Source: Irish Taxi.org
This week alone three taxi drivers have taken their own lives, one wrapping himself in cling film and setting himself alight, while I realise times are difficult for many, I doubt there are many trades or professions that could match those statistics.
I could find no mention of these tragic incidents in any news report I came across, are events such as these so commonplace that they don’t even warrant a mention?
The situation within the Taxi trade is dire and needs to be addressed urgently, things can be done to improve the situation if only there was a will among the political class to do so.
My heartfelt sympathies go out to the families involved in the tragedies mentioned, I cannot begin to imagine what they’re going through.
Comment:
What a shame.., I often wonder how this government can pump billions of tax payers money into banks that they themselves admitted to being nothing short of corrupt and yet not one of them (directors) are behind bars in China the same said people would be immediately brought to court and if found guilty executed and a bill sent to their family for the price of the bullet I am not saying that that is the road we should go down but certainly there should be a prevention order given that they cannot leave the country until all proceedings (if any) are exhausted. I often wonder too at how our ‘people’ elected politicians can stand there looking out the windows of the Dail lounge bar at the sheer number of taxis passing by and not once say to themselves these people must be struggling to make a living or perhaps they did and had their secretary draw up a letter to the taxi regulator asking for an explanation only to receive a thatcherite like reply ‘this bitch is not for turning’ and so it seems that she strikes fear into the politicians that question her but I suppose it is better to be on the inside looking out than on the outside looking in. My sympathies too to those families that have lost their loved ones and bread winner who felt that they could no longer even provide bread.
Comment:
The most frustrating thing in all this is that no one cares.
The radio companies are using the drivers to make more money while cutting their fees. money off vouchers etc.
The regulator lives in a castle somewhere in the sky, printing manuals and making rules. The manual I got looks like something that a 6Th form class put together as a project.The people who drew it up were not taxi drivers or people who work in or have worked in the industry.
My gripe with the Regulator is that she cannot or will not deal with anything. It just keeps going on putting the public at risk.
Her office is a QUANGO and a very rich one too.
The Garda have a lovely time driving past the rank at Heuston station with a video camera then giving out parking tickets.
‘Law breakers’ they say.
I reported a car that I saw driving past with Northern Ireland plates over Irish plates to a passing Garda car, 10 minutes later the same Garda car drives past going the other was, both eating cake.
People are coming into this industry and driving taxis with forged documents, it is amazing how many times I have heard of drivers who don’t know any of Dublin. Imagine a London taxi driver not knowing where Oxford St was?. Yet there are drivers who don’t know where O’Connell st is.
If a driver has not got a proper PSV licence he has not been vetted by the police, he may not even be able to drive.
Plus he will not be insured.
So Garda bring them in before there is a murder.
The taxi hire system as it operates at present is a farce.
We the taxi driver who are paying our taxes and trying to make an honest living are not criminals so stop treating us as such.
It is the 4 sets of lights around Heuston that causes most of the congestion the volume of taxis is only a minor blockage.
I am shocked by the level of disdain that the media give towards taxi drivers. We take the day off and bring hundreds of handicapped kids out for the day, the Garda band comes, the lord mayor comes. Fun is had by all and not one mention on any news. Yet Jordans “Wedding” is in every paper.
Last in the list is the lack of take up for the suicide prevention stickers.
They might make a difference yet hardly 20 drivers took them up. The radio cab companies should have put them on every car.
My deepest sympathy to all the families of those affected by suicide.
Make that call there is help there.
Think of your kids and how this action will effect other people you love.
This new 9 year rule will cause real hardship.
