Another sign of the sheer decimation of London’s transport infrastructure since Covid-19 restrictions came into force has come to light with reports that a fifth of black cab registrations have lapsed since June.
The PA News Agency has seen Transport for London data showing the number of cabs fell from 18,900 to 15,000 in the six months to 8 November.
It adds that the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association believes that of those left, only a fifth are actually on the roads.
Its General Secretary Steve McNamara told the Daily Telegraph they are earning “starvation wages” around a quarter of normal levels and that the restrictions have been “a complete and utter nightmare” with cabbies falling “through the gaps” of the furlough scheme.
The Telegraph adds LTDA figures show drivers arriving at Heathrow Airport’s taxi feeder park last month waited an average of nine hours before being dispatched to pick up a passenger.
