Major Hull taxi firm pleads for ‘patience’ as driver shortages struggle with post-covid demand
A major taxi firm in Hull has asked passengers and the local community to have ‘patience’ and adapt the way they book taxis as a shortage of taxi drivers in the area struggles to keep up with demand.
In a statement on social media, Hull Cars said: "To all our valued customers, have you tried to order a taxi over the last weeks to be told we had nothing available? You may have tried to call us at a busy time, only to find your call was not answered for several minutes?
"Have you tried to book a car on the app only to find that it was not working correctly? Have you ordered a taxi from us and found that it arrived later than you had booked?
"These are all symptoms of the shortage of taxi drivers, not just here at Hull Cars or our competitors in the city, but of taxi operators right across the country.
"We have also seen a spike in demand as customers now want to socialise and catch up on lost time seeing family and friends. Buses are also still relatively empty because the general public are still not confident travelling in large groups.
“We are trying our best here at Hull Cars to recruit new drivers as quickly as possible to take our numbers back up to pre-covid levels and we are working with local councillors, the local authority and other agencies.
"Things will return to normality but for the moment, may we thank you for your patience and advise you to adapt the way you book taxis. This may involve some extra forward planning on your behalf, pre-booking some days in advance where-ever possible or allowing more time to get to important meetings and appointments.”
