"The people’s taxi organisation" - Sheffield taxi firm Time Travel gives back to the homeless community
Sheffield-based wheelchair-accessible taxi firm Time Travels took to the streets this week to support the city’s homeless community.
Members of the taxi firm handed out sleeping bags and bottles of water to those in need, in an effort to provide support.
Affzal Hammed, the managing director and founder of the company said: “It’s the people’s community taxi organisation and we always try to help the community in any way we can.
“As a driver, we all have a heart. And when you see homeless people struggling and coming over to the car asking for spare change it can be really tough to watch, particularly when you see some people that don’t even have a sleeping bag.”
Mr Hammed, who also works on the front line as a driver, visited various different areas in Sheffield city centre to offer kindness and practical help.
“As drivers, we see the real struggles people face daily,” said Mr Hammed. “We hear their stories, we see their pain — and it touches us deeply. As a company, we knew we had to do something.”
He also hopes that the act of goodwill can encourage other companies to do something similar.
Mr Hammed added: “There’s a lot going on in the world and people just need lifting up. There’s too much bad going on. We want to share the love and hope that other places can join us in doing that too.”
“They were really buzzing and really happy to receive help,” explained Mr Hammed.
“You can only imagine what they are going through and just that bit of help gives them a lift. They were nothing but positive. They are human beings just like us and it’s so important to try and understand what people are going through. “
Time Travel, which was founded in 2024, place a special emphasis on making taxis more accessible to wheelchair users.
Mr Hammed, who has been a taxi driver for over 15 years, said: “I heard stories from some people with disabilities mentioning how they weren’t going out purely because of a lack of accessible transport.
“Since we’ve been open everything's changed, and we’ve been able to help people. We do pre-booking and always make sure we can be there to help.
“You're not just a number with our company, every customer matters.”