Dublin struggles to solve taxi crisis

Despite Government-directed reforms to the taxi service in Dublin, passengers still face 90-minute waits for cabs at peak times, according to a new survey.

And late night pub hours, as well as Manchester United soccer matches on TV make things even worse, the National Taxi Drivers’ Union said today.

The drivers’ union commissioned the report - carried out by Trinity College's Centre for Urban and Regional Studies - to see if de-regulation of the trade, ordered by Environment Minister Bobby Molloy late last year, had sparked any improvements in services.

But the experts found that:

:: Saturday night and early hours waiting times remain at up to 90 minutes;

:: Only 10% of cabs are wheelchair accessible;

:: And serious problems persist with telephone-ordered taxis;

Mr Molloy’s move last November dramatically increased the number of taxis on the streets of Dublin from 2,700, to 6,700.

But the taxi drivers’ union said today that the minister needed to address other reasons for the taxi problems than the number of vehicles on the road.

They claimed many of the extra cab licences that had been made available were held by people who drove part-time and held down other full-time jobs elsewhere.

Spokesman Vincent Kearns added: "The study showed there were still significant waiting times, particularly on Saturday nights and in the early hours of the morning.

"It’s very similar to pre-deregulation. Mr Molloy said it was the only way to improve the service, but we have always questioned that.

"You can get a taxi at 1am now, but that is because people don’t come out of the some of the pubs until 1.30am. After that it’s more difficult."

Mr Kearns said there had been changes in the working habits of taxi drivers.

"Ninety per cent of taxis are single-driver-operated. So if Manchester United are playing on a Wednesday night, the majority of drivers opt to take a day shift and go off in time for the match.

"And that night you are deprived of a service."