• IS it time, now that we live in a very diverse multicultural and so religiously mixed city, that we have public transport running on December 25?

The costly hike that it places on those of us who engage in Christmas celebrations with our families is pricing us out of making contact.

Christmas last year, because of the pandemic, was a lonely and sad occasion for me and for many. In the year 2019 the taxi hike was on the increase again from previous years.

Those drivers employed by taxi companies were, in all the hiring I had, mostly Muslim, one was Hindu – presumably because they were not so likely to want time at home to celebrate this particular day, although I know many Muslims, Hindus and Jews enjoy Christmas too.

I gave up my car decades ago. My young relatives use pushbikes. In fact we are a good example to our mayor Sadiq Khan in not being polluters, but at a cost that leaves us open to this greedy, exploitative, rip-off.

This year, in the hope of an affordable deal, I have shopped around again to find an affordable taxi. However the price hike is now way beyond anything I and my family can pay to meet from our various parts of London.

Let me give you an example: A well known, reliable, respectable, company will charge for a journey from Swiss Cottage to Richmond, the journey I need to take: Today: £31.70 outward, ditto return. Christmas day: £92.05 there, return ditto, total £184.10. I could go to Paris for less!

Other companies are doing similar hikes, the smaller the company the bigger the hike. So from here on we will no longer be celebrating Christmas on December 25. We have moved the date to avoid this outrageous rip-off.

This does not occur during any other religious celebratory dates in our multicultural city because public transport functions.

The solution to the December 25 taxi hike is to have public transport functioning on that day, or change the date for Christmas as our family is doing.

VERY ANGRY GRANDMOTHER
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