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THANKFULLY we finally have a roadmap, such as it is, which sets out the reopening of our economy and a way for us to slowly get back to some sort of normality.But even with the latest announcements some people will see little benefit for their businesses. I am speaking about the taxi business, something we all take for granted, unless we can’t get one. For years we complained there weren’t enough taxis. Then deregulation came in and suddenly there was no shortage of them – to such an extent that seasoned veterans complained it was becoming exceedingly difficult to make a liveable wage without spending up to 100 hours a week in their vehicle.All that came to an abrupt end a little over a year ago. The economy shut down and even though there were times when people did need to avail of a taxi, with bars, restaurants and nightclubs closed, their business was decimated.I had reason to take a taxi in town last week – I’ll have to admit, the first in several years – and the driver, while welcoming the latest reopenings, wondered if they would make any real difference to his business.“It has been very tough and I don’t see it improving much either”, he said. “An important part of our business comes from entertainment and late-night activities, but there will be very little of that. I don’t know when, if ever, the nightclubs will return to normal.”The man then told me there were days over the past year when he and his colleagues didn’t make €20 or €30 – and that was after spending the entire day and late into the evening on the rank. Except for the odd pick-up from a supermarket, there was practically no-one on the streets – and night-time was a complete disaster.“There was nothing happening, but we all felt that if we didn’t show up, there would be nothing at all for us when the economy opened again. Anyway, it’s all some of us know and we thought we may as well be sitting in the car on the rank as sitting in front of the television at home,” the man stated.The cost of my fare was €7, bringing me from Potato Market to St Mary’s Cemetery. Some might say that was a lot for a couple of minutes in the taxi, but when you take the man’s time, fuel, insurance and the use of the vehicle into consideration, I doubt there was very much by way of profit in that fare.People have expressed concern about using taxis because of the alleged ‘high’ turnover of people in them during the pandemic. All I can say is the vehicle I used was spotless and the driver was suitably distanced from me – again, a hidden cost that the public would not take into consideration.But the driver said that was the only way he and his colleagues could hope to remain in business. “We have to do that; we can’t take the chance of getting sick. If we do, however, bad as things might be while we are working, that would be a complete disaster … we’d we out of business overnight.”While any unwinding of the lockdown is to be welcomed, let no-one be fooled: we will continue to feel the effects of the pandemic for a long time to come.That said, every little bit is an improvement, and even if we must wait a while to get a taxi when things return to normal, have some patience and don’t begrudge the drivers taking that extra fare as they try to make up for lost time.
SPARE A THOUGHT FOR OUR TAXI DRIVERS (The Carlow Nationalist)QuoteTHANKFULLY we finally have a roadmap, such as it is, which sets out the reopening of our economy and a way for us to slowly get back to some sort of normality.But even with the latest announcements some people will see little benefit for their businesses. I am speaking about the taxi business, something we all take for granted, unless we can’t get one. For years we complained there weren’t enough taxis. Then deregulation came in and suddenly there was no shortage of them – to such an extent that seasoned veterans complained it was becoming exceedingly difficult to make a liveable wage without spending up to 100 hours a week in their vehicle.All that came to an abrupt end a little over a year ago. The economy shut down and even though there were times when people did need to avail of a taxi, with bars, restaurants and nightclubs closed, their business was decimated.I had reason to take a taxi in town last week – I’ll have to admit, the first in several years – and the driver, while welcoming the latest reopenings, wondered if they would make any real difference to his business.“It has been very tough and I don’t see it improving much either”, he said. “An important part of our business comes from entertainment and late-night activities, but there will be very little of that. I don’t know when, if ever, the nightclubs will return to normal.”The man then told me there were days over the past year when he and his colleagues didn’t make €20 or €30 – and that was after spending the entire day and late into the evening on the rank. Except for the odd pick-up from a supermarket, there was practically no-one on the streets – and night-time was a complete disaster.“There was nothing happening, but we all felt that if we didn’t show up, there would be nothing at all for us when the economy opened again. Anyway, it’s all some of us know and we thought we may as well be sitting in the car on the rank as sitting in front of the television at home,” the man stated.The cost of my fare was €7, bringing me from Potato Market to St Mary’s Cemetery. Some might say that was a lot for a couple of minutes in the taxi, but when you take the man’s time, fuel, insurance and the use of the vehicle into consideration, I doubt there was very much by way of profit in that fare.People have expressed concern about using taxis because of the alleged ‘high’ turnover of people in them during the pandemic. All I can say is the vehicle I used was spotless and the driver was suitably distanced from me – again, a hidden cost that the public would not take into consideration.But the driver said that was the only way he and his colleagues could hope to remain in business. “We have to do that; we can’t take the chance of getting sick. If we do, however, bad as things might be while we are working, that would be a complete disaster … we’d we out of business overnight.”While any unwinding of the lockdown is to be welcomed, let no-one be fooled: we will continue to feel the effects of the pandemic for a long time to come.That said, every little bit is an improvement, and even if we must wait a while to get a taxi when things return to normal, have some patience and don’t begrudge the drivers taking that extra fare as they try to make up for lost time.
He was only 5' nuttin!!
