Taxi drivers will pass on a controversial £1 airport drop-off charge to their passengers under plans to be debated by the city council’s licensing committee next week.
The fee was introduced by bosses at Aberdeen International Airport in January – prompting an angry backlash from non-airport cabbies who ended up paying the charge out of their own pockets.
The £1 allows cars onto the forecourt for 10 minutes, with a barrier set up for motorists to pay upon exit.
A report to the committee next Thursday has recommended that councillors agree to pass on the surcharge to taxi customers.
Council officials are also proposing that the basic fare remains unchanged following a review which showed that there has been a very small reduction in costs of 1.51% since the last review.
Taxi trade representatives from the Aberdeen Taxi Group (ATG) and the Unite union said in talks with the authority that they were not seeking an increase in fares this year.
On the issue of the airport charge, the report states: “Airport taxis are unaffected but all other taxis are subject to this charge unless invited to use the inner forecourt during times of peak demand.
“As this is on private land, the local authority has no control over this charge. The trade are requesting that this charge is passed onto the customer and this can only be done by way of adding a surcharge to the tariff.
“In the circumstances, it is suggested that the committee supports the trade and allows a surcharge to be added to the tariff for non-airport zoned taxis.”
The report also states that passengers who do not wish to pay the surcharge can be given the option of being dropped off at the long-stay car park at the airport and walking to the terminal.
Stevie Robertson, the local taxi trade representative for the Unite union, said: “There is a drop off facility some distance from the terminal that they can walk from, but it is not really convenient.
“Most passengers would understand they would have to pay the pound if they want to be dropped off in a comfortable manner.”
Aberdeen International Airport said the forecourt reached its capacity and there have been concerns over the safety of customers and staff.
Chief executive Carol Benzie, speaking at the time of the launch of the fee in January, said the charge was introduced “before someone got hurt”. She also said that 10% of income collected will go back into projects for the benefit of the “wider community”.