Traditionally, August is a quiet month for the taxi industry. Now, 2 weeks into August, within a pandemic, we have the bizarre situation of more and more drivers returning to work and signing off the covid 19 unemployment payment.
Reasons for returning are varied but it seems most feel pressured to give up the welfare payments and go back to taxiing..................
• Their insurance company refuse to extend social and domestic cover only, so the driver has to go back to full taxi insurance, which is a lot more expensive, and they consider the only way to cover the cost is to return to work.
• The driver has had weekly payment reduced to €203 from €350 because there seems to be no recognition from government that although a taxi is not in use it still costs to have it sitting in the driveway.
• Freenow advising that their app is busy when it clearly is not.
• There's a lot of confusion over the vehicle licence suspension.
• Apply for the meagre government once off grant of up to €1000.
Reading through the terms and conditions of this “grant”, drivers will realise that the most they will receive will be in or around €250 as it only covers back to work expenses.
During a news conference on Tuesday 12th Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar was asked about pubs and nightclubs reopening.
“If it is a case that on August 28th that we're saying to the pubs that you have to stay closed for a bit longer...........I would like to be in a position... ...... to have a package of additional financial support for pubs and night clubs. “
No mention of similar packages for taxis.
Varadkar was speaking at the Guinness enterprise centre where he announced a €12 million fund to help enterprise centres impacted by covid 19.
During his statement Varadkar said, “I'm looking forward to going to the pub again and to nightclubs.”
Hopefully, when he's done dancing the night away, he can get a taxi to take him home to Castleknock, there might be some drivers still in the business.
Upon returning home at 9.30am, he asked his wife to hail a taxi from her phone using the app. He thought there may be something wrong with his Freenow app. When she did this, his app sounded for the hail.
Parked in Rathfarnham for the day, his app didn't sound again. He switched it off at 6pm.
He also said that for his two hours on the road during peak time that morning, not one person put their hand out to hail his taxi.
Freenow left hundreds of drivers in the lurch this week when they neglected to deposit payments into their accounts. This is totally unacceptable when drivers are reporting their earnings to be a mere €5 an hour.
Freenow sit on the taxi advisory committee!!!
Jim Waldron from the National Private Hire and Taxi Association said, “ 82% of drivers are at work on a Friday evening, surveys have shown this, and obviously there's no Friday night work and no Saturday night work................. we're looking for the age limit on a car to be extended. We're looking for subsidised driving, in other words, we're looking for the government to give us, like a back to work grant that people obviously get when they're going back into industry, and we're looking for start-up grants as well towards our fixed costs.”
Taxi drivers all over the country will need to band together to obtain a common goal. The industry badly needs government assistance in order to survive and not a once off grant of up to €1000.
Help will have to be given in the form of weekly payments to drivers who have returned, or wish to return, to work.
In February 2018 the NTA launched an advertising campaign looking to recruit 1,600 taxi drivers with the slogan,
“If you’re bored with your nine to five, or you’re looking for something that will give you more flexibility, or you’d prefer to be your own boss, driving a taxi, might be just what you’re looking for. And as long as you have a clean driving licence, it’s easy to apply.”
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RlMGFpWtholtKpUg39fPPBzgkJzofjgg/view?usp=drivesdk
The above link is a pdf document aimed at anybody considering taking up taxi driving. Its aim is for full disclosure and transparency. Irish taxi drivers should download this document, print a few copies, staple them together and leave them in the test centres for all to read. Keep a copy in your cab, people considering taxi driving for a living usually talk to a taxi driver, let them read it. Drop a copy into the Freenow office, they seem to like recruiting new people into the industry. The document is also posted at the end of this blog.
So, the NTA have funds for an advertising campaign!! Shouldn't these funds be put towards advertising the use of taxis rather than recruiting more unsuspecting people into a decimated industry?
Thoughts or comments to taxisincrisis@gmail.com
Considering a career as an Irish taxi driver?
Here are some things you will need to know.
Statistics and monetary figures mentioned are pre covid 19. The final chapter will take the pandemic into account. This is an informational document in the interest of transparency and disclosure and not meant as advisory, there is no hidden agenda and it is non-political.
Three ways a newcomer can legally drive a taxi.
1. Rent a complete taxi, usually from a multiple plate holder.
2. Rent a taxi plate and put it on your own car. This means you have to sign your car over to the plate holder and be covered on his/her insurance.
3. Apply for a wheelchair accessible licence which means the purchase of an expensive wheelchair accessible vehicle.
The rental of a complete taxi.
You’ll have to sign over your motor insurance no claims discount to the renters insurance company. You will then be quoted upwards to €5000 for cover which will be built into the rental cost, usually around €180 per week, giving you a weekly rental/insurance cost of €276. Upkeep, maintenance and repairs along with NCT and suitability tests will be taken care of by the renter within the rental agreement.
The rental of a taxi plate.
You sign over your car to the plate owner. Then you sign over your motor insurance and no claims discount to the plate owners insurance, you then become a name driver on their policy. Again the cost can be upwards of €5,000. The plate owner has to be tax compliant and produce a tax clearance certificate every year. The car cannot be more than nine years old and will have to go through the NCT and suitability tests. More than likely this car will be financed giving you an average weekly cost of €250 as you will be responsible for maintenance and repairs along with weekly plate rental, ( average €60 per week), annual tests and licences.
The purchase of a wheelchair accessible vehicle.
A two year old wheelchair accessible VW Caddy will be priced at around €36,000. The NTA grant for this vehicle is €6,000, you would have to finance this vehicle for €30,000 then put it through NCT and suitability. Insurance on this vehicle will be around the same as the other quotes mentioned, in or around €5,000 per annum giving you an average weekly cost €240. This includes loan repayment, maintenance, repairs, annual tests and licences.
All in all, the taxi sitting in your driveway will cost you an average of €260 a week before you even start working.
The majority of the taxi fleet is driven by diesel engines followed by the hybrid Prius. Fuel costs for the average taxi are around €160 - €200 per week for full time drivers. Add this cost to the fixed costs mentioned above, before you start making a wage each week you’ll have spent €420 / €460 on the vehicle. That’s an annual cost of €22,000.
Regardless of whether you choose to work days or nights the average takings for an Irish taxi driver are in or around €16 per hour. Weekend nights are busier and the takings can increase to €25 per hour on Friday and Saturday nights.
These are average figures. Some weeks are busier than others, particularly in summer when there are festivals, concerts, sports etc. The 3 weeks leading up to Christmas are very busy but these busy times are offset by January, February and March when it is very quiet.
The beginning of each month can be busy, people have received wages, but by the second week business starts to fall off to a very quiet end of month. So, the figures above take the whole year into account.
Most fulltime drivers will work 10 hour shifts, six days a week, and, regardless of whether they work days or nights, they will work Friday and Saturday nights until 4/5am.
So, taking all into account, for a 60 hour week, including the two weekend nights, taxi drivers earn €11.35 per hour.
Takings = €1140.00 per 60 hr. Week.
Fixed costs = €460.00 per week.
Wage = €680.00 per week or €11.35 per hour.
The reason income is so low is because the industry is over supplied with taxi's.
Comparison wage according to glassdoor.ie ......
McDonalds average €10.00 per hour.
Dunnes Stores average €11.49 per hour.
Tesco average €11.21 per hour.
Lidl average €12.30 per hour.
Aldi average €12.10 per hour.
The recommended living wage is €12.30 per hour.
Needless to say, working less hours reduces the hourly rate as the fixed costs stay the same.
There is always the possibility of a vehicle breaking down, “Murphy's law” dictates that it'll happen on a Friday or Saturday night. This will affect your takings, and depending on the fault, may cost more than you've already made. A taxi driver reported recently an automatic gearbox replacement at a cost of €3000.
There are a number of ways for taxi's to operate. Ranks, cruising, taxi apps and radio companies.
When ranking a taxi can spend upwards to one hour, (depending on time of day), before a tour is engaged. Usually these tours are local and will pay €10/€15. Unfortunately councils don't seem to value taxi ranks and they are slowly being diminished. Because the industry has a huge over supply of taxis it is quickly realised by newcomers that there is rarely room on city ranks and that a number of illegal ranks have been created. Taxi's sometimes park behind or in front of official ranks. Many drivers have been fined by the regulator for this offence but, unfortunately, there is nowhere else for taxi's to go.
Cruising tends to be fruitless and wastes fuel.
Taxi apps can hail at anytime and again tend to be local tours. One app in particular charges 15% of the fare...............see https://bluelightblogspot.blogspot.com/2020/06/taxis-in-crisis.html
Radio companies give a better indication of available work where the taxi driver can choose bookings, although a lot are local tours, some can be further afield. Most radio company’s do account work where the driver is not paid for the job for two weeks. Some work is discounted at the drivers cost. Taxi drivers have to pay radio company’s weekly to stay on their books.
You will decide your working times although you will have to be regimental and extremely disciplined. It has been said that when self employed you can pick and choose your time off and on, this is not the case for taxi drivers, the fact is, if you don't work, you don't get paid, and, if you're not consistent, you won't last in the industry. It's very easy to decide to go home because it's quiet, do that on a regular basis and you'll find yourself in massive debt and on the unemployment line. To earn a living, albeit minimum wage, you'll have to work ten hours a day, six days a week.
If you have a partner and children dependent on you, before you decide to take on a taxi you will have to discuss it with them first.
Issues you will have to broach are........
1. The finance to acquire a taxi.
2. Your working hours and the fact you will be absent from the home for a minimum of ten hours a day, 6 days a week including the two weekend nights.
3. The threat you face every day when at work. Robbery and assault are rife in the industry as taxi drivers are extremely vulnerable and are known to carry cash.
Many taxi drivers are either divorced or separated due to the pressures of taxi driving.
• The 10 hour a day absence from home.
• Not being there to help out with children etc.
• The weekend night work.
• The worry by family of the possible threat of assault on the driver.
• The tiredness and financial strain have all affected relationships.
On an annual basis, at the very least, you will have to deal with issues around the NTA, licence renewals, suitability test, NCT and possible fines etc. These are very stressful issues.........see https://bluelightblogspot.blogspot.com/2020/07/is-nta-fit-for-purpose.html
This is an extract from the Irish Mirror from April last year and although it just reports on Dublin, these instances are the same in all counties.
Five taxi stories from April show just what Dublin drivers are up against
BY
Gavin O'Callaghan
15:46, 29 APR 2019
April 27, Kilcare Drive, Tallaght
A taxi driver was injured and robbed in his own car during an early morning assault by two passengers.
The shocking incident happened in the early hours of last Saturday morning at around 4.10am on Kilclare Drive in Jobstown, Tallaght.
Emergency services were called and an ambulance attended the scene, with the driver receiving facial injuries during the attack.
Gardai told Dublin Live that the investigation into the shocking incident is ongoing, with no arrests made.
April 21, Malahide Road, Donnycarney
A man voluntarily handed himself in to gardai after going viral in a shocking video that emerged online.
The man can be seen shouting racial insults to the taxi driver in the footage and is physically and racially abusive.
The incident took place at about 10pm on Easter Sunday on the Malahide Road, Donnycarney in Dublin.
The Co Kerry native, who lives in Dublin, went to Malahide Garda Station where it is believed he made a statement.
The man can be seen leaning in towards the driver and shouting “what’s your favourite position?” before describing him as a n****r multiple times.
The taxi driver looks confused as his passenger had been quiet moments before the verbal and physical tirade erupted.
The man - who appears to be highly intoxicated - then can be seen punching the driver and calls him a “f***ing c***”, in the video shared on Twitter,
The aggressive man, in his 30s, then takes off his seatbelt, and roars numerous times that he is a “police officer”.
April 13, Ballyogan Road
Thirty-nine-year-old Imram Shah was knocked unconscious by a vicious group after taking them from O'Connell st out to Ballyogan.
Shah told Dublin Live he collected a group of two females and three males in his six-seater at 3am before taking some to Blackrock and the rest on to Ballyogan.
When the meter hit €41 Imram asked one of them to give him the €50 that he was holding - that's when things took a horrible turn.
He said: "One of them was holding €50, and I asked him for it, just as an assurance, as the fare was already €41. Suddenly one of them jumped from the back towards the front and spilled the coke and food everywhere.
"I got a big fright and switched off the engine and got out. I was talking to one of them and I said to him that I let them do what they wanted, blaring music and eating in the car. All of a sudden, I got hit full force between my ear and eye.
Another one then hit me full force on the neck, and I fell back against my taxi, and was unconscious."
When Imram woke up, the ruffians were gone, and he was in extreme pain.
After a visit to the GP the next day, fears of broken bones were allayed as the doctor confirmed they were bad injuries, but no breaks.
Imram plans to continue to serve his community, getting people home safely, despite the cowardly attack.
April 5, Avonbeg Road, Tallaght
Seventy-year-old Shay McKenna was stabbed during an attack by a man and woman in Tallaght on April 5th.
They took cash and the car which was later found burnt out in the Brookview area of the southside town.
Despite the horror attack, plucky Shay returned to the road within two weeks telling Dublin Live he's refusing to let them stop him.
April 4, Bridge St, Clongriffin, Coolock
Gardai are investigating after three girls armed with a large knife tried to hold up a cab driver in north Dublin last night.
The taxi driver had just dropped off a customer in the Clongriffin area shortly after 10:30pm when the three hooded thugs jumped into the back of his cab.
The alert cabbie demanded that the girls pull down their hoods, telling the trio that he wasn’t going anywhere unless they did.
At that point one of the women pulled out a large knife and threatened the man, who quickly got out of his taxi.
The armed woman then jumped in front of the car, and a struggle ensued in which the taxi driver managed to get the blade off the girl.
However the brave driver suffered cuts to his hands in the attack, while the three teens fled.
End of article.
A serious assault can be devastating for a taxi driver. Partners and family will be seriously affected especially if the driver intends to resume work. Again, while off work, no pay.
“Runners" and soiling.
When picking up from a street hail there is the possibility of the passenger “doing a runner", exiting the taxi without paying the fare and running away. This can occur when using taxi apps as well. Some of them only need the customer to input an email address to open an account, that way there is very little traceability. Criminals have been known to hail taxis on one particular app, luring the taxis to a remote location and robbing them on arrival.
The driver can phone the Garda in these instances, but, although most Garda do their best to be helpful and are very sympathetic to the drivers' plight, very little can be done and the driver will have wasted an hour or more along with either being robbed or had someone do a runner.
BY
Gavin O'Callaghan
06:00, 6 FEB 2020
UPDATED07:28, 6 FEB 2020
Up to 8 youths lure taxi driver with booking app before threatening and robbing him in Adamstown, west Dublin
The thugs kicked the car and attacked the driver who thankfully didn't suffer any bad injuries
day
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An innocent taxi driver was threatened by a gang of teens before being robbed in a callous attack in west Dublin.
Gardai are on the hunt for a group of up to eight youths who got away with a sum of cash in Adamstown on Tuesday evening.
The thugs kicked the car and attacked the driver who thankfully didn't suffer any bad injuries.
It's believed the man was lured to the area by the gang via a booking app on someone's phone.
Gardai quickly arrived at the scene and made sure that the driver was okay following the scary incident.
A spokesman told Dublin Live a full investigation is now underway.
He said: "Gardaí are investigating a robbery incident that occurred at approximately 8.10pm in Adamstown, Lucan on Tuesday 4th February 2020
"It’s understood a number of males entered a vehicle and threatened the driver before taking a sum of cash and fleeing.
"No injuries were reported. No arrests have been made and investigations are ongoing.
End of article.
The inside of a taxi can be easily soiled while on a shift. Vomiting, eating of fast food, drink spillages etc. Although there is a soiling charge, this is rarely collected and doesn't cover the valeting costs or the time the vehicle is out of commission. Depending on how badly the taxi is soiled, it may have to go off shift immediately and may be off the road for a couple of days.
Woman fell asleep and soiled back seat of taxi
Nicola Donnelly
July 06 2015 07:17 PM
A WOMAN who fell asleep in a taxi and soiled the seat has been given time to come up with compensation for the taxi driver.
Martina Cramitch (26) was brought to Balbriggan Garda Station after the taxi driver could not wake her up. She had soiled the seat while she was asleep.
Sergeant Tony Tighe said when Cramitch was brought to the garda station, officers had to carry her out of the taxi. He said the amount of damage Cramitch caused to the seat of the car plus the taxi fare came to a total of €208.
Cramitch, of The Orchard in Oldtown, Co Dublin pleaded guilty to the non-payment of a taxi fare on February 28 at Tankardstown.
Judge Dempsey then adjourned the case until July 16 for Cramitch to bring €220 to court.
He said if the money is paid he will strike the case out but if she fails to make the payment he will impose a default order of a €200 fine and a conviction.
End of article.
Although ordered to pay €220 there is no way this covered the cost of cleaning that taxi. Firstly, it would have to be taken straight out of service, losing the earnings for the rest of the shift. It would then be off the road for the cleaning and drying out of the seat, no less than 24 hours. Then there's the possibility that this taxi was also used as a family car, as most taxi's are.
Another part of that article explains how the driver had to take the passenger to a Garda station in order to have her woken. Male taxi drivers have to be on high alert when carrying female passengers as there is the possibility of being wrongly accused of sexual harassment, assault or abuse.
In summary.
• You should think long and hard before going down this road.
• You’ll have to borrow heavily or pay high rental prices to drive a taxi.
• You’ll earn minimum wage.
• You'll work at least sixty hours a week including the two weekend nights.
• You'll be vulnerable to assault and robbery.
• Your family life will suffer.
• You'll be frustrated by the taxi regulator.
• You may be wrongly accused of sexual assault, abuse or harassment.
Covid 19 has brought the Irish taxi industry to it's knees. Airport work is non existent. Night clubs and wet bars are closed. Sporting events are held without spectators. No music festivals. No concerts or events.
Taxi drivers that are presently working, approximately 20% of the 230000 registered drivers, report waiting times at ranks of up to 2.5 hours, no street hailers, taxi apps and radio company's rarely calling.
Most drivers regret returning to work and surrendering the Covid unemployment payment as they were better off on it.
This industry has been seriously decimated and may never return to former Covid 19 business.
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