A taxi driver said he mad just £60 after working a 19-hour shift during the coronavirus pandemic.
Mike Bell, 42, from Cardiff, said: “After that long shift, it would’ve been better for me to stay at home but I’m not thinking about myself.
“When you add up the costs of diesel, rent for the taxi it just isn’t worth it.
“I’m not thinking about myself though, I’m thinking of the nurses and the NHS workers that we have to transport to the hospital.
“If I was thinking about myself only then I’d just stay home but we provide a vital service so I’ve got no choice but to carry on.”
Mike, who has been a taxi driver in Cardiff for eight years, said some drivers have taken extra precautionary measures to protect themselves and their passengers, by disinfecting their vehicles.
He said: “I’m taking all the necessary steps as obviously we don’t know who is getting in our vehicles. My car is disinfected constantly.
“I have a regular clientele base who are nurses and work at Llandough Hospital and other care homes in Penarth.
“I don’t want to stop because then they’ll suffer and it’s a knock on effect. I’m not sure what to do next.”
Ian Roberts, 47, from Cardiff, has decided to give up his taxi license.
Working for a private firm in Cardiff, Ian said the lockdown, announced by the government on Monday, had left him with no choice.
“I decided to give up on my licence because I’m not sure when things will get better.
“Last week, when the closure of pubs was announced was when I got hit really bad.
“I pay around £300 a week for my license and other costs so if you add it up, it just doesn’t make sense.
“I finally decided to just give it up as now that the lockdown has been imposed, we won’t have any customers at all.”
Ian wants the government need to provide clarity on what grants self-employed workers will receive.
“I went to the job centre but they weren’t aware of the benefits I was able to apply for.
“The government just needs to provide clarity as I have a family to provide for.”
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said he is raising the payments for Universal Credit so that the self-employed receive the same amount as someone on statutory sick pay, or £94.25 a week.
One taxi driver, who didn’t want to be named, said: “Last Saturday I only made £10 in a whole night. Usually, I would’ve made over £100.
“My wife works but now we’re worried as we don’t know when things will get better.
“If things carry on, I’ll need to find a new job as we still have bills to pay and other things.”
