Ryder Cup taxi threat abandoned
The three unions made a collective decision yesterday not to interrupt services while talks about their grievances are ongoing with the Department of Transport, the Taxi Regulator and the Dublin Airport Authority.
John Ussher of the Irish Taxi Drivers Federation said the decision was made for the sake of the members, even though he said some would be disappointed that a hard line was not being maintained.
“We decided in the best interests of our members that there be no action while negotiations are going on,” he said. “Progress is very, very slow and a lot of our members will not be pleased with that but they will have to bear with us.”
The threat of disruption to services during the Ryder Cup has hung over the event, causing anxious moments for event organisers trying to ensure transport for some 40,000 visitors a day.
It was not clear if the unions were serious about the warning or were practicing brinkmanship, but a drivers’ protest rally at the Phoenix Park which spontaneously spilled over into a full scale blockade of Dublin city centre a fortnight ago put tourism authorities on edge.
The drivers’ main complaints include Taxi Regulator Ger Deering’s plans for a revised fare structure and the removal of the special pick-up charge to passengers taking taxis from Dublin Airport and its replacement with a new €500 levy on taxi owners.
In separate talks, union representatives asked the Dublin Airport Authority to postpone for a month the introduction of the new levy. Last night, the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) agreed not to charge for the business costs of managing the taxi service at Dublin Airport for a two week period starting on September 25.
“This decision has been taken to avoid the possibility of disruption to the travelling public and to allow further time for the issues concerned to be discussed with the taxi regulator,” a DAA spokesperson said.
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