Taxi drivers in Sheffield say they’re living with a rising wave of racially motivated attacks on their vehicles, with many reporting that the hostility behind the incidents has taken a clear and alarming turn in recent months.
Mohammed Awais Alyas, director of Sheff Fleet Ltd — which leases taxis to drivers in the city — and a working driver himself, says that while vandalism to vehicles has long been an issue in Sheffield, what’s changed is the motive behind it. “The kids have got a lot braver, and they are more likely to target drivers in a racist attack,” he said. “They know that most drivers are not white, their motive is racism.” Mr Alyas said the pattern has been building for the last two years but has become noticeably more frequent in recent months. Some drivers have resorted to removing the Sheffield City Council logo from their vehicles, in the hope of avoiding being identified as taxis — and therefore targeted — from a distance.
Among those affected is driver Mohammad Shafiq, who reported an incident at an Iceland supermarket car park on Barnsley Road. He described how a group of four or five youths approached his car on 29 July, with one shouting at him while another opened the rear door while he was still sitting inside. He managed to drive away safely, though objects were thrown at his car as he left. South Yorkshire Police confirmed an investigation into the incident is ongoing, with officers reviewing CCTV footage to try to identify those responsible. The force has previously introduced a dedicated patrol plan for areas including Parson Cross and Wordsworth Avenue, following earlier reports of youths throwing items at vehicles and attempting to stop cars at traffic lights.
South Yorkshire Police figures put some scale on the issue: of 346 hate crime investigations recorded in Sheffield between 1 July and the time of reporting, 1.45% involved a victim who was a taxi driver. A police spokesperson said taxi drivers can be particularly vulnerable to hate crime because of how often they interact with the public, and because much of their work happens within the night-time economy. Officers said they have attended community engagement events and mosque visits as part of their response, and have told drivers who don’t want to report an incident mid-shift that they can do so online or via 101 once they’ve finished working.
This isn’t an isolated flashpoint — DM News has previously reported on Sheffield taxi drivers describing near-daily stone-throwing incidents targeting their vehicles across the city. What’s emerged now is a sharper, more specific picture: drivers and industry figures increasingly describing the pattern not just as anti-social behaviour, but as racially motivated.
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