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Thre is definitely money for some taxi drivers f they are willing to work the peak hours.
Got a taxi last year in a lovely full leather nearly new Merc - definitely not the cheapest Merc. As we drove past the Audi showroom we commented on the R8 sportscar & then he said he was looking at getting a new Audi A6. :eek:
disagree. get a fair bit of taxis in dublin and never have too much issue with them. At 6 oc clock the nite is over so you would expect there to be fewer taxis stil around. instead there was ques of them. I dont know what it is like in limerick but in dubliun there is lenty of taxis.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie
I agree with Bill on this. Since my injury I have had to get more taxis than usual and I have noticed there is loads about nearly all the time. I think getting rid of the nightlinks during the week will help them a little bit maybe. Not that I agree with the policy of cutting back on nightlinks.
Why on earth would you cut effective public transport that's well used and force people to take private transport that costs far more?Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilMcD
Well Dublin Bus say the midweek nightlinks weren't profitableQuote:
Originally Posted by John83
Really? That's pathetic. I sometimes think that company could make a loss if they were... hmm, since the fall from grace of the banking industry, who qualifies as the bullet-proof money-spinner now? The pharmaceutical industry? OPEC?Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
There's more to the nightlinks than is immediately obvious. Dublin Bus fired a bunch of drivers and only reinstated them on condition that they work late shifts from Friday to Monday. Chopping the midweek nightlinks is probably a part of a similar industrial relations move.Quote:
Originally Posted by John83
I heard that too. Since they were largely running them for pure profit and that it only takes about 10-15 people on a nightlink to break even for that bus supposedly, I find it difficult to believe the rationale for completely removing them. Especially when certain nightlinks had people left sitting on the stairs for lack of seats (not because they couldn't climb them..)Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
...which again is in line with the report -which states it is taking the taxi drivers longer to make the return or derive the income they've come to expect ...not that the income isn't there to be made.Quote:
Originally Posted by Billsthoughts
come on!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie
legally all bars / clubs must close at 230 in dublin. So your saying that ques of them still on the streets at 6 is a sign that they are just taking a little longer than usual to make the money?
Would be a sign of desperation to me.
I dont need a report to tell me what I see with my own eyes.
There are way too many taxis in Dublin.
Read my post again please.Quote:
Originally Posted by John83
No it may well be taking a lot longer to make the money they've come to expect. But the very fact that they're remaining on the rank at six in the morning means that, unless they're complete morons, they have a reasonable expectation that the queue is going to tip away and they'll get a fare. Otherwise a quick bit of maths would tell them they'd be better off at home in bed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Billsthoughts
I was out here in Limerick last night and there was indeed plenty of taxis about, as there should be, but they were getting fares handily enough. The days of the 50 yard queue of people waiting for a cab that may well then cherry pick it's fares are gone for the most part (see my 2nd previous post) but so they should be as well.
It seems to me the intention of the regulator is to facilitate the race to the bottom. I'm not sure what people's problem is with people making a decent living? Having it a low paid job does nothing for the quality of service or the security of the travelling public. There's a awful lot of bitterness about people earning an alright living around at the moment. Maybe it's jealousy, I don't know. All handy for the Government and their pals as the focus is still away from their millions...
Problems with there still being demand at peak times says more about our stupid licencing laws than anything to do with taxi's.
Absolutely agree here. Our licencing laws create havoc in any number of ways and the taxis are a victim of them here too. Which also means stats about Dublin having more taxis than New York have to be taken in context and with a pinch of salt as all the pubs, clubs and late night hostelries don't similtaneously slam the shutters down at the same time there. But this is what we're stuck with.Quote:
Originally Posted by Macy
I've certainly no problem with them earning a fortune if they can. But as I see it the taxi industry is there to provide a service to the public -not the public being there to provide a cornered market for the taxis.Quote:
Originally Posted by Macy
The system, as it pertained for eons -with people standing in queues for hours, late at night and in all weather had to stop. Supply was simply nowhere near demand and the industry opposed all attempts to rectify the situation.
Things being as they are - I think part time/peak time drivers (either driving those times by choice as is now or by restrictive licence which may be a way forward) will have to be part of the mix as that's when the demand is there.
Wasnt a taxi rank. They were obviously driving around at 6 in a desperate attempt to make a living.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie
Agree with Macy. People seem to begrudging other people a living.
What you are seeing now is a lot of drivers who just dont have the knowledge to be taxi drivers.
Having licences for certain peak times would just be unmanageable and uneforceable. How many people do you know that are still driving around on provisionals eventho it was supposed to eb zero tolerance to them?
Introducing standards so that all vehicles are wheelchair accessible & the qualities of vehicles is improved (no vans) would be one way of indirectly reducing the numbers of taxi drivers. If someone wanted to enter the business it would require reasonable investment so would discourage 1 day a week drivers. If the Unions approached from that angle they would get more support.
The problem with limiting numbers is who decides the number?
Doesn't make a difference whether it was rank or not. Thye still had a reasonable expectation of picking up a fare. I've relatives in this biz by the way and I can tell you they frequently don't call it a night til after seven on a saturday night-sunday morning and that's working a hinterland much smaller than Dublin.Quote:
Originally Posted by Billsthoughts
Annecdotely their appears to be something to this ...but that comes down to this country being awash with guidelines and recommendations and being direly short of some hard and fast rules that are enforcable or enforced.Quote:
Originally Posted by Billsthoughts
See my previous. But I will say that with a bit of imagination the thing could be tightened up. Part of the problem with driver quality at the moment appears to come from the practice of renting out plates.Quote:
Originally Posted by Billsthoughts
As for inability to police peak time drivers
-Make all full time PSVs respray the cars egg yellow ...mandatory.
-stop issueing plates/licences for the forseeable.
-create a peak time licence and make all peak-time PSVs respray tarmac jacket Orange and only allow them work from 9pm-9am thurs-sun and named holidays. I also think this'd be an excellent opportunity to review the class of vehicle that's required for this work. There's no reason to my mind why peak time PSVs can't be Puntos, Clios, electric 2 seaters in built up areas. Cheaper to run, better for the environment.
Was out in Dublin last night and the previous night. Every ranked I passed was packed with taxis, should have been no problems getting home.
Just a thought, is this another side effect of the recession - less money to spend = less people going out at night = less people for the same number of taxis so drivers have to work longer hours for the same number of fares?
Who decides which taxi driver gets the peak & off peak plate? I guess no driver will want a 9am-9pm plate?Quote:
Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie
Well unless cause to revoke licences arises you can't take a licence off someone so you'd be looking at a moratorium on full time plates/licences and only making peak time ones available for new applicants.Quote:
Originally Posted by pete
I'm guessing the peak time one would be commensurately cheaper so it might not be an unattractive option.
oh ...and that was 9PM to 9AM Pete ...just to be clear.