This Manchester private hire company is going the extra mile to keep its passengers safe

The only way to feel 100% safe right now is to stay at home. But most of us can’t do that for one reason or another.

Some of us have to leave home to go to work or go shopping. Some want to go out to get a bit of sunshine or exercise, especially if they haven’t got a decent sized garden.

Government advice is to avoid using public transport where possible. But this can be difficult, especially for people without their own transport, so face coverings are going to become mandatory on public transport from 15th June.

Many people rely on taxis and private hire vehicles to get to and from work, hospitals, GPs and to go shopping. You may not be sharing it with other passengers, but you are sitting in an enclosed space less than a metre away from the driver.

So it’s good to know one of Manchester’s leading private hire companies is taking the health and safety of its passengers – and drivers – very seriously indeed.

Street Cars know a thing or two about running a successful private hire business. They have the largest fleet of private hire vehicles, executive cars and minibuses in Manchester city centre. And last year they were named the official private hire taxi partner of Manchester Airport.

The best way to prevent the spread of coronavirus is to minimise human contact – so that’s exactly what Street Cars are doing.

Street Cars’ passengers have no physical contact with the driver thanks to a polycarbonate shield which separates the front part of the vehicle from the back seats, creating a safety bubble between driver and passengers. Payment is cashless via Paypal or through the Street Cars app.

And vehicles are disinfected and sanitised daily using a state-of-the-art thermal fog device which releases smoke into the vehicle and gets into every corner.

These are just some of the measures contained in the Street Cars safety charter, an 11-point plan implemented at all times by the operator and drivers which is designed to make Street Cars’ passengers and drivers as safe as possible at this time.

“Passenger safety is our number one priority,” said Street Cars boss Naveed Arshad. “This great city has endured a lot over the last few months and our thoughts go out to all the people who have been affected.

“As a local firm that loves Manchester, we want to do everything we can do to help in the current pandemic by taking all the precautions possible and making the necessary changes to the way we operate. This includes having a COVID-19 charter that everyone sticks to and investing in protective bubbles and thermal fog solutions in all of our cars.”

So before you book a private hire vehicle, why not ask your regular operator if they have put any safety measures in place to protect passengers against coronavirus.

If they haven’t, you might want to think about using Street Cars. Because when it comes to the safety of their drivers and passengers, they really are going the extra mile.