Scores of Jersey Lifts drivers are taking to the streets every week to offer lifts to friends and strangers, often in exchange for cash.
Taking money in exchange for a lift without an appropriate licence is illegal but the States police have said the matter is difficult to investigate and although people have been questioned no one has ever been prosecuted.
Several drivers who advertise on Jersey Lifts claim that if taxis and cabs lowered their prices, there would be no need for the service. The four drivers who spoke to the JEP anonymously also said that they were not worried about being caught and intended to carry on regardless.
One father-of-three, who offers lifts for cash every weekend, says the money he makes allows him to buy food for his children. Without it, the 33-year-old said he would have to leave Jersey, his home of nine years, and return to Portugal.
‘The money I earn from my boss on a zero-hour contract is to pay my rent and bills. I get help from Income Support but because I work a few hours they cut my pay from £350 to £200 a week.
‘If I make £100 on a Friday night, on Saturday morning I am at the shops waiting to go in so I can buy food for my kids,’ he said.
Full story in Thursday’s JEP.
