Number of plates increases from 650 to 1,200 inside six years
TAXI services will be withdrawn for one day in Limerick in the coming weeks, if issues facing drivers are not confronted.
The primary concerns of the Limerick Taxi Association are part-time drivers working full-time in other employment, and the removal of available taxi spaces in the city centre.
Philip Hayes, secretary, said: “We’re frustrated by part-time taxi drivers who are also in full time employment elsewhere, coming out from Thursday to Sunday cherry picking our industry”.
In an interview with this newspaper, he claims that part-time taxi-drivers who are otherwise employed carry a risk.
“Factory workers complete their shifts and drive taxis. These people could be operating machinery or indeed, have driving jobs. Anyone engaging in both jobs carry huge health and safety issues with the amount of hours they are working each week”.
Philip outlined their wishes: “We would like the issuing of plates to people that are in full-time employment to stop.
“A taxi plate should only be issued to people who are available to use it in full -time employment. Also, multiple plates should not be issued to those who have no interest in driving taxis themselves, only to rent them out”.
With the number of taxis in Limerick now estimated at 1,200, spaces at ranks in the city centre are extremely limited.
“Many drivers cannot find space at ranks in town and end up driving around maybe three or four times, before finding one”.
This is particularly irritating for Limerick Taxi Association, who claim 22 spaces have been removed from ranks in the city centre since 2003, during a period when the number of taxis has increased from 650 to 1,200.
Philip, who sits on the city’s Taxi Forum, suggested that with the city council’s proposed pedestrianisation of O’Connell Street, a taxi rank on Roches Street would serve the city well.
He warns that a lack of dialogue with Limerick City Council, and the continued issuing of new taxi plates, means a strike is inevitable in the coming weeks,
“Taxi services will be withdrawn for 24 hours. It will coincide with a national strike by the Federation of Irish Taxi Drivers, which will need to be passed by our members first”.
When asked if he was concerned that part-time taxi drivers would then take advantage, he responded by outlining the measures which would be taken.
“As we have done in past strikes, we will park in the ranks. We will also notify Limerick City Council and an Garda Siochana of our proposed action and routes, in advance.”
One taxi-driver complained he has to work 82 hours a week now to make a living.
“I work from six in the morning to six in the evening every day and most days I can’t even get into the ranks in town”.
He paid 28,000 pounds for his plate in 1986, before the industry was deregulated and when there were just 100 taxi plates in Limerick. A plate now costs just euro 6,300.
