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The Budget does not go far enough to help taxi drivers, who each day of this pandemic have fallen “further into poverty and debt,” said a representative of the taxi drivers.
The Government announced that the self-employed will be able to claim the Pandemic Unemployment Payment while they continue to perform intermittent jobs.
The measure, aimed at helping those who have been severely affected by Covid-19, means that the self-employed, including taxi drivers, will be able to earn up to 480 euros a month, or 120 euros a week, without losing payment.
Jim Waldron of the National Association of Private Taxis and Rentals said that while the new measures were welcome, they were “not enough” when drivers were “directly affected by other costs.”
Fuel prices are expected to increase from midnight on Tuesday due to changes announced by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe.
Jim Waldron said he was extremely disappointed that taxi drivers were not specifically mentioned in the budget (Niall Carson / PA) “>Tax breaks for green vehicles and higher VRT rates for polluting cars are some of the other measures that will affect drivers across the country.
Waldron said he was “extremely disappointed” that taxi drivers were not “specifically mentioned” in the budget.
“There are a lot of people working in the pandemic on low incomes who provide a very vital service, bringing other people who are classified as frontline workers to and from their jobs and we have been completely ignored once again,” he said . He said.
Before the budget, taxi drivers had sought a series of measures to support the sector in its response to Covid-19.
These included a financial package to help them return to work, a moratorium on the issuance of taxi licenses, a two-year extension of the age limit requirements for vehicles, and continued retention and access to bus lanes.
“Every day of this pandemic, taxi drivers fall deeper into poverty, deeper into debt because we continue to pay the payments that we are required to pay,” said Waldron.
“Many people are working during the pandemic with very low income.”
There are many people working in the pandemic on low income who provide a very vital service, bringing other people who are classified as frontline workers to and from their jobs and we have been completely ignored once again.
Not only have drivers been affected “very badly from an economic point of view,” but Waldron said it had also been difficult for drivers from a mental health perspective.
“I would say that most taxi drivers like to work, they like to interact with people,” he said. “Now there are people sitting at home staring at four walls and they haven’t had anyone to talk to and it’s very difficult to handle that.”
Kildare’s Waldron said some drivers had returned to work in recent months, but many had been forced to re-sign the pandemic payment due to the introduction of Level 3 restrictions.
He said the electric car incentives outlined in the budget were of no help when drivers were struggling financially.
“I don’t see how they expect any driver who is in the depths of poverty right now to invest 65,000 euros in a new electric vehicle,” he said.
“I would suggest that there is no driver in the country who can pay that after six months without winning.”
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