Published on 04/29/2020 at 12:45 p.m.
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What to do when there are no more customers to transport in the streets of the Big Apple? New York taxis have been converted for several weeks into a new activity. They deliver food for people in difficulty, explains ABC News. A paid occupation within the framework of a partnership with the authorities and which has already enabled 11,000 drivers to transport more than 6 million meals in the various districts of New York.
With the confinement linked to the coronavirus epidemic, the city’s fragile populations are in difficulty. The elderly, sick or simply cannot afford to eat, are taking the brunt of the crisis as many food banks have been forced to close for lack of volunteers. The governmental agency of the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) therefore seized the problem by opening a program intended for the drivers of the city. Whether they are driving a famous yellow taxi or registered on an application like Uber, they can now deliver meals.
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6 million meals
Since the start of the initiative, 11,000 delivery people have already participated, allowing 6 million meals to be delivered to the streets of New York. In exchange, the drivers receive financial compensation. They indeed receive 15 dollars per hour (13.80 euros) and 5 additional dollars per hour for their expenses. Nancy Reynoso, a driver from the Bronx, explains that she finds it a double interest. “These are scary times. We don’t know how things are going to end. But we have the satisfaction of helping in the face of the crisis.”
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New York State is the epicenter of the epidemic in the United States with nearly 300,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 17,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. On April 16, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the lockdown was extended until May 15.
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