Taxi to nowhere: COVID-19 measures hit London black cab business

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Wednesday, November 25, 2020

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Taxi to nowhere: COVID-19 measures hit London black cab business

Drivers are unable to keep paying for their vehicles because of the coronavirus lockdown

Published: November 20, 2020 13:25 AFP and Compiled by Christian Borbon, Senior Web Editor

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Copy of 064765-01-02-1605861301229 — According to official figures from Transport for London (TfL) sent to AFP, the number of licensed black cabs has gone down from more than 19,000 on March 1 this year to just under 15,000 on November 8. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of Virus_Outbreak_Britain_56640.jpg-839fb-1605861298419 — The black cabs were once in a list of British symbols recognisable around the world, including red telephone boxes and police in conical helmets. Image Credit: AP

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Copy of 064764-01-02-1605861304310 — With London's streets emptied by the coronavirus lockdown, many drivers are unable to keep paying for their vehicles and are handing them back in droves. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 064757-01-02-1605861307465 — With air travel constrained, hitting tourism, he said the wait could be 20 to 24 hours instead of the normal three. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 064754-01-02-1605861289651 — Fields full of taxis are now a mass phenomenon, said Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association (LTDA). Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 064753-01-02-1605861292712 — Covid is "without doubt the prime factor" for falling numbers of taxis, he said. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 064755-01-02-1605861310781 — McNamara also says taxi drivers should be singled out for help, in the same way that government helped restaurants try to bounce back after their enforced closure. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of Virus_Outbreak_Britain_04771.jpg-2fb4a-1605861295645 — "We've been hit equally hard, if not harder than the hospitality sector," he said. Image Credit: AP

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