Coronavirus: It’s only going to get worse, say concerned taxi drivers
TAXI drivers are being hit hard by the drop in travellers caused by Covid-19.
Many drivers are self-employed, leaving them exposed financially when demand drops.
But the drivers are also vulnerable to the illness, as they are often the first people that visitors meet when they arrive in the island.
Steve Poole, from Ace Taxis, said there was already a marked drop in travellers.
‘It’s been much quieter,’ he said.
‘We have had a few flights, but there were not many people on them. We think it will get worse. But at the end of the day we can’t do much about it. It’s only just started.’
He has been careful about washing his hands and to keep his vehicle clean.
‘We are quite vulnerable,’ he said. ‘Someone could come from the UK and not know they have it.’
Independent driver Martyn Ferbrache has similar concerns.
‘This is a quiet time of year for us anyway,’ he said.
‘But people just aren’t coming over. There is not the business travellers, and offices are banning travel.’
Another driver, who asked not to be named, said things were very difficult.
‘We have definitely noticed it’s quieter,’ they said.
‘I do the accounts for businesses and there have been cancellations for bookings in the future. One driver said he had 46 bookings cancelled over the next few weeks.’
They said at this time of year business travellers were a mainstay.
‘In the summer we have more tourists, but we worry that tourists are not booking their holidays because of coronavirus. And it looks like we are losing cruise ships.’
They said they were cleaning down their taxis with disinfectant wipes, but the illness was still a serious worry, especially for older drivers, who might be exposed to it by their passengers.
