ROAD MADNESS
LEEDS PHV DRIVERS REVEAL NO-GO ZONES WHERE THEY ‘REFUSE’ JOBS AND LEAVE CUSTOMERS STRANDED
New road rules mean it is ‘impossible’ to get a taxi in Leeds city centre Private hire drivers in Leeds say it is impossible to pick up customers in the city centre after new restrictions were imposed on a number of major roads. According to LeedsLive, Leeds City Council has implemented new bus gates on several busy routes, including The Headrow, Park Row and Vicar Lane, which restrict access at certain times of the day. The new road rules, which can see drivers slapped with fines, recently led to LeedsLive reporters Joe Pagnelli and Jasmine Norden being stranded in Leeds city centre as they filmed their taxi nightmare. And some drivers have now openly admitted they ignore jobs in the city centre due to “complications” of the no-go zones. Muhammed Yatabarry, a private hire driver with Amber Cars, told YorkshireLive: “It’s just so difficult. “I have been a driver for five or six years, always in Leeds, and this is the worst it has ever been. “I used to work lots in the city centre and I liked it, but now I just avoid the city centre as much as I can.” The restrictions mean that many city centre roads can only be accessed by buses, bikes and hackney carriages at certain times of the day. Other road users, including private hire drivers, cannot drive on the affected roads
for several hours. Some of the roads don’t allow private hire drivers between 7am and 10pm, while others have restrictions from 4pm until 7pm. Timeframes on other roads are even more restrictive, drivers have said. It has had a major impact on more than 5,000 private hire drivers in Leeds, including those who work for Uber and Amber Cars.
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Muhammed said: “It is a big problem for us because if someone booked from The Headrow at these times, I wouldn’t bother. It would take a long time for the customer to walk around to me. “I get cancellations all the time. “It’s not our fault, but it’s not the customers’ fault either. It’s the council’s [fault].” Ahmed Hussain, chairman of the Leeds Private Hire Drivers Organisation, also said he refuses jobs in the city centre during hours when the restrictions are in place. “It’s affecting the private hire drivers and it’s affecting the customers,” he said. People are having to wait 40 minutes to an hour for a taxi. “I don’t go into town before 10pm. If I get a job at 7pm or 8pm to go into town, I refuse it because it’s not worth my time. Why should I waste my time and money? “I would rather go to Wakefield or Bradford. That’s what a lot of drivers are doing.” Ahmed added that dozens of private hire drivers have already left the profession due to the issues - and many more may soon follow suit. “Some of my friends have left the trade completely,” said Ahmed. “They work for Amazon or Uber Eats. “You can’t get a taxi anywhere in Leeds. It’s completely horrendous.”
JANUARY 2022
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