Deregulation has led to too many taxis - and some don't know where they're going
Wednesday October 29 2008
There are too many taxi drivers in Dublin, many of whom do not know their way around, a Dublin city transport committee has heard.
Since the introduction of deregulation, there are now more taxis than the city can cope with, the transportation and traffic strategic policy committee heard.
Cllr Deirdre Heney (Fianna Fail) said the amount of taxis in operation in the city is worrying, especially since taxi plates continue to be issued, even though they've reached saturation point.
"There seems to be a difficulty with the amount of taxi plates now being issued. I don't know how we can curtail the number of plates," she said.
Cllr Heney added that the huge number of taxis is contributing to the traffic jams around the city.
"There are too many taxis. Even from an environmental point of view, all the taxi ranks are full.
"Taxi men are getting hassled by the gardai and quite rightly so because they're blocking the way because there's nowhere else to park, and they're wasting petrol."
Cllr Heney added that it's hard for taxi drivers to make ends meet now there are so many taxis in operation.
"It seems the guy who is driving a taxi as a full time job has his work cut out for him if he wants to make a decent wage, because anyone can buy a plate.
"There's a lot of angst out there," she added.
Cllr McCartan (Fine Gael) says: "Ireland now has 98 people per taxi, whereas in London it's 300 and in Copenhagen it's 280. There are too many taxis."
He said a problem exists "if you look at how easy it is to get a taxi plate with "one stop taxi shops".
He added that it's worrying that some taxi drivers don't know the whereabouts of their fare's destination, and he said it's not acceptable that drivers are relying on technology to guide them around the city.
Aggrieved
"There's a definite query about the sat nav systems. It's not satisfactory to me that someone should drive a taxi and not know their way around."
"Now if people are seeking a taxi driver job, it wouldn't be feasible," he said referring to the number of taxis on the streets.
Cllr Dermot Lacey (Labour) said: "Those who argued against deregulation were right.
"Some taxi drivers don't know the city," he agreed.
"A lot of taxi drivers feel very aggrieved when they are moved on by the guards."
- Geraldine Gittens
