Taxi Driver Online

A few more bits and pieces based on the DfT stats and how they're reported in the local press. Don't know how many of these there are in total, but I'm guessing that some are just reporting this if local numbers are bucking the downward national trend.

Spot the difference between the headline and straplines in the Bognor Regis Observer and the Worksop Guardian.

For those not paying attention, I've highlighted the relevant word


Taxi and private hire industry in Bassetlaw unscathed by pandemic

https://www.worksopguardian.co.uk/busin ... ic-3341481

Bassetlaw residents have more taxi and private hire vehicles to choose from than they did before the pandemic, figures suggest, despite a huge fall across the rest of the country.



Taxi and private hire industry in Arun unscathed by pandemic

https://www.bognor.co.uk/news/people/ta ... ic-3341319

Arun residents have dozens more taxi and private hire vehicles to choose from than they did before the pandemic, figures suggest, despite a huge fall across the rest of the country.


So combined numbers in Arun have increased from 119 to 168

PHV numbers have stayed the same at 13, but HC numbers have increased from 106 to 155

Never really trusted the DfT stats, but maybe it's due to local factors. Like Uber plating HCs in Arun to work in Brighton

Another interesting comparison here - Swindon numbers up, but Bolton well down


Increase in number of taxi drivers in Swindon bucks national trend

https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/new ... nal-trend/

Taxi drivers in Swindon have bucked the national trend.


Number of Bolton taxi drivers slashed after coronavirus pandemic

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/19 ... -pandemic/

BOLTON residents have hundreds fewer taxi and private hire vehicles to choose from than they did before the pandemic, figures show.


So Swindon PHVs up 11%

But PHVs down 29% in Bolton

Have ignored quite a few of the other articles, but thought the one from the Isle of Wight might be a bit different.

Not really, but a quick read reveals the dangers of churnalism. The headline and first few paragraphs read:




The figures in the highlighted paragraph demonstrate that as regards the Isle of Wight the thrust of the article is totally incorrect - the decrease in numbers is, er, statistically insignificant and tells us nothing about the market.

Maybe a better headline would have been something like: "Little change in taxi and private hire vehicle numbers despite downward national trend."

And you don't need to know the trade to realise this, as several of the comments on the website make clear:

But at least the Isle of Wight article reveals the source of the various articles:


So it's sourced from the national Press Association news agency, and presumably the local press just plug in their own numbers and change headlines etc as appropriate. Or inappropriate, as the case may be

There will be some who bemoan the reduction in the taxi/PH trade.

But there are many, like me, who are currently celebrating it.

It appears Uber drivers in London are filling their boots.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... users.html

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/ne ... 01481.html

It seems that the rumours Dick Whittington and his cat heard were correct.

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IDFIMH