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COVID -19 Taxi's and Private Hire Vehicles

Stoke-on-Trent City Council sent this bulletin at 27-11-2020 12:33 PM GMT

Good Afternoon,

Further to the Government announcement, Stoke-on-Trent is now in Tier 3. This means this City is in high risk. To help against the spread of coronavirus and with increasing cases in Stoke-on-Trent, we are reminding taxi and private hire drivers about the need to follow government guidance about how to stay safe.

Are you and your passengers wearing face coverings?

We strongly recommend all Drivers wear Face Covering.

Passengers should wear a face covering when using taxis or private hire vehicles. A taxi driver or private hire vehicle operator may be entitled to refuse to accept passengers who are not wearing a face covering. If passengers fail to comply, the Police have a power to remove passengers from a service (using reasonable force if necessary), and issue a Fixed Penalty Notice.

Think about asking about symptoms before a passenger is picked up.

In line with current guidance people with a new persistent cough or high temperature should stay at home. If potential passengers have symptoms, direct them to NHS 119 to book a test and advise them not to make the journey.

Drivers and operators are reminded to keep records of all passengers who have travelled in the vehicle for three weeks. This will enable the NHS and council to test and trace people should there be a link identified with some-one who has tested positive for Covid-19.

Where possible, ask all passengers to sit in the back of your vehicle.

The risk of transmission is small at 2 metres and where possible, people should maintain a 2 metre distance, therefore passengers travelling alone should be asked to sit in the back left-hand seat.

Keep your vehicle clean to reduce the impact of the virus

Wash your hands regularly or keep a sanitising gel in your taxi, so you can wipe your hands frequently.
Keep some windows open as often as possible to boost ventilation and dilute any potential hazard. Control the air conditioning to bring in fresh air and avoid recycling air within the vehicle.
Let passengers handle their own bags and belongings whenever possible.
Store any personal waste, such as tissues and cleaning wipes in disposable rubbish bags. Each driver should ensure they use a new disposable rubbish bag each shift.
Use disinfectant wipes on seatbelts, door handles or any touched surface.
Accept card payments and pre-payments, so you’re handling cash as rarely as possible.

What should you do if you are experiencing symptoms?

The symptoms of coronavirus are:

a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual).
a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of smell or taste.

If you have any of the symptoms above, stay at home, notify your employer, and arrange to have a test. You must self-isolate for at least 10 days from when your symptoms started. You must not work whilst you are waiting for your test results.

Further government guidance can be found here:

Coronavirus (COVID-19): safer transport guidance for operators

Coronavirus (COVID-19): safer travel guidance for passengers

Face coverings: when to wear one, exemptions, and how to make your own