Brit drivers can get £500 ‘goodwill’ payment after being hit by huge delays

BRITISH drivers hit by huge delays could be in line for a £500 “goodwill” payment.

Drivers could receive a one-off payment of between £300 and £500, depending on their circumstances.

The payments apply to taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers in London, after licensing delays overseen by Transport for London left many unable to work.

However, unions say the compensation does not come close to covering the financial hardship faced by drivers affected by the delays.

The App Drivers and Couriers Union (ACDU) said some members were pushed into homelessness and said it would campaign for “£500 for every week a driver has had to wait”.

A TfL spokesperson said: “We’re sorry that some drivers who attempted to renew their licences last year experienced disruption and delays.

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“To recognise the impact that these issues have had on drivers, we are introducing a one-off goodwill payment scheme for those who meet the specific criteria.”

Steve Garelick, an organiser for the GMB union, said the scheme: “will go some way to addressing the financial impact of the licensing delays”.

He added: “We would like to thank TfL for working constructively with us, first to deal with the delays and now to provide a goodwill payment.”

The ACDU hit back, with a spokesperson saying: “The so-called goodwill payment of £500 is nowhere near enough to compensate drivers for the suffering they have endured as a result of these delays.”

One driver, Abdullahi, who works for Uber, told the BBC News: “This is our livelihoods, it’s how we support our families.”

The ACDU added that while it would continue pushing for £500 per week of waiting time, for some drivers “even that wouldn’t be enough” to undo the damage caused by the delays.