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Taxi and private hire driver numbers down by more than half, says LPHCA Mark Bursa More than half of UK taxi and private hire drivers have quit since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the LPHCA has claimed. The ongoing driver shortage is reaching critical levels, with the industry’s driver numbers down by a staggering 160,000 out of a peak workforce of around 300,000, while a backlog in licensing and records checks leaves operators struggling to recruit drivers to fill the vacancies. Tens of thousands of drivers left the industry during last year’s Covid lockdowns when demand for taxis and private hire vehicles plummeted. Many moved into the delivery sector, swapping their licenced car for a van and doing deliveries for Amazon. Many European drivers left as a
LHPCA Chairman Steve Wright: “Perfect storm”.
result of Brexit, and those that want to return have been unable to do so because of the pandemic. The trade association said delays in licensing – handled by local councils
Southampton drivers angry as City Council rejects more flexible signage policy Mark Bursa Southampton private hire drivers are angry at the local City Council’s decision to reject a change to signage policy, which would have allowed drivers to work for multiple operators. Currently, private hire drivers must have one sign with the operator’s name on it. The rejected proposal would have allowed private hire drivers to have a choice of two signs – one with the operators’ name on it and one with the private hire licence details. Operators’ names would not have been removed completely but instead a second sign would have been added, giving private hire drivers the right to carry out work for multiple operators in practice. Officially, the council allows private hire drivers to work for multiple operators but according to private hire driver Ali Haydor, the current signage system means working for multiple operators is practically impossible. Mr Haydor has said he and other drivers are prepared to protest and take union action if the
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– has hampered their efforts to bring in new drivers. LPHCA chairman Steve Wright warned that the crisis wa now worse than the HGV driver shortage, which has caused shortages
of fuel and produce in shops. Wright said: “It’s a perfect storm. A lot of drivers left the industry during the pandemic, and many haven’t come back. Quite a few went to Amazon to do delivery driving because they bought their cars on finance before the pandemic and because there was no work, they couldn’t afford them.” He added: “We are still trying to get a lot of those drivers back that left because they had to get other jobs – they have mortgages to pay and children to feed.” Wright continued: “This is a real national problem that affects everywhere. We have had calls from Inverness in Scotland, right down to Cornwall, with people saying they cannot get drivers and they cannot get licences quickly enough.”
other company on. “Trying to take these stickers off is not a twominute job, how many stickers can we keep in the boot and how much money does that cost? The council says we can work for multiple operators but trying to put it into practice is basically impossible.” Discussing the council’s consultation prior to their decision, 34% of the trade wanted to keep the current sign policy, while 64% disagreed with it. Drivers have proposed a change in the signage from the top sign “This matter was to the bottom one, without the need to show the operator’s name debated at a recent Licensing Committee meeting, where we welcomed a number council does not reconsider, as he feels their of speakers to share their views,” said a working rights have been infringed. spokesperson for Southampton City Council. “When we asked the council for confirmation “After reviewing all the representations, members can we work for multiple companies they said yes decided that vehicles should continue to display we can, but just make sure that when you turn Southampton City Council livery – something up to these jobs you have the correct signage. As that’s been in place for 20 years – so that taxi you realise the current signage is a sticker and drivers and users can have confidence in the has the name of the company. The difficulty that licensing and safety of this mode of public we have, to put this in practice is that we have to transport.” take the sticker off and then put the one for the
NOVEMBER 2021
