An update here and a bit more detail about what's happening.
Taxi depots will be allowed to run 'essential service'
https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern ... --2172017/
Image: The Irish News
TAXI depots will be permitted to run an 'essential service' only, police have said after originally claiming private hire companies would be fined if caught in breach of the Covid curfew.
On Sunday evening, the PSNI closed down at least three taxi depots in the greater Belfast area.
In the most heavily enforced lockdown to date in Northern Ireland, officers told several depots they were no longer considered an essential service and must close between 8pm and 6am.
Taxi depots are still listed as an essential service in the most recently updated Northern Ireland Executive regulations.
One of those closed - Peter Pan Taxis based in the Springfield Road area of west Belfast - said it had been providing an essential service to key workers throughout the pandemic.
Depot manager Dee Kelly said the first he was aware of any issue was when one driver was stopped by the PSNI at Twaddell Avenue in north Belfast on Sunday.
"The driver told the officer he was an an essential worker, the officer said under current legislation he was not an essential worker and to go home and tell the depot to close.
"Another off duty driver was stopped on his way home by the same officer at Clifton Street and told we would face a `hefty fine' if we didn't close from 8pm to 6am. I phoned 101 and got speaking to someone who was unsure of the legislation, he phoned back five minutes later and said he sympathised with our situation, but we had to close.
"We'd just picked a young girl up from the Royal, we've regulars who do the night shift in supermarkets or the hospital, people going to work in Royal Mail. Between 3am and 6am we are extremely busy.
"I contacted the owners and they decided to close the depot on the spot. I had to tell the drivers not to come in until 6am and contact everyone who made a booking and cancel, in the current climate our drivers just couldn't afford to pay a fine.
"We were already asking people when they rang if it was an essential journey, but who is to judge what's essential? If we do get stopped, is an individual police officer on the spot going to make that judgment?
"Since this all kicked off, we've regularly taken people in special sealed taxis to Covid stations for tests, made sure key workers got to their work all through the night, so it was fine for us to be considered an essential service then, what's changed?"
North Belfast SDLP councillor Paul McCusker said he had spoked to a senior officer and informed him that "under the legislation it clearly states that taxis are permitted to operate after the 8pm curfew for essential journeys".
"Police have confirmed that they will not be taking any further action and that taxis operators can remain open for essential journeys only," he said.
"I have received lots of messages from the public worried about not getting to work and this highlights the important service that taxis provide to the local community."
Sinn Féin MP for west Belfast Paul Maskey said he had also been in contact with police to clear up any confusion.
He said police informed him while "taxis don't have exemption in the regulations...they take on board that taxis do bring people to hospital and key workers to work etc so there will be no enforcement until further clarity is given".
On Monday Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said police would not take action against drivers operating between 8pm and 6am as long as they are "clearly operating in an essential manner".
"The current regulations as drafted, do not appear to provide a specific exemption to enable taxi companies and drivers to operate after 8pm however the police service understands that they need to continue to be available for essential purpose such as transporting key workers to and from work.
"On this basis, and pending any clarification from the NI Executive on the matter, police will not take any action in respect of taxi companies and drivers operating between 8pm and 6am for the relevant period where they are clearly operating in an essential manner.
"Where this is not the case and where a taxi company or driver is operating in a manner in which they are clearly facilitating or contributing to a breach of the regulations, officers may decide to deal with such instances appropriate to those circumstances."
Mr Todd added that enforcement is "always a last resort" and police will continue to engage with people to encourage them to follow Covid-19 restrictions.
