THE FORGOTTEN INDUSTRY
UR PUBLIC TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE”? #THEFORGOTTENINDUSTRY
TRAINS
England’s trains haveeffectively been temporarily nationalised after the government suspended rail franchise agreements to train companies.
The measures, announced by the (DfT), mean train operators can transfer “all revenue and cost risk” to thegovernment and be paid a small management fee as well.
Further funding for transport services was announced by Trans- port Secretary Grant Shapps on 23 May 2020. £283m has been made available to increase the number of bus and light rail ser- vices – amounting to £254m for buses and £29m for trams and light rail.
CYCLISTS
• £225m to create pop up and permanent cycle lanes and reallocate road space
• Reduce red tape to speed up approval for these schemes • £25m to help people get their bikes repaired • £2.5m for 1,180 cycle bays at 30 railway stations
ANY SPECIFIC FUNDING FOR TAXI AND PHVs?
£0 Let’s be clear here: we’re not opposed to or in any way begrudg- ing the above funding measures for those other transport sectors; we are saying that our industry has received nothing.
Government would hasten to point out – so we’ll beat them to it – that trade members “might” get the Chancellor’s Self- Employed Income Support Scheme; benefits such as Universal Credit; or loan options such as the Bounce-back Loan and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme. Take note as highlighted: “might” get 80% of surplus cash (80% of only net profit, not to be confused with the furlough scheme which is 80% of total income), or get a loan, not a grant, or go on UC – they would have to be paid back. Let’s be perfectly clear here: due to licensing conditions and overheads, far too many licence holders are already burdened with loans for their existing fleet, plus the mega-expensive electric vehicles and the like; they’re not going to be able to, nor would they want to, take on further loans.
As for the grants, the needle’s stuck: we’ve said it time and again that the SEISS grant is based on net profit rather than gross income, so it is (a) unrepresentative of the true financial picture taking in all overheads; (b) useless as an amount to bridge the widening gap of lack of work for most drivers versus their ongo- ing overheads, and (c) limited to those who wereeven able to submit profitable accounts, as their net profit is negligible or non-existent after overheads and possibly personal wages drawn.
JULY 2020
Readers must also be aware that following a government announcement made on 13 June, HMRC were given draconian powers to investigate furlough and SEISS payments.
IN THE MEANTIME…
• Our taxis and PHVs are the ones that take passengers home when the bus services have finished for the night.
• We’re the ones who transport elderly and infirm passengers to and from the bus stops because the buses don’t do door-to- door.
• We’re the ones who are contracted to thousands of specific school and Social Services contracts.
• We’re the ones who pick up passengers at railway stations and air terminals and ferry/ship terminals so they may complete their onward journey.
• We’re the ones who provide special services to rail personnel when disruptions and derailments prevent them getting back to their district and their homes.
• We’re the ones on the front line who risk life and limb week after week, dealing with drunks and druggies late at night… and you’d better believe it, the attacks have not gone away; they have continued and will increase, as evidenced by articles in PHTM.
• We’re the ones who, in their thousands, have risked their own health and safety and turned their taxis and PHVs over to NHS key workers during the pandemic, either free of charge or at greatly discounted fares, to get them to the front line.
• We’re the ones who have collected prescriptions by the thou- sands, free of charge, for those in the community who have had to self-isolate or cannot otherwise get to the chemist them- selves.
• Our drivers are listed by the ONS as being in the highest risk category during this whole pandemic, lockdown and graduated relaxation…in fact there have already been several deaths amongst drivers from Covid-19, so at least now drivers are being considered for the current Test and Trace allocations.
• Our industry has suffered astronomical financial losses to the tune of some £85m a week during the lockdown, and that is based on an extremely conservative figure of £285 ongoing costs per vehicle – that pertains to the vehicles only!! – not counting the inherent expenses shouldered by the drivers themselves. And yet our industry does noteven rate a mention in the
GOV.UK statistics setting out methods of transport used during the lockdown; nor support and further guidance, not even on the most recent announcement concerning the wear- ing of face coverings by drivers and passengers!!!!
THIS IS TOTALLY DISGRACEFUL! 7
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