Richard Boyd Barrett: Warns bus and taxi workers face risk
Richard Boyd Barrett criticised the failure to implement return-to-work safety protocols for bus workers and warned taxi drivers face long-term livelihood devastation. He called for immediate protective screens, proper cleaning, financial supports for taxi drivers, and changes to the bike-to-work and tax-saver schemes.
Concerns over bus safety
Richard Boyd Barrett said bus operators are flouting the government's 9 May return-to-work protocols by failing to install driver screens, allowing cash handling and preventing boarding via middle doors. He reported that drivers are storing cash in their pockets, that cleaning teams are not properly disinfecting buses or many depots, and warned that drivers could be justified in walking off the job when passenger numbers rise.
Taxi drivers' livelihoods
He argued taxi drivers face "absolute devastation" in the short, medium and long term as tourism and mass gatherings remain unlikely to resume, undermining the viability of the trade. He urged a package of financial supports to help taxi drivers meet insurance, loan and mortgage payments while demand is depressed.
Cycling and bike-to-work proposals
Richard Boyd Barrett said increased cycling during the pandemic offers public health and environmental benefits and called for a major expansion of the bike-to-work scheme. He proposed removing the five-year renewal restriction, extending the scheme to people on social welfare and pensioners, and even suggested giving people free bicycles as a progressive measure.
Travel pass issues and ministerial reply
He raised the tax-savers travel pass problem, asking that workers be allowed to opt out and opt back in so they are not paying for unused passes. In response, the minister said Bus Éireann is exploring protective screens, trialling portable screens on coaches, and cited health guidance that handling cash carries negligible risk; the minister also acknowledged that taxis are in a dire situation, noting about 97 percent are not operating.
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Minister, the bus errand are flouting the protocols on return to work which your government published on the 9th of May which required that if bus workers can't social distance on buses there should be screens, there are no screens and bus workers are very concerned about the return to work which will see passenger numbers rise on the bus errand fleet on Monday right and frankly I think they'd be right to walk off the job 90% of the fleet there's no screens they're having to handle cash they've nowhere to put it they're putting it in their pockets the company won't allow passengers get on the middle doors where they would stay away from the drivers right that's not acceptable and flies in the face of the commitments you gave just a second ago right so that those social distance distancing protocols and the government return to work safely protocol from the 9th of May needs to be implemented immediately secondly taxi drivers also frontline transport essential workers they are facing devastation of their livelihoods absolute devastation not just in the short term as many tens of thousands are at the moment but in the medium to long term because for the foreseeable future tourism is a dead duck coming into this country mass gatherings the live entertainment industry sports large sports gatherings on which they depend to make their livelihoods viable are not coming back in the foreseeable future therefore there needs to be a package of financial supports for taxi drivers who have insurance to pay of car loans to pay of mortgages as long as long as their industry remains devastated and they need the NTA to provide partition screens and pay for them in taxis so that taxi drivers are safe and so that there are sanitizers and other cleansing and disinfecting equipment available for taxi drivers last two quick things i just want to mention very quickly a lot of people have turned to cycling over the last while for the obvious reasons during this pandemic that's good for public health it's good for the environment but we need to significantly expand the bike to work scheme get rid of the five year requirement in order to renew your bike and extend the scheme to people on social welfare or pensioners and indeed if you want to be really radical and take the opportunity to be so in this area give people free bicycles that would really be a radical and progressive move lastly the tax savers scheme where workers who pay for their monthly or annual travel pass but of course at the moment aren't actually able to avail of that and they're paying for it out of their salaries and wages money or be able to pay for money or be able to pay for money or be able to opt out and then opt back into the scheme so that they're not paying for it so hopefully you could respond to those i know you won't be able to respond to all of those but i want to make a particular shout out for the bus workers right the bus workers and by the way the health and the cleansing and infection teams that are supposed to be cleaning out the buses are not actually working properly they're not cleansing and disinfecting the buses or many of the bus depots minister one minute ten seconds one minute ten seconds sorry okay um i'd like to thank uh deputy board for what he has to say the um bus aaron continued to explore options for protective screens in the driver's cab area for those vehicles that don't already have them they've now begun trialing the portable screens on their coaches and according to guidance provided by the health authorities the risk of contracting covid19 from handling cash is negligible but this measure was introduced to provide further protection to bus drivers by reducing their level of interaction this is with members of the public the measure was in line with steps taken in other jurisdictions such as london barcelona denmark australia and uh new zealand new zealand uh so they are tackling this problem you're absolutely right it's something which they should which they should do um to to to address the issue of taxes um they they're in bits you're right it's it's a it's a really bad situation for taxes i think it's about 97 percent of them are now not operating and uh uh you know they they they they they have contracts which just another void in effect because they're not they're not working in it and uh i have to stop you there minister sorry sorry
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