There are major challenges facing the taxi industry Tommy Gorman President of The National Taxi Drivers Union (NTDU) told the Epoch Times last week. "The recent fuel hike and the amount of new licences being issued is putting increasing pressure on our drivers forcing them to work longer hours."
Mr Gorman said, "Compare the year 2000 when 2722 licences were applied for, to last year when 13,000 were applied for, there is a huge jump. I would like to see stricter measures put in place before the granting of a licence. "
But the spokesperson for the Taxi regulator said, "It is not within our remit to say whether or not there should be a curtailment on the issuing of licences, a directive for any change in relation to this would have to come from government."
Mr Gorman continued, "As well as a written test I feel a practical test should be introduced whereby applicants would be accompanied by an inspector. There is also a need for more wheelchair assisted taxis but because of the high cost involved to drivers there is little interest in this part of the business.
"Other issues like criminals who target drivers who are made vulnerable because of their work, I feel these criminals should be dealt with more quickly through the courts. Ninety-five per cent of our members who have been attacked through the course of their work leave the business", he said.
"This business has taken more than its fair share of knocks the worst being deregulation in 2000. That year the industry was worth 65 million Euro with each individual licence being worth 100,000 Euro and almost overnight with deregulation these figures were reduced to 5000 Euro for an individual licence and the industry worth reduced to 19.5 million Euro.
"The knock on effect has been catastrophic for our members, many suffered strokes and heart attacks and there were two suicides. One of our members Dom Flanagan went on hunger strike and protested for a month outside St. Luke's constituency's offices in Drumcondra.
"At that time they were talking about deregulation in the Dail, upon hearing on the news that deregulation was being introduced he suffered a massive stroke. Taxi people consider their licences their pensions this man was sixty and now without a pension.
"Other people had remortgaged their homes to buy a taxi licence and after deregulation they were left paying huge repayments on a useless asset", said Mr Gorman.
The government paid 17 million Euro in compassionate payments to taxi drivers after deregulation, this averaged at approximately 11,500 Euro per driver. Taxi drivers families lobby group, Families Advocate Immediate Redress (FAIR) claimed that entrants to the industry before it was liberalised had paid in excess of 100,000 Euro for a taxi licence and that the compensation was not enough.
This November the NTDU will be taking their case to court in relation to the deregulation of the industry.
The Spokesperson for the Taxi Regulator told The Epoch Times, "The entire taxi industry is under economic review at present and a report will be ready in the coming months."
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