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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:20 pm 
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Suspect there will be a lot of articles like this around, so like the free taxis for key workers and offers to deliver groceries etc, probably no point reading them all unless there's something specifically interesting about them.


Taxi drivers see their trade wiped out during coronavirus lockdown

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/burton ... ed-3976907

But they are determined to carry on and provide a service for people

Taxi drivers in Burton have told how they are battling on as the coronavirus outbreak has wiped out most of their business.

Many make their living ferrying people to and from East Midlands and Birmingham airports, but as flights have been cancelled during the outbreak, their trade has been obliterated over night.

They are worried about what the future holds for them and their families as the country goes into a full scale lockdown after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement on Monday night, March 23.

Drivers have also noted how errie Burton now is during the lockdown as people are forced to stay in their homes and the usually bustling roads and town centre fall silent.

But they have also told how they are determined to carry on and provide a service to the town where they can.

Mohammad Tariq, 54, owns Falcon Cars, in Anglesey Road, said: “Since the schools in the area have shut down, our trade has been affected massively.

“We currently have five drivers who work for Falcon Cars and all of the drivers are concerned about how they are going to operate.

“A lot of our jobs are airport runs, with flights being cancelled and people not leaving the country, those jobs are getting less as the days go on.

“We have a lot of clients who are based in Burton and I want to say, on behalf of Falcon Cars, if anyone needs any assistance, especially if they are elderly or have young children, do get in touch with us and we will do our best to support them.

“A lot of customers are elderly and been using Falcon cars for a long time, so I will be personally calling them to make sure they are okay and if they need any assistance.”

Another taxi driver, Mohammad Tanvir, who works for 43 cars, in Worthington Way, said so far almost 80 per cent of his work has been affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

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The 42-year-old, who is also a member of Anglesey Parish Council, said: “ We have lost a lot of business since the coronavirus news broke.

“People are staying indoors, and we are receiving very few calls for taxis.

“We are based very close to town centre and I have never seen the town centre so quiet.

“The drivers are really worried, being self-employed at this moment of time is very difficult and I hope the situation improves for everyone, not just taxi drivers.

“It’s very important for the community of Burton to work together and look out for each other.

“If anyone needs our assistance, we will be more than happy to help them, especially those who are vulnerable.”

Abid Hussain, owner of Premier Taxis in Station Street, is offering free taxis to all NHS staff who are working at Queen’s Hospital. The 39-year-old said: “ We need to support those who are working tirelessly to help others.

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Image: Derby Telegraph

“It’s currently a very difficult situation for everyone and if we can all support one another it can make a lot of difference.

“The taxi services in Burton are all struggling due to people not coming out, but that doesn't mean we can't help one another.

“School runs, hospital runs and airport runs are practically non- existent, but there are still a lot of people out there who need help and support.”


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:29 pm 
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Location: Stamford Britains prettiest town till SKDC ruined it
there is some work out there but not a lot I managed to do today completely on my own and managed £80.00 but that was with one car only have handed over to night driver he has done a couple of fares before i handed over and has 2 £8 jobs plus what comes over the phone

looks like i'm doing tomorrow on my own as well the warm sunny weather is persuading my drivers not to work !!

as for slashing board rents etc. you are far better off offering zero board rent to compensate a little for the shortfall in work many drivers are going to take the stance that it isn't worth coming into work anyway

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 6:13 pm 
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Joined: Wed May 16, 2012 6:33 am
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edders23 wrote:
there is some work out there but not a lot I managed to do today completely on my own and managed £80.00 but that was with one car only have handed over to night driver he has done a couple of fares before i handed over and has 2 £8 jobs plus what comes over the phone

I'm not even trying today, but it's pretty obvious the rank work here has more or less disappeared compared to normal, but that there's still a bit of phone work.

So the office cars might do OK, but only because most of the drivers seem to have disappeared. If the offices had their usual complement of cars out then pickings would be slim indeed. Or at least that's my assessment based on what I'm taking personally (or not), what other cars are on the rank/driving round the streets and what other drivers are telling me.

The one good point about all this is that it's a lot easier to actually get onto the ranks than normal here, but that's a double-edged sword if there's actually no-one hiring cars off the street :roll:


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 9:51 pm 
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Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2011 7:36 pm
Posts: 1384
I haven’t bothered since Monday, it’s soul destroying waiting anywhere between three and five hours for a job. I don’t know when I’ll go out again, certainly won’t be for a while. The good news is TFW have finally coughed up what they owe us drivers (oldest docket being from 21/06/19). For rail replacement work. :D


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 10:14 pm 
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Quote:
The good news is TFW have finally coughed up what they owe us drivers (oldest docket being from 21/06/19). For rail replacement work.

\:D/

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