Regulator ‘only hope’ of tackling rogue taxi drivers

ROGUE taxi drivers who pose a threat to customers will remain an ugly fact of life until the Minister for Transport appoints a regulator.

This was the view yesterday of Vincent Kearns, National Taxi Drivers Union, who criticised Minister Seamus Brennan for failing to appoint the promised taxi regulator two-and-a-half years after the service was de-regulated.

Commenting on taxi drivers who threatened woman, over-charged or engaged in other forms of anti-social behaviour, he said: “The only hope we have of lessening such problems is to have Minister Brennan place a moratorium on taxi licences until a regulator is appointed.”

Mr Kearns’ remarks came after Fianna Fáil Deputy Eoin Ryan, Chairman Oireachtas Transport Committee, suggested that a penalty points system on taxi drivers would help stamp out unacceptable behaviour.

Stressing he was not suggesting all post de-regulation drivers were guilty of misconduct, Mr Kearns said a penalty points system would not solve de-regulation related problems.

But, Deputy Ryan said: “Cities as diverse as New York, Bangkok and Bristol have already introduced a successful system whereby points are put on drivers’ taxi licences when they fail to measure up to a stringent set of standards. Drivers who amass more than a certain number of points in a year should have their licences suspended for 90 days and face a fine or a jail term if caught driving during that time.

“Recent research findings by Lansdowne Market Research show that one-in-three women no longer feel safe in the nation’s taxis, while among males, a mere one-in-four said they would feel ‘very safe’ in a taxi. Taxi providers are a critical part of this country’s transport structure and this worrying trend cannot be ignored,” he said.

“Everybody has a story about a rogue taxi driver, which ranges from being overcharged to enduring smoke in the cab. I have also heard accounts of taxi drivers turning down fares on race grounds. This is totally unacceptable,” Deputy Ryan said.

A penalty point system for these offences would enhance the standing and reputation of taxi drivers, he said.