The Eindhoven station area will undergo a metamorphosis in the coming years. There will be additional train platforms, many new homes and a large underground bus station, with tunnels and more than thirty stops. But one topic seems to have been overlooked in the plans presented: the taxi. Drivers are angry and feel passed over.
In the plans of the municipality, province, ProRail and the NS, among others, little or nothing can be found about taxi stands, driving routes or waiting areas for taxi drivers around Eindhoven Central Station. And that worries the drivers, they say against Studio040.
Frustration
The taxi drivers feel little or nothing heard. “We only saw what it will look like when the plans became public,” says a spokesperson for Taxi Centrum Eindhoven. “We have not been able to provide any input about the bus station itself.”
According to him, there are discussions with the municipality three to four times a year, but they often feel one-sided. “These are mainly announcements. They don’t look at how we want things to be, which I find disappointing.”
Fewer pitches
A specific pain point is the number of locations. There is currently room for approximately fifteen taxis, including so-called buffer places. In the new plans this would go back to three or four places. “That is completely insufficient at peak times,” says the spokesperson. “If you go back that far, I wonder what the idea is behind it. A lot of questions remain for me.”
Insufficiently informed
Other taxi drivers also say they are completely outside the process. Jos Velleman of Centurion Taxi says he has not heard anything about the new construction plans. “I don’t know whether it will be five places or ten. We have to get that from the media,” he says. “We were not informed about this, let alone about the new construction plans.”
The drivers do not think the plans are in line with the city’s ambitions. Eindhoven is growing fast, the number of travelers is increasing and significant investments are being made in accessibility. According to them, taxis play an important role in the last leg of transport, especially in such a city. “If this continues, with fewer stands, little enforcement and poor communication, in a few years there will be no stands at all,” says the spokesperson. “That would be a huge disappointment.”
Municipality response
The municipality of Eindhoven stated in a response that taxis are indeed taken into account in the current plan for the new bus station. According to a spokesperson, there will soon be easily accessible taxi stands close to the station building. Waiting areas are sought in the immediate vicinity of the station.
According to the municipality, specific numbers and locations have not yet been determined: these will only be worked out in a next phase, during the final design. And the taxi industry will be ‘actively involved’, the municipality says.
Municipal council
The preliminary plan for the underground bus station will be submitted to the city council on February 10. The municipality cannot yet say how many taxi stands will ultimately remain.
