Dozens fewer taxi and private hire vehicles are available across the East Riding, new figures suggest

The residents in the East Riding have dozens fewer taxi and private hire vehicles to choose from than they did before the pandemic, figures suggest.
At 0.8 per 1,000 people, the East Riding has one of the lowest concentrations of taxis and private hire vehicles in the country.At 0.8 per 1,000 people, the East Riding has one of the lowest concentrations of taxis and private hire vehicles in the country.
At 0.8 per 1,000 people, the East Riding has one of the lowest concentrations of taxis and private hire vehicles in the country.

The National Private Hire and Taxi Association said the huge drop in the number of licensed vehicles across England was because of the “sheer absence” of any financial support from Government for the industry.

Department for Transport figures show 273 vehicles were licensed to operate in the East Riding of Yorkshire at the end of March.

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Of those, 103 were traditional taxis which can be hailed from the street, while 170 were private hire vehicles, such as those available through Uber, which need to be pre-booked. The figure was down from 307 the year before, when there were 114 taxis and 193 vehicles for private hire.

At 0.8 per 1,000 people, the East Riding has one of the lowest concentrations of taxis and private hire vehicles in the country.

Across England, the number of licensed vehicles decreased from 298,800 to 251,100 over the year – a fall of 16%.

The NPHTA said many of its members have left the industry in the last year, with a lot of them moving to delivery driving.

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David Lawrie, director of the NPHTA, said: “Due to the sheer absence of any financial support for the taxi and private hire industry, many have had to go on to benefits, many have had to find alternative work in order to keep a roof over their heads and feed their families.”