MEASURES have been put in place to ensure the safety of customers using taxis following the easing of the coronavirus lockdown.

Hyndburn taxi drivers are doing their bit to make customers who travel in private hire or hackney carriage vehicles in the borough feel safer as lockdown eases during COVID-19 pandemic.

Protective screens between the front and back of cars have been put in place, with customers asked only to sit in the rear of the vehicles to help maintain social distancing.

The council's licensing department is also asking customers to help to keep everyone safe by wearing a face covering when travelling by taxi or private hire, as drivers are within their rights to refuse to carry a customer who will not wear one.

Cllr Joyce Plummer, Cabinet Member for Licensing, said: "Taxi and private hire drivers have been working throughout the pandemic to ensure that all of our key workers can get to and from work, often at unsociable hours when other public transport would not be available and on behalf of the council Iā€™d like to say a huge thank you to all of them for their tireless efforts working in a very frontline role.ā€