A TAXI driver is condemning Trafford council for not allowing private hire cabs to drop their customers off outside a Stretford post office.

The area outside the Kingsway post office is currently reserved for goods vehicles for loading purposes and taxis, but the term taxi does not extend to private hire vehicles.

Recently several private hire drivers have been fined for dropping their customers off in the restricted area.

And this has left one driver incensed. The driver who does not want to be named, claims that there is no valid reason for preventing private hire vehicles from dropping their customers off outside the post office.

He told SUM: "It is highly unfair for us not to be able to drop of our passengers by the post office, it is not for our benefit it is for our passengers, many of whom are elderly and unable to walk far.

"This is discrimination against private hires, we pay our dues to the council and there is no place provided for us to drop of and pick up our customers it is all very wrong.

"It is not like we would be interfering with the black cabs because they have a separate rank near to Sommerfields."

Head of Public Protection for Trafford, Paul Harvey said: "The Order was made following concerns from the local shopkeepers that they were unable to unload because of cars parking in this area.

"After recent complaints about illegal parking/stopping by the public and private hire vehicles on Kingsway, the Council's Licensing Enforcement Officers, together with the police, carried out exercises on October17 and 18 2002. During the operations, the police verbally advised eight drivers, and issued three fixed penalties to drivers breaking the prohibition traffic order.

"It has been suggested that the prohibition sign at Kingsway maybe confusing because it states that 'only vehicles loading, and taxis are allowed'. Taxi, in law, means hackney carriage. As 'Taxi' is often used by the public to refer to both black cabs and private hire vehicles, the Traffic Section is considering changing the wording for the benefit of the public. Private hire drivers should already be aware that they are not 'Taxis' in law and hence, have always been covered by the restriction on Kingsway."

The private hire drivers now intend to encourage their customers, who are unhappy about the restrictions to lobby the concil.