BOISE -- The Boise Airport is a coveted place for cabs to pick up passengers, but recently nearly 30 drivers have been banned for a month from using the taxi lane there.
The problem at the airport isn't because of air traffic, but rather ground traffic.
Upset cab drivers say the month-long ban from the airport is excessive.
There are 25 spots for cab drivers, but at times, there are more taxis than room.
Drivers are being caught by a camera stopping in the roadway, and the airport is not happy about it.
"You can see the line is empty today because 30 people are not there," said Partha Inderson, Country Cab owner.
"Suspended for one month -- 30 days," said Inderson.
A line that typically has more cars than space is relatively empty today because 29 cab drivers have been suspended.
Caught on camera, their cars were seen parking illegally as they waited for the line to move.
The airport defends its actions, saying the drivers have been properly warned against parking in the roadway, and they say the blind corner is dangerous when taxis are parked there.
“The issue is, particularly with the slowdown in the economy, we've had fewer passengers, and so it's causing more congestion within the taxi lane, and so a lot of them have started parking in the roadway, or driving basically one mile an hour so they are effectively stopped," said Mike O'Dell, Boise Airport ground transportation.
But around the corner from where the taxis are parked is a lane designated for people picking up family and friends.
While we were at the airport Friday cars line up, some outside the designated area, to wait for flights to arrive.
The airport says that cell phone parking is not monitored by cameras, but police do watch the area.
Partha and several other drivers have a petition going around and they plan to present it to the mayor's office next week.
