The severe shortage of taxi drivers raises public safety concerns. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 49 percent of women do not feel safe walking alone after dark. The shortage of taxi drivers comes amid heightened fears about women's safety at night including reports of spying in clubs and bars and a wave of distrust of police following the murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa.

The Licensed Private Car Hire Association (LPCHA), which represents the industry, estimates that the UK is short of 160.000 of its previously 300.000-strong workforce, leading to safety risks for women and workers trying to get home at night. . Steve Wright, chairman of the LPCHA, told the with the BBC that the combination of issues represented a "perfect cocktail" for the industry.

More than half of the taxi drivers with a license has left the industry since the start of the pandemic, a trade association warned. It comes after successive national lockdowns have sharply reduced the demand for taxi services. Elsewhere, there are backlogs in expensive vehicle permits and fuel shortages The crisis in the supply chain created problems for drivers. Applying for a driver's license can cost a driver as much as £600 a year.

The GMB Union wrote to the Ministry of Transport urging them to classify taxis as an essential service.

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