£200 taxi permit AXED as Chelmsford council scraps controversial fee at new railway station

Chelmsford City Council has moved to remove taxi permit charges at Beaulieu Park Station in an effort to encourage more hackney carriage drivers to serve the newly opened railway station.

The council confirmed it suspended permit charges last month, allowing licensed taxi drivers already signed up to the station scheme to continue using the station’s taxi rank free of charge after their original six-month permits expired.

A formal decision notice published by the council on 24 April 2026 also proposes the complete removal of the permit system for all licensed taxis using the station rank. The move is expected to be formally confirmed on 19 June once the statutory notice period concludes.

Beaulieu Park Station, which opened in October 2025, is the first new railway station built on the Great Eastern Main Line in more than 100 years. The station was designed to ease congestion at Chelmsford’s main rail hub while supporting the expanding Chelmsford Garden Community development.

Council extends free access for licensed taxis ahead of planned removal of station permit charges

Taxi permit schemes are commonly introduced at railway stations across the UK to manage rank access, vehicle numbers and congestion. However, Chelmsford City Council said passenger demand and taxi usage patterns during the station’s first six months of operation indicated the arrangement was no longer required at Beaulieu Park.

Under the original scheme, hackney carriage drivers were charged £200 for a six-month permit to access the station taxi rank. The arrangement included a review clause allowing the council to reassess whether the controls remained necessary once the station became operational.

The council’s review found that although passenger numbers at the station are increasing, demand for rank-based taxi services has not reached levels requiring managed access controls. The permit system only applied to hackney carriage vehicles using the dedicated taxi rank.

Private hire vehicles, pre-booked taxis and other passenger collection vehicles have continued using the station’s separate pick-up and drop-off facilities rather than the taxi rank itself.

Paul Brookes, Director of Sustainable Communities, said: “Early concerns that the taxi rank might become clogged haven’t been borne out and although the initial permit scheme was introduced with the best intentions, we could only agree with local taxi drivers that there’s little need for it right now.

“Openings of major travel hubs like Beaulieu Park are rare, and initially the flow of passengers and traffic are a bit of an unknown quantity. Beaulieu Park is different to Chelmsford, and demand is more intermittent.

“I’m grateful for the feedback we’ve had from local taxi firms - removing the permit scheme will enable any hackney carriage licensed by the council to use the rank, making it easier for taxis to meet demand for their services.”