At Cab Direct we are passionate about supporting the taxi trade which has been so heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and we’re pleased to hear about the updates regarding the support packages available to the self-employed, including taxi drivers.
It has been reported in the news recently that a ‘hardship scheme’ has been rubber-stamped by the government for taxi drivers and coach drivers in Northern Ireland. Nichola Mallon, Infrastructure Minister for the region, has been given the green light to develop the scheme by Ireland’s First Minister. She recognises that many taxi drivers have fallen through the gaps in the existing government schemes available and that the trade has been severely affected by a huge drop in customers following the closures of so much of the countries amenities that contribute to drivers workloads.
First Minister for Northern Ireland Arlene Foster stated, “It is absolutely right that they should be able to avail of financial assistance to sustain them through this difficult time and I hope they will take some comfort in the knowledge that support will be forthcoming.”
Breaking news today however suggests that this support package might only be £1,500 and drivers are calling it a ‘go away’ payment. With no nighttime trade available and less and less people visiting the city centres for work or social purposes, many drivers say it’s not even worth taking their taxis out on the road or putting in fuel.
Existing Packages
We are eagerly awaiting confirmation of how the financial rescue package will look and understand if this is something which will be extended amongst other regions in the UK>
The current Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) and Bounce Bank loans are deemed to be insufficient to the dire situation facing cabbies and the trade badly needs more help.
It was reported at the end of May that across the UK a total of 2,942,000 self-employed individuals had made claims to the Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) at a total of £896million.
Some taxi drivers are being forced to live off Universal Credit which can be extremely difficult as it will typically be much lower than their usual income and they will still and still have car payments and insurance to cover. Many drivers have cars worth over £20,000, with monthly payments of around £350.
In response to the scheme planned for Northern Ireland, the areas Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill said: “I’m pleased that the Executive’s support schemes will soon include a bespoke funding package to alleviate the hardship being faced by workers in these sectors.”
At Cab Direct we are here to support the trade in every way we can so please get in touch if we can help you buy a new hackney taxi, standard car or even an approved used taxi.
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland