Taxi Driver Online

Any idea what this is all about?

I suspect it's nothing to do with licensed vehicles and is actually about chauffeurs driving the likes of government cars, ie not commercial chauffeurs.

But the piece links it to the point about licensed vehicles, however the spokesman's response suggests he doesn't have a clue.

And if it was about licensed vehicles, how would chauffeur-driven be defined? I know some LAs have some sort of working definition so that the're exempt from displaying plates, etc, but all of them?

Anyway, this was from three days ago and probably forgotten about by now, but it looks like a Press Association article, thus appears in various outlets, including our own Courier here.


Chauffeur-driven car passengers exempt from face masks rule, says Downing Street

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/po ... sks-no-10/

Chauffeur-driven cars will be exempt from new laws forcing passengers to wear masks in taxis to slow the spread of coronavirus, Downing Street has said.

Boris Johnson announced that passengers in licensed vehicles would have to wear coverings under new restrictions in England aimed at preventing a resurgence of Covid-19.

But No 10 said the measure, to come into force today, would not include passengers in chauffeur-driven cars, though the driver’s employer would have to ensure they could work safely.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “The employer of the chauffeur will have to make sure that their employees can work in a Covid-secure way.”

But pressed if chauffeurs are covered by the new law, the spokesman said: “The important point to make is the driver of a licensed vehicle will be picking up a wide variety of customers throughout the day but it’s important to protect the driver from being infected from a significant number of different people.

“The scenario that you’re describing, that person would only be a single individual around so I don’t think they’re comparable.”

The spokesman said he would check whether the rule applies to ministers being driven around in ministerial cars.

Would have just tacked this on to the main thread about masks, but it got a bit sidetracked, and, er, messy

An ex taxi driver and non believer in the virus has put this on his facebook page to "advise" taxi drivers that "there is a very small line between driving a taxi and being a chauffeur." I decided not to bite and put him right.

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Grandad,

It can't be about licensed vehicles.

Boris and the guidance is clear, passengers in a taxi or a private hire vehicle must wear masks/coverings.

It's defo about vehicles owned by the passenger.

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IDFIMH

Might I suggest masks might be a good way to do that Mr Johnson

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