Chesterfield taxi drivers hit by fuel shortage
The Door 2 Door branch in the area is down by up to 40 drivers after people stocked up over the weekend
The high demand for petrol continues throughout Derbyshire, with a large portion of petrol stations saying they are low on fuel after the weekend rush as people panicked that there was a national shortage due to Brexit.
Taxi companies have also been affected due to a lack of drivers who have been unable to fill up on the necessary amount of petrol
Rahan Ghani from taxi company Door 2 Door in Chesterfield noted that the issue is still extremely prevalent in the area. He said:
"I've seen a few petrol stations closed due to having a lack of fuel. Where there is fuel available people are queuing for an hour to get into the garages or service stations."
"We are down this week by about 30 to 40 drivers."
Since the announcement, not only has the company struggled with the lack of taxi drivers, but have faced a rise in demand from the public who cannot fuel their own vehicles due to the rate at which people are stocking up. Ghani added:
"Our phones have been ringing continuously, non-stop with an increase in calls from customers requiring taxis."
Effects on other sectors
Services like the police as well as ambulances have been impacted by people buying extra fuel following concerns over the weekend that there was a shortage because of Brexit. The current advice is still for drivers to not buy extra petrol, and to only top up when necessary.
There have also been conversations about the army being drafted in to help monitor the situation.