COVID-19: FIRMS STEP UP -
Over the years we’ve seen it time and time again: in emergency situations the trade rallies round and swings into action “above and beyond the call”.
In
these unprecedented times there are no better exam- ples than those you see within these pages. From discounting fares and giving free rides to NHS work- ers; to making sure children didn’t miss out on Easter by donating and delivering chocolate eggs; to the most amazing fund-raising donation to the NHS by City Taxis in Sheffield… we just wanted to shout a resounding THANK YOU to you all.
CITY TAXIS, SHEFFIELD DONATES MORE THAN £5,000 TO NHS
STAR AIRPORT TRAVEL, DEWSBURY OFFERS FREE JOURNEYS FOR ELDERLY
Mohammed Adeel, director of Star Air- port Travel, is offering the elderly and vulnerable free- of-charge transport for a two-hour peri- od starting at noon. His company also offers upto 25% off for all key workers, care workers and NHS workers to show appreciation for all their hard work during this dif- ficult time. He said: “The NHS and Keyworker Dis- count Scheme is a non-profitable idea. “The fares that we’re collecting are all being saved into a small box which we’ll be donating to charity. “There are many people who require these funds more than we do; whether
Mohammed Adeel
its providing food for the less fortu- nate or supporting the affected fami- lies. As a team we’re more than happy to help. “The scheme is a great success and we have transported many key workers and NHS staff to and from work with the help of our drivers and the community
who shared our posts,” Mr Adeel added. The firm has already donated £142 to Loving Hands Out- reach Team, a reg- istered charity pro- viding food parcels. “We’ll not stop this gesture until this is over as we want to help as many people as possible during these testing times.”
City Taxis, Sheffield is forwarding the amount raised from orders over Easter weekend between Friday tea time and 6am on Monday. The Star reports that the firm’s ‘City Grab’ app had a record 900 orders costing about £6 per delivery. It fea- tures 24 local com- panies that are still trading online des- pite most shops being closed due to lockdown. Self-employed taxi drivers were still paid for their jour- neys and the sum came out of compa- ny coffers.
60
Paul Gosney, busi- ness development director, said: “We just wanted to show our appreciation to the NHS. They are putting themselves on the line for us. If anyone gives us a chance of getting through this, it’s the people in the NHS.” He added: “Thank you to everyone who placed an order with us over the weekend. They raised an amazing £5,415.40 in delivery fees.”
City Grab features convenience shops, restaurants, take- aways and food producers.
Mr Gosney said it had thrown a lifeline to some companies on the brink of shut- ting down as since signing up they had never been busier. It has been snapped up by taxi firms across the UK and Mr Gosney said he had been contacted by two in Melbourne and Sydney, Aus- tralia. City Taxis is the biggest cab compa- ny in Sheffield with 1,500 drivers. Those working for City Grab are trained to carry out doorstep deliveries that meet social distancing rules, he added.
READING’S NHS STAFF OFFERED 50 PER CENT OFF TAXI FARES
NHS staff in Reading are being offered 50 per cent off their taxi fares to help lessen the pressure during these un- precedented times. Reading taxi drivers have teamed up with the black cab app FREE NOW to launch an “NHS Heroes” booking op- tion allowing NHS workers to get to and from hospitals safely and quickly. App creators said it has developed tech to specifically en- able reduced prices for NHS workers
with its new booking option. Vandana Prashar, head of operations at FREE NOW said: “It is times like these that really highlight how crucial cabbies are to Reading’s infrastructure. “The divider screens in black cabs help to limit human contact, they are also easy to clean, and all black cab drivers have unrivalled knowl- edge of the city helping to get NHS workers to and from work in as little time as possible.
“It is a testament to drivers that they are willing to step up yet again, even when their earnings are taking a hit, in these uncertain times to help NHS staff.” The initiative follows the success of the app in London, and as a result is rolling it out to Reading. FREE NOW said it does not make any profit from these jobs and the compa- ny is also speaking to the Government to explore what more can be done to support NHS staff.
MAY 2020
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 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112
