Taxi costs soaring for families during bus strike

Gillian Hill and her husband had waited three months for his appointment

By Caroline Gall

BBC News, West Midlands

A couple said they paid £40 in taxis to attend a long-awaited appointment amid the ongoing bus strike - despite National Express saying they would try to keep hospital routes going.

Gillian Hill, from Solihull, said the number 73 service was not available forcing her and her unwell husband to hire taxis instead.

They had waited over three months for the Heartland's Hospital appointment.

The trust advised people to check which services were available.

National Express West Midlands workers began industrial action on Monday in a row over pay. A new offer from the firm is being considered by Unite members.

Mrs Hill said she and her husband use buses to get to his appointments for a thyroid problem.

"We paid the taxi fare, not willingly, but I'm sure there's a lot of people out there who couldn't afford to pay the fare and would have had to have cancel their appointments," she said.

"He's been so poorly for the past three months that we're not going to cancel any appointments. We'll get there somehow."

'A nightmare'

As well as advising patients to check routes before travelling, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust added: "If you are a patient and remain concerned that you cannot make your appointment, please discuss this with your hospital team via the telephone number on your appointment letter."

Kerry Bradley from Bilston was also affected by the strike and has spent up to £160 with her daughter to get to and from work since Monday.

Using buses was her and her daughter's only way to get to work and that they had used a credit card but would now have to "squeeze" things to find a way to pay for it.

"It's a case of as soon as the buses are off, we are sort of stuffed," she said.

"On Monday it cost us £55 for the one day... and by tonight we will have spent about £150 to £160 on taxis.

She said she said she supported more money for drivers, but could not afford to pay for more taxis.

Unite said workers are voting in a ballot over the revised pay offer up from 14.3% to 16.2% and the results will be known on Saturday.

The company has apologised to customers for the disruption and said the latest offer was "fair and decent".

If Unite accepts, buses could be running a reduced service on Sunday, with a normal service from Monday.

Jackie, from Kingstanding, is blind and a single parent to her son Pagan who usually gets the bus to his sixth form in Sutton Coldfield.

Kerry Bradley said she and her daughter had spent £160 on taxis this week using her husband's credit card

The strike has been impacting his A-level studies ahead of mock exams next week, a situation she described as a "nightmare".

"Covid affected his GCSEs and now this bus strike is affecting his A-levels," she said.

She said she had been asking people for help with lifts and the stress had really affected her son and would have to use taxis if the strike continued.

"I'm absolutely petrified about the costs of this. I just don't know where the money is going to come from. Something else is going to have to give to pay for taxis," she added.

She urged drivers to think about the impact and get back to work after accepting the revised pay offer so they could "get back to normal".

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