• Many businesses have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic, but few have been hit as hard financially as the Taxi trade. Most small businesses have been able to access government funding such as grants or rate relief on their business premises.

Unfortunately the Scottish Taxi trade has received very little support from the Scottish Government as taxi drivers appear to have fallen through the cracks in meeting the eligibility criteria put in place for the Scottish Governments Strategic Framework Business Fund. The main reason we don’t qualify for this fund is that we don’t have a rateable premises. We are not asking for anything that other small businesses in Scotland are not entitled to.

The Scottish Government have specifically mentioned the taxi trade in Parliament as being very badly affected by the pandemic and acknowledged that financial assistance is needed to help keep the trade afloat. However, although a fund of £19 million has been mentioned, no money has yet been distributed to needy taxi drivers who desperately need this financial support to help with the huge monthly costs of keeping a taxi on the road.

Unite the Union, Edinburgh, Glasgow & Dundee Cab Sections therefore call on the people of Scotland to lend us their support in putting pressure on the Scottish Government, and hopefully make them review the qualifying criteria for having access to much needed support grants that will help us keep our businesses afloat and continue to serve the people of Scotland, now and also when this pandemic is finally over.