Taxi Driver Online

Nottingham taxi drivers fear the impact new 10pm curfew will have on their livelihoods

Taxi drivers are working extended hours to make ends meet - and some explained why the new 10pm curfew for pubs, bars and restaurants will have a 'massive impact' on the city's cabbies.

As the new coronavirus restrictions came into effect on Thursday (September 24), Azeem Hanif, 48, chairman of the Nottingham Branch of the App Drivers' and Courier Union, said the measures would have an effect after trade picked up thanks to the Government's recent Eat Out to Help Out scheme, encouraging people to dine out locally.

"We're very dependent on people being out. So people were still reluctant at the beginning of the easing of lockdown.

"Then we had the Eat Out to Help Out - that slowly started to bring business back and people were starting to get a little bit more confidence in coming out," said Mr Hanif, spokesman for the Nottingham Black Cab Association.

"Things were starting to develop more into getting back to some form of pre-lockdown normality.

"We were on that growth curve going up in terms of people being out.

"Then of course the recent changing in guidance where 10pm curfews are now in place - that's going to have another massive impact to our sector again. Because, again, if the hospitality industry is not up and running full time then it generally has a knock-on effect for us."

Speaking about current trade levels, Mr Hanif, of Basford, said some drivers were having to work longer hours to make money.

"Generally speaking most drivers were probably on the road for anything up to maybe between six and 10 hours on a regular shift - that would be a normal, regular shift pattern whether you're a day driver or a night driver and you would be one or the other.

"What we're now finding - and again having conversations with some of the drivers within the black cab sector - is because the earnings have dropped and completely nosedived some drivers are barely making minimum wage per-hour. It's very tough at the minute.

"So earning less than minimum wage before your expenses.

"The hospitality industry now cuts off at 10pm, that's your last order.

"The hours now are restricted so what's happening now is drivers are now mixing the shift - because the earnings have nose-dived they're having to be out longer in order to make up for the loss in the earnings that they've had over the Covid period and the current period.

"So, rather than doing six to 10 hours, some drivers are now doing 12-plus hours and they're mixing day into night shift.

"So a driver may come out at 1pm and work right the way round to 1am, for example."

Hackney carriage driver Asif Maqsood, 43, of Sneinton, said the restrictions could put people off going out.

"If there's anybody who finishes work like at 5pm, they go home, get ready - when they come into town it's about already 8-9pm.

"There's nobody who's going to be coming out for one hour and then rushing to go back home because the curfew starts at 10pm," said Mr Maqsood, spokesman for the Nottingham Licensed Hackney Drivers' and Owners' Association.

_________________
IDFIMH

Defo got a lot of sympathy for night drivers as they are kopping the lot, so to speak.

But what's the alternative?

Far too many kids and young adults don't give a f*** about covid, or at least their actions give that impression.

So the gov has said enough is enough and the pubs and bars close early.

But to answer my own question about the alternative, well sadly that's more dead OAPs.

_________________
IDFIMH

I think the view of many youngsters is that would be acceptable as it makes room for them. The younger generation view the older generation with envy because they have what youngsters can't;affordable houses a good pension and a better quality of life

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

So if all drivers went back to their old hours then they'd all be earning the same as they are just now

Nights are definitely quieter for the taxis round here but the little off license in the square which opens late quadrupled their takings on Saturday night!

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

Thing are dire it the borders, the Herriot whatt, uni should have around 350 students in the halls , freshers week they had 59, and 20 of them have gone home , no foreign students can come in ,all have been told study at home, never known a Friday or Saturday night, to be totally dead by 10.30pm, only started back out doing a few hours daily, but have noticed that some of the owner drivers that you hardly seen, are now out all day, some are actually sitting, for 3 hours or more for a £4.00 fare, one company owner is actually advertising for drivers he has 5 vehicles and doesn't even have the work for 1 car.

There's a shock.

_________________
IDFIMH

Kind of the same here, but I think most of the students have arrived, it's just that they're more or less confined to their rooms, the pubs and restaurants are closing at ten, and the students' union is more or less closed.

So at least zero chance of the pi$$ed up student drunks at 2am. And I quite like the 10pm closing in a way, because they're *all* closing at the same time, no drinking up time etc, and it's all over and done with fairly quickly. Then off home at a reasonable hour for a change

So on Saturday night, not only was there the first queue of punters I'd seen for yonks, but I got a local and came back, and there was still a queue of punters

Of course, one downside is that it all comes to a grinding halt fairly quickly, so you can get into the late night rank trap, as I call it, when you wait and wait and eventually have to give up, or even if you do eventually get a fare, start getting a bit stressed out in the meantime.

So last night I joined the rank at bang on 10pm, and thought I might get a fare pretty quickly. So car in front got one about 2210, and it was these two odballs who go about five miles, so it's about £17 for a drive of less than ten minutes

So just missed out on that one, and I was still there in pole three quarters of an hour later, and no sign of any fares. Then one came along and walked passed me, and got in second car

Five minutes later and another punter appears, walked past me again to get in second car

It was about two minutes to eleven, and I thought it maybe best to go home, then another punter appears and does the right thing Phew

Not that I wouldn't have done the same - all the drivers here do it. First thing in the evening, I was sitting second, and car in front had been in pole for about an hour.

Thought I was going to end up waiting well over two hours, when along came someone, walked past the car in pole, and jumped into mine - I know the guy personally, but I'm not sure if that was the reason he walked past the car at the front

But that's one reason why I don't don't want the rank relocated - things like that have gotten a whole lot worse over the years, and Covid has just made it even worse still. But relocating the rank would just push it all into the stratosphere