Flaming taxi drivers holding the city to ransom Ggrrrrr...

starbelgrade

blahblah06 wrote: »

Nobody said u had to listen to that your entitled to a quiet journey if you so wish simply ignore or tell them to shut up or use a cab driver who u have had a good experience with before.
Motorcycles wouldn't be able to manage the quantity we have to deliver let alone the way these things are boxed and packaged.

Now anyone else before I head to town

Trying to shut a Dublin taxi driver up, is like trying to stop a Tsunami with an umbrella.

blahblah06

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

so what you want driving listed as a bloody skill? you need more brains to work behind a till to be honest.

Oh really? That's funny. Didn't know till workers transfer real people and life saving products around the country funny that

blahblah06

starbelgrade wrote: »

Trying to shut a Dublin taxi driver up, is like trying to stop a Tsunami with an umbrella.

Lol well get into the next one or call ians taxi service for a professional service ha

ParkRunner

buzzymam wrote: »

Yes my husband and father of our 3 kids loves being a "very expensive lift home" while he breaks his ass 10 hours a day, 7 days a week to earn less than minimum wage. In the last 2 weeks, he has been robbed, verbally abused, threatened by scum bags and had numerous fares run out without paying. Sure he is having a ball! An easy ride in a low skilled job. No one looks past that....so many are intelligent, honest family men working out there trying to provide for their familys.

No one likes disruption, its a hassle and pain in a"s. They are being driven to desperation by useless unions and a government and regulator who dont have the manners and decency to meet with representatives and actually listen to whats goin on in the industry.

Why does he do it so if the wages are so bad?

phasers

Tbh I have sympathy for taxi drivers. Most of them are regular guys with kids trying to get by in what is a very tough market.

It's the twats that pull stuff like that fiasco on O'Connell St that give them a bad name.

I was stuck on a bus for over an hour, and it was a bendy bus going down VERY narrow streets. I was terrified! ( The driver was as well, I think she was a newbie :pac:)

shamblertine

EF wrote: »

I think the people of Dublin should boycott taxi's for a week, a fortnight even, for doing this!

I'll be boycotting them permanently from now on, its buses all the way from here on in.

john-joe

Should taxi men/women be made to wear a uniform to 'work'

Has anybody else noticed the appearance of some of these guys? They should be made wear a uniform (even a shrt and slacks) as I dont want to be driven around the city by a somebody that does not take pride in there appearance when going to work.

Also does anybody spot check the taxis for cleanliness and general state? I have been in a few taxis where seats are grubby and drivers smoking with the windows down :mad:

Please excuse the rant above, just speaking my mind :pac::pac:

BraziliaNZ

blahblah06 wrote: »

Oh really? That's funny. Didn't know till workers transfer real people and life saving products around the country funny that

sorry, are you a paramedic or a taxi driver?

blahblah06

Lol on that note I say goodnight. Thanks for letting me get the point across as best I could.

buzzymam

buzzymam wrote: »

Yes my husband and father of our 3 kids loves being a "very expensive lift home" while he breaks his ass 10 hours a day, 7 days a week to earn less than minimum wage. In the last 2 weeks, he has been robbed, verbally abused, threatened by scum bags and had numerous fares run out without paying. Sure he is having a ball! An easy ride in a low skilled job. No one looks past that....so many are intelligent, honest family men working out there trying to provide for their familys.

No one likes disruption, its a hassle and pain in a"s. They are being driven to desperation by useless unions and a government and regulator who dont have the manners and decency to meet with representatives and actually listen to whats goin on in the industry.

Nobodies forcing him to be a taxi driver.

You see people will never get behind the drivers. Why? Because they want more money at OUR expense. They want us to be waiting around all night so that they can have guaranteed fares.

Even if fares were halved overnight I'd still think they were too expensive. It's about a mile or two to my house from town. On my own this normally costs 12 euro. It's a joke. And its the REAL reason why people are taking less and less taxis.

mikemac

buzzymam wrote: »

Yes my husband and father of our 3 kids loves being a "very expensive lift home" while he breaks his ass 10 hours a day, 7 days a week to earn less than minimum wage. In the last 2 weeks, he has been robbed, verbally abused, threatened by scum bags and had numerous fares run out without paying. Sure he is having a ball! An easy ride in a low skilled job. No one looks past that....so many are intelligent, honest family men working out there trying to provide for their familys.

No one likes disruption, its a hassle and pain in a"s. They are being driven to desperation by useless unions and a government and regulator who dont have the manners and decency to meet with representatives and actually listen to whats goin on in the industry.

If he is earning less the minimum wage then:

If you are working he can mind the kids.
If neither of ye are working are there social welfare options? I understand it can be difficult for the self-employed to access social welfare. But you can't support a family on minimum wage, don't even mind less then that.
There is Family Income Support that could be claimed I think.
Btw, it is a low skilled job

ParkRunner

blahblah06 wrote: »

Lol on that note I say goodnight. Thanks for letting me get the point across as best I could.

Id avoid O'Connell St if I were you

blahblah06

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

sorry, are you a paramedic or a taxi driver?

WTF are u talking about? Taxi driver that brings all these things to hospitals. What exactly is your point

Max Power1

buzzymam wrote: »

Yes my husband and father of our 3 kids loves being a "very expensive lift home" while he breaks his ass 10 hours a day, 7 days a week to earn less than minimum wage. In the last 2 weeks, he has been robbed, verbally abused, threatened by scum bags and had numerous fares run out without paying. Sure he is having a ball! An easy ride in a low skilled job. No one looks past that....so many are intelligent, honest family men working out there trying to provide for their familys.

No one likes disruption, its a hassle and pain in a"s. They are being driven to desperation by useless unions and a government and regulator who dont have the manners and decency to meet with representatives and actually listen to whats goin on in the industry.

Get a different job then. Not a reason to illegally block the busiest street in the country at rush hour.

Boycotting taxis now anyway, no sympathy for that pig ignorant group after todays action. Nightlink/bus ftw from now on!

ElBarco

trout wrote: »

What action or reaction are the taxi drivers looking for ? Does anyone know ?

I'm not being smart, I'm just wondering what they are actually hoping to achieve ... is there a concrete objective ?

Judging by the reactions on here and from what I've heard from people around me they are just going to p*ss off the general public. If that was the objective - job well done.

The whole get the ministers attention thing doesn't seem to be working out so well.

blahblah06

john-joe wrote: »

Should taxi men/women be made to wear a uniform to 'work'

Has anybody else noticed the appearance of some of these guys? They should be made wear a uniform (even a shrt and slacks) as I dont want to be driven around the city by a somebody that does not take pride in there appearance when going to work.

Also does anybody spot check the taxis for cleanliness and general state? I have been in a few taxis where seats are grubby and drivers smoking with the windows down :mad:

Please excuse the rant above, just speaking my mind :pac::pac:

yes I agree some wear shorts etc. I personally were a full uniform all black slacks and shirt. I keep my cab clean if your not happy about the cars if there not clean report them or say something. We need your help to guys. The smoking thing dies my nut to. At the end of the day these are the cab drivers that won't survive were nit all the same.

BraziliaNZ

blahblah06 wrote: »

WTF are u talking about? Taxi driver that brings all these things to hospitals. What exactly is your point

you might have to clue me in here but i wasn't aware taxi drivers had anything to do with hospitals

rubadub

blahblah06 wrote: »

Its simply not fare, how are we supposed to survive in this world when people with normal jobs go out the evenings and weekends to take work from us?

Ive no prob in new drivers coming into the business once there full time and genuine drivers. Lets be honest these part timers havent a breeze were there going most of the time

So you do not want any people having 2 jobs? Or is it just 2 jobs where one is in your industry. Are there any other jobs you think people should be forced into full time employment in? Or ones they should not be allowed to part time? Window cleaning perhaps, or general contract cleaning.

blahblah06 wrote: »

At the end of the day people who are not working can sign on. We can't and were trying to protect our livelihood and family future. There is plenty of family men taxi drivers can you imagine how hard it must be right now.

All were asking is for a break just like a lot of other people are doing to.

Have other groups asked for restrictions? I work as an engineer, I could not imagine the institution of engineers asking for a ban on part time jobs in engineering, it would be laughable.

If a job is not paying much anymore then get another one, just like everybody else does.

ODS wrote: »

Bugger the taximen and their selfish, illegal all-day protest that was aimed at maximising inconvenience to everyone else. Baton charges is what the gardai must do in future for bastards like this - and confiscation of any illegally parked cars.

Lucky there was no violence, I'm surprised this type of thing hasn't erupted yet, I could imagine scumbags bricking the cars.

EF wrote: »

I think the people of Dublin should boycott taxi's for a week, a fortnight even, for doing this!

Yes, I am well pissed off I did not know about this, it did not affect me today but I would not have got that taxi last night if I had known.

blahblah06

Well u learn something new everyday. It's not something I'd make up. Have done it numerous times. I've even had the awful experience if bringing a dead baby and there parents to the grave in glasnevin. This is while they were in the car with the tiny coffin

phasers

"Just get another job" is hardly helpful now, is it? Jobs aren't exactly easy to come by nowadays, and people can't just live on €0. Retraining usually isn't an option either because again men (And women, sorry) have children to support.

Mortgages have to be paid and food has to be bought. People can't just go without for anywhere up to 3 months while waiting for social welfare or other work! The few quid a driver earns could be the difference between a family having food or a house.

The industry needs a serious overhaul, there are some proper arseholes out there with dirty taxis unfit for use. Oh, and they smell.

john-joe

rubadub wrote: »

So you do not want any people having 2 jobs? Or is it just 2 jobs where one is in your industry. Are there any other jobs you think people should be forced into full time employment in? Or ones they should not be allowed to part time? Window cleaning perhaps, or general contract cleaning.

Have other groups asked for restrictions? I work as an engineer, I could not imagine the institution of engineers asking for a ban on part time jobs in engineering, it would be laughable.

If a job is not paying much anymore then get another one, just like everybody else does.


Lucky there was no violence, I'm surprised this type of thing hasn't erupted yet, I could imagine scumbags bricking the cars.

Yes, I am well pissed off I did not know about this, it did not affect me today but I would not have got that taxi last night if I had known.

well said.

JJ

ParkRunner

rubadub wrote: »

Yes, I am well pissed off I did not know about this, it did not affect me today but I would not have got that taxi last night if I had known.

I know Joe Higgins has come out in their support but that's about it. The protest is only going to damage the taxi industry even more. I'm sure there are plenty of taxi drivers out there milking it today taking all the custom while the rest of them are sitting there sitting stubbornly in their cars achieving nothing

blahblah06

Rubadub that's quite funny. Sure all the taxi drivers would have no bother getting a job like the thousands of other people unemployed.

Night all

john-joe

was there an official word from the taxi regulator?

also any arrests?

JJ

MementoMori

blahblah06 wrote: »

that's the point we want those barriers raised to help with our livelyhooc and service provided

You want the barriers raised to help with your livelyhood.

The argument about the level of service is utter bull**** and simply thrown in to confuse the issue.

From my experience with having used Dublin taxis pretty regularly over the last 15 years the level of service is much higher nowadays, with lower barriers to entry and greater competition, compared to the days when their was barriers to entry and there was a cartel providing poor service operating in the city. Deregulation works great in my experience.

As for the taxi drivers and their families I'm sorry you're suffering and yes it is **** but this protest is pointless.

Taxi-drivers need to realise that given Ireland's economy there is simply no chance of going back to the days when the barriers to entry were in operation and that in the future taxi-driving is going to be a low-paying job with long unsocial hours in difficult conditions. People who are trying to equate that with any sort of career are sadly out-of-touch with reality.

john-joe

O'connell street 2mrw morning

http://www.simple-chinese.com/china-blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/35-taxi-drivers-arrested-at-a-protest-in-china.jpg

randylonghorn

blahblah06 wrote: »

did u not hear the taxi drivers speak on rte. they apolgised to everybody for causing the troubles ...

An apology to the public for disruption by a group who deliberately set out to cause disruption to the public is not worth the loo-roll it's written on.

blahblah06 wrote: »

... as its the only way they can get the dail to listen

Go blockade Kildare St, and keep the blooming politicians barricaded in the Dáil.

That will cause a lot more disruption to them, and a lot less to the general public.

And if they're put under house arrest in there for a few days they might actually do some work ...

Jesus Wept

EF wrote: »

I know Joe Higgins has come out in their support but that's about it.

He's a fucking gobshite.

crushproof

Excellent Idea. However....

I'd really really really love, if I could the afford fines of course, to drive up O'Connell Street tomorrow with just 5 or so other cars and park at the Spire, 3 on either side the Spire......immediately causing traffic cause within a minute in both northbound and southbound lanes... resulting in traffic jams within a square kilometre of the Spire.

Then I'd get up on my bonnet and begin to take bets on how long it will A) take the Gardai to arrive and how long it will take for the cars to be towed.

I'm guessing less then 5 minutes and 10 minutes respectively. :rolleyes:

Yet these guys get to stay all day?! Farcical situation! Really is another typical "Only in Ireland" kind of thing! :mad:

starbelgrade

De-regulation on the number of taxi drivers was essential. Dublin in the early 90's was a joke at the weekends - most nights, you'd be quicker walking home than waiting to get a cab. They made their money during the week, then didn't give a f*ck about people trying to get home after a night out on the town.

I do believe though that not only the entry levels should be raised, but that existing drivers should have to undergo rigorous testing for their driving skills, their knowledge of the cities & suburbs, the state of their vehicles etc.

I'd also like to see random inpections to see if they are keeping to what they should be doing ie., getting from A to B in the least roundabout way possible & not overcharging.

I used to date a Spanish girl & when we got into a cab, speaking spanish, plenty of drivers assumed that neither of us knew where we going & decided to take the "scenic route" just to clock up some more cash.

Several of my spanish friends had similar experiences on numerous occasions - some drivers seem to think that foreign = easy target, even though they could be living here for years & know Dublin like the back of their hand.

Random inspectors would be a great idea & keep them on their toes.