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DRIVER SHORTAGE CRISIS


It comes as no surprise to PHTM that in many parts of the UK we are now experiencing an acute shortage of drivers to service the increasing amount of passengers now venturing out due to the partial relaxtion of covid restrictions since mid April.


PHTM predicted this mass exodus due to the abject lack of support afforded to the industry by both national and local government. Last year in a series of damning features we made the point very strongly and very clearly that we are:


#the forgotten industry.


We stated: “The message is very clear: this industry is being eroded through neglect, lack of guidance and lack of support. Its demise would be catastrophic. The result would be: • No services to take special needs and Social Services children to and from school


• No one to provide continuity and onward transport from airports, bus stations and railway stations


• No one to clear the city/town centres of passengers, mostly the worse for wear, late at night when there is no other form of transport available


• No one to act as the very “eyes and ears” of the community - as has so often been the case over the years - to protect the public in a way no other transport provider can ever do


• No one continuing to risk their own health and safety to provide support and backup to NHS workers, other key workers, elderly and other self-isolating people”


There are a myriad of reasons why individual drivers have left the trade but collectively it all boils down to one funda- mental factor - total and utter NEGLECT. Government and local authorities have failed dismally to offer any meaningful financial support to our industry and any assistance which has been made available has often been dependent on the driver’s postcode and has proved to be too little too late.


So now as a direct consequence of the disgraceful apathy shown by the authorities to the plight of our drivers, many firms across the country are now reporting a worrying short- age of drivers to fulfil jobs, which is of course resulting in frustratingly long delays for customers.


This is not just a phenomenon limited to the UK, but is happening across the globe, including New York City, where a shortage of drivers is resulting in huge difficulties getting a cab and a massive spike in surge pricing for Uber and Lyft rides. The main reason for the decline there is that drivers, who largely stopped working during the pandemic, remain reluctant to come back, instead taking other jobs or collecting the federal sweetener of $300 a week unemployment bene- fit available for the jobless in New York.


The following articles offer examples of the desperate situation being reported throughout the UK by some taxi and PH firms and illustrate the many factors causing the driver deficit and the damaging repercussions. We finish with an article from a taxi boss despairingly describing the lack of grant support offered by his local council.


TAXI AND PRIVATE HIRE OPERATORS EXPERIENCING A 40% SHORTFALL IN DRIVERS


Taxi and private hire firms are experiencing a 40% shortfall in driver numbers as demand on local operators increases across the UK. With various sectors of the UK economy now reopened, particularly the hospitality industry, the need for taxi services has returned close to pre-pandemic levels. However, due to a significant decrease in work during the pandemic, the industry has lost large numbers of drivers – with many going into the delivery industry or leaving the industry completely. This has created a significant gap between the demand for taxis or private hire vehicles and the supply of available vehicles. This driver shortage has been compounded by the initiatives many local operators have taken to create new work, beyond passenger fares, during lockdown. For instance, many have deployed technology that is allowing them to receive and fulfil takeaway and restaurant deliveries. For some, the volume of work this has generated has already created driver shortage problem. Dominic Moyes, Sales Director at DG Cars in Nottingham,


12


said: “We now operate a delivery service for local restaurants and take- aways in the Nottingham and Derby areas – and it’s created more than 3,000 extra trips per week. That’s on top of the standard passenger work. We’re having to recruit more drivers and expand our fleet in order to keep up.” Dispatch technology company, Autocab, provides technical support to local operators across the UK, including Need-A-Cab and DG Cars. It created an Operator Relief Fund and played a lead- ing role in developing the Safe Taxi & Private Hire Charter for the taxi and private hire industry during the pandemic.


JULY 2021


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