Demand for taxi and minicabs ‘VERY HIGH’ says government minister
Demand for taxi and private hire vehicles is currently ‘VERY HIGH’ says government minister.
A Department for Transport (DfT) minister also acknowledged that private hire operators are working hard to recruit more drivers to meet the unmet demand.
Feryal Clark MP and Opposition Whip asked the Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, what recent steps his Department has taken to support taxi and private hire vehicle drivers during the period of reduced demand as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Trudy Harrison, DfT Minister, replied: “The majority of taxi and PHV drivers are self-employed and were therefore able to apply for grants through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) before the scheme closed on 30 September 2021.
“Drivers of taxis and private hire vehicles may also have been eligible for other sources of support, including locally administered grant funding. An online support finder tool was made available to help businesses and self-employed workers determine what support was available to them.
“Ongoing engagement with sector stakeholders indicate that demand for taxi and private hire vehicles (PHVs) is very high with PHV operators seeking to increase driver numbers to meet this.”
