Amsterdam taxi firm TCA loses legal appeal against loss of Schiphol airport concession

DutchAmsterdam.nl — A preliminary injunction court in Haarlem has determined that the European Procument procedure for taxi concessions at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has been performed correctly.

As a result, the court has rejected a civil procedure by taxi firms Taxi Centrale Amsterdam (TCA) and Bergisch, Boekhoff en Frissen (BB&F) in Oude Meer.

Amsterdam-based TCA lost its long-standing concession when Schiphol decided last January to replace the firm with ZCN Totaalvervoer, based in Rotterdam, starting June 1, 2009. From that date TCA can continue to bring its customers to Schiphol, but will no longer be allowed to pick up customers at the airport.

TCA recently updated its rooflights. The new ones, seen here, include a chip that helps the company check whether the rooflight was stolen. Hundreds of old TCA rooflights were stolen and used by non-affiliated drivers who wanted to sponge off of TCA’s reputation. TCA’s phone number consists of seven sevens.
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Two companies currently already servicing the Schiphol airport were retained: the taxi service of public transport provider Connexxion, and the cab company Willemsen de Koning, based in Arnhem.

TCA director Bas Vos claimed the decision was payback for the controversial management style of the company’s former directors, who were charged with running a criminal organization, fraud and encouraging violence. That case was closed for lack of evidence.

One of those former directors, erstwhile police officer Dick Grijpink, last week was jailed on suspicion of running illegal Marijuana growing operations. Also arrested was Cor van der Poel, former chief of human resources at TCA. In 2006 the Dutch Chamber of Enterprise ordered both men removed from their positions due to mismanagement.

Taxi firm BB&F, based in Oude Meer — a small village just South of the airport — joined TCA in its appeal. The judge rejected their claim that Schiphol had used the European Procurement procedures incorrectly. He also said that Schiphol’s decision was ‘adequately objective’ since the airport used a team of third-party experts in evaluating its options.

Vos claims the airport will eventually want to again use TCA as he foresees problems with the firms currently selected. Last January he made the none too subtle remark that “soon a driver from farawayistan has to transport tourists to hotels in Amsterdam.”

Two-hundred taxis, a sixth of TCA’s, will remain stationed at Schiphol through the end of May.