People looking for a taxi may experience long waits after V Cars confirmed that it is affected by a widespread driver shortage in the industry. 

The company is expecting there to be disruption to journeys in Swindon and the wider region during the autumn and winter months and has asked people for their understanding and patience. 

Managing director of V Cars Ryan Owen said: “Regrettably, passengers are having to wait longer than normal. We are taking all the steps we can to increase the number of licensed drivers to match the high demand of journeys by the public. 

“Just like within the road haulage industry there is a nationwide shortage of licensed private hire drivers. We ask for patience as we partner with new and additional drivers to meet resurgent demand.”

The shortage in drivers is cited to be caused by a combination of thousands of registered taxi and private hire vehicle drivers retiring or leaving the industry and delays in new drivers getting licensed by local authorities. 

V Cars also claims some local authorities stopped processing applications altogether during Covid and have only now restarted the process. It says it will take time for the new influx of drivers to come in and until then, there may be delays.

Since lockdown restrictions eased and things ‘got back to normal’ the demand for taxis and private hire vehicles has increased and it is putting pressure on operators like V Cars, which is also experiencing a dramatic increase in calls, meaning it also needs to recruit telephone advisors.

Veezu – which operates five regional brands including V Cars – is looking for 4,000 additional drivers across England and Wales to meet the already high current booking demand. It expects that to increase as the nights draw in and the weather becomes wetter and colder.

Mr Owen said: “We are doing everything we possibly can as quickly as we can. 

"We hope the public can understand that the private hire industry is facing severe shortages and can empathise with our situation. We would like to remind passengers that the quickest and most effective way of booking a car is to use our app."