Mr. Gerard Macken:

Some insurance companies are allowing taxi drivers to transfer their insurance to a private and domestic policy but they have to take the stickers off their cars and send them back. They have to go through a massive rigmarole to avail of the service. Some insurance companies want clearer indications, which in a sense, the National Transport Authority has not provided. There was a very simple way for the National Transport Authority to achieve that at the outset of Covid-19. Most insurance companies and the National Transport Authority recommend the use of the driver check app. The NTA could have taken every driver off the driver check app. There are several reasons why some taxi drivers have stayed working. They could have remained on their taxi policy but stayed out of work, which would have made for a simpler process for coming back to work. It is down to the advice that was given. If we were there, we would have given this advice and it would have been a simpler process. The insurance companies could simply have gone on to the driver check app to make sure a driver was off it. Many drivers had to stay out working because they were already on the back to work scheme for social welfare purposes. There is a step-down process in that regard. Many pensioners are still out working who need an extra few bob to keep going. The majority of those taxi drivers who stayed out working were people on the back to work scheme for social welfare whereby they got 75%.