There could be 200 more taxis in Dublin soon if new measures are passed at a Dublin City Council meeting next Monday night. The downside is that the meeting is also voting on increasing fares.
With slow-moving queues of 80 or more people at taxi ranks a feature of Dublin night-life over the Christmas season, a joint committee of the three Dublin local authorities has recommended issuing 200 additional licences and allowing a fares increase. The recommendations arise from discussions on a report by an independent review group on taxis and hackneys in the Dublin area, completed earlier this month.
Following another Christmas of long taxi queues, the city council will vote on measures designed to improve the situation. The fare increases recommended include:
an increase of 12.5 per cent in the charge per mile.
a 50 per cent increase in the time charge to 10p per 40 seconds when speed drops below 7.5 m.p.h. This is to encourage drivers to work at peak times when traffic is congested and encourage customers to travel at off-peak times.
a new minimum charge of £1.90.
a doubling of the after-midnight charge from 40p to 80p.
a 50 per cent increase in the waiting charge to £9 per hour.
a "soiling charge" of £20.
The committee's recommendation for a further 200 wheelchair accessible licences, at £15,000 each, follows a previous issue of 200 licences at this price. This move was vigorously opposed by taxi-drivers, some of whom paid up to £80,000 for a taxi plate.
There were almost 1,000 applications for the first round of extra licences, but due to the complicated points system used to award licences not all of them have been issued yet.
One Dublin councillor, Mr Brendan Brady (FG), said there were up to 40 additional taxis on the road after the first issue of new licences. "It is important that politicians respond to the public demand because there have been a lot of problems with the taxi situation in the city," he said.
Taxi-drivers have also protested against the increase in the licence renewal fee from £100 every two years to £450 this year. The report recommends that the fee be reduced to the original level. However, the committee is recommending to the council that it remain at £450.
The review group, consisting of a British firm, Goodbody Economic Consultants, and Irish Marketing Surveys, will make its final recommendations in March.
