THE CHANGING FACE AS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY LOOMS
WHAT IS THE TAXI INDUSTRY DOING TO #BREAKTHEBIAS? This month, on Tuesday 8th
March 2022, we see the world
observing International Women’s Day. This year the theme is #BreakTheBias.
The website
www.internationalwomensday.com explains: Imagine a gender equal world.
• A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. • A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. • A world where difference is valued and celebrated. • Together we can forge women’s equality. • Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.
How is the taxi industry embracing this? Why does the topic need to be addressed? What is the taxi industry doing to #BreakTheBias? What can the Industry do in the future?
HOW IS THE INDUSTRY EMBRACING THIS?
Since writing my first article in this series for PHTM in January, where I sought to examine why there are so few women in the industry and how we could encourage more to join, I have been overwhelmed with the response and feedback I’ve received. It has all been very positive and I am really pleased that operators, despatch companies, suppliers and associations are looking to get involved and embrace the initative to encourage more women into the industry.
WHY DOES THE TOPIC NEED TO BE ADDRESSED?
The industry is facing unprecedented challenges this year; loss of drivers post covid who either did not renew their licences during lockdown or chose not to return, many having left the industry to take on new roles, conditionality which starts in April for which many drivers are not prepared, increase in demand due to changes in social behaviour with many passengers choosing private hire over public transport, restricted supply of vehicles, to mention a few. It could be said the industry is facing crisis.
As operators seek to increase driver numbers, it is clear from government statistics there is a gender issue to be addressed. The last report issued in June 2021 noted that:
The total number of licensed vehicles in England decreased by 15.9% since 2020, to 251,100. Just over three quarters (77%) of licensed vehicles are private hire vehicles (PHVs).
64
One initiative on the horizon has been initiated by Meghan Fairclough and Annabel Beales from Collective Benefits (
www.collectivebenefits.com) to show support to help #BreaktheBias.
They have organised a webinar on 2nd March 2022 to open the discussion on ‘Females in the Fleet’ in conjunction with AAA Taxis and Wellman Cars. I wanted to know what led them to take up this initiative:
Where did you get the idea for the ‘Females in the Fleet’ webinar?
“We both work for Collective Benefits, a company that enables businesses, including those in the taxi industry to provide insurance, wellness (mental, physical and financial) and a rewards programme to their indepen- dent workers. Collective Benefits is underpinned with core values and a strong social mission to provide a safety net for all independent workers. In particular, we cover independent workers of different ages, races and genders, and promoting diversity amongst our client base is of key importance.
To celebrate International Women’s Day on Tuesday 8th March 2022, we wanted to shine a light on promoting gender equality in the private hire and mobility industry, and also the female drivers who work in the fleets. We wanted to explore why there are so few female drivers and whether increasing the proportion of female drivers could help with the current driver shortage.
MARCH 2022
The majority of drivers are male, making up 93% of the work- force with only 7% represented by women. In contrast the report noted that women take more journeys than men. It is worth noting that the previous years 2020 and 2019 saw only 2% of the workforce represented by women so changes are taking place.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/taxi-and- private-hire-vehicle-statistics-england-2021
It is obvious that we have an untapped source of potential workers to fill the void which we are facing. It is also clear that there is less bias from within the industry, with positive experiences being the greater story from women within and a greater degree of bias comes from external factors, how women perceive the industry and fears about safety.
WHAT’S THE TAXI INDUSTRY DOING TO #BREAKTHEBIAS?
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88
