Over four in five people use taxi and minicab services LESS since start of COVID-19 says DfT study

Over four in five people are using taxis and private hire vehicles less since the first case of coronavirus was recorded in the UK, according to new data.

According to the latest Department for Transport (DfT) statistics based on national travel attitudes, 81% of people surveyed claim to use taxi and private hire service less since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Only 6% of people say they have increased their usage of the service during the same period, leaving 13% of the public using cabs at about the same level.

In the same study it was revealed that 81% of people remain concerned for their health using a taxi or private hire vehicle. That figure remains slightly better than other modes of public transport which shows higher health concerns using buses, trains, planes and the London Underground.

Confidence in public transport, taxis and minicabs is expected to remain low even when the current travel restrictions and social distancing measures are removed. In the survey results, 76% of people still felt they would be concerned for their health when using a taxi or minicab post-coronavirus.

In comparison to other modes of transport, respondents felt they would be even more concerned about their health when using a bus (80%), tram (80%), train (82%) or plane (84%). With 86%, the highest share of respondents, displaying future concerns about using the London Underground.