Taxi drivers having to play Russian roulette with COVID-19
A partner in a Perth taxi firm has said drivers are playing “Russian Roulette”with COVID-19 every time they accept a new passenger.
Paul Hotchkiss was speaking after we revealed last week that Roseanna Cunningham MSP had written to Perth and Kinross Council raising concerns some cab drivers were not wiping their vehicle down between each journey.
In a letter to the PA, Paul said drivers had to pick up members of the public without knowing if they had COVID-19 or not.
And he also said the taxi industry was facing collapse due to the pandemic.
Speaking to the PA, Paul, who owns Thistle Taxis, pointed to one driver in Perth who found out his passenger had tested positive for the coronavirus while in the car.
He said: “Drivers don’t know the background of people who get in their cabs.
“A few weeks ago you had the driver going to Dundee and the passenger found out while she was in the taxi.
“Every day we have two dozen people in our cab so there’s a good chance some will be affected.
“Most of us have taken precautions. I have had a screen fitted and wear a mask.
“I also object to people with medical issues not wearing a mask. If they are just sitting there, it should be fine. I have COPD and I still wear a mask.”
Paul, who has been driving taxis for 19 years, said the trade had still not recovered from the financial crash of 2008 when COVID-19 hit. And he said changing work patterns are still impacting on business.
“At the start of lockdown, business was about 70 per cent down,” he said. “I’ve now built it up to 50 per cent.
“Most of our business is corporate but everyone is working from home now.
“I used to be down at Edinburgh Airport all the time but it’s only been about three times in the last few months. Even people going shopping - they do it completely different now and we’ve got to deal with that.
“I think our industry has went under the radar. The last recession caused a drop in business which we’ve never really recovered from and this has just added to it.”
Paul praised Perth and Kinross Council for its help during lockdown in keeping school contracts going.
And he even said one regular customer who no longer needs to use a taxi has kept paying them each month to help them out.
But he said the support from government had been less useful: “It doesn’t really work for me. They pay you out of your profits but that ignores other running costs.”
Roseanna Cunningham MSP said: “Mr Hotchkiss is right to highlight the importance of public confidence and the best way for that to be maintained is to welcome scrutiny and to be open with the public about what steps are taken between hires to ensure the safety of drivers and passengers.”