A CABBIE was found dead in his taxi while waiting in a huge queue to collect a fare at Heathrow Airport. The 56-year-old man is believed to have been dead for at least three days before he was discovered in a sleeping bag in the back of the car on Wednesday afternoon. The tragedy comes […]
A CABBIE was found dead in his taxi while waiting in a huge queue to collect a fare at Heathrow Airport.
The 56-year-old man is believed to have been dead for at least three days before he was discovered in a sleeping bag in the back of the car on Wednesday afternoon.
The tragedy comes as an increasing number of desperate cabbies choose to live in their vehicles outside the airport in a bid to collect fares, the Daily Mirror reports.
With flights grounded during the pandemic, taxi drivers have seen their revenue plunge and struggled to collect as little as one fare a day.
One cabbie told the newspaper that the lack of international travel had seen his income fall 60 per cent.
It has prompted huge queues outside London’s main airport, with drivers waiting for over 24 hours to pick up a passenger and not leaving the line for fear of missing out.
Paying tribute to the dead cabbie, fellow taxi driver Jimmy, 74, told the Mirror: “He used to sleep here all of the time.
“He didn’t have a healthy lifestyle. It’s a terrible tragedy.
“This pandemic has affected all of us though. I got here at 3am, and I’ll be lucky to leave by 6pm.
“We know everyone’s got their problems, but it’s been really bad for us.”
Another driver, who asked not to be named, told the newspaper: “We are all working very long hours, and trying to keep our families together, and it’s very stressful.”
A Scotland Yard spokesperson said: “Police were called shortly after 16:01hrs on Wednesday, 12 May to Newall Road, near Heathrow following reports of an unresponsive man in a car.
“Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and a man in his 50s was pronounced dead at the scene. The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”
A Heathrow Airport spokesperson said: “We are aware of and saddened by this incident. Our teams are on hand to support with any Police enquiries.”
