Travel with confidence during the pandemic in Herts taxis
About the initiative
Drivers and operators are being offered free online training to keep themselves – and their passengers – safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. Those drivers who successfully complete the course and become accredited can display ‘Travel with Confidence’ stickers on their taxi or private hire vehicle.
Cllr Linda Haysey, Chair of the community reassurance cell of Hertfordshire’s Local Resilience Forum and Leader of East Herts Council said:
"We want to make sure people in Hertfordshire feel confident when taking a taxi and minicab and know that everything has been done by the drivers and operators to keep passengers safe.
Taxis and private hire vehicles are often used by people travelling to and from hospital so we must protect the vulnerable while also ensuring the safety of the drivers as there is a proportion of them who may be more vulnerable to the serious effects of Covid-19 because they are from a BAME background, because of their age or other underlying health issues.
I would encourage people to look out for the special mark on vehicles or ask for an accredited driver when booking a vehicle and make a safer choice when deciding on how to travel."
How does the scheme work?
In addition to becoming accredited and being able to display the stickers, those who complete the course qualify for £100 reimbursement towards the cost of a screen to separate the driver and passengers and further reduce the risk of infection.
The course builds on the success of an initiative that was first developed in Watford, and other district and borough councils across the county are signing up to the scheme using funding from Hertfordshire’s director of public health, Jim McManus.
