THE WAY I SEE IT: NPHTA
COVID-19 CRISIS AND THE TAXI/PHV INDUSTRY: CLARITY IS WHAT WE’RE AFTER
In this, the most monumental change that has swept the entire world over the last few weeks, members of our industry in the UK await news on a daily – virtually hourly – basis as to what will be the next phase of action, protection, safeguarding measures brought in by central Government.
Needless to say, things look pretty grim at the moment. We needn’t go into detail here as to the negative impact of COVID-19 across people’s lives in every single country in the world; the medical, physical, financial and mental implications are immeasurable, and they plaster the pages of the news media and social media at every opportunity. That’s a major part of the problem.
However, without sounding too much like Pollyanna here, PHTM has set out to present the more positive side of the trade: you’ll see in this edition the growing number of companies and individuals who have turned their businesses over to the willing duty of helping those less fortunate than themselves.
It’s important to focus on the many positive moves that have been taken by members of the taxi/PHV trade in this country to counteract the bad bits and concentrate on the beneficial acts of those of you out there who still wish to “keep calm and carry on” – which at the time of writing will take as much gumption as when that phrase was first coined during the Second World War.
Think about it: your grandparents and great- grandparents had to live for years with the daily/nightly fear of those air raid sirens going off, and having to scramble time and time again into basements, Underground tunnels or Anderson shelters, and huddle together to wait and see if the next bomb was going to blow up their house – which it often did.
But their biggest fear of all? Germ/virus warfare.
That of course is what we all are facing now, and we have to rally round in the best, safest and healthiest ways to combat this silent invader that is turning every city and town into a ghost town. So we’ll breathe a bit of life into the proceedings and look at the situation in a realistic way, to give some guidance and advise PHTM readers as to what the NPHTA has been doing behind the scenes.
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NPHTA VIEW FROM DAVE LAWRIE
As you all know, there has been a lot of conflicting information floating about, a lot of misinformation being posted on social media and mainstream media, and a helluva lot of speculation out there as regards the position of taxi/private hire licence holders during this COVID-19 crisis.
OK, so let’s set out what we know:
• On Wednesday 25 March the Chancellor set out his proposals for self-employed persons under his Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, which has been detailed within this edition of PHTM.
• Members of the trade can keep updated on the latest developments via the Government website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections /coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance
• Road transport providers are included in the Government’s key worker check out
list;
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications /coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining- educational-provision/guidance-for-schools- colleges-and-local-authorities-on- maintaining-educational-provision
• PHTM readers and NPHTA members can read about the Government’s suggestions on keeping the workplace clean:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publication s/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses- about-covid-19/guidance-for-employers-and- businesses-on-coronavirus-covid-19
• The Department for Transport issued a bulletin via email on Wednesday 25 March which states: “Taxi and private hire drivers should not generally be considered Critical Workers. Those undertaking Home to School transport or the transport of ‘extremely vulnerable’ people may be considered Critical Workers on a case-by-case basis.”
There is a bit of contradiction here, as it says “should not” and then contradicts by saying “may be”. For clarity’s sake, shall we say that since there are essential trips that are within the government guidance, and the industry
must be available to provide that essential travel, it is reasonable to assume that these journeys are “essential travel” which is why the industry is included within the key worker list under the heading of “road transport”:
TRANSPORT
This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the COVID-19 response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.
Looking at each category of licence holder: OPERATORS
You may be able to claim the government grant of £10,000 if your rateable value is below £51,000 in which case your local authority will be writing to all residents of properties that fall into that bracket with more details on how to apply for this grant. You may also be able to claim 80 per cent of any PAYE employees’ salaries, although that does depend on them being sent home on “furlough” contract, which in layman’s terms means on hold but on full pay which has to be paid by the employer and then claimed back from HMRC once the system is up and running.
Whilst it is not always possible to check things such as how many people are travelling, for what purpose and is it within the guidelines, we do have a duty of care to act within the regulations old or new. With this in mind, we should be encouraging the essential travel only approach and working accordingly, if at all.
PRIVATE HIRE DRIVERS
You may still be performing school contracts, which will reduce the losses for those of you drivers who only perform school contracts, in which case you will not suffer at all here; and as such, will not be eligible to claim anything, since you have not lost anything.
We have contacted most LEA’s nationally to enquire for you; some are paying a percentage of the contract price, some are paying all of it, some are not paying any. Some have force majeure written into the policy, which does refer to government
APRIL 2020
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