Bedbugs in Taxis and Minicabs: Hammersmith and Fulham

Why a Car Is a Poor Home for Bedbugs

Bedbugs live near somewhere a person sleeps, because they feed at rest and return to a hiding place close by. A passenger seat is occupied for a short ride by a different person each time, with nobody lying still for hours. That makes it a place bedbugs pass through rather than one where they settle and breed.

The exception is a vehicle someone sleeps in, or one that regularly carries bedding, mattresses or furniture. In those, bugs can hide in seams and under trim for a long time; our guide on how long bedbugs live explains why they can wait.

How One Ends Up in a Cab

• A passenger with bedbugs at home carries one on clothing or in a bag, and it drops off onto the seat.
• A suitcase that sat in an infested hotel room goes into the boot with a few bugs in its seams or pockets.
• A bag of bedding or a piece of furniture is carried in the back seat.

The seat seams, the gap between the back and the base of a bench seat, and the lining of the boot are where a stray bug would tuck itself in.

For Passengers

There is no need to avoid cabs. The sensible habits are the ones you would use after any trip: unpack on a hard floor rather than on the bed, look over the seams of your bag, and put clothes straight into the wash if anything worries you.

If you are travelling from a place you know has bedbugs, such as your own home during an infestation, keep belongings in a sealed bag and tell us, as it helps us plan. If you find a bug on yourself after a ride, catch it and photograph it; our guide on how to photograph a bedbug shows how.

For Drivers

The bigger concern for a driver is not the car itself but the chance of carrying a bug home. A few routines keep that low.

1. Vacuum the seats regularly, working the nozzle along the seams and into the join between seat back and base, and empty the vacuum outside afterwards.
2. Look over the boot lining and any seat covers when you clean.
3. If a passenger leaves bedding or a bag behind, handle it in a sealed bag.
4. Wash seat covers and any blanket kept in the car hot.
5. At home, leave your work jacket and bag away from the bedroom.

If you find a bug in the car, do not panic and do not start spraying household products into the upholstery. Catch it, photograph it, and give the car a thorough vacuum. Then check your own bed and the places around it, because the home matters more than the vehicle.

When to Call Us

Ring us if you find more than one bug in a vehicle, if you keep finding them, or if you are getting bites at home. Tell us what you have found and where, and we will say what we can do. For a home, an inspection from £120 confirms whether bedbugs have come home with you before you pay for treatment, which starts from £220.

If you run a firm with several drivers or vehicles, our page on commercial bedbug treatment in Hammersmith and Fulham covers planning work across a business.

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