Mr. Jim Waldron:

From my most recent contact with one driver in that situation, he would prefer to get out of the industry altogether. He has a commitment, though, in that he purchased a car in the belief that the next two or three years would be good. He cannot get out of the industry. One of the suggestions we make in our submission is that there would be a buy-back scheme so that a driver could get out. The driver in question will effectively be forced out onto the street to pay the bill for the car.

That is my first thought on the Deputy's question, but she also asked about deaths and how they had affected the taxi industry. Some taxi drivers have died from Covid. Obviously, we pass on our sympathies to their families. We would not like this to happen again. We call on the NTA to meet its responsibility and start providing us with PPE equipment and giving us guidelines. It might sound ridiculous, but is the car supposed to be washed in a particular way? We do not know. The NTA is the expert and is supposed to give us guidance on this type of issue.