Taxi drivers doing their besttokeeppublicsafe

With reference to the front page headline in last Friday’s Perthshire Advertiser (September 4, ‘Cab cleaning is COVID worry’) I am writing to express my disappointment that you and our MSP Roseanna Cunningham have found it appropriate to attack our trade in such a way.

The taxi and private hire industry has been disproportionately affected by the current crisis.

Every area of our market has been decimated, commuters are working from home, business travellers are video conferencing instead, holidaymakers are staying at home, shoppers are going online, night time revellers have no where to go - in short, an industry that was already facing challenges is in real danger of collapse.

Taxi drivers play Russian Roulette every time they pick up a passenger, not knowing if they are COVID positive or not. We take reasonable precautions against virus spread.

The financial burden of the extra precautions are borne by the operators and drivers from an income that is struggling to achieve 50 per cent of previrus earnings.

Goodness knows what level our earnings will fall to after the disproportionate response from Roseanna Cunningham MSP and the PA, which will surely erode any confidence that we, as a trade, have managed to build with the travelling public.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank those that use the services of all taxis and private hire cars and ask them to take the report and the reaction from Roseanna Cunningham MSP with a pinch of salt.

We will continue to look after you all as we always have.

Paul Hotchkiss

Thistle Taxis