers do not have a right to use.

“I know it’s there for the buses but there’s hardly any buses using it.

“Most of the time they are empty. We have customers going that way, we get stuck in traffic, unlike the private hire we’re not fixed rate, we’re on the meter.

“When we’re stuck in traffic, one of the public always says to us ‘why can’t you use that bus lane? You can use all the others, but not this one, why?’," he said.

The council’s traffic management sub-committee agreed that the authority's highways officers would consider the request and report their recommendations at a future meeting.