THE CHANGING FACE
This month, we hear from female drivers and escorts, the ones who are the true ‘females in the fleet’ on the coalface as it were or in the driving seat! As regularly highlighted, only 7% of the drivers in the UK are female. Females in the Fleet seeks to address that imbalance and encourage more women to consider our trade a viable industry in which to work by championing the benefits, including hearing from current female drivers as to why they enjoy working as drivers and what support they receive from their operator which encourages them to stay loyal to their role.
Female drivers are very much in demand, more women take taxis than men and requests for female drivers are high. The industry as a whole is very supportive of women, however the bias appears to come from outside the industry with many considering it an unsafe career or where females may be subjected to harassment. It’s clear from the feedback and support we’ve received that the industry has a lot to offer!
A TAXI - ILFRACOMBE
I was contacted by Jess from A Taxi Ilfracombe Ltd in Exeter. Jess told me:
“My partner and I manage A Taxi Ilfracombe Ltd. We have a fleet of 15 modern vehicles and the business has been in our family for over 20 years. 40% of our drivers are female (six in total) and we also have eight female escorts and we are constantly growing. The amount of women drivers is by no way on purpose, but we are very proud to have such a female dominant staff pool. The reasons are exactly as highlighted by the Females in the Fleet objective: to raise awareness of how successful it can be for women who want to work in the industry – it is such a great position for the busy modern woman and feedback from our ladies is that they all find working with vulnerable individuals very rewarding. At A Taxi we are right behind the initiative. We are very abundant on the school/hospital contracts and our passengers are generally vulnerable or/and at a difficult time in their life and our drivers react to this in a compas- sionate, caring and patient manner.
“A lot of our female drivers started out as escorts with us, we have supported them (financially and emotionally) through the transition to driver and they are all flourishing in the job. We are very proud of our team They are all one in a million. I am proud to highlight them and some of their comments. A Taxi endeavours to appeal to females joining by ensuring a culture of support and a package with females in mind is offered. Taking this approach as an industry will in turn help address the national drought of drivers.”
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‘FEMALES IN THE FLEET’ URGES WOMEN TO JOIN THE TRADE KAY WELLS – HC & PH DRIVER/SCHOOL ESCORT
“I have been working for A Taxi for two years, we are a varied group of individuals who come together and sup- port each other within our working environment. The bosses are very supportive and helpful. I am driver with a dual badge and also cover escort runs. My vehicle is pro- vided by A Taxi and is very well maintained by our mechanics (I do my bit too!). I am earning well which is great. It’s not all serious we have a giggle too!”
HELEN HAWKLEY – HC & PH DRIVER/SCHOOL ESCORT
“As a lady heading into retirement, I have been lucky to find a stress-free job working as a taxi driver for A Taxi. The approachable management go out of their way to ensure the happiness of their staff, all my fun loving colleagues are always there for help and support, best job I’ve ever had.”
GLORIA CANTWELL – SCHOOL ESCORT
“I have worked for A Taxi as a school escort for over two years. It is such a lovely company to work for with regular hours to suit my lifestyle. It is a very friendly family business and I find my job rewarding. I look forward to going to work every day. The common thread at A Taxi is clearly the support provided and the enjoyable environ- ment. A Taxi provides vehicles and has its own workshop to maintain them, all ensuring the driver can concentrate on the service level they need to provide.”
AAA TAXIS - HERTFORDSHIRE
AAA, like many other operators, has taken up the initiative to train new drivers to help fill the void and runs monthly training courses. Every month sees courses full and whilst this is a success in itself, the real work starts once the driver begins the application process and requires support to arrange a medical, DBS check and most importantly access a vehicle - which is proving to be the biggest challenge of all.
We hear from two female drivers who have recently completed the course and process to become full-time drivers with AAA.
MAY 2022
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