Printed taxi fare receipts put off until autumn

Taxi drivers will not have to provide printed receipts for euro fares until eight months after the introduction of the new currency. The Minister of State for the Environment, Mr Robert Molloy, said he was postponing the requirement to avoid complications during the changeover to the euro.

"The requirement for taxi meters to be capable of producing automatic receipts for taxi fares is being postponed for an eight-month period until September 1st, 2001," he said.

A spokesman for the Minister said the decision to require printed receipts from January 1st was taken at the time of deregulation last year.

He said the Department was now prepared to "hold out" on the requirement for eight months to give drivers time to become familiar with the "eurofication" of their meters. He thought taxi drivers would be pleased with Mr Molloy's announcement.

The chief executive of the Consumers' Association of Ireland, Mr Dermott Jewell, said the announcement was disappointing.

"I think most consumers would be rather put out that we're approaching a landmark date and provision should have been made for it," he said. Printed receipts "would have made life easier" for both drivers and passengers.

Meanwhile, the vice-president of the National Taxi Drivers' Union, Mr Vincent Kearns, said the delay was necessary to facilitate the introduction of the euro.

Mr Kearns said meter installers would have to adjust meters for the euro changeover and the second fare increase agreed by local authorities in Dublin in time for January 1st. This would take 20 minutes per car, he said.

"If they attached the printers to all cars as well, the euro probably wouldn't be in circulation until next August."

Mr Kearns said taxi drivers would continue to be happy to write receipts for passengers.