Aircoach claims taxi drivers poaching passengers at city centre bus stops

PRIVATE BUS operator Aircoach has complained of an increase in taxi drivers trying to steal their passengers as they wait at bus stops in Dublin city centre.

Aircoach managing director Allen Parker said this had been going on for a few years, mainly at the city centre stops of Westmoreland Street and O’Connell Street, but he had noted an increase in the past year.

Aircoach runs a service to and from Dublin airport. Mr Parker said taxi drivers would pull up at the bus stops without being hailed and encourage waiting passengers to get in.

They would often offer to match the Aircoach fare, which is €7 from Westmoreland Street, and would then pick up a few more passengers at O’Connell Street. The Commission for Taxi Regulation said it was aware of the issue, and its enforcement team was monitoring activity at bus stops.

A spokeswoman said it was unlawful. She said that, nationally, 96 penalties of €250 each had been issued for “standing for hire at a place other than an appointed stand” up to November 1st this year. This compared with 51 fines for the same offence in the whole of last year.

The spokeswoman said reports suggested taxi drivers were also breaking other rules, as many switched off the meter to facilitate the cheaper fare without prior agreement from the passengers.

Nor did the drivers issue a printed receipt for the journey. These are separate offences and are each subject to €250 penalties. She said enforcement officers regularly checked on private bus stops in Dublin to stamp out this practice. Mr Parker said Aircoach had no problem with taxi drivers stopping at their bus stops if they had been hailed, but this was clearly not the case.

He said the company had heard about the practice from its customers, its drivers, and even other taxi drivers who highlighted the illegality of the practice.

“We regularly raise it with the taxi regulator,” he said. “Unfortunately it is a big issue for us as it is something that happens regularly. We have no issue with someone choosing between Aircoach and a taxi, but this is illegal and we suspect it’s a small minority of drivers who are doing it.”

He said passengers had told Aircoach that taxi drivers engaged in the practice had been disparaging about the Aircoach service. Sometimes, passengers had been told the Aircoach bus had broken down and that they should take a taxi instead.

One passenger told The Irish Times this had recently happened to her, and she had accepted the offer of the taxi because she had been taken by surprise.

She said the taxi driver then remarked that she would have missed her flight if she had waited for the bus.

Mr Parker said such practice was unfair to passengers as they felt under pressure to take the taxi, particularly if they were being misinformed about the bus service.

Nobody from the Irish Taxi Drivers’ Union was available to comment.

Taxi drivers have complained of extremely difficult trading conditions this year because of the recession and the large number of taxis.

They have repeatedly urged the regulator to place a cap on the number of drivers entering the industry.