This article is from page 11 of the 2012-02-07 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 11 JPG
TAXI drivers in Clare say they are facing financial ruin as changes to the law mean they will not be able to sell their licences after October.
While MEP Jim Higgins (FG) maintains that the new taxi legislation is good for Ennis, the men and women behind the wheel have a different opinion.
Ennis taxi driver and member of the Irish Taxi Drivers Federation Martin White described as “ludicrous” the ban on selling licences.
“It is absolutely ludicrous to tell drivers that have invested in plates, that they can’t sell them after October,” he said. “A lot of theses lads have 25 to 27 years experience and if they, God forbid, has a stroke or heart attack after October their family would be left with a licence that could not be sold.”
He added that at least three local taxi drivers spent more than € 100,000 on licences before deregulation in 2000. “Then too many plates were issued when deregulation came in,” added Mr White.
He said taxi drivers are struggling to make ends meet as Ennis town has become very quite and there are so many licensed drivers out there.
“I worked for 12 hours last Monday for € 18,” he said.
Another driver told how she worked from 9pm to 12.30pm on Sunday and made just € 6. He maintains the new legislation will force a lot of experienced drivers out of the business before October and on to the dole queues. “The Government should buy back the plates from lads that want to get out,” he said. “There is € 22 million in the national reserve that was handed over from the regulator and we are asking the Government to put € 2 million a year aside and let some drivers out with a bit of dignity.” He said that there were a lot of regulations in the new legislation, which he welcomed, but the non-sale of licences was crazy.
The MEP, Mr Higgins has welcomed the new legislation which he says will resolve the problems currently in existence in Ennis due to an oversupply of taxis.
“In recent years, taxi ranks in Ennis were overflowing. It’s about getting the balance right. In the ‘90s there were not enough taxis in Ennis, but in the past decade, things went too far in the other direction. These new proposals mean professional drivers will be given a fairer crack of the whip, by eliminating rogue operators, and at the same time increasing the service levels provided to the public.”
Among the measures to be introduced include taxi drivers having to accept credit cards, a new more tamper-proof taxi plate, and a smart phone application to allow customers to check in real time with their phone that the taxi driver is properly licensed.