Taxi drivers vow weekend chaos

Taxi drivers protesting at Melbourne Airport have clashed with police and security staff.

UPDATE: PASSENGERS could face chaos getting from Melbourne Airport this weekend with hundreds of taxi drivers vowing to refuse customers.

Up to 300 taxi drivers protested at the airport today over the axing of "short-fare queues" and said they will continue the rally at 8am on Monday.

Violent clashes erupted during the protest as overwhelmed Australian Federal Police and airport security struggled to control the angry drivers.

Critical Incident Response police were called in after several scuffles broke out between security and protesters, who rallied near the arrivals terminal.

During the protest, departing passengers were still able to access the terminal, but the arrivals terminal was partially affected causing minor delays.

Up to 300 taxi drivers protested over the axing of short-queue fares at Melbourne Airport.

Melbourne Airport arranged extra buses to transport arriving passengers to Southern Cross station.

Many cab drivers chose to continue working and were able to access the airport's cab ranks, helping to ease commuter chaos.

Protesters said they want to confront airport management about scrapping short-fare queues, saying they were being treated like "slaves".

Driver Lou Burgess urged the airport to restore the system.

"You wait two hours to get a $40 fare, work it out. There are guys here that won't eat tonight," he said.

 Driver Ayush Sethi said the airport was exploiting underpaid drivers.

"We work for 2 hours and get an $8 fare, it's not fair. They treat us like slaves, like dogs," he said.

"We work for $8 an hour and they're further exploiting us on top of that."

Shiv Bhambri said cab drivers who continued to work should have joined them in the protest.

"We're protesting and they're allowing those cabs to pick up directly from the terminal, and we have been waiting here for almost three hours," he said.

Victorian Taxi Association CEO David Samuel said the VTA  wanted to sit down with Melbourne Airport and discuss the issue.

"Obviously it is difficult for Melbourne Airport to meet today because there is a lot going on but once tensions calm down we hope we can sit there with them and perhaps some drivers and have sensible discussion," he said.

The drivers gathered after a text message encouraged them to block entrances at Tullamarine between 10am and noon.

The airport axed its short-fare queue on Wednesday, after it was claimed it was allegedly rorted by about 200 drivers a day.

A taxi driver is held by a police officer at the protest at Melbourne Airport.

The text message read: "We can't just be quiet and accept this abuse. I ask every taxi driver to please come to the airport on Friday 3rd of May at 10am and block all entries to airport until our voice is heard."

The Herald Sun understands a hand-written flyer was also being handed out.

Previously, drivers who waited in the airport's holding yard at Tullamarine and picked up a passenger going to a nearby destination, had been allowed to return to the airport, bypass the yard and head straight to the terminal taxi rank.

Now, all cabbies must head to the holding yard.

The taxi driver is led away by police.

Taxi drivers earn an average of $12 an hour. It is illegal to refuse a short fare.

Melbourne Airport spokeswoman Anna Gillett said the airport had consulted the industry before implementing the changes and initial feedback showed taxis queueing times in peak periods had fallen by up to 20 minutes.

"Ultimately, the uninterrupted flow of taxis from the normal queuing system now means that all taxis wait for less time," she said.

Professor Allan Fels urged the State Government to respond to his report into the troubled industry.

"These problems would be less likely to arise if there were a decision on the taxi report. That report includes recommendations in increases in short fares and decreases in long fares,’’ Prof Fels said today.

The taxi drivers have vowed to continue their protest at Melbourne Airport.

Tourism Minister Louise Asher said she was greatly concerned about the blockade.

"The airport is a major tourism asset for Victoria. It is 24 hour. It is curfew-free," Ms Asher said.

"We don’t need this today. I think people can talk sensibly, talk rationally but to actually stop people getting in and out - that is not the way you resolve a dispute."

With Amelia Harris

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