Harrogate taxi drivers claim the trade's been 'forgotten' during pandemic
Many claim coronavirus has had a “devastating” impact on businesses
Struggling taxi drivers in Harrogate have claimed the trade has been “forgotten” during the Covid-19 pandemic as many cabbies call time on their driving careers because of dwindling passenger demand.
Richard Fieldman, who runs A1 Cars Ripon, has worked in the taxi trade for almost three decades and said the virus outbreak has had a “devastating” impact on businesses with his earnings slashed by more than three quarters.
He said he has managed to stay on the road thanks to payment holidays but believes national and local government officials should be providing more support to keep taxi firms ticking over.
Mr Fieldman said unlike some councils, Harrogate has not given drivers cash grants for virus safety measures including screens, and that the authority should have introduced new fare increases earlier this year.
He added:
“It is disappointing that the trade has been forgotten, with not enough thought, care and consideration given to drivers.
“Taxi drivers are often seen as the lowest of the low but when it comes to making sure loved ones get home safely at night, we are the ones who people rely on the most.
“This year has been devastating for us – so much so that a lot of drivers in Harrogate have handed their cars back and packed in for good.”
Kevin O’Boyle, who has worked in the trade since 1965 and runs Central Taxis in Harrogate, said he carried out a straw poll of drivers which found they can earn as little as £4.30 an hour, based on an average 60-hour week of taxi rank takings.
“This is nowhere near enough,” Mr O’Boyle said. “There are a few drivers who have had to resort to universal credit – it’s not good.
“This year has been catastrophic and it’s going to take an awful lot of bouncing back. But it’s not just the taxi trade, it’s hit everybody and it will be a long time before we all recover.”
Harrogate Borough Council – which is facing a £9m shortfall as a result of the pandemic – said it has limited funds available and that support has been provided to businesses including taxi firms.
A council spokesman said:
“For those drivers who chose not to operate, and subsequently cancelled their business insurance, we temporarily suspended their licence. Once insured, we are more than happy to reinstate their licence.
“We have also allocated around £20,000 to the ring-fenced private hire vehicle and operator’s licence account. This meant that we will not raise licence fees at all next year.”
The council has also this week approved a taxi fare increase for the first time in two years – with starting charges rising from £3.30 to £3.40 during the day and from £4.95 to £5.10 at night, as well as 3% increase on the running mile.
The fare increase will come into force on December 1 and make Harrogate the 17th most expensive place in the UK to get a taxi.