Mr. Jim Waldron:

We believe that there has to be a combination of all of these supports. Grants will definitely need to be provided. I do not see loans as the answer. Loans only put things on the long finger. It is very difficult for a driver to earn money at the moment. There is no opportunity to earn an income. We are already becoming liable for our car loans, as the three-month moratorium on the payment of loans is coming to an end and we do need support.

Drivers on the Covid payment are afraid to go to work, first, for health reasons but, second, because they feel they will immediately lose their income. Every driver sitting at home now wants to go to work and taxi drivers are thinking about how they can do so. If they go to work now, they must give up the Covid payment. That is a choice they must make. It is a choice no driver wants to make because taxi drivers do not know what is ahead of them. We suggest that if a driver goes back to work that over a period he or she would get a step-down payment. That way, drivers can work towards getting an income and they are not afraid to go out. If that were the case, we would not be relying on the full €350 and it could be reduced gradually.

Grants definitely have to be paid. Several issues arise in terms of payments drivers have to make. Mr. Macken mentioned the DAA earlier. It charges €440 a year for a permit to operate at Dublin Airport. Approximately 1,500 taxis work out of Dublin Airport and the drivers have to pay the €440 upfront. A grant is necessary.

Leaving our figure aside, the National Transport Authority's fare review, which was carried out last year, stated that Dublin taxi drivers have a fixed cost of €11,433. They are not the running costs. We have to come up with €11,000 this year to pay for those fixed costs and we need supports, so the grants are necessary.