COVID NEWS
BLACKPOOL COUNCIL INTRODUCES NEW MEASURES TO HELP EASE TAXI AND PHV DRIVER SHORTAGES
Blackpool party-goers are facing long walks home – after a shortage of taxi drivers has hit the resort’s famous night- time scene. According to LancsLive, reports say one operator which usually has 100 drivers on the roads after 8pm on a Saturday during the season, now only has 50. Meanwhile long waits for cabs has led to public disorder in some of the town’s busiest night areas. Now council chiefs are introducing measures to make it easier for firms to recruit new drivers, while taxi marshals have been employed to control queues. The lack of cabbies has been blamed on drivers finding alternative jobs during the pandemic and not returning. Meanwhile potential new drivers faced costs of up to £800 to get their badge, which many cannot afford. Dee Grant, a director of one of Blackpool’s biggest taxi firms C Cabs, said they had lost 200 out of the 500 drivers on their books before Covid. She said: “On a Saturday night on Queen Street it’s like Beirut because people get angry if they can’t get a taxi. “It’s also been difficult for our office staff getting abuse from people who are waiting. It’s a problem all over the country, not just in Blackpool. We’re now running a recruitment drive to attract new drivers and we’re offering a £300 bonus to new drivers to drive evenings.” Ian Wharmby, MD of Black Tax, said their taxis had stopped
going down Queen Street after one was attacked a and had a window smashed, He said: “The drivers we have are working non-stop, so you can make some good money from it.” Now all the taxi companies are calling on Blackpool Council to relax the rules for applying for a taxi licence so they can attract new drivers more easily. John Cutler, MD of Premier Cabs, said: “We need more consultation from the council with the trade on this as recruitment is difficult at the moment.” The council has now agreed new drivers can apply for a one- year licence at a cost of £90, instead of needing a three year £250 licence. It is also reviewing training requirements for new drivers which can cost up to £380. A report by the licensing service says: “The pandemic has detrimentally impacted the taxi and private hire trade to the extent that trade is currently experiencing a significant reduction in the number of licensed drivers. In response to the current situation it is proposed that the council re-intro- duces a one-year driver’s licence for new applicants at a cost of £90. The requirement for the three-day training course has been suspended while the wider policy review is under way.” The council confirmed taxi marshalls are operating on Queen Street, Dickson Road and Market Street on Friday and Saturday nights.
MARSHALS TO BE INTRODUCED AT DARLINGTON RANK WHICH DRIVER LIKENED TO A ‘ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE’
Marshals will be introduced at a busy Darlington taxi rank where one driver described scenes of revellers being like something out of a ‘zombie apocalypse’ film. TeessideLive reports that from 17 September, Darlington Council will be introducing two marshals at Grange Road rank to assist people getting home following a night out on the town. Last month, taxi drivers spoke out about “dangerous” situations developing on weekends. They reported people running into the middle of the road, slamming on taxi doors and groups of lads pushing in front of lone women as the queue grows in the town. Gavin Ellis, who has been a taxi driver in Darlington for 30 years, described the scenes on Grange Road as like a “zombie apocalypse”. Cllr Jonathan Dulston, deputy leader of the council, said: “Taxi drivers have diversified during the pandemic which has become an issue as people return to the town on a weekend.
OCTOBER 2021
“We are seeing are people becoming impatient at 1am or 2am and an increase in not necessarily violence but certainly incidents. Taxi drivers have reported people getting abusive and it’s not something they should have to deal with.” The council is also looking to encourage more drivers to get their taxi licence to help tackle the shortage. Two marshals, who are being funded by the council, will be in Grange Road on Friday and Saturday nights. “It’s also about the wider safety of people on their way home,” said Cllr Dulston. “There were some females choosing to walk home at 1am because the queue was so long. “Unfortunately that’s not always safe and there have been incidents where women have fallen over and injured themselves.
“Hopefully the marshals provides confidence to the public to continue to come out and enjoy the night time economy and for taxi drivers who might otherwise have chosen to avoid Grange Road.”
29
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
