Addison Lee is to install partition screens across its 4,000-strong private hire fleet from next week as part of measures to protect drivers and customers.

Addison Lee says it’s the first private hire operator to fit partition screens across its fleet

Announced as London begins the return to work, it’s believed to mark a first amongst the private hire sector and comes as a new survey shows commuting is companies’ top concern after lockdown.

The findings, taken from a survey of Addison Lee’s largest customers, have revealed 80% of them will review policies around how employees get to and from work, with 90% citing safety as their priority when it comes to using minicabs or taxis.

The new screens join Addison Lee’s existing safety measures, such as providing drivers with PPE including masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and disinfectant. The company also employs an electrostatic antimicrobial cleanse of vehicles and facilitates social distancing using the rear seats of its seven-seater vehicles.

Addison Lee CEO Liam Griffin said: “If London is to gradually get moving again as the Government adjusts its advice, it is vital to ensure that the public transport network is not overwhelmed, and that people have a clean and safe way to travel as they go back to work. This represents an enormous challenge for policy makers, businesses and commuters in the capital. Private hire vehicle passenger services with strong safety and environmental standards are vital to ensuring individual car users do not swamp London’s roads, as has been seen in other countries where lockdowns have lifted.”

The new screens are flame-retardant, securely fitted, shatterproof and clear, so as not to impede the driver’s visibility and to enable clear communication between the passenger and driver.

Griffin continued: “We have a duty of care to our drivers, and we know that across the industry drivers have started to install a variety of home-made partitions. By implementing a single, tested model in each of our vehicles, we can ensure that the solution we are providing is safe and effective for both passengers and drivers.”