Taxi drivers to go on strike

TAXI drivers are staging a nationwide three-hour strike next Thursday in protest at the lack of progress on Government promises to alleviate hardship in the industry since deregulation.

Three representative bodies SIPTU, the National Taxi Drivers' Union and the Irish Taxi Drivers' Federation have called on all their members to mark the second anniversary of deregulation by withdrawing their services in Dublin and other cities.

"Because of the way deregulation was introduced, the taxi industry is now in a state of chaos," said SIPTU spokesperson Jerry Brennan.

There are an estimated 9,000 plate-holders in Dublin today compared to just 2,700 before deregulation was introduced by Bobby Molloy in 2000.

More than 1,000 taxi drivers in Dublin are expected to take part in a convoy from the Phoenix Park to Dáil Éireann on Thursday afternoon to protest about the hardship suffered by long-term licence-holders.

The demonstration is expected to cause major traffic congestion for several hours in the city centre and on the quays. The protest is also likely to cause some disruption to taxi services in other cities including Cork and Limerick.

"We've received a lot of positive commitments from the Government but we are now calling on Transport Minister Seamus Brennan to prioritise the needs of taxi drivers," said Mr Brennan.

He claimed may licence-holders were suffering because of the

existence of a large number of double-jobbers and soaring insurance costs.