'I can hardly put food on the table': The taxi drivers struggling to survive in the pandemic
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"Yesterday I went home with £35. On Monday I made £22"
Image: Manchester Evening News
Abdul Nawroz has been at work for more than two hours and so far he's made £4.
The black cab driver is waiting for his next fare on the taxi rank opposite Zara in the city centre.
But, if the last few days and weeks are anything to go by, he might be there a while.
"Yesterday I went home with £35. On Monday I made £22 - that's from 8.30am until after 4pm," he says.
"The other week I went to the airport. I was waiting seven hours then I got a £6.50 fare to Wythenshawe. That was it."
Lockdown has wiped out a huge part of the taxi trade.
The shoppers, pub and club goers, tourists and office staff cabbies rely on for their livelihoods are largely staying away from the city centre.
And, since Tier 3 measures were imposed, drivers say the situation has got even worse - with national restrictions this week set to be a further body blow.
Image: Manchester Evening News
Abdul, a 49-year-old dad-of-two from Crumpsall, says his takings have halved since the latest restrictions were introduced.
He said: "From July to September it seemed to be coming back. It was slow but it was coming.
"But since Tier 3 it's just gone down. You used to be able to make £100 on a weekend night, but since Tier 3 the weekend has just absolutely gone."
The dire situation has forced Abdul to look for another job. He's hoping to be taken on as delivery driver at the BCA car auctioneers in Belle Vue.
But, in the meantime, he's worried how he's going to pay his bills.
He said: "I cannot survive like this.
"I've got about £2,000 in savings but that's coming to an end now.
"I've got a mortgage, insurance, bills, running costs, everything.
"I have nothing else. I can hardly put food on the table.
"I love my job, I've done it for 14 years, but I'm desperate."
Across town on Portland Street fellow cabbie Carl Wynter tells a similar story.
The 50-year-old from Reddish in Stockport has been driving a black cab in the city for the best part of 18 years.
Image: Manchester Evening News
So far this week he's worked about 35 hours and taken £136.40.
Two government grants have allowed him to just about keep his head above water, but with a long winter ahead and no end in sight for the virus, Carl's worried what the future will hold.
"Before lockdown I'd do 12-18 jobs a day. Since lockdown I haven't seen a day where I've done 10 jobs.
"I keep a spreadsheet of everything. Without the grants my earnings would have gone down 76.7%. Even with the grants it's down 44.6%.
"The cab is on finance. It costs me £1,000 a month to run. Before lockdown I'd never missed a payment, but I had a six month payment break and I've just called them back to say I'm still struggling can I have another break?
"If they say no I don't know what I'll do."
Carl says the stress is having a huge impact on his mental health.
"I'm not sleeping, I've lost weight, I am constantly stressed.
"It's affecting me in every sense.
"I can't help but think about what's going to happen in the future.
"I've got three apps (for picking up fares) on my phones and I'm looking at them all the time.
"I'm checking it at night, I'm up at 5am, straight on the phone to see if there's a local fare I can get to start the day off, but there hardly ever is.
"I can never switch off.
"My Mrs works full-time so she's helping me out, but I'm worried about the pressure that's putting on her. That's my biggest worry to be honest.
"I'm a 50-year-old black man. I've been driving a cab for 20 years. If I lose this job, nobody's going to employ me."
Outside the Edwardian Hotel on Peter Street, Kader Ishmaiel is flicking through a cab drivers' WhatsApp group as he waits for his next fare.
Among the dozens of messages, several stand out from cabbies hoping to sell their taxi licence plates.
Before lockdown Kader says a plate could fetch £50,000.
Now, those looking to leave the trade will be lucky to get much more than a fifth of that.
The dad-of-three said: "There are lots of plates for sale.
"Lots of drivers are trying to find new jobs.
"Today I've had two fares - £3.50 to Strangeways and £12.50 to Eccles," Kader adds.
"That counts as a good job nowadays.
"I'm lucky, I got two grants and I had some money saved up for a holiday, otherwise I don't know what I would have done.
"But I don't know how long I can go on like this.
"I'm looking for another job, but because this is my own cab I don't know what to do."
