Is this the welcome all visitors to Sheffield expect?

Strange to ban taxis from coach bay


By s
A National Express coach has just pulled into platform E. Maybe somebody will need a taxi, somebody with heavy bags possibly? I steer my taxicab into platform E as per usual. Suddenly a security guard jumps in front of my path: Stop, stop stop!" he shouts.
“What’s up?” says I. “A bomb warning?”

“No! No! No!, You can't come in here anymore. No taxis allowed! No taxis allowed!”

“No taxis allowed?” I reply.

“You don't want us to pick up your customers? You don't want us to make it easy for your customers with their heavy bags?.

“You don't want us to bring your customers to the coaches ? You prefer your customers to embark on a taxi hunt just when they have endured a long, tiresome journey?”

Ok, Mr Secureity Man. I'm just a stupid taxi driver what do I know about your customers’ needs?

I'd better retreat to Ecclesall Road and create more congestion and pollution going up and down, up and down, up and down!

Ray Chappell, taxi driver

Station’s wall of steel

SHAME on Sheffield city planners, and Midland Mainline, for spending tax payers money
on cleaning up the facade and
architecture of the Midland Station, and then to build a great long steel barrier that blanks out the complete front of the station, can only be seen as complete stupidity and incompetence.

Millions spent on unnecessary cosmetic structures. Money that could have been spent on much needed practical things, for example - what about some seating in the front foyer of the station, instead of the only seating being where you have to buy a coffee.

What about escalators so customers don’t have to carry heavy luggage up all those steps instead of having to queue behind push-chairs and wheel-chairs for the lift.

The outside front area could have been made into a pick up and drop off point with a mini island to drive straight out.

We could have had a station to be proud of; instead the money was spent on an intimidating wall of steel.

Graham Kirby, St Margaret’s Road

Shameful way to greet visitors to Sheffield



Off the coach: But where do you find a taxi at the interchange?


I fully support the recent comments of the taxi driver about Bay E at the bus Interchange.
I met friends off the National Express and they had come from overseas via London. I asked about taxis to get us all to my home. "They are not allowed on site" was the answer. In response to my question as to where the freephone for a taxi was, an arm was waved and the response was "Payphones are down there".
I then noticed a small sign "Taxis" came out near the Queens Head, but no taxis. Asked another helper and was told the nearest one is Fitzalan Square. So, in pouring rain, I left friends in the interchange and went up to get a taxi - the meter was then turned on - back to the interchange. I tried to hurry to collect friends, bags, luggage and we made our way to the taxi - ticking over on Flat Street. We are all over 70 and it was raining heavily. We struggled to get baggage into the taxi - no help from the driver - and eventually collapsed into the seats,with bags on our knees, feet on cases, tired and wet thro'

Is this the welcome all visitors
to Sheffield can now expect - I sincerely hope not. I was very ashamed and also out of pocket with the taxi fare.
Name and address supplied

How does one transport disabled passengers to and from the coach station?
Where coaches enter there is a no-entry sign, at the other end an arrow on the road pointing out. There are only four places to park a car and this morning all these were occupied, apart from the fact that they are too far from the platform, particularly if the coach stop is at the far end of the platform.
This morning I entered by the exit end did a three point turn, and was being shood away by a woman, pipped at by a driver whose parking space I was on. I let my passengers off then shouted at the driver and woman "How do you get passengers here to travel on your coaches". The answer was silence.
E Bradbury, Bocking Lane, Sheffield 8

My nightmare of finding a taxi and getting around










I READ of Mr Chappell's problem as a taxi driver with the coach station guard, well me and my wife are on the other side of the coin. As senior citizens, 70-ish, we enjoy little five day coach trips Monday to Friday type thing, beginning and ending in Pond Hill. We've been three times this year:
First trip - we arrived in Pond Hill at 5.30pm crossed the road to the taxi stand at the Queens Head, after 30 minutes with no sign of a cab, we go to Fitzalan Square, six taxis on rank all drivers appear to be asleep or sat with their eyes closed. First cab, "Meadowhead says I", "where's that says he", "I'll show you say I".

Second trip - same as first trip, 30 minutes at taxi rank Pond Hill and then to Fitzalan Square. "Meadowhead says I", "don't know says he", "I'll show you say I".


Third trip - "Penny Black, Pond Street say I", "show me says he". Our return was a
Saturday 6.30pm and heavy rain so we abandoned the taxi rank Pond Hill and went to the railway station where the queue was so long it took over 35 minutes to get a cab.

I've spoken to friends and others about taxi services and it appears they are always failing to arrive as the drivers don't know their way around. Cab drivers always boasted about knowing the city's roads and streets. Surely a test or exam is required before a driver is awarded a licence to operate or is it only the company they drive for that need one. This is hardly fair on people arriving in Sheffield.

I might add the taxi fares between city centre and Meadowhead were between £7.60 and £11.20, does this mean the meters are at fault or does Meadowhead move nearer or further away from Sheffield depending on the time of day.

Last word, you'll not get a cab in Pond Street or Pond Hill.

B Barker, Meadowhead

OMG I never imagined it would get this bad after I left. Admin why don't you email the clown Hall this page and ask them to interveve?

Old story by now. If this was to happen at the railway station some stink would be kicked up but nothing like that here. It seems we have our priorities all wrong way round, instead of providing a service to the customer the attitude seems to be the customer owes us a living, hence the I'm alright jack attitude of the station walaas.

i think they should do away with trainstation badgeand put up barrier charge a small amount each job why not

That is something that has been mentioned but not pushed for. The reps of the STTA are not going to rock the boat and no one else wants to take on the challenge and ask the Station management to change the system to make it fairer to all sheffield cabbies.