A meeting of taxi drivers' leaders yesterday to discuss a planned boycott of next month's Ryder Cup was adjourned until tomorrow afternoon.
The move is aimed at allowing taxi regulator Ger Deering sufficient time to respond to an invitation to attend an open meeting with taxi drivers.
The leaders of the National Taxi Drivers' Union (NTDU), the Taxi Drivers' Federation, and Siptu, which represent about 14,000 of the State's 17,000 taxi drivers, had previously signalled the possibility of a breakthrough in their ongoing dispute with Mr Deering over the introduction of a new national fare structure.
The changes will see the previous system, under which fares were set by individual local authorities, replaced by standard minimum charges of €3.80, or €4.10 at premium times.
They will also lead to the abolition of luggage charges and the €1.50 hiring charge for pick-up at Dublin airport.
But their planned introduction has already led to one-day stoppages by taxi drivers in July and August. Members of the three unions also voted last week to target the Ryder Cup.
Commenting on yesterday's meeting, Tommy Gorman of the NTDU said it had been decided that any discussion of plans to boycott the Ryder Cup should be "put on hold" pending Mr Deering's response to the invitation to attend an open meeting with taxi drivers.
He also reiterated his belief that the negotiation of a new fare increase with Mr Deering might help to create a scenario whereby the protests could be called off.
Mr Deering last week said he would be open to discussing the possibility of a fare increase after a new fare structure comes into force on September 25th. However, a spokesman for the Commission for Taxi Regulation last night said that, while a proposal to meet with drivers would be considered, it had yet to receive a formal request to attend.