MY TIME SPENT IN THE TRADE
would not be tolerated in many other professions without some sort of action being taken, a support group lobbying Govern- ment, more coverage in the press. But whilst we featured these horror stories in PHTM, they rarely made the mainstream media.
The increase in attacks on drivers includes not only physical vi- olence but also vehicle damage and verbal abuse… and of course so many of these attacks are racially motivated. We did point out in our #theforgottenindustry campaign last summer that if a substantial, solid partition screen was to be installed into more private hire and taxi saloon vehicles and MPVs during the pandemic, in addition to PPE protection against Covid the screen would serve as a deterrent to physical attacks as well.
AND FINALLY…
have their own app, and automated booking is dealing with larger percentages of their business. What a transformation…!
And get this: According to the latest DfT statistics, the industry is growing. Admittedly the year-on-year period they look at is from March to March, so these latest stats do not reflect the effects of the various lockdowns that started in March 2020. However, the figures show that the total number of licensed vehicles in England increased by 2.3 per cent since 2019, to 298,800 – the highest number since comparable records were first collected in 2005. And there were 364,900 driver licences in 2020, an increase of 0.6 per cent over the previous year.
Vehicle numbers were up and down: there were 67,900 licensed taxis in the latest count, a 3.9 per cent decrease from 2019. However, there were 230,000 licensed PHVs, a 4.4 per cent increase from 2019. Going forward, the proposed changeover to electric vehicles will present some interesting stats, along with the so-called phasing out of diesel and petrol models. If anybody had said 30 years ago that petrol and diesel vehicles would be banned within a generation, you’d have said they were crazy. Well…???
As regards our industry, the figures I’m interested in seeing are the number of rapid electric charge points that will be devoted exclusively to licensed taxis and PHVs. So far the numbers are abysmal; in report card parlance “they’ll have to do better” if the Government is pushing for our industry to go electric. And it’d be helpful if they didn’t straddle the charge points with a cycle lane… lol (see Brighton in our Cycle Lane Madness feature last October/November).
It will be interesting to see the next set of DfT stats, which will reflect the impact of Covid on the industry in England as a whole. And don’t forget those pop-up cycle lanes, temporary (read permanent) road closures and widened pavements…
ONE STATISTIC WE’RE NOT PROUD OF
Without doubt, over the last 30 years the number of attacks on licensed drivers has been on the increase. As you know, there have been 66 drivers murdered during this period, which
JANUARY 2021
So until next time – and there will be a next time – sayonara.
I’d like to thank you for indulging me with this trip down Memory Lane. The overwhelming amount of change the industry has gone through during the past 30 years is quite re- markable – and I have to say, very positive. So that raises the question: When will we return to the “new normal”?? The majority of people you hear are convinced that once the anti- Covid vaccine is widely distributed and administered, that’ll turn the tide… we’ll see about that. But we need something to pin our hopes on, that’s for certain.
Although I’ll be departing these shores, I’ll still be involved with the industry, writing for PHTM, and keeping an eye on the activities of the NPHTA. As you know, Dave Lawrie is the new Director and Karen Barlow is now Company Secretary, so your membership is in extremely capable hands. I’m more than confident in handing over to Dave, who is a strong leader for the NPHTA who will fight for our trade at every opportunity. He’s spent most of the past year doing just that: attending Zoom meetings with the DfT, with Defra, with HMRC – and of course with other industry stakeholders. And as for social media, you’ll find Dave at a Facebook page, WhatsApp group and LinkedIn post near you… he’s on all of them!
Once more I want to thank the thousands of individual drivers and operators for the sterling work you’ve been doing during this pandemic – the most desolate event to hit the industry in its entire history, but one which will not bring us down. The fact is that we will pull through this pandemic. It is more important than ever that we maintain our large numbers, unite them and work together as one voice.
Personally I am proud to be associated with this industry.
We are resilient. We keep the UK mobile and we will survive!
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