Is An Industry Boom Luring Drivers Back To The Industry?

When business levels dropped during the pandemic, drivers left the industry in droves. To ensure they had an income, many become delivery or HGV drivers. But with reports that the industry is starting to boom, could these drivers be lured back to being cabbies? 

Is Business Booming? 

When lockdown restrictions were lifted last year, demand for taxi and private hire services boomed. With bars and clubs reopening and events back on, the drivers who remained in the industry suddenly found themselves unable to keep up with demand. 

The promise of all this work has made many ex-drivers assess whether or not to return to the industry. According to the LTDA, there has been a recent spike in the number of drivers returning to the industry. 

Are Drivers Returning? 

In the TAXI newspaper, LTDA Senior Rep, Sam Houston, reported that: 

“We’ve spoken to a number of drivers tempted out of retirement or back from other jobs by the prospect of easy money...” 

“There’s no reason to expect anything other than a busy Summer – many people seem to be taking holidays and trips out that were postponed from 2020 and 2021. In the past month, I’ve been to two events that were postponed from 2020.” 

Despite this, one key point made is that this uptick in business was ‘geographically concentrated’. This geographical concentration seems to refer to London, where business seems to have returned to normal much faster than the rest of the country.  

TaxiPoint recently reported that the number of licenced vehicles in the capital has increased by 1,300 since April 2021. Definitely a sign that things are improving. 

Although business seems to be bouncing back strong in London, the same can’t be said for drivers in the rest of the country. 

Outside the Capital 

In Greater Manchester, although business levels are recovering to a degree on weekends, weekdays still pose a struggle.  

Drivers have attributed the harsh weekdays to people now working from home. Workers aren’t arriving at stations at the same level and business trips aren’t the same. Where people use to conduct in-person meetings, most are now happy to jump on Zoom or Teams and meet that way.  
 
Speaking to the MEN, some drivers commented that they could be waiting over 90 minutes between jobs. The rising costs of fuel mean drivers are spending £70-£80 a week more on diesel and aren’t making enough money back to make a decent profit. 

Drivers have appealed to the council to consider a fare increase. Many other authorities across the UK have already made decisions to raise taxi fares. 

In a statement, a spokesperson for Manchester City Council said:  

“The council is aware of the difficulties being faced by the Hackney Carriage trade, the result of the intense hardship of the Covid pandemic and now the immense impact of the cost of living crisis and rising fuel prices. The council is to review the base fare later in 2022 in light of the economic changes witnessed over the past two years, with a report being brought forward on what support can be offered when the next Licensing and Appeals Committee meets later in the year.” 

However, increasing fares won’t be a cure-all. 

Taxis are seen as a luxury and with many of us feeling the pinch, people are choosing to walk or use public transport rather than fork out for a taxi. 

The industry is still clearly going through a recovery phase at the moment. The cost-of-living crisis is affecting both drivers and passengers. It remains to be seen whether the recovery we’re seeing in London will roll out to the rest of the UK.