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People dining out in the run-up to Christmas face being stranded on the streets because the taxi industry cannot cope with demand after the exodus of thousands of drivers during the pandemic, it was warned.
Following reports of a taxi shortage in central Dublin on the first night pubs and restaurants reopened after six weeks of closure, Vinny Kearns, CEO of NXT, one of the largest taxi firms in the country, said that availability would only deteriorate in the coming weeks.
“The situation is going to get worse, not better, until Christmas Eve,” he said.
Mr. Kearns, general secretary of the Association of Representatives of Taxi Dispatch Operators, said that “thousands” of taxi drivers had left the trade to perform delivery and courier work.
“They were in dire straits during the closed shutdowns, with financial companies banging on their doors for late payments on cars and the like,” he said.
“I know a lot of people in the industry, and there are about 20 percent of drivers who also have heavy vehicle licenses, who now drive for supermarkets and wholesalers.
“Many drivers who do not have that license are driving for courier companies that are out the door looking for more drivers. The courier companies are actually calling taxi drivers, knowing they know the way, offering them jobs. “
Kearns said that the surge in demand for goods delivered during restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus, along with a collapse in demand for taxis with shops, pubs and restaurants closed, forced a fifth of drivers to take the car. . another job.
Many were finding better, more lucrative and safer working conditions elsewhere, he added.
“Taxi drivers who for the past eight months were unable to go out and earn £ 50 for 12 hours during the day now drive vans and trucks,” said Kearns, former vice president of the National Taxi Drivers Union.
“They are not coming back. They are quite happy and have as much work as they want. They’re sitting down to dinner, they finished work at 6pm. Many do not have to work on weekends, for a taxi driver that is heaven.
“There are thousands of taxi drivers, and I mean thousands, who have left the industry, who will never return to the industry, who will never drive a taxi again.”
In September, hundreds of taxi drivers protested in Dublin city center, calling for more financial support from the government, and drivers said they were struggling to survive on just 20% of their regular trade.
The rally was supported by four major drivers unions, the National Taxi and Private Hire Association, the Irish Federation of Taxi Drivers, the Irish Taxi Alliance and Trwrnaí Tacsaí na hÉireann.
While drivers may benefit from the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment, Kearns said access to the supplement was too small and too late for drivers under pressure to cover large insurance premiums, car reimbursements, fuel and costs. of maintenance.
“There is nothing that can be done in this short term, because it was left too late,” he warned.
“The taxi drivers have already left and will not return. There will be a serious impact during Christmas. “
Mr. Kearns said that people trying to hail a taxi after a night out during the holiday period “will not be able to get one from now on.”
“Going out shouldn’t be a hassle, but definitely considering that public transport is operating at reduced capacity, the taxi industry won’t be able to cope with pub closing hours on busy nights from now until Christmas,” he added.
“People will have to plan their night. Anyone who thinks they can walk out of a bar and take a taxi, that won’t be the case. Definitely not in the city center.
“People waiting in the streets will be waiting. People who have booked may experience delays, but they will return home. “
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“I was born into the business,” says Dave Murphy, a taxi driver for 35 years, whose father was secretary of the Irish Federation of Taxi Drivers.
“I was the youngest taxi driver in Dublin when I started at 19.”
Murphy, now 54, is quitting the job as a result of the pandemic to retrain as a driving instructor.
“I had a romantic idea early in the outbreak to just take a guilt-free month at work,” he says.
“I stopped the mortgage, the car payments, the credit union, everything, to get a month out. The weather was good.
“But then one month turned into two months, it turned into three. Drivers were only turning 40 or 50 pounds a day. When they were four months old, I knew it wasn’t sustainable. “
The Dundrum driver has two children, one in the final year of college and the other with the Junior Certificate the next year. He says rising bills forced him to draw on his teenage apprenticeship training in stone masonry (carving headstones and making yards) to survive while studying for his driving instructor exams.
While there will be demand for taxis in the coming weeks, Murphy believes it would not be profitable to renew his taxi insurance policy (he was quoted 1,700 euros) that expired last month.
“After Christmas there will be nothing again,” he says.
“Everyone is already talking about going into another lockdown on the new year.
“I have been in the taxi business for more than three decades, I know many drivers. I imagine one in three will leave the business. “
Murphy says he felt there was “no government help” for the taxi industry compared to financial packages given to other industries.
“I wish they had done more for the drivers to be honest,” he adds.
“I’m lucky because I have something I can turn to. There are riders out there who have nothing to turn to, and those guys are the ones I feel the most sorry for. “
For now, he hopes to qualify as a driving instructor by next March.
“I can’t imagine driving a cab again.”
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