Taxi drivers forced into alternative jobs as industry struggles
From taking up delivery work, becoming builders, and even working as a story-boarder on a feature film, taxi drivers from around the UK have had to take up a number of different jobs to keep their heads above water.
Since the first lockdown which was enforced back in March, taxi drivers have seen the demand for transportation rapidly decrease, pushing the industry into turmoil.
With restrictions put in place on travel and people advised to work from home, taxi drivers have been left by the curb with no real idea of when their trade is likely to pick up again.
With bills to pay and mouths to feed, many drivers have been forced to consider alternative work.
Numerous drivers around the UK have turned to delivery work to tide them over during such testing times. Drivers have taken jobs with some of the largest courier companies in the UK, as well as some of the world’s biggest online shopping platforms.
Food delivery jobs are another form of work which seems to be a popular option among local cab drivers who know the areas well.
Other jobs taken up by taxi drivers include labouring jobs on building sites, whilst others return to a previous trade skill such as plumbing and electrician work to fill the void left by a taxi trade which has been decimated by the pandemic.
Other cabbies are having to balance two jobs to get by.
One of the most interesting jobs taken up by a taxi driver during the pandemic, was working on feature films. The driver said he was able to take up the job of storyboarding for a number of films. Speaking to TaxiPoint the driver said: “I got a couple of months storyboarding feature films, which was nice. Hopefully back in the cab by November if the work levels pick up.”
Some drivers, who had taken other lines of employment, have returned to taxi work, but have said they are not sure if the decision was the right one. It was reported by a number of drivers that work levels had increased slightly as the UK began to come out of its first lockdown.
But since a 10pm curfew was put in place by the Government, along with numerous local lockdown rules, drivers have said that any increased work levels have now drastically fallen again.
