Algeria: taxi drivers slam conditions for operations

Barely allowed to circulate after 3 months of confinement, Algerian taxi drivers are angry. On Monday, they demonstrated at the headquarters of the national union of taxi drivers in Algiers against conditions for resumption of operations.

“If you’re afraid of the coronavirus, it’s up to you to get me the protective glass, redo the interior of the car. When I do a 50 dinars (0.50 euros) trip, I have to provide the customer with a mask for 80 Algerian dinars and alcoholic gel. How much do I have to spend on a client? 200 dinars? This is not normal!”, Abdelkrim, a taxi driver said.

For Hamza, a member of the national union of taxi drivers “Our problems have been going on for years and the union has done nothing for more than 30, 40 years. They tell us they’re there, but they don’t do anything”.

The government authorized the resumption of urban transport services on Sunday. But the strict measures imposed by the government are causing discontent.

Wearing masks and a Plexiglas separation system mandatory for only one customer at a time, the drivers fear for the future of their business.
Algeria has registered 10,810 cases, including 760 deaths, according to the latest figures.

AFP