STAY SAFE WITH BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY
During this pandemic our industry has proved to be the country’s fourth emergency service. It is therefore crucial that our drivers are given the protection they deserve, to continue their work on the front line of transport: carrying NHS staff, key workers and even in some cases Covid patients – whether knowingly or not.
We must stress that we are not encouraging drivers to work under the current lockdown or even as lockdown eases.
It is entirely the personal choice of each indi- vidual driver and vehicle proprietor as to when and if, they choose to go back to work, and as such, their own decision as to whether or not to invest in a temporary pro- tection screen.
However, if you do choose to work the most serious consideration is not only to protect yourself and your family from this pervading virus, but also to provide protection and offer reassurance for your passengers as well.
Ultimately as lockdown social distancing measures are relaxed it is still going to take a very long time for this country to return to “the new normal”. The general public will be very wary of using public transport so it will be our trade that enables the UK to get mobile again, but they will only be con- vinced to use our licensed vehicles if some protective measures are put in place.
With the harrowing statistics from Covid- 19 still mounting in the UK and indeed worldwide, it goes without saying that both passengers and drivers feel more protected in a purpose built black cab or MPV conversion that already has a parti- tion between the front and rear compartments.
However, what about saloon hackneys, pri- vate hire vehicles and minibuses? Obviously there is great concern that this dreaded coronavirus, which is transmitted by droplets projected during a sneeze or cough, or moisture expelled through speech, is far more likely to be passed on in the smaller confined area of a vehicle without a partition.
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PHTM and the NPHTA are therefore totally in favour of the installation of temporary protection screens in licensed saloon taxis, PHVs and minibuses. Not only do these screens offer the best possible barrier against the coronavirus droplets being transmitted between driver and passenger; they also offer those passengers some reas- surance that they are also protected, as the vehicle proprietor has taken the time, trou- ble and expense to install these screens.
On the following pages of this edition you will see a copy of a letter that PHTM and NPHTA have sent to ALL licensing authori- ties appealing to them to address the sanctioning of temporary screens as a mat- ter of urgency.
Over the years there have been various ver- sions of these partitions sold primarily for protecting the driver against a physical attack. But nobody could envisage the widespread effects of this new ‘silent killer’, and so there are now several anti-virus tem- porary protection screens coming onto the market manufactured in various shapes, forms and materials.
You may have seen a version which either encloses the driver from the side and back; or can be fitted across both front seats. This typically is made from soft plastic or polypropylene, is often fastened directly onto the vehicle, the roof or the seats in a makeshift fashion, and the protective materi- al resembles anything from cling film to a shower curtain.
Quite apart from dodgy stability during a collision and the possible detrimental effect on the airbags, this type of product pro-
vides an invitation for a back seat passenger to bring the whole contraption down on top of the driver with the potential to suffocate them.
It is therefore hardly surprising that some local authorities are refusing to approve such a makeshift solution within their licensed taxis/PHVs. Also, many of these constructions – being fastened to the actu- al vehicle in somewhat unconventional methods – are considered to be a modifi- cation to the vehicle, thereby invalidating its insurance.
A more solid concept
Conversely, there are several manufacturers across the UK that have devised more stur- dy temporary protection screens specifically for use during the current Covid-19 pandemic.
One such company is Car ‘n’ Cab Care based in the Wirral, already known to PHTM readers as a long established trusted trade supplier of private hire and hackney vehi- cles.
Please click the link below to view a video of their Covid-19 temporary Protection Screen
https://www.facebook.com/
PHTM.News paper/videos/536123977278029/
There has also been a huge reaction to this screen on the PHTM Facebook page, with some very valid questions and points raised.
We have therefore tried to address these main queries so that you, our PHTM readers can then make your own informed decision.
MAY 2020
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