DRIVER SHORTAGE CRISIS DOZENS OF PLYMOUTH TAXI DRIVERS QUIT
LEAVING PEOPLE STRUGGLING TO BOOK A CAB
Dozens of taxi and private hire drivers drivers have quit the trade in Plymouth during the coronavirus pandemic - leaving customers struggling to book a cab in the evenings. The Plymouth Herald reports one operator estimates that about 400 hackney and private hire drivers have given up in the city. Taxi bosses admit that many of the remaining self- employed drivers prefer to work during the day in the week, leaving a shortage of vehicles in the evenings and at weekends. Peter Bresland of Tower Cabs said: “The public are being let down badly. Operators lose their customers and their reputation because no cabs are available. We’re very sorry but there is nothing we can do.” Tower Cabs had about 190 cars on its books before the pandemic but now runs about 120. Another big city company, Need-A-Cab?, has also lost about 75 drivers over the same period and is running 210 cars. Official Plymouth City Council figures show that the numbers of hackney drivers has fallen from 387 to 312 in the last year. Private hire drivers have reduced in number from 803 to 690, according to official figures. But both Mr Bresland and Need-A-Cab director, Dave McIntosh have called on the council to reduce the cost of becoming a cabbie and some of the tests drivers have to sit - while still keeping the public safe. But the authority has said that it had to rigorously vet potential drivers and was seeing a slow rise in the number of applicants.
Mr Bresland, speaking for his own company, said after Brexit the supply of new drivers into the trade had “dried up”. He added: “Because of coronavirus restrictions hitting business a lot of drivers have returned home to Eastern Europe. A lot of them because of quarantine and other restrictions have been unable to get back. A lot of other drivers have gone to Amazon or Deliveroo to supplement their income.” One customer said he had never struggled so badly to book a taxi in 40 years, including from popular pick-up points such as the city centre and the railway station. Dave McIntosh said: “We now have jobs coming through on our app, website, phones and via Uber – which has boosted the demand for our vehicles in a big way. We simply don’t have enough drivers to cope with the current levels. We have launched a major recruitment drive but it’s not easy. The last year hasn’t been kind to taxi drivers but we are now trying to convince people to come back and in large numbers.” Mr McIntosh said that Need-A-Cab? has tried to help drivers by providing everything from training to Perspex screens. But he said that those on benefits faced a big outlay before they could start earning on the roads. A spokesperson for the council said: “Taxi and private hire driving has suffered due to the lockdowns and many drivers have retired or have found other work. “We have seen a slow increase in new driver applications but this will take some time to recover.”
SHORTAGE OF CABBIES IN NORTH EAST LINCOLNSHIRE CAUSES DELAYS AND FIGHTS AT RANKS
The shortage of licensed drivers is causing long delays for customers throughout the UK - a situation which will only get worse. Manager of Fon-A-Car in Cleethorpes, Gary Handy, said lockdowns had decimated the number of taxi drivers in North East Lincolnshire. He told the Grimsby Telegraph that customers, who prev- iously only had to wait five minutes for a lift, now regularly have to wait for up to an hour and a half at busy times. Delays have led to scuffles at taxi ranks and flared tempers. Gary said many drivers had given up their badges during the lockdown to seek employment elsewhere. His firm lost 80% of their orders as a result of the lockdowns since March last year. From having 35 cabs the firm is reduced to just four. But now customer numbers have escalated, with more people returning to bars and restaurants and wanting a lift home. “We are now back to the number of customers since before the lockdown, but with only half the number of drivers we used to have and they are earning more than they ever did
JULY 2021
before. If anyone was thinking of getting into the taxi trade, now is the time to do it,” said Gary. He said the number of licensed drivers in the borough is 70 per cent of what it was in previous years. A taxi driver, who did not wish to be named, said: “It is a real problem. A lot just retired or left for other work last year. Some let their badges expire. I’m working flat out and struggling to get to all the jobs. I’ve been doing it 35 years and never seen anything like it. All the taxi firms are finding the same problem. “If anyone was thinking of starting up it means they have to get the qualifications which can be £100 each. Then there is the licence which is £300 and you need a vehicle which is less than five years old. So the costs mount up.” Grimsby man, Gregory Ford, 29, was stranded in Cleethorpes on a recent Saturday night at around 11.30pm. “We tried every firm and then went on the apps. But they said we haven’t anything and would have to wait 40 minutes. So we decided to walk back to Grimsby instead,” he said.
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