Pakistani taxi drivers in UK exposed to increased corona risk

LONDON: Thousands of British Pakistani taxi drivers in the United Kingdom have faced exposure to Corona virus due to the working conditions, a leading trade union leader has claimed.

Drivers who work for ride-hailing apps and taxi companies are facing intense confusion over what role they should play in protecting themselves against coronavirus in the UK.

Yaseen Aslam who is the general secretary of United Private Hire Drivers said, "There are around 110,000 taxi and private hire drivers in the UK, most of them are either black or other ethnic minorities. Many taxi drivers including my friends have suffered from this virus and are fighting it valiantly.”

Yaseen Aslam said only in London nearly 6000 Pakistanis work as taxi drivers and several have reported sick with serious corona symptoms. He said that drivers were most exposed to corona risk because they picked up customers who sat next to them, making the two meters distance impossible to maintain.

Yaseen Aslam said: "We approached TFL for guidance but they did not provide us with all the information. In The Netherlands they have included a partition screen between drivers and passengers, why can't they implement it here? We need clear guidelines from TFL, are we essential workers or not?" Yaseen further stated that many taxi drivers were not citizens of the UK which is why they could not get any help from the government.

Transport for London has not categorised taxi drivers as essential workers but have still allowed them to operate without any extra protective measures as other countries have implemented.

Ayub Akhtar, a healthy 33-year-old from Azad Kashmir and an Uber driver in London recently succumbed to the viral disease this week. Ayub claimed that he caught the virus after he picked up a passenger who constantly coughed in the car. This case has highlighted the importance of protection for taxi drivers.

Qasim Rasul, a minicab driver who caught the virus while working spoke to The News. "I'm self-isolating since 21st March. I have problems breathing, it's gone into my lungs but I'm better now. I've applied for Universal Credit, hoping for some support from the government. I lose all my strength and taste. My advice to all taxi drivers is to stay home and avoid going to work. They don't know how easy it is to catch this virus."

The UK is facing a rise in coronavirus patients as total cases exceed 78,000 with total deaths of almost 10,000. The government has announced the closure of all non-essential business which has severely impacted the demand for taxi rides. People in the UK are advised not to leave home unless they are going to buy food, exercise once a day or travelling to essential work. Most companies have asked their employees to work from home to combat the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus.

Mahmood Latif of Alphabet Cars said: "Due to the risk of COVID-19, many of our drivers aren't coming to work. The ones who come for work can't find any passengers. There are a lot of difficulties which is why we have reduced the current staff. "Even the drivers who work 12-14 hours can't make enough money to feed their families."

To tackle the economic threat caused by the virus, the HMRC has announced that it would cover up to 80% of the salaries of employees up to £2500 but many Uber drivers are left in a loophole since they are not considered employees but as self-employed.

Ikram Nawaz who drives Uber in London said, “The market is dead. My taxi costs me £40 every day even if it remains parked. The government hasn’t done enough for us. Uber drivers sometimes earn less than minimum wage. I am getting 2 or 4 rides a day. "Besides, this job isn't safe anymore. We don’t know if the customers have been affected or are asymptomatic. Sometimes they lean forward which makes the health risk quite strong."

Another taxi driver, Khalil Ahmed said, "If hotels and pubs are closed then there will be no demand for taxis. I was out all night on Saturday but made only £8. How can I survive like this?"

The impact of the virus on the UK's economy is said to be in the hundreds of billions. The Henry Jackson Society which is a foreign policy think tank has advised the government to seek £351 billion in damages from China for hiding the reality of the virus.

They believe that the UK could have taken precautionary measures in time if they were told about the virus when it was discovered.

China had initially hidden the spread of the disease from Wuhan from both international and local media. The doctor who revealed the intensity of the virus was jailed and ultimately died after contracting the virus.