Taxi Driver Online

This is a bit more interesting than the Burton/Staffs story because it mentions a few figures. But not necessarily 'interesting' in a good way.


'Worst weekend in years' for Northampton taxi drivers facing full force of coronavirus measures

https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news ... es-2507112

"Some people's earnings are down 70 per cent."

A Northampton taxi driver says takings in the past week have been down as much as 70 per cent for him and his colleagues in the wake of measures to combat coronavirus.

Cab drivers are facing the full force of the efforts to curb the spread of Corvid-19.

Even as the Government is being nationally criticised for not taking enough steps to protect self-employed professionals, business for taxi drivers has dried up over the past week.

And now, the mandatory closure of pubs, clubs and restaurant on Friday night (March 20) means the number of fares available for drivers has plummeted.

Bounds taxi driver Shafqat Shah told the Chronicle & Echo he just had one of his worst weekends ever in 10 years.

"I worked a 10-hour shift on Friday and made £70," said Mr Shah. "Some people earnings are down 70 per cent.

"It's so quiet. It's almost like there's no point in coming out.

"No one's going out, and if they are going out they aren't going to be taking the health risk of going in a cab are they?"

Taxi firms across the UK have taken steps to ramp up hygiene amidst the coronavirus outbreak.

For example, Bounds Taxi is encouraging drivers to open and close doors for passengers and to regularly wipe down door handles and passenger seatbelts.

Meanwhile, taxi firms have taken steps to cut costs for drivers. Crosstown Cars has cut operating rates so drivers only pay 10 per cent of their earnings in rent. Skyline Taxis has dropped it down to five per cent.

Bounds Taxis - the town's biggest firm - has offered drivers a choice between paying the typical £175-a-week in rent or pay 23 per cent of their earnings as of today (March 23), and will offer no rebates to drivers on either option.

Nationally, unions have suggested taxis could be used as patient transport or for other services like grocery deliveries and reduced-fee transport for NHS workers.

Is opening and closing the doors for passengers a good idea?


£70 roughly what I made on Saturday night, but without the zero. Wasn't out ten hours, but suspect could have sat on the rank 20 hours and still have the one local job.

But don't think it's good bandying around figures like that, because suspect many in the trade would consider that OK in the circumstances. I certainly would.

And the public will also look at that and just subtract a tenner for fuel, or whatever, and think he's made £60 profit. Again, not bad in the circumstances.

And they'll take the '70% down' figure and then assume he'd be taking £230 on a normal Saturday. Less £15 for fuel, of course.


Sounds like a good deal, by the looks of it.


So people will be looking at the 23 per cent option here and comparing it with the 10 per cent and 5 per cent above and saying this looks awful.

But suspect the Bounds rentals are for the full car and radio, while the other two radio-only, so in reality difficult to compare all three.

I had the worst weekend in 30 years.

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IDFIMH

Great idea.

However I suspect the thought of 1000s of PH drivers binning off their works radios will have operators dreading it.

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IDFIMH

We have offices here still charging full rent and bit.

So I’m calculating that at some point in time when they really get strict with public going out. Guys will bin the job or work six of seven days to pay the office.

There are a lot of offices out there who have enjoyed the good times. Living a good life from office rent and added extra on fleet insurance prices.

Well isn’t it time they gave a little back and looked after the bread n butter during this troubled time.


Biggest office around my way is charging 20p per mile for car rent and 10% meter as rent.

Uber is still taking 25%.

Some have dropped to £60

Only ours have left it to the driver to pay what they can afford. Nothing if they want. So as to just cover running costs of the office.

I got £42 chuckie last week to pick up the weekend just gone. I told the Gaffa to keep it.

There really is no need for greed during this difficult time.