Taxi drivers’ dispute with gardaí could strand thousands

THOUSANDS of late-night revellers and visitors to Waterford city face the prospect of being left stranded as a row between taxi drivers and gardaí intensifies.

Talks aimed at resolving a dispute between gardaí and taxi drivers in the city are to begin on Friday. If a deal is not brokered, local drivers say they will strike. A planned blockage of Waterford’s bridge on Monday was only called off at the last minute as the mood among taxi drivers soured.

Tensions ran high over the weekend after a taxi driver was arrested in the city for a public order offence on John Street in the early hours of Sunday morning. Taxi drivers began a two-hour stoppage after his arrest.