Taxi Driver Online

Umpteenth rehash from Hull. Not much new here in terms of substance, but it's certainly all been rewritten.

Not sure whether this might be paid for or not, or whether it's written by the Hull Daily Mail or supplied by the operator.

Comments off on the website too, which might tell us something

But whoever wrote this obviously forgot to include the fact that the Christmas nights out have effectively been cancelled anyway


Bureaucracy, Brexit and roadworks to blame for Hull's huge taxi shortage

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hu ... ls-6362560

'We’ve warned the council that this could happen – people need to get home safely'

Hull is suffering a major shortage in private hire taxis which is putting people’s safety at risk.

Droves of drivers for firms like Hull Cars have left over the course of the pandemic which is leading to fears more vulnerable people will try to walk home at night, or even that some may attempt to drink drive.

Why taxi drivers are leaving

Bureaucracy, bottleneck and Brexit have been described as just some of the reasons so many drivers are leaving.

Hull Cars owner Chris Davidson told Hull Live that they were down by 150 drivers compared with before the pandemic.

Many, he said, were retiring or finding delivery work with big companies like Amazon or Tesco, while many were fed up with sitting in Hull's frequent traffic jams which was making them late for clients.

About half have been EU nationals affected by Brexit.

“Of those 150 drivers, about 75 to 80 of them were from European countries who left because they felt unwelcome, which is really sad,” said Chris.


Image: Katie Pugh/Hull Daily Mail

“Covid has masked a lot of problems. In the EU you could get workers easily from countries like Spain and they were really good workers. But when people feel unwanted in a city, they aren’t going to come back.”

Many of the problems faced in Hull’s private hire trade have also come from difficulties posed by Hull City Council, said Chris.

Private hire licences can cost around £200 a year and can be time consuming to apply for. Then there’s the £400 BTEC drivers need to pass to qualify, plus medical examination fees and criminal record checks

“It needs to be cheaper and quicker to get licences,” said Chris.

“We’ve been trying for two years to get this sorted.”


Image: Katie Pugh/Hull Daily Mail

It’s now reached the point where the Department for Work and Pensions have been offering to pay for Hull Cars’ licence fees to keep them moving.

'A major problem'

Hull Live has approached the council for comment on the matter, but it comes as one senior council officer this week acknowledged the shortage was now a “major problem”.

Hull City Council's director of regeneration Mark Jones told a meeting they were hearing of many people in the city struggling to get taxis, particularly in the evening.

He said: "We have tried to address some of the concerns about safety by offering grants for CCTV to be fitted in black cabs and there is also start-up grant funding available which has been designed to encourage more drivers into the industry, particularly doing evening work, but I have to say there has been a limited take-up on that so far."

But as the end of 2021 draws closer and more people plan to head out for Christmas and New Year parties, some of the biggest concerns are about women’s safety getting home.


Image: Katie Pugh/Hull Daily Mail

How is the problem affecting safety?

Grassroots group Say Her Name Hull, which campaigns to end male violence against women, said that while women's safety was a problem that can only be solved through educating men and boys, availability of late night transport was a crucial part of feeling safe in Hull.

"In Hull, Libby Squire was murdered while trying to get home from a night out," said one of the group's organisers Jo Charlton.

"It’s no wonder women feel scared when they can’t get a taxi, which is seen as a safer option than walking home alone.

“Some of our group members have told us they’ve cancelled plans to go out, or changed their plans by driving and not drinking, because they’re worried about not being able to get home at the end of the night, but why should women have to change their behaviour to fit around the potential for male violence?"


Image: PA/Hull Daily Mail

Hull City Council meanwhile has introduced taxi marshals at ranks to ensure people find a way home safely.

But Chris Davidson added he also feared the struggle to get a taxi home could encourage some to try and drive home after drinking, consequences of which can be fatal.

Local businesses

"People need to get from A to B to keep the economy running," said Chris.

The pandemic has hit the hospitality trade hard, but Chris said the taxi crisis was another blow as the struggle to get home was putting people off going out.

"We’ve warned and warned [the council] that this could happen – people need to get home safely and young people want to go out and let their hair down and have fun, and businesses in the city need those people."

Why did you make them feel unwelcome?

Maybe they got fed up of being treated as a source of cheap labour


Suspect something has gotten mixed up in the translation here. Help with badges, maybe?


Aye, that'll help a lot. Particularly the PHV operators who are the ones constantly moaning

The main reason many left at the beginning of the pandemic was because they didn't want to die, not unreasonable in my opinion.

The reason why many haven't returned is down to lack of trade, or lack of financial viability of the trade, they have decided to remain in their homelands, or they have found employment outside of the trade.

Personally I never found those lads to be unwelcomed, but what was unwelcomed was operators using the EU freedom of movement rules to suppress wages/fares.

That was unwelcomed and unforgivable, and for those operators who are now struggling to fill their cars or man their fleets, I say up your fares and lower your rents. And look after the ones who have stayed with you.

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