06-11-2021, 10:02 AM
Taxi driver shortage prompts public safety fears
![[Image: _121438308_gettyimages-170615865.jpg]](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/139FF/production/_121438308_gettyimages-170615865.jpg)
More than half of licensed mini-cab taxi drivers have not returned to the trade since the pandemic, an industry group has said.
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The Licensed Private Hire Car Association (LPHCA) estimates the industry is short of 160,000 of the previously 300,000-strong workforce.
Many drivers left the industry during lockdowns as demand plummeted.
The shortage has prompted concerns over the safety of women, students and night time workers struggling to get home.
A backlog in costly licensing and registration of vehicles, as well as criminal and medical checks for drivers, have led to what the LPHCA have called "a perfect storm".
A mini-cab driver must apply to their local council for a licence, which can cost up to £600 a year. Drivers must also obtain a criminal record check and a full medical check, as well as the famous "Knowledge" examination in some cases.
"This is a real national problem that affects everywhere," said Steve Wright, chairman of the LPHCA.
"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," he told the BBC.
It is leaving thousands of customers in the lurch. Taxis provide a vital service; taking people to hospital appointments, back from the shops and of course safely home after an evening out.
Taz Harrison, Welfare Officer at The Sugarmill in Stoke-on-Trent, said she was worried about both staff and customers getting a ride.
More than half of licensed mini-cab taxi drivers have not returned to the trade since the pandemic, an industry group has said.
There are strategies for winning the game. Lots of online SLOTXO for you to choose from on the Internet, but did you know? Using the technique of winning slot games It can't always make you overcome.
The Licensed Private Hire Car Association (LPHCA) estimates the industry is short of 160,000 of the previously 300,000-strong workforce.
Many drivers left the industry during lockdowns as demand plummeted.
The shortage has prompted concerns over the safety of women, students and night time workers struggling to get home.
A backlog in costly licensing and registration of vehicles, as well as criminal and medical checks for drivers, have led to what the LPHCA have called "a perfect storm".
A mini-cab driver must apply to their local council for a licence, which can cost up to £600 a year. Drivers must also obtain a criminal record check and a full medical check, as well as the famous "Knowledge" examination in some cases.
"This is a real national problem that affects everywhere," said Steve Wright, chairman of the LPHCA.
"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," he told the BBC.
It is leaving thousands of customers in the lurch. Taxis provide a vital service; taking people to hospital appointments, back from the shops and of course safely home after an evening out.
Taz Harrison, Welfare Officer at The Sugarmill in Stoke-on-Trent, said she was worried about both staff and customers getting a ride.
