Cab firm gives cars a spray to tackle COVID
WHEN a coronavirus cluster broke out in southeast Queensland, Cairns Taxis started spraying.
The Far Northern cab service has instituted an aerosol sanitising service for its taxis to provide the best protection for drivers and passengers alike.
“We were concerned that someone might come up who may be asymptomatic and jump into a taxi,” Cairns Taxi managing director Layne Gardiner said.
“We spray sanitise any surface a customer might touch.”
The fine mist pumped through an airless spray gun is a mix of eucalyptus and disinfectant sanitiser.
“It is an extra precaution on top of the drivers’ own sanitising and wipes,” Mr Gardiner said.
The cabs are sanitised when drivers have their cars inspected every four weeks or whenever they felt the need for an extra layer of protection.
“We can’t be complacent,” Mr Gardiner said.
“We all hope it’s not going to happen but we don’t want our drivers to be infected.
“This gives both driver and passenger piece of mind.”
He said the company could track the movements of its drivers and cars if the worst happened.
“We know when every driver pulls up, if someone came from the airport to a hotel, we can still track those movements days later,” Mr Gardiner said.
“We know the drivers, the times, we know the car in which they did the job – it’s only a matter of keystrokes.”
In April Mr Gardiner stood firm with the assurance that the company would continue to operate during the pandemic.
Mr Gardiner said Cairns Taxis, which had been servicing the community since 1966, would not be shutting down.
“There’s no question about whether we will survive this or not, we’ll easily come out the other end just as strong as we were before,” he said.