Pandemic Ruins Tehran Cabbies

Since the Iranian outbreak of coronavirus pandemic in February, the country’s taxi fleet has incurred a heavy loss of 8.26 trillion rials ($32.11 million), a deputy head of Iran Taxi Union declared.
According to Ali Aslani, the loss includes the wear and tear of vehicles and the revenue of employees and companies directly and indirectly involved in the cab fleet, IRNA reported.
Aslani said that with the spread of the viral disease, the number of urban and intercity passengers has seen a 40% decline and the frequency of taxi travels has decreased by 28%, causing a 65% fall in cab drivers’ average daily earning.
“Close to 124,000 taxi drivers, each with a daily income of 1.8 million rials ($6.99), are operating in metropolises and 296,000 are working in smaller cities with a daily income of around 1.1 million rials ($4.27),” he said.
“The monthly average income of a taxi driver hardly reaches 55 million rials [$213.5], over half of which is spent on fuel and maintenance.”