It was led by taxi drivers unhappy with changes to queuing arrangements at the airport taxi rank. There were angry scuffles with police and airport security and with taxi drivers who defied their colleagues and kept working. The taxi queueing system at Melbourne Airport is at the centre of a heated protest and blockade by drivers. Credit:Ken Irwin Observers described scenes at the airport as ‘‘heated’’ with the blockade drivers ‘‘hurling abuse’’ at those drivers continuing to work. But not all drivers joined the blockade. Protesting cab drivers clashed with those working as normal. Critical Incident Response police armed with capsicum spray joined regular police, the AFP, and airport security at the blockade.

But a spokeswoman for Victoria Police said the CIR police were only present at the scene and had not engaged with the cab drivers. No capsicum spray was used, she said. Many passengers were left to find other means of transport. Credit:Ken Irwin The Victorian Taxi Association does not support the blockade and the Australian Federal Police pledged on Thursday that "appropriate action" would be taken in the event of one happening. The protest follows the airport’s decision to axe the "short-fare queue", which allows drivers taking passengers to nearby suburbs to bypass the taxi’s holding yard and go directly to the terminal taxi rank.

The airport axed the queue following evidence that it was being regularly rorted by drivers. Melbourne Airport spokeswoman Anna Gillett said that under the old system, ‘‘we had a daily average of 200 taxis that jumped the queue by heading directly to the terminal taxi rank’’. ‘‘Feedback from yesterday and today is that the new system is working well,’’ said Ms Gillet. ‘‘On average, the time it takes for a taxi to go through the queuing process to the terminal taxi rank has been reduced by 15 minutes – 20 minutes during peak times." She said the airport had consulted with all relevant parties, including directly with drivers through the Taxi Driver Forum.

‘‘All of the feedback we received through this process was supportive of the new system. Ultimately, the uninterrupted flow of taxis from the normal queuing system now means that all taxis wait for less time.’’ ‘‘We understand there’s a lot of tension,’’ said Victorian Taxi Association David Samuel of the blockade. ‘‘Drivers are upset about the short fare system being removed and a number of other issues. We’re trying to talk to them and Melbourne Airport to get the outcome that suits everyone.’’ Mr Samuel said that although he was not at the blockade, he understood some cabs had been allowed through to pick up passengers. Residents who live near the airport fear the changes mean it will be difficult to get a taxi home. Loading

‘‘As a frequent traveller who lives at Tullamarine, without the short fare system it makes it almost impossible to get a taxi home from the airport,’’ wrote one resident on the 3AW blog. ‘‘Yes, cabbies aren’t supposed to refuse fares, but imagine how they feel to wait in the queue for ages only to get a $15 fare.’’ Skybus spokeswoman Nicky Button said all its airport-to-Melbourne express buses were running ‘‘smoothly’’, with extra buses being put on to cope with the demand.