Future is 'bleak' for taxi drivers says owner of Burton cab firm
Taxi drivers in Burton are struggling to survive during the coronavirus pandemic and many say they will have to look for other jobs.
Firms in the town have been forced to reduced the number of drivers they have working as trade has plummeted, including regular airport runs as lockdown as seen people's holidays cancelled.
Customers journeys to the town centre, hospitals and schools were a regular source of income for drivers in Burton and according to the owners of two taxi firms in the town their industry is facing a bleak future.
Mohammed Tariq, owner of Falcon Cars, in Anglesey Road said: "I have been working as a taxi driver in Burton for more than 30 years and have never seen the town so quiet.
"For the safety of my staff and customers, following the Prime Minister's announcement to close all non- essential shops, as well as pubs ,clubs and cafes, Falcon Cars was closed.
"We opened again on Monday, June 1, and it was very quiet; almost non-existent and the future is not looking good for taxi drivers.
"The future is looking bleak, and we may have to look elsewhere for other jobs to do. Ninety per cent of my fares were airport runs, that is what we relied on and now we are struggling.
"What keeps us going is the fact that we are all in this together. We need to persevere and be positive and hopefully sooner rather than later things will start going back to normal.
Abid Hussain, owner of Premier Taxis in Station Street is offering free taxis to all NHS staff who are working at Queen’s Hospital as a way of doing his bit for the community.
But he is concerned for this business and the livelihoods of the drivers working for him. The 39-year-old said: "Work is very limited, therefore we are using less than half of our drivers.
"The situation in the town is very bad; it's like a ghost town with only a few shops open.
"We stayed open throughout the lockdown and the number of jobs has decreased on a daily basis.
"Hopefully, now some of the schools are opening, we can continue our school runs, because otherwise surviving as a taxi driver is becoming difficult.
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