Taximen pledge to continue protests

TAXI leaders have warned they will stage further public protests if Transport Minister Seamus Brennan fails to address issues of concern they raised with him during talks yesterday.

Hundreds of taxi drivers withdrew services in Dublin for three non-peak hours, complaining their livelihoods have worsened over the two years since deregulation.

Taxi numbers in the capital rose from 2,722 to 8,609 - a 216% increase - amid claims of "double jobbing" against new entrants. The number of taxis has gone from 4,000 nationally to 12,000 in 18 months.

After the taxi drivers assembled in the Phoenix Park to hear the issues outlined by their leaders, 40 drivers set off under garda escort for the final run to the Dáil. Senior gardaí had already met representatives of the taxi unions to work out a plan to minimise disruption to traffic during the demonstration.

"Today we had a mild protest," said John Ussher, of the Irish Taxi Drivers' Federation, at the gates of Leinster House. "We want to get off the streets and in talking. We want positive results from the talks."

He added: "We only have been off the road for three hours and I think we gave everybody notice that we would be missing for three hours. We took it at the quiet period - we didn't want to disrupt traffic and we didn't want to upset people who take taxis on a regular basis."

Taxi leaders are concerned the office of taxi industry regulator, one of their key demands announced by Mr Brennan this week, won't be established until February 2003.

Tommy Gorman, president of the National Taxi Drivers' Union, said Mr Brennan's announcement came too late to call off the protest, which began in the Phoenix Park at lunchtime.

Outside the Dáil, Mr Gorman expressed himself pleased at the way the protest went. "We didn't set out to interfere with the day-to-day living of the Dublin public," he said. "We assured the gardaí - we had top-level talks with them during the week - we would behave in good fashion. That has been evident today. We got from the Phoenix Park today in 10 minutes."

Although Mr Gorman welcomed the appointment of a regulator, he was dismayed by the amount of time it would take to put into place.

Mr Ussher said they wanted an input when the minister was drawing up the terms of reference for the new taxi regulator.

Asked about possible future action by taxi drivers, he said the executive of SIPTU, the National Taxi Drivers' Union and the Irish Taxi Federation, would sit down and discuss the progress made with the minister and a decision would be made at that point.

Meanwhile in Waterford city, 80 taxi drivers met in Railway Square at lunchtime and drove in convoy along the Cork road, onto the quay and over Rice Bridge. Many motorists heeded garda warnings to stay off the road during the dispute.

The city has seen the highest percentage increase in taxi plates since deregulation, with plate numbers increasing by 258% from 41 to 147.

Demand for new plates continues, Joe Daniels of Waterford City Council said. People are still coming in looking for plates, he said, with only a handful of plates have been cancelled over the past two years.

Among the tasks for the new taxi regulator's office will be control of the issue of licences, a role in driver training, and the setting of standards for taxi vehicles.