Costello welcomes Taxi Regulator's decision to keep fares at current level
Issued : Thursday 9 September, 2010
Statement by Joe Costello TD
Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with responsibility for Trade and Development
The decision by the Taxi Regulator to keep fares at their current level is welcome news to taxi customers. Indeed 81% of taxi drivers surveyed were supportive of fares remaining the same. However it is worrying news that taxi drivers income has fallen by 30% since 2008. The Taxi regulator needs to act quickly and introduce new measures to improve the income of taxi drivers.
The requirement to remove all 9 year old cars from the taxi fleet regardless of their condition will sharply reduce the earnings of those with an older car and will add hugely to the costs of taxi drivers who will have to replace their vehicle.
There is an overabundance of taxis operating at present. This doesn’t improve the service for users. However it reduces the income of taxi drivers with taxis cruising around the streets all hours of the day and night and increases the levels of air pollution particularly in the city centre.
The Minister for Transport needs to tackle this issue immediately. One option available to the Minister is to direct the Taxi Regulator to start the process of buying back some of the excess taxi plates. Taxi plates that come on the market should be bought back at the same price as they were sold. This would help to eliminate some of the problems that the taxi industry is currently facing.
Another major issue that needs to be tackled is the lack of wheelchair accessible taxis on our roads. Only 6% of the taxi fleet is wheelchair accessible whereas it is 100% in London. The Minister for Transport and the Minister for Finance should provide financial incentives for taxi drivers to meet the high costs of putting a wheelchair accessible taxi on the road. Elderly people, people in wheelchairs and people with severe physical disabilities should have reasonable access to public transport.
