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2007

More consultation needed on new taxi regulations

Date Released: 27 Nov 2007

The SIPTU Taxi Branch has welcomed the decision of the Commissioner to require all newly registered vehicles to be wheelchair accessible from January 1. However organiser Jerry Brennan says clarification is urgently needed on when all taxis will have to meet this criteria. If the deadline is January 1, 2012, many older drivers would not be able to comply.

“The wording is unclear in the new regulations and we will be seeking urgent clarification”, he said today. “Older drivers would not be able to finance the extra costs involved without probably mortgaging their homes, which is not a reasonable expectation. We were also told by the current Commissioner and her predecessor that the issue of VRT and VAT would be addressed when wheelchair accessible vehicles became obligatory, but there is no reference to these in the latest regulations.

“The fact that the new regulations were released to the media at a press conference today before being given to industry representatives shows how far the regulatory regime has gone in terms of marginalising the drivers. There is no negotiation or appeals procedure available to us to highlight our concerns and we will now have to wait again to obtain clarification on this issue.

“We had hoped that a consultation process begun 19 months ago, at our request, would have put in place some form of appeals machinery and way of acknowledging our members concerns by now. We are the only group subject to a regulatory regime in the state who have no appeals process against decisions by the regulator.

“Although the Department of Transport has accepted the need for a process of some sort in principle the political will to introduce one seems to be lacking. This is another case of changes being introduced with huge implications for some of our members but providing no means for them to express their concerns.

“In the circumstances it is no wonder that feelings boil over and protests take place. It is totally unacceptable to run any industry in this way. I do not believe that the Government would even think of doing so in other regulated markets such as energy or aviation. It is only because our members are small self-employed people they are being treated in this way.

“We have sought a meeting with the Minister over the lack of representation and look forward to putting our points to him.”





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