Taxi chiefs are seeking Government support to help the sector get back on its feet following the coronavirus lockdown.
Drivers have been hit in the pocket due to the lack of music events, pubs and nightclubs during the ongoing health crisis.
National Private Hire and Taxi Association spokesman Jim Waldron told how drivers are struggling to find any work during previous peak times.
And Mr Waldron outlined possible measures which would help the industry until the country opens up again.
Speaking before the Oireachtas Covid-19 committee, he said: "82 per cent of taxi drivers are at work on a Friday evening, surveys have shown this, and obviously there’s no Friday night work and no Saturday night work.”
He added: "We’re looking for the age limit on a car to be extended, at the moment it’s ten years but we’re looking for it to be extended to twelve years, that’s for all cars within the industry at the moment.
"We’re looking for subsidised driving, in other words, we’re looking for the government to give us, like a back to work grant that people obviously get when they’re going back into industry, and we’re looking for start-up grants as well towards our fixed costs, which run at about €11,000 per year."
The National Private Hire and Taxi Association, The Irish Taxi Drivers Federation, Taxi Tománaí na hÉireann and Taxi Alliance of Ireland all attended the meeting.
