Sir, - Nine months have now passed since the announcement from Mr Bobby Molloy that he intended to double the number of taxis on the streets of Dublin. To date, not a single new licence has been issued, with no immediate prospect of this changing. The matter is being appealed in the courts by the hackney drivers, who wish the whole system to be de-regulated. They have already stated their intention to appeal to both the Supreme Court and the European Court, should the current court proceedings go against them.
Waiting on the sidelines are the taxi unions, who will bring their own legal challenges to this proposal in due course, once the hackneys' case has been finalised.
In short, all that Mr Molloy has achieved with his bulldozer tactics is utter confusion and stalemate, the main losers being the travelling public and the Dublin taxi-drivers. An existing agreement was already in place, which had seen the taxi numbers increase from 1,974 plates to over 2,800 plates over the past three years, all wheelchair-accessible, and all capable of carrying up to eight passengers. Had this agreement been adhered to by the Government, a further 350 "van" licences would already have been issued this year, and the taxi unions would then have negotiated a further issue of licences on a phased basis.
As things stand, a taxi-driver who wishes to retire cannot sell his plate, the taxi unions cannot negotiate an increase in rates, long overdue with the current cost of fuel and insurance, and a second or "cosy" driver cannot be found due to the unstable state of the industry.
It is long past time for common sense to prevail. This ill-conceived plan by the Progressive Democrats, designed as a stopgap measure until adequate public transport is brought on line, should be dropped immediately, and the Government should sit down with all parties and thrash out a sensible strategy which is acceptable to all. - Yours, etc.,
Ken Johnstone, Cromwellsfort Road, Walkinstown, Dublin 12.