Barnsley cabbies to receive additional £500 grant per taxi driver as a show of support from council

Image credit: Piqsels

Taxi drivers licensed by Barnsley Council will be able to apply for a small support grant to assist them financially during such testing times.

A spokesperson for Barnsley Council said: "To support taxi drivers within the region who have suffered loss of income due to wider restrictions having an impact on their trade, a flat payment of £500 is available to each licensed taxi driver.

"This payment will be made from the £30m figure provided to Sheffield City Region to support the region's businesses."

Terms of eligibility:

To apply for the support grant you must be a taxi driver who is:

• licensed in Barnsley; and

• working in South Yorkshire.

Taxi drivers up and down the country have struggled immensely since the coronavirus outbreak caused national lockdown and widespread panic.

With people advised to work from home wherever possible, and tourism dropping to almost zero, cab drivers have been unable to earn enough money to cover even the most basic of day to day essentials.

Taxi unions around the UK have called for more targeted financial support for the industry, stressing that many drivers are being forced to leave the trade which subsequently could leave industry decimated once the pandemic passes.