That Friday feeling: Taxi payment data shows busiest and slowest days during COVID-19 pandemic

New data has highlighted the continued steady growth in black taxi card payments since lockdown and pinpoints Fridays as the busiest day each week.

Colts Cabs, one of London’s biggest licensed black taxi rental firms, has posted daily figures on the number of transactions completed via card payment terminals, since cabbies started returning to work in May.

Whilst the number of transactions remains just a fraction of the number compared to pre-COVID-19 working levels, the steady increase, especially during weekdays, has given some drivers hope within the industry.

However, as lockdown measures ease, the volume of taxi drivers increases too. Drivers working may not see an increase to their own individual work levels until the number of drivers returning levels out.

The data supplied by Colts Cabs focuses on one of the four debit card transaction firms within the taxi industry. The data does not take into account work levels on the three other card payment providers, taxi apps, handheld payment units, radio circuits and cash work.

The data shows Fridays to be the busiest day each week with the most transactions processed. Sundays are the lowest.

On Friday 26 June the number of transactions surpassed the 7,000 mark for the first time since lockdown. Compared to data four-weeks earlier, the number has more than doubled.

A spokesperson from Cabvision, one of the taxi card payment providers in the industry, said: “Over the past week, we've seen 'average' jobs per driver increase (which has come as a surprise), with more drivers returning and economic activity remaining subdued.

“Again, a caveat is that the work's increasing from a very low level, but it is moving in the right direction.”