Bristol Airport - Fined TWICE for stopping

SouthWestRam

I'm a taxi driver, based in Bridgwater. I recently (Feb 1st) took a passenger from Bridgwater to Bristol Airport, and dropped them in the short stay car park, paying my £5 for the privilege. As the customer got out of the car, someone else came to the car and asked if I was available. As a Hackney Carriage, I'm not allowed to pick up passengers when out of my area, and so I explained that I was unable to do so.

As I was exiting the car park, my phone rang, and glancing at the screen, I saw that it was the taxi controller calling. My immediate thought was that the original passenger had left something in the car, and as they were already glancing nervously at their watch on the run up to the airport, this would be something of a calamity if it meant they would miss their flight. I stopped my taxi on the main road through the airport to take the call. A van pulled up directly behind the car.

The controller said that the person in the car park had taken the phone number (from the side of the taxi) and booked a pick up. As I also hold a Private Hire licence, I was able to accept the job. I told her that I would go back into the drop-off car park and pick the new passenger up from in there.

I drove around and went to go into the drop-off car park, only to be met by the passenger, running down the car park entry ramp. I had to stop, otherwise, I would have run them over. He said they would pile into the car there and then. 

Meanwhile, the van that had pulled up behind me when I took the phone call had followed me. The new passengers opened the boot and threw in their bags and got into the car. 

The time on my parking ticket from the initial drop-off was 18:10 and I left the car park after four minutes. The photographs used were timed at 18:17 and 18:18

I appealed by writing directly to VCS, who sent me TWO PCN tickets for £100 each. They rejected both of my appeals, and suggest that my next step is to appeal to IAS. Or pay up!

What, in your opinion, should my next step be? I hear that appealing to IAS is a complete waste of time, but I don't want to trip myself up through not following the correct procedures.

I have spoken to the taxi controller who will provide a statement to corroborate my story, as will the passenger, who provided me with their phone number and email.

photome

cant help other than get your post moved to the parking sub forum and or ask on pepipoo.com

Herzlos

The good news is you don't need to pay, the no stopping at airports is a bylaw so the fine is only paid to a court and the private parking company doesn't see any of the money so they aren't going to try and take you to court and have their scam blown

open.

The IAS is completely bent, offering something like a 95% rejection rate, but you need to play along unfortunately.

Don't tell them who was driving or why they stopped, just refer to "the driver", mention that there was insufficient signage, that stopping isn't parking and that the parking company has an obligation to reduce expenses so the van following you should have told the driver to move instead of watching the driver break the rules.

They'll reject it with some garbage excuses, so then you can forward that on to your MP and wait for them to take you to court (which they won't).

You'll get better advice here: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/parking-tickets-fines-parking

peter_the_piper

If you do go onto Pepipoo.com don't use a hotmail address as their system doesn't accept them.

Jenni_D

VCS at Bristol Airport is a regular topic in the Parking board. Try posting over there (or ask a Board Guide to move this thread there). In the meantime read the NEWBIES announcement thread in there.

MSE_Laura_F

I've moved this thread to the Parking Tickets, Fines & Parking board. Thanks,

MSE Laura F

Coupon-mad

Thanks Laura.

This is shocking and the OP should complain to their MP and complain to the Airport.

They can fight these in court and win.  This is predatory ticketing.  Forget IAS in this case, it's a kangaroo court.

The OP has posted here too:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79091783/#Comment_79091783

That was in March, then this on another thread today:

SouthWestRam said:

I just received a DEMAND FOR PAYMENT of £170 for each of two 'offences' that occurred within one minute of each other. One while I took a phone call from my office (I'm a taxi driver, and having just dropped someone off, assumed he'd left something in the car). 

It was a pick up from the car park however, and as I drove into the entrance of the drop off car park to pick them up, the passenger ran straight at the car, so I naturally stopped. Before I knew it, or could do anything about it, they opened the boot and threw in their bags. 

Lewis Hamilton remains stationary for longer than I did on each occasion! 

I seem to remember reading that adding on another £70 for whatever spurious reason was illegal. Is this correct?