Cabbies in the Highland capital are protesting against the newly imposed shorter drop off time for taxis at Inverness Airport.
Highlands and Islands Airport Limited (Hial) halved the maximum length of free stay from 20 minutes to 10 minutes on August 17.
Drivers claim that factors like waiting for pre-booked customers on late flights and helping to carry luggage to the terminal means that often they cannot avoid overstaying.
After the 10 minute deadline a charge of £3.20 for the first hour is imposed, in line with public short stay tariffs, and this rises to £5.30 for anything after one hour.
Inverness Airport said yesterday that 10 minutes was ample to drop off customers and highlighted that Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh airports all fail to offer a free drop off service.
Now Andrew MacDonald, chairman of Inverness Taxi Alliance, is calling for the drop off time to be made unlimited.
He said: “This 10-minute drop off has made a very difficult situation impossible because by the time you park your car and walk into the concourse you won’t have time to pick up a passenger and get back in that time frame. So you either have to leave and circle round to get a new ticket or you have to pay the parking charge.”
Drivers are also concerned about the airport’s anti-terrorist number plate recognition barrier, which only allows drivers from one company, Inverness Taxis, to pass through.
Capital Taxis and City Taxis, along with many independent taxi drivers, are unable to access this because of a concession agreement between Inverness Taxis and the airport.
Mr MacDonald added: “This system is iniquitous and ridiculous. If they are allowing some taxis through they are forcing us into a position where we are compromised in our duty and the ability to make wages is being compromised.”
Graeme Bell, Inverness Airport general manager, said: “Unlike many of Scotland’s larger airports, Inverness Airport continues to offer 10 minutes free access for taxi drivers and other motorists and we believe this allows adequate time to drop off passengers.
“Inverness Taxis have access to the airport forecourt through a concession agreement. This agreement will be opened to tender in the coming months, allowing other providers to bid for the contract. This is entirely standard practice and ensures that the airport forecourt is controlled, both from a security perspective and in terms of managing the flow of vehicles.”