Sir, - I welcome the new guidelines governing hackneys in Dublin which were recently published by the Department of the Environment. This follows extensive consultation by the Dublin Taxi Forum, the Garda, local authorities and taxi and hackney services. The new regulations, due to come into effect next March 1st, bring about the following changes:
A form of identification for hackney drivers will be introduced.
Restrictions on the use of radios and telephone equipment by hackneys will be removed.
Hackneys will be required to carry a log of agreed fares when driving into taxi-metre areas.
While I welcome these changes, I believe the Government should go one step further and permit hackney drivers to use the bus lanes in Dublin city and county in the near future. Such a move would command widespread public support and would also fit in with the promotion of the Government's public transport policy.
The changing nature of public transport in Dublin is such that more Quality Bus Corridors are set to be introduced. This was an explicit condition contained in the Government's National Development Plan which was recently launched. Five new Quality Bus Corridors will be introduced while there will be an extension to the existing QBCs. It is in light of these changes that consideration should be given to allowing hackney drivers use the bus lanes in Dublin city and county. - Yours, etc.,
Niall Andrews MEP, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2.