Self employed people are to be allowed earn an extra €120.00 a week without affecting their P.U.P. payment. This announcement was made during budget 2021. Taxi drivers, being self employed, are included in this.
Before considering going back to work, taxi drivers need to read over the figures within this blog.
Figures are average and reflect accurately the current situation Irish taxi drivers are presently in. The figures are based on information gleaned from drivers sitting on ranks over the past two months. These drivers report an average waiting time for a fare of two to three hours and the fares ranging between €10 and €15.
Although the taxi apps are hailing they are infrequent and usually accepted immediately they come on screen, giving the driver little chance to react. Radio companies are extremely quiet with most of the work appearing early morning.
The table below shows the breakdown of weekly taxi running costs. It is split into four categories, self owned complete taxi, plate rental on own car, wheelchair accessible vehicles and rental of a complete taxi.
Because of the nine year rule, most vehicles are financed and so this is given in the figures. There are very few electric vehicles within the industry, the majority of taxis are either diesel or hybrid, so fuel costs are averaged for both.
Taking these figures into account the table below shows the breakdown of what earnings drivers currently working are taking home. The table shows how many hours a driver has to do in order to earn €200 a week. As there is zero night work, airport down by 95% and thousands working from home the daily window for taxi driving is reduced to eight hours or shopping centre opening times.
This table shows taxi drivers who have never signed on for the P.U.P. or those who have signed off the P.U.P. and are working full time.
For those who are considering returning to the industry and claiming the P.U.P. the table below will reflect what earnings there are. Drivers are allowed to work part time or intermittently for up to twenty four hours and not earn more than €120.00 a week while retaining the P.U.P.
As there are three P.U.P rates there are three tables showing the different earnings.
A quick glance at the tables shows that a driver taking up the option to return to work and retain the P.U.P. will end the week with less than the P.U.P.
In summary.
Taxi drivers not claiming P.U.P. are currently earning €5.00 or less per hour.
Taxi drivers wishing to avail of the government scheme to return to work on a part time basis will end up with less money in their pockets.
Of course the small amount of work that is currently there will be further diluted as drivers who think they can increase their income go out to work.
Can you claim unemployment benefit and avail of this scheme..I'm in unemployment benefit since march .Wife and 3 children as dependents .I get more on jobseekers benefit than pup ...
ReplyDeleteAccording to the department website, yes, you can
DeleteYour figures are wrong.Either rewrite the article or delete it.You are doing a disservice to drivers publishing this.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you commenting on this blog and thank you for taking the time to read it. You say my figures are wrong and yet you don't point out how or why they are wrong. Let me assure you, if they are wrong (which I know they are not) I will do as you wish and alter the article
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DeleteTake an own plate driver on 300 pup.Fixed costs of 200.
DeleteIf he does 320 income for the week,he makes 420.You have him on €220.
Your figures aren't just a little wrong,they are catastrophically so.
You are deducting the fixed costs from the 120,instead of deducting from the taxi drivers takings,to leave a maximum of 120 extra.
DeleteI get where you are coming from and you have brought it to its simplest form. You've neglected to realise the time constraint. Within the regulation the driver is only permitted a 24 hour week. With the majority of drivers reporting as little as 3/4 jobs a day or €5 per hour there is no way of earning the €320 you speak of. The most the driver can hope to make is €120 of which he has to take his costs from.
ReplyDeleteYou're still wrong.The 24 hour a week rule is for a different scheme.There is no time rule on the €480 income disregard per 4 weeks scheme.
ReplyDeleteYou're trying to obfuscate the plain fact that your maths is wrong.
DeleteI await the rewrite of all the errors in this article.