According to information looked at by RAC Insurance, the number of vehicles stolen in the UK increased by 10,000 in the space of twelve months to more than 150,000 in the year 2018/2019. We are sure that you will agree that is a large increase. However, what is more concerning is that 56% more vehicles were stolen than four years prior to 2018/19 i.e. back in 2014/2015.

Whilst we do not have data to hand of how many taxis were stolen in these periods there will no doubt have been a number of taxi thefts. There are some news articles on the Internet mentioning about the theft of taxis as well as thieves robbing taxi drivers.

The Metropolitan Police force saw the biggest increase in the number of vehicle thefts with 30,773 being recorded in 2018/2019 that was an increase of 9,635 when compared with 2014/2015. In second place came the West Midlands with 10,372 vehicle thefts in 2018/2019– an increase of 5,677 when compared with 2014/2015.

The biggest increase in percentage terms was recorded by Suffolk police that saw 945 vehicle thefts in 2018/2019 compared to 347 in 2014/2015 – a rise of 172%.

There were three police forces that saw a fall in vehicle thefts between those two periods – Police Scotland, City of London and Lincolnshire.

Whilst the theft of any vehicle is upsetting, if a taxi is stolen then it can have a huge impact upon the driver’s income as, without the taxi, the driver is unable to generate money thus potentially causing financial hardship. Taxi thefts at any time of the year are disturbing but in the pandemic it could have a greater impact as, for instance, the taxi driver’s partner may have lost his or her job due to COVID-19.

So, what sort of things can a taxi driver do to reduce the possibility of his or taxi being stolen?

• Don’t leave the vehicle parked overnight on the street outside your home if at all possible – put it on the drive or, better still, in the garage.
• Always take the keys out of the ignition whenever you get out of the taxi perhaps to open the door for a customer thus reducing the possibility of a car thief jumping into the driver’s seat whilst you are doing this and driving off with your taxi.
• Fit an alarm, engine immobiliser and tracking device that may help act as a deterrent. The later may help locate your taxi if it is stolen.
• Use a steering wheel lock
• Don’t leave your taxi keys in the hall when you return home as a thief may be able to remove them.

Do make sure that you have competitive, quality taxi insurance in place. In this respect, why not get in touch with us to obtain a quotation without any obligation.