Taxi Driver Online

I personally haven't worked since the 20th of march, mainly because of my age, ( yes im an old Tw@t)
Plus my wife is an in house carer.
Plus our council Scottish borders, still wants the full licence fee renewals , just paid for a years badge at £93.

I venture out two or three days a week, mainly to keep my sanity, or what little sanity I have left, but there are very few fares to be had. I’m an old Tw@t too! Don’t need to work, but I am very concerned for the younger drivers with bills to pay and kids to feed, as to what the future holds in store for them. A school contract will be a lifeline for many, and I think there will be a lot more contracts available. Multiple pick ups and drop offs will surely not happen, and it could be the case that some pupils attend in the morning and others in the afternoons. Rank work will be very slow indeed. A lot of rented ph cars have been handed back in Lincoln, and it remains to be seen if they will return to pay £360 for the privilege of working for a wicked plate baron. Covid 19 cases have been, so far, quite low in Lincolnshire. Population around 800,000. Confirmed cases fewer than 1,000. Deaths 120. I don’t see going out to be high risk, unless my wife finds out I’m visiting my girlfriend rather than sitting on the rank!

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Former taxi driver

Our self employed drivers will be starting back next week. We are getting them face masks, car disinfectant , hand gel and hand cream to stop their hands drying out after using the gel a lot. They will be instructed to use the disinfectant before every customer gets in the car and to do it in front of the customer so that they know it has been done.

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Grandad,

I've not done a run since This kicked off and unless the schools re open I'll not be doing any runs before at least the start of July....and that's if theres any demand, at present theres no demand at all.

you took the words right out of my mouth

Seriously though it's down to the individual to decide just over half my drivers aren't working the others are working less (bar one) but it's nice to keep your hand in with the few regulars you have left and earn just about enough to cover food, gas and electric

I have seen more drivers locally out so one or two are deciding they need to but work is very thin on the ground. We have the advantage of there having been NO confirmed pangolin flu cases locally so the risk is lower here

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

I've been out working a fair bit.

But about 70% of locally licensed drivers are not working.

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IDFIMH

Nothing sitting on the ranks here when I've been out, and not even sure if my pal out at the station is still sitting there on his lonesome, hoping to get one or two jobs a day rather than zero.

Not sure what the offices are doing - seem to either be closed, or just one or two drivers, probably using a mobile phone divert to cover any calls coming in.

But, as I've said, St Andrews not typical because it's very dependent on golf/students/tourism/pubs/restaurants, all of which basically wiped out.

Only a small hospital facility as well, and not sure what that's doing as regards Covid-19. I suspect not very much, particuarly as there's not many people actually here.

Not worked since lockdown, can’t see me going out any day soon either, I only work the ranks and they’re very very quiet talking to the two or three guys still working.
Jimbo, I thought you’d sold up ? ‘An offer you could not resist’ as you put it or did I miss something?

He didn’t show me the money...

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Former taxi driver

Bugger! That would have been perfect timing.

One of our punters comes down from London every week to go shopping for his elderly mum.

He says that quite often there is no more than 3 or 4 people on the train when it gets down here.

Out of a train with 12 coaches.

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IDFIMH

I have been out working since lockdown was implimented . The first 4 weeks i was doing ok better than i thought
i would do. I recon 90% of drivers stayed away. In the last couple of weeks more and more drivers are
coming out to work , now im taking £30/40 a shift, at times over a 2hour wait between jobs. There possibly
is around 30% of drivers out now.

Things are going to get alot worse many plates are up for rent or sale, maybe a bargain to be had in buying one.

What little saving drivers have are running or have run out.

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IDFIMH