Good News from the Taxi and Private Hire Industry

Despite being one of the hardest-hit sectors, members of the taxi industry have shown true spirit through the pandemic. Many drivers and operators have been working to help those in need and their efforts have truly been inspiring.  

Continue reading for a recap of some of the most heart-warming stories from the industry in recent months. 

Fighting the lockdown with kebabs

Probably not something you expected to be reading when you woke up this morning, but this is a true tale of one resourceful taxi operator.  

Back in June. Premier Cars boss, Abid Hussain, decided he needed a way to ensure his drivers who were out of work had a way to make a living. By utilising some extra space in the existing premises, Abid was able to open his new business, Premier Kebab House!  

Opened in June, Abid was able to utilise ten of his current staff in various roles for the new business. And it would seem business is going well. Not content to just help his own employees, Premier Kebabs will be offering their generosity to the homeless this winter. Abid hopes to be able to offer a free meal to those in need, all the way through the winter period until February.  

Helping the homeless

Abid isn’t the only one with a desire to support the homeless throughout the winter period. There are wonderful stories from across the UK of operators and drivers going out of their way to help.  

Addison Lee, a firm servicing over 10 million passengers each year, have dedicated there winter appeal to Centrepoint. Centrepoint provides a vital service to homeless young people, giving them a safe place to stay. Addison Lee has pledged that for each transaction made this winter, they will donate the cost of sponsoring a room.  

With 2020 expected to be one of the worst years on record for homelessness, a gesture like this can’t be understated.  

Community Service

In Newport, Wales, Dragon Taxis, a division of Veezu (the largest private hire operator in the UK), have partnered with The Bigger Picture and Newport County FC to deliver free meals to those in need.  

Dragon Taxis Newport is a regional transport hub, so they play a pivotal role in the provision of this service. Visiting over 80 families each week, so far they have delivered over 2000 meals. The food parcels, donated by local organisations, aren’t the only items they’ve been responsible for. For families social distancing, they have been instrumental in delivering medicines when needed.  

This is just one example of community spirit in the face of adversity. Taxi services have often been essential in providing logistic support for these community initiatives, even when they’ve been unable to work themselves.  

Being there for our key workers

Taxis and private hire staff have been vital in supporting our NHS staff and other key workers over both lockdowns. Many firms offered reduced rates for NHS workers or even free travel, despite the difficult situation these firms are often in.  

Drivers and operators across the country have come together to ensure that frontline workers get to where they need to be. But it wasn’t just transporting them to and from work, but sometimes to do their shopping!  

It's hard to forget the panic buying at the start of the pandemic. Whilst it turns out that toilet paper wasn’t the mystical defence against coronavirus that some might have hoped, at the time it caused massive problems for key workers. Due to the hectic nature of their shifts, many frontline staff were unable to purchase the supplies they needed.  

Kind-hearted volunteer drivers in Burnley and Nelson decided they needed to do something to help. The team from Delta Taxis have been providing a grocery drop off service for those in need. A spokesman for the company said: "We hope this allows our wonderful NHS to concentrate on saving lives whilst we take this worry away from them."  

We’re sure you’ll agree, another lovely gesture from the trade!

We know we’ve not covered every good news story from the past year. The inspiring work that the trade has been a part of is a testament to its importance to the UK economy.  

If you know of any other stories worth sharing that show how wonderful our nation's drivers and operators have been, let us know! You can get in touch by email on hello@taxiplus.co.uk