The Government is holding firm on taxi deregulation facing into today's meeting with industry representatives.
Taxi drivers and their families will stage a rally outside Leinster House ahead of the talks it emerged last night. Widespread traffic disruption is expected when protesters march from Parnell Square to Kildare Street at 1 p.m.
Amid escalating tension among members, the taxi lobby said it is to meet rural TDs before holding discussions with the Government. The National Taxi Driver Union's general secretary, Mr Tommy Gorman, said provincial drivers had persuaded 70 deputies to attend.
The talks between the Minister of State for the Environment, Mr Bobby Molloy, and taxi leaders are to centre on tax breaks for financial losses to licence holders to be introduced by the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, and how long they should be backdated, according to Government sources. However, there was no prospect of limiting the number of taxis being introduced.
Meanwhile Dublin Corporation is closing it's its licence application office to the public because of a "tense situation" which developed yesterday. It is believed taxi-drivers were coming into the office yesterday and deliberately causing disruption at the public counter.
For security reasons applications for taxi licences will now be handled by post. It was confirmed that taximeter fitters were threatened if they continued to fit meters onto newly-licensed cabs or hackneys.
Mr John O'Neill, who paid £5,000 for a taxi licence, was told at the Garda Carriage Office in Dublin he could not run a cab without a taximeter. When he approached the Irish Taximeter & Tachograph Company in Dublin's Belvedere Place he was told he could not get one until further notice because staff had received intimidating phone calls.
"The man there told me he'd received a phone call from someone who threatened to break his hands if he continued to fit taximeters," he said.
A spokesman for Irish Taximeter & Tachograph confirmed it had received phone calls threatening physical violence if the company continued to fit taximetres.
Meanwhile, Kerry taxi drivers are to press Mr Molloy to make any new taxi plates wheelchair-friendly only, it is understood. They will also lob by the Minister to raise licence fees and set high standards for new wheelchair-friendly licences.
It is understood they believe the high cost of acquiring new wheelchair-friendly vehicles would protect their livelihoods by preventing part-time taxis entering the market in the county.
There are 18 licences in Tralee and 25 in Killarney. But these are expected to swell to 140 and 150 respectively with deregulation as there are a high number of hackneys in both towns.
Taxi drivers deny there is a shortage of taxis in Kerry.
Taxi drivers in Killarney and Tralee met public representatives in the county over the weekend and held a separate meeting with the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue. They said TDs in Kerry were "100 per cent" behind them.
Asked if he would put any special case for Kerry drivers, Mr O'Donoghue said while he would communicate their views, he could not "give any guarantees". He said it was not possible to "ring-fence" any area.
Independent TD Mr Jackie Healy-Rae said some case should be made for rural places in the legislation.