Uber

Taxi drivers play an important role in our communities and for more than 100 years have been a convenient, reliable and safe way for people to get around.

Passengers would regularly use the same private hire taxi firms and knew where to hail a black cab if they arrived at a train or bus station or other public venue.

Taxi drivers and taxi companies are turning to technology more to offer a smoother ride for passengers looking to book a cab.

Booking and payment apps make it easy to connect passengers to the nearest public hire or private hire taxi available to complete the journey.

After being decimated by the pandemic, it is great news that the number of taxi drivers are increasing.

The industry was one of many that were badly affected by Covid-19 because people were not allowed to move around freely and could not come into contact with others, especially in confined spaces such as taxis.

Technology is constantly improving and there are now more high-tech ways to connect taxi drivers with passengers.

As well as ride-hailing apps such as Uber and, more recently, Bolt, many UK taxi businesses have introduced their own technology to make it easier for passengers to book and pay for journeys.

Taxi drivers often go out of their way to help passengers, such as carrying shopping to the front door for someone who is elderly or vulnerable.

Some are even happy to allow passengers to bring their dogs with them, especially if they are regulars.