Taxi Driver Online

This is all newish stuff rather than rehash, but nothing that hasn't been said before elsewhere, and article gives the impression it should have been published weeks ago.


Hull's shortage of taxi drivers leads to public safety fears

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-59549884

A taxi firm has said the shortage of drivers is the worst the industry has seen in Hull for 15 years.

There had been a big drop in the number of cab drivers since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, it said.

Hull Cars boss Chris Davidson said his firm was "150 drivers down" since the start of Covid.

Steve Wright of the Licensed Private Hire Car Association said the UK shortage "was a real public safety problem that needs to be addressed".

Without more drivers some people looking for taxis were "going to be stranded", Mr Wright added.

At times on Friday night Hull Cars was telling customers the next available taxi would be four hours and about 20% of its 5,000 callers were told no car was available.

Some of his drivers had left to be delivery drivers, Chris Davidson said.

Mr Davidson said: "I've never seen anything like this in 15 years, it is just getting worse and worse."

"We are just desperate for drivers, we want to get them in a car," he added.

"It is really bad phoning round all the firms and getting 'no...no' and I've got to go to the queue and face a lot of drunk people."

Mr Wright, chairman of the association, called for a reduction of bureaucracy and said costs, including the rising price of cars, were a problem for new drivers.

He said the UK was short of "well in excess of 100,000" taxi drivers.

"There needs to be some sensible measures taken with what people are asked to do to get into the industry and it could do with some help financially", he said.

Before Covid Hull had 1,447 taxi drivers compared to 1,290 now, according to Hull City Council.

The council said it was "aware of the concerns nationally" and was monitoring the situation in Hull.

It was looking at ways to simplify the application process while maintaining standards and making sure applicants were "safe and suitable", it added.

"It is scary when I finish work"

Grace Barrett 20, a bar worker and student from Hull, explained some of the difficulties of getting a taxi home in the early hours of the morning.

"At 3am when I finish work as a young girl you really don't want to be out at that hour.

"I finish my shift and think 'now I've got to get home, what's that going to be like?'

"I should be able to bob off straight home in a taxi as it's not safe to do a 40-minute walk by myself.

"It is really bad phoning round all the firms and getting 'no...no' and I've got to go to the queue and face a lot of drunk people."

Is it really that different to what operators in Hull have been moaning about for years?

This from 2016:

Chronic shortage of Hull minicabs leaves customers waiting for hours – or face walk home

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=28615

People are being forced to wait up to three hours for a cab or risk walking home late at night because of a chronic shortage of taxi drivers, the Mail can reveal.

In order to gauge the extent of the problem, a Mail reporter contacted several companies just after midnight Sunday and attempted to order a car.

Not one company was able to collect us within an hour and the longest expected wait was three hours.

Some firms said they were unable to send a taxi at any point that night.[...]

Preferably one of his rentals at £100s a week.

_________________
IDFIMH

Hull Live rehashed the BBC's story yesterday, and usefully provided a link to the firm's recruitment page. This piece is obviously along the same lines, and again an element of rehash, but no link to the firm's website this time round.

And another journo who uses the word 'rank' to mean 'office'.


Hull's taxi horror stories including hospital patient forced to wait two hours in dressing gown

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hu ... ng-6320147

The ongoing driver shortage now has residents worried for their safety

Hull residents have said they are fed up of "ridiculous" delays when trying to get a taxi ride in the city.

From "never turning up on time", to feeling "unsafe", and not being able to pre-book journeys, the problem is getting worse.

It comes after a number of local taxis ranks have lost large numbers of staff this year, causing delays for firms and customers.

The issue began earlier this year when a number of cab drivers quit their jobs after business was cut short due to coronavirus restrictions.

Back in summertime residents shared that they were facing a number of delays when trying to get a taxi in Hull - but the problem is not going away.

Now, some Hull residents say they want Uber to come to the city so they can "feel safe" about getting home when out and about in and around the city.


Image: Chrissy Lee/Hull Daily Mail

One Hull woman, Chrissy Lee, shared that her husband was discharged from hospital recently and the pair needed a ride home.

Her partner left the hospital in a dressing gown and slippers ready to rest when home. Sadly, the couple had to wait outside for two and a half hours before being able to go home.

She shared an image of him waiting, and said: "This is my husband after being discharged from hospital, two and a half hours and we couldn't get a taxi."

Another woman claimed that the issue is impacting safety. Dion Osbourne said: "Had to ring and I was in tears because they wouldn’t pick me up at my allocated time. I was in a part of the city I didn’t know and it was dark. Horrid experience."

The issue is even causing people to be late to work.

Steven Matthew said: "[Hull City Council] should just let Uber come to Hull. I did start using taxis for my business ferrying teams around in between shifts but it was so bad they were 40 to 60 minutes late or just didn’t turn up at all so staff were missing the next shift.

"All you get is your taxi is on the way and then you're waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting."

One Hull mum said: "Last night [Tuesday, December 7] my auntie came and looked after my two boys whilst I took my third son out. When I got back at 11pm we rang a taxi and they said it would be with us straight away.

"They claimed it was just round the corner, then at midnight we rang back and they said the driver had clocked off. I think it’s ridiculous."

Gareth Harris added: "For a city, taxis here are a joke, why pre book if you are still going to be 20 minutes late, defeats the object of pre booking really, I actually love it when I'm out of town and can use Uber, they are always around all hours of the day and night when I've used them, we need Uber."

The ongoing complaints come after popular Hull taxi firm Hull Cars confessed the firm are facing the worst shortages they have seen in 15 years.

Now, boss Chris Davidson is pleading that the company are "desperate for drivers".

He told the BBC that the firm is now "150 drivers down", compared to before the various lockdowns.

Now down to 300 drivers from 450, the cab firm owner says the problem is getting "worse and worse". The issue could even leave customers trying to get home "stranded".

Hull Cars have previously had to tell customers the next available taxi would be four hours. What's more, about 20 per cent of its 5,000 callers were told no car was available.

The National Private Hire and Taxi Association have said the huge drop in the number of licensed vehicles across England was because of the "sheer absence" of financial support from government for the industry.

He has maybe used Uber when out of town, but obviously thinks Uber is magic bullet and isn't aware of what's going on nationally.

I mean, an 8x surge will help, how? (Not sure how high Uber surges go, but the earlier Manc story seemed to suggest an 8x surge.)

And Uber would just take drivers from existing ops, which would help how? Unless, of course, they magiced up a whole new gang of cross-border drivers.

And, as per articles from elsewhere, I'm sure that if Uber wanted to come to Hull they'd have done it previously, but certainly won't be coming now, at least any time soon. And this all makes it sound like it's just a question of the council inviting Uber into Hull

Obviously the trade's fault he went outside to wait for a taxi with a dressing gown and slippers on, and no socks

Seriously, temperatures must be tropical in Hull, because if that was me I'd be near dead with exposure after maybe half an hour, never mind two and a half hours, and even as I am now rather than when just discharged from hospital.

I just don't believe that he was standing outdoors like that for two and a half hours

No..stand outside like that for two and half hours around here and youd either be arrested or taken away by the people in white coats.

The way it's been here lately, stand outside like that for two and a half hours and you'd be taken away in a hearse

Love the 'Uber saviour of the World' comments.

Uber hasn't applied for a new area operator's license for several years now, and I will be surprised if they ever do in the UK.

Even if they did the cars would need drivers, and if those drivers were about now they would be on current circuits.

The answer to Hull's problems is decent money, decent terms and heaven forbid decent operators.

_________________
IDFIMH