Taxi drivers should wear masks

[Vivana]

Just been picked up by a taxi and the driver was telling me that some drivers are refusing to pick people up who are not wearing masks and asking for letter to show how your exempt from not wearing a mask. I always wear a mask but think taxi drivers should also wear masks and also I thought they are not allowed to ask for evidence off people on why they are exempt from wearing a mask.

I use taxis a lot, including Uber. I haven't got into a single one where the driver isn't wearing a mask.

I got a taxi yesterday. Both the driver and I wore a mask, and he also had a perspex partition thing between the front and back, with me sitting in the back.

Most of the taxi drivers near me don't wear a mask at all.

No one is allowed to ask. Feel so sorry for exempt people having to declare their disabilities in detail to people! The government guidance states you don't have to.

I was in a taxi on Monday with my DP, driver didn't wear a mask, I sat in the front (had to as had just come from hospital with injured foot) and DP in back. No perspex or anything. DP and I both wore our masks.

Where I live in London taxi drivers won't allow anyone to sit in the front at the moment. At least that's been my experience so far.

My experience (London) is that drivers all wear masks.

Taxi drivers have a higher level of risk of exposure to the virus than front line health professionals (and are dying at a much higher rate) so I don't think it's unreasonable for them to be denying travel to those unable to wear a mask (especially if they themselves have conditions that put them at higher risk).

All taxi drivers from my regular company wear masks unless exempt. If they are exempt they have a notice up saying so. They ask all passengers to wear masks unless exempt and sit behind the perspex screen in the back of the vehicle.

so I don't think it's unreasonable for them to be denying travel to those unable to wear a mask

What you think does not matter. It's disability discrimination to refuse to take a passenger for this reason.

Taxi drivers have a higher level of risk of exposure to the virus than front line health professionals (and are dying at a much higher rate) so I don't think it's unreasonable for them to be denying travel to those unable to wear a mask (especially if they themselves have conditions that put them at higher risk)

Well they should wear a mask then. Those screens don't do much most are hand made and have gaps in them and not all taxi drivers have them. They handle money and bet they don't even sanitise the area the passangers sits in.

That can't be black cab drivers though

Huge screen (not a makeshift one) between them and people

Not black cab just a private cab firm. Most have home made plastic sheets with a cut out flap where they take the money. Cannot give any protection at all.

@ChaChaCha2012
Taxi drivers have always had limited exemptions from making reasonable adjustments under the equality act where the reasonable adjustment in question is likely to cause particular issues for an individual driver so it's not unreasonable for such adjustments to expand to cover vulnerable drivers refusing to carry passengers without masks. For example taxi drivers with allergies to dogs are permitted to ask for an exemption to the requirement to carry assistance dogs and in areas where taxis are required to be wheelchair accessible those with specific physical difficulties are allowed an exemption from requirements around physically helping a wheelchair user into a taxi.

And yet chauffeur driven cars are exempt.