Taxi Driver Online

This article hardly a surprise from Hull, but the featured operator might as well have written this themselves. Even the 'customer' quote doesn't sound quite right, and who'd have expected the final sentence?


Hull's great taxi driver shortage is causing delays, cancellations and long waits

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hu ... ge-5831439

There's been an overload of customers since lockdown ended


Image: Google Maps/Hull Daily Mail

Hull taxi ranks are struggling with the demand of life being "back to normal".

Drivers are feeling the strain as the public enjoys pubs, restaurants and shopping once again.

Hull Cars shared an update on social media apologising to customers for interruptions due to a staff shortage.

It comes as customers face delayed journeys, cancelled trips, or waits lasting many hours.

In a post on social media Hull Cars said: "To all our valued customers, have you tried to order a taxi over the last weeks to be told we had nothing available? You may have tried to call us at a busy time, only to find your call was not answered for several minutes?

"Have you tried to book a car on the app only to find that it was not working correctly? Have you ordered a taxi from us and found that it arrived later than you had booked?"

The firm continued: "These are all symptoms of the shortage of taxi drivers, not just here at Hull Cars or our competitors in the city, but of taxi operators right across the country.

"We have also seen a spike in demand as customers now want to socialise and catch up on lost time seeing family and friends. Buses are also still relatively empty because the general public are still not confident travelling in large groups.

"Hull Cars thank you for your continued patience and support."

The taxi rank added that they are "trying our best" to hire new drivers as soon as possible to bring the numbers back up to pre-covid levels.

They are asking local councillors, authorities, and other agencies to help them out to solve this issue in the city.

Hull Cars ask customers who need a ride to start planning their journeys by pre-booking where possible.

One customer said: "I did wonder what was going on the past few weeks. I kept ringing taxis in Hull for an immediate journey to be told I'd have to wait between two and four hours to get a cab. I only wanted to go 15 minutes down the road.

"It's good to see Hull Cars speaking out so people like myself can be a bit more understanding and plan their journeys better during these difficult times."

The National Private Hire and Taxi Association have said the huge drop in the number of licensed vehicles across England was because of the "sheer absence" of financial support from government for the industry.

If you are interested in applying to be a driver for Hull Cars click here.

And the moon is made out of cheese.

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IDFIMH

Probably no point reading this if you've read the Hull article at the top of the thread...


Portsmouth's biggest taxi firm warns of a lack of drivers as Victorious festival gets underway

https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/peopl ... ay-3361752

FRUSTRATED bosses at Portsmouth largest taxi firm have warned of a lack of drivers – in a blow for thousands of revellers attending the Victorious festival.

Aqua Cars, which is a key transport firm in the city, issued the warning in an open letter to customers last night.

It comes as tens of thousands of people are expected to flock to Portsmouth over the next three days to witness the triumphant return of Victorious.

In a letter, the taxi firm said: ‘Have you tried to order a taxi over the last few weeks to be told we had nothing available? You may have tried to call our call centre at a busy time only to find your call has not been answered for several minutes?

‘Have you tried to book a car using our app only to find that it isn’t working correctly due to the over loading of bookings already in our system?

‘These issues above are all symptoms of a massive shortage of taxi drivers, not just in our industry, this is also a major problem in the haulage, hospitality and many other businesses.

‘Aqua Cars are not alone in facing driver shortages. Every taxi company in the country is experiencing these problems.

‘We have also seen a massive spike in demand as customers are now socialising and catching up on lost time with friends and family.’

The News reported last month that Department for Transport figures showed 958 vehicles were licensed to operate in Portsmouth at the end of March this year – down from 1,237 at the same time last year. Taxi drivers reported that it had been a hard job during lockdowns, with many needing to work a 60 to 70-hour week to get by, with lots of waiting in between fares.

Aqua Cars insisted it was ‘trying its best’ to recruit new drivers and hoped to have ‘driver levels back to pre-Covid and Brexit levels’ soon.

The firm added: ‘We sincerely hope that our industry amongst others will return to some sort of normality very soon but in the meantime, we thank you for your patience at this extremely unprecedented (of) times.’

Victorious is kicking off from today, with British rockers Madness headlining the opening day of the spectacle.

It has been two years in the making, after last year’s event was axed following the global coronavirus pandemic.

Saturday and Sunday’s events are expected to pull in around 30,000 punters, in a much-needed boost for the city’s economy, which has taken a hit during the pandemic.

I'm a bit lost with all this, but, remind me, what's the link between Hull Cars and Aqua Cars Portsmouth?

I suspect they share the same dispatch company.

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IDFIMH