After the driver shortage crisis in the UK, now the UK is also facing the problem of severe lack of taxi drivers. The Licensed Private Car Hire Association (LPHCA) has announced that the country faces a shortage of about 160,000 taxi drivers.
Declining demand due to shortage of taxi drivers
According to the LPCHA, the reason for this is the drop in demand during the Covid-19 epidemic. Many drivers also returned to work after the Covid-19 quarantine period. According to the association, the number of taxi drivers in the country before the Covid-19 epidemic was about 300,000, and now less than half of them are active. Accordingly, this issue has been exacerbated due to the accumulation of certification files and driving tests and vehicle registration.
Lack of taxi drivers is a national problem
“This is a real national problem that affects everywhere,” said Steve Wright, chairman of the LPHCA. He added that the shortage of taxi drivers now raises concerns for the safety of people who are on the streets late at night or early in the morning. “With a focus on vulnerability, and the safety of women at night, and thousands of night workers across the country, we cannot underestimate the vital role these services play in keeping people safe at night,” said Michael Kill, The association’s chief executive.
Distribution cycle problems and fuel shortages in the UK
In addition to the lack of taxi drivers, there is also the lack of truck drivers, which has led to disruptions in the distribution cycle and a lack of fuel and food in stores. The severe shortages of truck drivers have caused significant problems in the UK in recent weeks, and several petrol stations have been severely short of fuel and shut down. The shelves of many supermarkets were also empty.
Loss of driving job attractiveness for non-Englishmen
Working as a truck driver is no longer attractive to non-Brits once Brexit is finalized. With Brexit, this has become more difficult than before, borders with Europe have been closed, and there are high bureaucratic obstacles. The Confederation of Passenger Transport UK (CPT) recently reported that the country is currently facing a shortage of about 4,000 bus drivers. Connections in some routes have been cancelled due to these shortcomings.
The problem of shortage of bus drivers in the UK
The shortage of truck drivers will soon be transferred to passenger transport drivers, as many bus drivers have recently decided to turn to the logistics sector due to better wages. After the increase in the salaries of truck drivers in the UK, many bus drivers have decided to take up the job. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced that it has already expedited the driving test and temporary driver’s license.
Government measures to curb truck driver shortage crisis in the UK
Many foreign truck drivers have left the UK after the Brexit and the Covid-19 epidemic crisis over the past year. To address the truck driver shortage crisis in the UK, the Boris Johnson government has announced that it will grant three-month temporary visas to 5,000 truckers from EU countries. Still, the quick offer appears to be an attraction for the tens of thousands of truck drivers who have left the UK forever, not created in the last two years.
Boris Johnson’s short-term solutions are not attractive.
The UK government is trying to resolve the crisis with short-term and medium-term solutions. Still, Boris Johnson’s government proposal to attract 5,000 truck drivers from European countries with a temporary three-month visa is not attractive to many truckers in Eastern Europe. The UK government has also resorted to other solutions to the crisis, including using army drivers and the re-recruitment of retirees with better financial offers and accelerated recruitment of young people.
Boris Johnson escapes responsibility.
In recent weeks, the truck driver shortage crisis in the UK has led to shortages of fuel and food at petrol stations and grocery stores. The conservative government of Boris Johnson is trying to downplay the impact of Brexit on the current crisis and normalize the situation. Long queues in front of gas stations and The lack of fuel in 30% of the company’s 1,200 petrol stations across the UK indicate that the situation is not as typical as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants.
The need to attract 100,000 new truck drivers
According to the Road Haulage Association (RHA), the current crisis will be resolved permanently with only 100,000 new truck drivers. After the Brexit and the escalation of the Covid-19 turmoil, more than 70,000 truck drivers in the UK, most of whom were citizens of Eastern European countries, especially Poland, returned to their home countries. They have little incentive to accept the three-month offer, preferring not to return to the UK, following the London government’s announcement that it will recruit 5,000 European truck drivers with temporary three-month visas and relatively high salaries.
More than 300,000 truck drivers were employed in the UK before UK’s definitive exit from the EU and the Covid-19 epidemic crisis. Still, according to the Road Haulage Association, relatively long periods of quarantine and travel restrictions caused many drivers. Foreigners have left the UK for the past 20 months to return to their home countries and are now facing a shortage of around 100,000 drivers. The reason for the driver shortage crisis in the UK is the same. The Covid-19 problem also prevented the truck driver recruitment test from taking place in 2020, and this factor has led to the non-recruitment of new workers in this sector. Another factor is Brexit, which has caused 20,000 foreign drivers to leave the UK and never return.
