Taxi drivers have been hit extremely hard because of the Coronavirus pandemic
The news was revealed as the Infrastructure Committee heard that nearly half of taxi drivers in the North of Ireland did not apply for emergency funding.
Eamon O’Donnell, from the Derry-based North West Taxi Proprietors, said 30 per cent of their drivers had quit and will be hard to replace in the current economic climate.
Derry has been in lockdown since October 5 after a huge spike in COVID-19 cases across the Derry and Strabane council region.
Mr O’Donnell said taxi operators provided an essential service to health workers and other key staff during the lockdowns.
They were also on hand when families had to be moved into emergency accommodation overnight by statutory agencies.
In many cases, “coffers are now empty” and they need a meaningful support scheme to save firms from closure, Mr O’Donnell said.
Payments of £1,500 were offered to drivers to help with their overheads following a massive drop in businesses during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
More than 9,000 taxi drivers were eligible to apply but about 5,000 applications were received.
Stephen Anton, from Fonacab, told the scrutiny committee that there were a number of reasons why more taxi drivers did not apply for the grant.
Many had no access to computers to process the applications, he said, while others were unaware of the financial support scheme, which was open for a fortnight in November.
He said many taxi drivers had not returned to work and, as a result, operators have been forced out of business.
On 29 October, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said a £14m package would go directly to taxi drivers.
She confirmed it would be a one-off cash payment of £1,500 to each taxi driver.
Some drivers have criticised this amount, describing it as “a go-away payment”.
They said this would not go far enough to cover lost earnings during the Covid-19 pandemic.
But Ms Mallon said she did not agree.
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