Cabbies going the extra mile
A WEST London taxi firm is taking extraordinary steps to try and prevent coronavirus spreading among passengers.
Drivers at Redwoods of Heathrow are spraying all parts of their vehicles which passengers touch with anti-bacterial spray after every journey.
The company, based in West Drayton, says all 50 of its drivers have been provided with the spray to carry out regular cleaning.
Simon Field, customer service manager at Redwoods of Heathrow, said: “Obviously [coronavirus] is a big story at the moment and as a public transport provider we are picking up a lot of customers and we want to play our part in order to keep the virus under control.
“It’s important. Everyone can play a part in helping to prevent coronavirus [from spreading] and anything that we can do as a mini cab company is great.
“The potential for the virus to spread is great for a mini cab company and we are just trying to play our part.”
Redwoods of Heathrow operate mainly in the West London area, and many of its passengers either want dropping off or picking up from Heathrow Airport .
Drivers were made aware of the new policy on Tuesday March 3, and have been told to spray all parts of their vehicles that passengers come into contact. This includes door handles and the inside seating.
Mr Field believes the extra cleaning will help reduce the chances of drivers contracting coronavirus as well.
“Obviously it’s a concern for everybody,” said Mr Field.
“It’s a huge problem and the drivers are exposed like anyone else in the public industry.
“Anything we can do as a company and our drivers can do can will help prevent the spread.”
So far several schools and offices across the capital have closed while British Airways and Ryanair have also cancelled hundreds of flights due to the coronavirus outbreak and a downturn in bookings. Flights departing from Gatwick Airport and Heathrow Airport over the next month have been affected, with both airlines citing a lack of demand for travel to some parts of the world caused by Covid-19 for the decision.
Mr Field said the company has noticed a lack of passengers needing lifts to and from Heathrow since the virus outbreak.
“We have seen a decrease [in trade],” he said.
“In the drop off areas, which tend to get very congested, there is a lot less vehicles. With airlines actually getting banned from flying to certain countries it has definitely affected the amount of vehicles you see.”