Norfolk taxi firm loses 100 drivers to food delivery industry

One taxi company in Norfolk said it had 100 fewer drivers than before the pandemic

A taxi company said it had been left with 100 fewer drivers due to the pandemic.

Simon Kitchen, director of Albies Taxis in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, said many drivers left to work in other fields like food delivery when business was hit during the lockdowns.

The lack of drivers had put taxi waiting times up by two hours in peak periods, he said.

"If the wheels aren't turning, the monies aren't earning," he said.

"We haven't got enough drivers to cover what we do.

"Of an evening we have up to 15 drivers out but pre-pandemic it would have been about 40."

Simon Kitchen said the company had plenty of vehicles but not enough drivers

Mr Kitchen said the company had introduced incentives to encourage more drivers onboard, such as increasing the percentage of takings the driver keeps to 60%.

"A lot of drivers have gone to do other things during the pandemic and haven't come back," he said.

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Mr Kitchen said companies across the area were struggling with the same issue.

"We've had people asking us to pick them up from Norwich as they had been told the wait time was four hours," he said.

Ian Fountain said the demand for taxis had gone up but the company could not supply due to driver shortages

Ian Fountain, general manager of Cabs Smart in Ipswich, Suffolk, said the shortage of drivers was having "a major effect on business".

"We are a third down on drivers compared with pre-pandemic, so business is down a third as well," he said.

Mr Fountain believed the licensing process was preventing drivers from joining the industry.

"The amount of time it takes is too long," he said.

"One driver told me he couldn't get on a course until next March, that's a long time for someone who's unemployed and wants to earn money."

The shortage of drivers was causing "unrealistic" waiting times for taxis, Mr Kitchen said

He also thought the cost of licensing was putting some people off.

"A driver on their own it's about £700 then if they want their own vehicle it's another £300," he said.

Mr Fountain said he had heard of other councils writing to drivers who had not renewed their licence, reducing fees and fast-tracking applications to get drivers back on the road.

"We need the council on board to help the industry," he said.

"It's going to be a ling time to get back to where we were pre-pandemic."

Councillor Alasdair Ross, portfolio holder for community protection at Ipswich Borough Council, said its teams "work hard to process applications and support drivers through the process".

He said mandatory public safety checks were "essential" and the council had "worked hard" to ensure most of the process could be done electronically "to make it easier for new drivers".

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