How worried should taxi drivers be about the spread of coronavirus? Is there anything that can be done to protect yourself while driving?

Everybody who frequently encounters other members of the public is likely to be more at risk of contracting contagious illnesses. And while the novel coronavirus CoVid-19 hasn’t collectively gripped the UK yet, all the talk is that it’s only a matter of time before it does.

CORONA VIRUS ADVICE FOR TAXI DRIVERS

Taxi drivers are often the first people travellers see after walking through the doors of an airport or stepping out of a train station. It’s perhaps most alarming that the first reported death as a result of coronavirus in Thailand was that of a taxi driver, with reported cases of tourists infecting both taxi and bus drivers.

Is it possible to avoid the risk of contracting illness when you’re dealing with members of the public day in, day out?

Will the self-employed suffer the most?
You never know who you are picking up when you take a fare.

As coronavirus spreads, it could be passed from person to person anytime, anywhere in the UK. No longer will it be just drivers on airport runs who are prone to infection. You’ll need to protect yourself wherever you’re working.

Can you do anything about it?

The government have been advising ‘self-isolation’. This seems sensible, but not so much for taxi drivers, as many of you are self-employed. Even though the government are rushing through legislation to allow statutory sick pay from day 1 for employees, that won’t help you to keep income coming in if you’re self-employed and fall ill.

Responsible drivers who fall ill will want to stay away from other people – but as things stand, you will be out of pocket until you return to work.

Good hygiene – and not touching your face
Wearing a face mask might seem extreme, and it won’t necessarily help healthy people to avoid illness. So, what can you do to protect yourself from passengers who may be carrying the virus – and to protect them picking up illnesses from you?

Avoid direct contact with other people and their belongings. Not the easiest thing to do when you’re ferrying people around. However, try to position passengers as far away from direct contact as possible during your journey. If you must handle bags or goods, use a tissue when picking up handles, and make sure you wipe your hands with a clean wipe or tissue afterwards.

Wash your hands. The most widely promoted thing to do to avoid the virus spreading is to thoroughly wash your hands, for at least 20 seconds, on a frequent basis. However, when you’re in a cab all day, this isn’t so easy to do – and you’ll be handling money, too… If possible, carry antibacterial gel and wipes in your taxi. Use them before and after handling change. Dispose of wipes carefully whenever possible, in-between journeys.

Have a supply of tissues in your cab. They are useful for you and your passengers, to catch coughs and sneezes.

Sneeze into your elbow – not your hands. It’s easier to spread the virus touching your own face and other people with your hands.

Don’t touch your face. When you’re driving a taxi, this is easier to practice than it might be for office workers, for example. You’ll have your hands on the wheel and be concentrating on the road, so you’re less likely to be engaged in compulsive, unnecessary touching of your face. However, if you need to adjust your glasses or contain an itch, grab a tissue before doing so.

Be friendly but forceful with passengers. If a passenger shows signs of illness, make sure they follow basic hygiene rules in place for everybody. Hand them tissues and wipes if needed. Ask them to contain coughs and sneezes. The last thing you want is to become ill and possibly spread illness to other passengers – so make sure they know that.

These are all straightforward, sensible precautions. Think about them and don’t forget to do them where possible.

Sadly, for workers in the public space, there’s no magic bullet to stop illness from spreading. We can only hope that the virus is contained as much as possible, and a vaccine is found sooner rather than later. Until then, taxi drivers will need to take the usual precautions to avoid becoming ill and missing out on valuable income.

https://www.choicequote.co.uk/news/taxi-drivers-and-coronavirus/

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Police in Fife are probing allegations a taxi driver who managed to avoid striking a pedestrian involved in a fatal road accident at the weekend subsequently shared photographs of the dead man’s body.

Relatives of Robert Walker, who was from the Levenmouth area, have branded the alleged behaviour as “sick” and “disgusting” as they try to come to terms with his tragic passing in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Mr Walker, 59, was pronounced dead at the scene of a collision on the A915 Largo Road, near Scoonie Brae in Leven, at around 2.20am.

Witnesses revealed a taxi had taken evasive action to avoid Mr Walker, with the driver staying behind to offer assistance while awaiting emergency services.

It has emerged Police Scotland has since received formal complaints about the taxi driver’s alleged conduct.

Liz Moir, Mr Walker’s sister, described the alleged behaviour as “very inappropriate”, and took to social media to suggest photos had been shared with immediate family members and other taxi drivers.

Magnum Taxis, which operates the vehicle seen at the scene on Sunday morning, released a statement to clarify its position and it is understood the company has taken steps to address the allegations.

It read: “The owners and staff of Magnum Taxis would like to express our deepest condolences to the family of Rab Walker who sadly lost his life in the early hours of Sunday morning.

“As many people seem to be aware, one of our drivers was a witness to the incident.

“Although it was late and dark and the weather conditions weren’t great, he managed to avoid Mr Walker and subsequently stopped (along with the driver and passengers of another vehicle that was following close behind) to attend to Mr Walker and call the police.

“The police have since been able to access the CCTV cameras that are installed in our vehicles and were clearly able to see that Mr Walker was sadly already lying in the road on our driver’s approach and that our driver clearly avoided him.

“We would ask you all to please pass on this information to anyone who has been led to believe anything other than the facts.

“We sincerely hope this does not distract from the sad situation that the family of Mr Walker find themselves in.”

Mr Walker’s daughter responded to the statement, stressing the family does not want to “destroy anybody’s company” but has issues with the individual driver’s alleged conduct.

Police are still appealing for witnesses to the accident, including anyone that may have seen Mr Walker on Saturday night or Sunday morning, or who might have passed him while he was walking from the direction of Leven High Street towards Blacketyside some time after 1.30pm.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland refused to confirm or deny complaints had been made, but simply noted: “Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing and we are liaising with the family.”

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/fife/1174247/police-probe-claims-taxi-driver-shared-photos-of-dead-mans-body-after-fife-crash/

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BLACKBURN

A SERVING soldier who had been to the pub with her partner could not explain why she decided to drive home.

Blackburn magistrates heard Rebecca Laing ran into the back of a taxi waiting at a red light and gave a breathalyser reading nearly three times the legal limit.

Laing, 30, of Rewe Close, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

She was made subject to a community order for 12 months with 60 hours’ unpaid work, ordered to pay £85 costs and £90 victim surcharge and banned from driving for 23 months.

Damian Pickup, defending, said his client had been in the army for 13 years and was on leave at the time of the offence.

She had been to the pub with her partner and the plan was to stay at her house which was just around the corner.

“For some reason ­— which she can’t explain ­— she decided to drive back to her house in Blackburn,” said Mr Pickup.

“She will be subjected to military discipline when she returns to the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, he added.”


https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/18288426.blackburn-drink-drive-soldier-crashed-car-taxi-red-light/

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