Resignation of regulator a blow to taxi drivers

TAXI drivers have expressed disappointment at the sudden resignation of the country’s first taxi regulator in the middle of a series of often controversial reforms of the industry.

Ger Deering is leaving his job as head of the Commission for Taxi Regulation for the post of director of the newly created National Employment Rights Authority (NERA). He takes up the €130,000-a-year position on February 12.

The commission said Mr Deering’s responsibilities would be taken over by the deputy commissioner, Kathleen Doyle, until his successor was appointed. She is to have full decision-making powers in the interim.

A major consultation process got under way with the taxi industry last month in advance of planned new regulations on vehicles that will set strict standards for size, age, condition, capacity, safety, accessibility and comfort.

The National Taxi Drivers’ Union (NTDU) said they wanted a meeting with Mr Deering and Ms Doyle prior to the change-over.

They would also seek assurances from Transport Minister Martin Cullen that the work of the commission would not be interrupted.

“We’re rather surprised that Mr Deering vacated the position so hurriedly. We had no indication that this was happening,” said NTDU president Tommy Gorman. “We wish him well, but we would have thought he would have stayed around to complete the various programmes that he set out to implement.

“The difficulty here is that bringing somebody new in at this stage means we have to get acquainted with him or her.

“I know everything Mr Deering did did not please us, but Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

Mr Deering has had a stormy time since he took up the post of taxi regulator in September 2004. His appointment came in the wake of the deregulation of the taxi industry which lifted restrictions on the number of licences issued and caused uproar among existing licence-holders who saw the value of their taxi plates decimated.

He quickly ran into opposition over proposals to open bus and taxi lanes to hackneys and limousines and more recently faced a battle to introduce a new national fare system and scrap a levy imposed on passengers by taxis serving airports.

Those plans resulted in strike action which caused chaos in Dublin city centre. He also had to stand up to a threat by taxi drivers to boycott the Ryder Cup last summer before implementing the changes.

Last week he was forced to admit that a €350,000 sticker system, designed to give passengers information on fares and their rights, had to be scrapped because they interfered with the opening of electric windows.

Mr Deering was not available for comment yesterday.

From the middle of this year NERA’s headquarters will be in Carlow, where Mr Deering formerly worked as deputy county manager.

He will have a staff of 140 by the end of 2007, including 90 labour inspectors — a threefold increase on the current number.