PRIVATE hire firms in Keighley and Bradford have been reminded of the rules their drivers must follow when they pick up or drop off near schools.

Bradford Council licensing inspector Steve Knighton said these companies had been e-mailed about some drivers parking improperly, such as on the zigzag lines outside schools in the district.

Speaking during a meeting of Keighley Public Transport Watch, he said: "The rules are very clear, so there's no excuse if they get caught. Parking on the zigzag lines is a massive issue."

Stuart Hastings, boss of Keighley firm Metro-Go Taxis, said it was sometimes difficult for taxi drivers to collect or drop off youngsters with disabilities, unless they can arrange to come at a time when the road outside the school is less busy.

Keighley Town Council watch and transport committee chairman Councillor Michael Westerman pointed out that it was not only taxis parking badly outside schools, nothing that general members of the public were also guilty of this.