The COVID-19 pandemic has left the ground transportation industry with little to no customers.
Millions of New Yorkers are now working from home, but for Richard Davis, of White Plains, remote employment is not an option.
Davis spoke to News 12 about how COVID-19 led to a collapse in revenue for more than 100,000 chauffeurs, livery and ride-hail drivers across New York.
He says his earnings have dropped to zero as travel has ground to a halt.
“I have to support me and my wife. I have some savings I can live on, but it only goes for so long,” he says.
Davis is no longer behind the wheel and is uncertain when his next paycheck will arrive from Westchester’s largest private ground transportation provider, Leros Point to Point.
Jeff Nyikos, the CEO of the Valhalla-based company, says he has had little choice but to lay off people after the phones stopped ringing.
He says his call volume is down nearly 95%.
“We have been in business for 35 years...my father started the business in 1983, so a lot of these people have been with us for a number of years,” he says.
Nyikos says he has tried to stop the bleeding by offering up rides to health care workers and hospitals and making food deliveries for local restaurants.
He says it won’t keep the doors open much longer. He’s still unclear if federal assistance will arrive in time.
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