The President of the Confederation of Turkish Tradesmen and Craftsmen (TESK), Bendevi Palandöken, brought up the problems of the chauffeur tradesmen.
Palandöken stated that the costs of the transportation sector, which continues to work at half capacity, increased by more than 100 percent compared to the previous year, "When our chauffeur tradesmen operating in the transportation sector work with 50 percent capacity, their earnings decrease more and they have difficulty in meeting the costs. The transportation sector, especially commercial fuel, should definitely be specially supported," he said.
Reminding that even a passenger is important in the transportation sector, working at half of the capacity puts the driver community in trouble, Palandöken said, "City and intercity public transportation vehicles will accept half of the passenger capacity without accepting standing passengers, in a way that is full and empty. While even a passenger is of great importance for our chauffeur shopkeepers who have been following and trying to comply with this rule for a long time, it is now challenging to work directly at half capacity. Since the distance traveled is the same, the fuel they burn is the same, and the number of drivers working is the same, this segment of us is now having a hard time surviving."
ALL COSTS INCREASED
Palandöken said that since last year, there has been an increase in all costs in terms of tires, insurance prices, maintenance costs of vehicles, diesel money and many other items.
"Our chauffeur tradesmen should be supported separately, especially with commercial fuel support, and with supplements such as cash support. Our chauffeur workers, who have not stayed at home for even a day since the beginning of the pandemic, carry passengers, and steer all day, need this support for a very long time," he added.