Fewer taxis working Dublin airport

Passengers arriving at Dublin airport could find themselves facing longer queues for taxis following a reduction in the number of drivers registered to work there.

Of the 4,000 taxi drivers who held permits to operate at the airport up to December 2006, only 2,000 have applied for new ones.

The new permits, administered by the Dublin Airport Authority, cost €400 for 12 months, €220 for six months and €110 for three months.

In the past drivers paid 70 cent every time they arrived at the "kesh", a holding area where taxis wait for the arrival of passengers.

However, since the abolition by the taxi regulator of the €1.50 pick-up charge and charges for luggage at the airport, and the introduction of the new permit charge, many drivers have found it uneconomical to apply for a permit.

Tommy Gorman, president of the National Taxi Drivers' Union, said working the airport was no longer viable for the driver who only worked there a few times a week.

"I have grave reservations about those numbers; I don't believe 2,000 taxis will be enough to serve the airport.

"The casual guy was important out there because he would be available at busy times; that won't happen now."

A spokeswoman for the airport authority said the new system was better for drivers and had been agreed with them before its introduction.

"We did have 4,000 drivers on the system but not all would have used their permits. There has been no noticeable fall-off or difficulty in the supply of taxis to the airport so far, certainly no more than usual in that when there are specific events occurring it might be more difficult to get a taxi as it is everywhere else."