Union proposes ‘text a taxi’ service

TAXI customers can now text their experiences, good, bad and indifferent, to the National Taxi Drivers Union.

The 4,300-member union, which represents drivers nationwide, has introduced the service to make taxis safer, more reliable and more friendly.

NTDU official Vincent Kearns said that the union wanted to stand out from the rest by demonstrating in a practical and innovative way their commitment to the concept of a customer charter.

He said they were also keen to keep themselves informed about how customer felt about the service their members offered.

Mr Kearns said all suggestions and recommendation would be considered and voiced at meetings with the relevant authorities.

Customers who want to comment should text the word ‘Taxi’ followed by their comments and then send it to 51123. Each text is charged at the standard rate.

The message is acknowledged automatically and the customer is also asked if they require taxi contact numbers. Should they reply ‘Yes’, a text message is sent to their mobile phone and these numbers can be used at any time to call a taxi.

Mr Kearns said: “We know that over seven million text messages are sent each day in Ireland, so we are using the communication channel of choice for our customers to communicate with us.”

With the union chief pointing out that taxis were still as rare as hen’s teeth at weekends, he expects messages to start rolling in.