Taxi drivers to protest in Dublin today

Hundreds of taxi drivers are protesting in Dublin today. They are withdrawing services for three hours over the Government's failure to appoint a regulator for the industry within the promised time frame.

Transport Minister, Seamus Brennan, has announced the office of National Taxi regulator will be set up on a non-statutory basis next February. However, taxi drivers say it will still take months to get it up and running.

Vincent Kearns of the National Taxi Driver's union says they are highlighting a number of issues.

"For two years we have waited for the appointment of the regulator and we still haven't seen it and we still do not know when the regulator will actually be functioning.

"AXA Insurance has gone up about 40%, our members incomes have been reduced greatly and our members are angered by the amount of part-timers who are operating within the business purely for pocket money."