Post by acnedriver on Dec 13, 2022 7:09:19 GMT
TAXI drivers are disappearing from the streets of Swindon, while tattooists are thriving as are dog and pet home-boarders.
A report by Swindon Borough Council’s licensing team given to members of the licensing committee gives an intriguing insight into the changing nature of Swindon’s economy – particularly how it has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns and the current high rates of inflation and energy prices.
Head of regulatory services Kate Bishop told the committee: “We are issuing fewer licenses for hackney carriage and private hire drivers than we were before the pandemic. Obviously, the trade was badly affected by the pandemic.
“But it might also be that drivers are working for Amazon since they came to Swindon and driving deliveries for supermarkets and the like.”
In Swindon the number Hackney Carriage licensed drivers has from 234 in 2019 to 147 in 2022, and the number of private hire drivers has gone down from 1190 in 2019 to 1041 in 2022.
This equates to a total reduction in the total number of taxi drivers of about 17 per cent from 2019.
Ms Bishop said animal licensing may also be reflecting the economic conditions of the town and country: “We have seen a significant increase in the number of home boarders requiring a licence. In addition, the number of pet dog ownership has increased.
www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/23186120.swindon-taxi-drivers-go-work-amazon-tattooists-thrive/
A report by Swindon Borough Council’s licensing team given to members of the licensing committee gives an intriguing insight into the changing nature of Swindon’s economy – particularly how it has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns and the current high rates of inflation and energy prices.
Head of regulatory services Kate Bishop told the committee: “We are issuing fewer licenses for hackney carriage and private hire drivers than we were before the pandemic. Obviously, the trade was badly affected by the pandemic.
“But it might also be that drivers are working for Amazon since they came to Swindon and driving deliveries for supermarkets and the like.”
In Swindon the number Hackney Carriage licensed drivers has from 234 in 2019 to 147 in 2022, and the number of private hire drivers has gone down from 1190 in 2019 to 1041 in 2022.
This equates to a total reduction in the total number of taxi drivers of about 17 per cent from 2019.
Ms Bishop said animal licensing may also be reflecting the economic conditions of the town and country: “We have seen a significant increase in the number of home boarders requiring a licence. In addition, the number of pet dog ownership has increased.
www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/23186120.swindon-taxi-drivers-go-work-amazon-tattooists-thrive/