Taxi driver strike

dunsandin

I also believe that very few of us are that vital to the economy and our global future that being delayed for 30 minutes will cause the earth to stop spinning. Maybe that time could be spent considering the position and options of others trying to cling to the only living they have. That is not to denigrate anyone elses status or problems, but each to their own way.

dunsandin

MJohnston wrote: »

Walk a mile in their shoes, and I wouldn't need to bother with a taxi, everyones happy!

Witty and incisive, what a card, eh.....

sk8board

dunsandin wrote: »

I also believe that very few of us are that vital to the economy and our global future that being delayed for 30 minutes will cause the earth to stop spinning. Maybe that time could be spent considering the position and options of others trying to cling to the only living they have. That is not to denigrate anyone elses status or problems, but each to their own way.

I arrived at a brand new western EU airport last night (Tuesday) in an ubiquitous brand new e-class estate. I paid by credit card, checked in, and flew back to Dublin.

I almost exploded when I arrived back into Dublin only to be greeted by another god damn taxi strike. I travel about every 2-3 weeks and will NEVER get another taxi to/from the airport again. from now on I'll drive to the short-term like I used to.

The most sickening thing is that I wasn't going into Dublin city, so I couldn't take the Air Coach and needed to walk until I got to the N1 and hail (yes you've guessed it) a god damn taxi to head north.

As soon as I got into his old boat of a Kia the dim wit started on about why they were withdrawing their services, I told to stop right there; reminded him that I'd just walked from the airport after spending the day travelling, and if he continued on I'd get out and gladly walk. He shut the hell up.

Taxi drivers of Ireland, you shot yourselves in both feet 10 years ago and got deregulated. Bend over and accept your destiny.

keefg

dunsandin wrote: »

I dont greatly give a toss what the general public feel.

And that, unfortunately, seems to be the attitude of so many taxi drivers. If every business owner thought/commented on their customers that way they'd soon be out of business.

gurramok

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

What I don't get is why their protests are allowed to close major streets in the capital and elsewhere in the country with next to no notice or consideration. All the taxis blocking O'Connell st yesterday should have been impounded, no ifs, ands of buts. It is bordering on criminal to cause such a blockage unnecessarily (and at rush hour)

For those that did not see the clip of the streets been blocked by taxi drivers on Rte news yesterday, link here http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0309/6news_av.html?2715277,null,230

If you don't have Realplayer, its on youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz_50WzCS9s

No action from the gardai to remove the blockage :mad:

dunsandin

keefg wrote: »

And that, unfortunately, seems to be the attitude of so many taxi drivers. If every business owner thought/commented on their customers that way they'd soon be out of business.

Im no taxi driver mate, and my customers have my full attention 24/7 - I work when most are in their laba, me having done a full day of normal hours already. My customers are my first concern after my wife and kids.I sat in a van yesterday with four of my workers, all on top dollar, with their wage clock ticking as we sat, blocked by protesting taxi men, hitting me where it hurts, in my pocket. And I still say- fair dues, they have balls to protest. If anybody tried to harm my long term prospects, I would raise hell and chew through concrete to get at my living. I am simply saying, I see their point of view, I see why they are protesting, I dont hugely care what their issues are, or how valid they are, I just like those who have the gumption to stand up for their own point of view, regardless of popular opinion. Maybe I am a repressed rebel.

keefg

dunsandin wrote: »

.I sat in a van yesterday with four of my workers, all on top dollar, with their wage clock ticking as we sat, blocked by protesting taxi men, hitting me where it hurts, in my pocket. And I still say- fair dues,

Well if they step up their action and this happens once or twice a week (or more) let's see if you're still as supportive of them then.

dunsandin

Ive said before, I dont care if the whole country grinds to a halt, I think it is grinding to a halt for many many people anyway. I am a survivor, and will be fine. A few taxi men wont hurt me, and even if i went bust, like I said, the world wont stop spinning on my account. Or yours. We dont protest about the paedophile church, the nama rip off, nutty rules and taxation etc. We could do with a lot more protesters.

Spook_ie

koolkid wrote: »

I am sorry if thats the situation you find yourself in. But there are a lot more people in the country in the same boat. Probobly worse off than you.
After all you have a potential means of making money. There was a great opportunity for you to make good money for you & your family today. Why did you not take that opportunity & do something good? At the end of the day it not the responsibility of the government to bail out every failing businessman in the country.
Please explain to me why taxi drivers feel they are special in this regard.
We have had this debate many times on Boards but I have never got a sensible answer to that.

If they took the opportunity to make money because there was a protest on , then there wouldn't have been a protest, therefore everyone would be out trying to sieze the opportunity, making no money and you'd still have had gridlock, interesting logic there KK

KoolKid

Ah sure if everyone done as expected there would be a lot less problems in the. world.

connolly1916

im a plasterer, did anyone put a cap on how many eastern european plasterers came here to wreak havoc on my beloved trade...no, so why do taxi drivers feel that their trade is different to mine or a carpenters sparks brickies etc,,,,crying shower of so and so's....police should be doing their bit too in moving these "poor souls" on outta the way...tell them to ring adrian kennedy and tell someone who gives a ****e about their plight.

Del2005

dunsandin wrote: »

I also believe that very few of us are that vital to the economy and our global future that being delayed for 30 minutes will cause the earth to stop spinning. Maybe that time could be spent considering the position and options of others trying to cling to the only living they have. That is not to denigrate anyone elses status or problems, but each to their own way.

How many people have lost their jobs because they where delayed by by the protest? Are they entitled to sit and block Taxi ranks now they have no work?

I remember years ago the motorbike couriers tried to protest about huge cost of insurance by the only company in the market at the time. They went to the Gardaí and where told that if any bikes where used in the protest they'd be impounded.

I've a handy way of reducing the amount of Taxi's. Put points on their PSV licence for parking infractions, illegal turns etc and when they reach a certain level they loose their PSV licence. Taxi drivers are supposed to be professional drivers and should be required to drive to a higher standard then normal drivers.

Taxipete29

Del2005 wrote: »

How many people have lost their jobs because they where delayed by by the protest? Are they entitled to sit and block Taxi ranks now they have no work?

I remember years ago the motorbike couriers tried to protest about huge cost of insurance by the only company in the market at the time. They went to the Gardaí and where told that if any bikes where used in the protest they'd be impounded.

I've a handy way of reducing the amount of Taxi's. Put points on their PSV licence for parking infractions, illegal turns etc and when they reach a certain level they loose their PSV licence. Taxi drivers are supposed to be professional drivers and should be required to drive to a higher standard then normal drivers.

You can only hold drivers to a higher standard if you train them or test them at a higher standard.

Ham'nd'egger

Carawaystick wrote: »

Maybe you could explain how a moratorium on new licenses would stop unlicensed taxis?
or prevent drivers working outside their area.
or how it'd reduce the risk to members of the public?
without shouting or changing topic if possible.

Didn't get to see this until today so I will answer it now.

A few reasons for a moratorium are as follows....

It allow the State Bodies a set time to collate data and figures on the industry that they can stand over and trust to be accurate. The last two reports that the Taxi Regulator (PWC 2004 and Goodbody 2008) used were collated at a time when the amount of service providers entering the industry was immense thus rendering their findings inaccurate, obsolete and flawed at the time of reporting and as such incorrect to the market of the time. Given that the State is legislating it's policy for a Public transport industry using these reports, the least we can expect is that accurate figures are used.

It allows the State to accurately record the amount of service providers in the industry. Currently as it stands, the Taxi Regulator actually cannot provide an accurate answer as to how many taxis service any one area; a farcical situation! It also does not provide a decent simple ID mechanism to help passengers identify that somebody who drives what taxi/hackney is linked to that area, something that was in place and worked well (with limitations, admittedly) until it got rid of it.

It allows the market place to level off for a short defined period of time in order for service providers to find their feet and enable a time for them to build a platform to either invest in their car/training if they so wish or for ease out of the industry in a little bit of comfort.

It also will allow a time when administrative laws to govern the industry can be phased in and seen to that they work and can be left in for the long term as distinct to the some of the mud sticking on a wall crap that seems to be used these days. Such as driver standards (Defensive driving courses for one), a sensible car standard and time to adapt to same, harsher garda vetting etc

Finally, it will allow the industry some time for both public and driver alike to get some confidence back and to move one from an awful 10 years. Whatever side of the argument you take here, there is no doubt that the taxi trade is in tatters, it's hopelessly unregulated in spite of the presence of an Office to regulate it, it's disrespected by the general public and it's on a hopeless financial base.

loyatemu

Hamndegger wrote: »

both public and driver alike to get some confidence back and to move one from an awful 10 years.

I've no doubt its been a rough 10 years for the drivers (though I suppose most current drivers wouldn't even be taxi drivers if it wasn't for the deregulation) but for the public the taxi service is massively improved on what it was.

It used to be nigh on impossible at peak times to get a cab, and even off peak drivers could pick and choose their fares - the current situation is a major improvement.

KoolKid

I agree. Bearing in mind the current climate & a lot of people who were splashing out on taxi's are now more cautious with thier money. Even with the best will in the world I dont think much can be done to improve things. As has been said 100 times before the market will find its own balance. It works for most other business. Taxi's are no different.

Del2005

Taxipete29 wrote: »

You can only hold drivers to a higher standard if you train them or test them at a higher standard.

Is one of the taxi drivers demands not higher standards? And I think all drivers not just new drivers should have to do this, maybe as part of their PSV renewal process.

8. That new applicants be required to undergo tests equal to or exceeding the standard required to acquire an Irish driving license.

9. To further improve the standard of service delivered, new criteria should be implemented through the examination process that would include a formal interview and proficiency in Irish or English.

Cookie_Monster

Hamndegger wrote: »

Didn't get to see this until today so I will answer it now.

A few reasons for a moratorium are as follows....

You don't need a pause on licence issuing. All you need is to have certain standards to be reached.

Route & area knowledge test
Standard of dress
Standard appropriate cars: Likes of e-class / superb size minimum
Standard maximum age of cars
Standard colour, something like yellow so people can just use their private car when they feel like it.
English language tests
Garda checks on criminal records etc

These alone would weed out the people in it for the quick buck and all the useless ones out there. If they have to put some effort into getting and keeping a licence only those that actually want to do it as a long term job will. This, combined with supply and demand will level numbers out to needed levels.

(and I realise some of these have come in/ are coming in)

Ham'nd'egger

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

You don't need a pause on licence issuing. All you need is to have certain standards to be reached.

Route & area knowledge test
Standard of dress
Standard appropriate cars: Likes of e-class / superb size minimum
Standard maximum age of cars
Standard colour, something like yellow so people can just use their private car when they feel like it.
English language tests
Garda checks on criminal records etc

These alone would weed out the people in it for the quick buck and all the useless ones out there. If they have to put some effort into getting and keeping a licence only those that actually want to do it as a long term job will. This, combined with supply and demand will level numbers out to needed levels.

(and I realise some of these have come in/ are coming in)

I notice that you neglected to discuss why there is no need to impose a moratorium; I stated why it is needed so please state why there need not be one.

As to the others, taxi drivers have been screaming out for most of or all of these for years; it's only now after the horse has bolted that these are being imposed and at a time when it's quite hard for a driver to afford many of these changes. Many of them were simple to bring in but now it may be too little too late.

Ham'nd'egger

koolkid wrote: »

I agree. Bearing in mind the current climate & a lot of people who were splashing out on taxi's are now more cautious with thier money. Even with the best will in the world I dont think much can be done to improve things. As has been said 100 times before the market will find its own balance. It works for most other business. Taxi's are no different.

The market will not find a balance until the powers that be take the bull by the horns and begin to deal with the market and it's many dodgy entrants and the laws they impose over it. There are so many anomalies in the trade and so little inertia to deal with same.

Ham'nd'egger

loyatemu wrote: »

I've no doubt its been a rough 10 years for the drivers (though I suppose most current drivers wouldn't even be taxi drivers if it wasn't for the deregulation) but for the public the taxi service is massively improved on what it was.

It used to be nigh on impossible at peak times to get a cab, and even off peak drivers could pick and choose their fares - the current situation is a major improvement.

The situation back then was shocking, yes; nobody disagrees with you on that. As it is now, the situation is the opposite end of the scale with drivers now waiting hours for fares; not a way to run a business and make a living as I am sure we will all agree on. Drivers today are not asking for a cull on licences but we are asking for some leeway to help us get by and to try and invoke some law and order on our trade; law and order than will help you in the long run as well with legit drivers with insurance, decent cars, etc:)

Cookie_Monster

Hamndegger wrote: »

I notice that you neglected to discuss why there is no need to impose a moratorium; I stated why it is needed so please state why there need not be one.

As to the others, taxi drivers have been screaming out for most of or all of these for years; it's only now after the horse has bolted that these are being imposed and at a time when it's quite hard for a driver to afford many of these changes. Many of them were simple to bring in but now it may be too little too late.

the reasons I gave where the reasons not to impose a moratorium. if the above were implemented it would raise the standards and reduce the numbers as many would no longer meet the criteria, making their licence invalid. (though would take a long time, like everything in this country)

another reason is that its a free market.

pwd

Is it at all likely that taxi services in dublin will be effected tomorrow morning (friday)?

KoolKid

pwd wrote: »

Is it at all likely that taxi services in dublin will be effected tomorrow morning (friday)?

Whatever happens there will be still plenty of taxi's working I'd imagine.
The sensible ones will see the strike as a good opportunity to make an extra few quid.

Taxipete29

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

another reason is that its a free market.

This statement is factually incorrect. It is not a free market at all.

The Govt does not set the max price in a free market

KoolKid

Most people stating Free Market mean that its a business virtually anyone can invest into & set themselves up & self employed.

pwd

ah ok thanks. I checked with a company I used before and they said service as usual - the strike is mainly by street taxis rather than those working off a base.

KoolKid

pwd wrote: »

ah ok thanks. I checked with a company I used before and they said service as usual - the strike is mainly by street taxis rather than those working off a base.

You see the companies have more business sense.

Taxipete29

koolkid wrote: »

Most people stating Free Market mean that its a business virtually anyone can invest into & set themselves up & self employed.

Thats fair enough, but its not correct. People then go on to talk about markets finding their own level based on free-market theories which might hold if it were in fact a free market.

Howyadoing

another reason is that its a free market.[/QUOTE]


Wrong, it's not a free market. If it was a free market there would be no need for meters and taxis would charge what they like when they like.
How would you like to be told at 3am on a saturday or sunday morning that it's gonna cost €100 to get home because it's peak time.

ElBarco

Howyadoing wrote: »

Wrong, it's not a free market. If it was a free market there would be no need for meters and taxis would charge what they like when they like.
How would you like to be told at 3am on a saturday or sunday morning that it's gonna cost €100 to get home because it's peak time.

I remember those days. Telling a taxi driver where I lived was like showing a large chocolate cake to a Weight Watchers meeting.

Cookie_Monster

koolkid wrote: »

Most people stating Free Market mean that its a business virtually anyone can invest into & set themselves up & self employed.

ok this is what I meant by free market. Apart from the price cap which is 100% nececary as they just take the piss otherwise. its a realitivly easy market to enter: pass minor tests, have a car, no skills required other than driving licence, no major capital investment, no major restrictions.

Spook_ie

koolkid wrote: »

You see the companies have more business sense.

Not realy, as the companies would say they have a taxi available even if they hadn't, they work on the basis of hoping a taxi will come free near enough to the customer in time, great if they have an excess of cars (paying them!) not so good for the drivers in excess though as they won't get a job despite investing a €100 a week, of course the other way round is if they don't have enough cars then the guy who is paying his €100 gets more work than he can cope with ( great for him ), but the customer is let down, but whichever way you look at it the cab company still gets paid and if the customer is unhappy about anything they blame the driver because he's self employed and they don't have control over them... Believe me I worked with cab companies for 6 years before I went native again

Spook_ie

ElBarco wrote: »

I remember those days. Telling a taxi driver where I lived was like showing a large chocolate cake to a Weight Watchers meeting.

yeah but now if there's a queue of taxis, as long as you're not being blatantly stupid about how much you'll pay, you'll cut a deal somewhere

Spook_ie

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

ok this is what I meant by free market. Apart from the price cap which is 100% nececary as they just take the piss otherwise. its a realitivly easy market to enter: pass minor tests, have a car, no skills required other than driving licence, no major capital investment, no major restrictions.

So you want it free on one side, sounds good NOT

You either have it Deregulated/Regulated or FreeMarket/not FreeMarket at the moment we just have a fookin mess

KoolKid

Spook_ie wrote: »

Not realy, as the companies would say they have a taxi available even if they hadn't, they work on the basis of hoping a taxi will come free near enough to the customer in time, great if they have an excess of cars (paying them!) not so good for the drivers in excess though as they won't get a job despite investing a €100 a week, of course the other way round is if they don't have enough cars then the guy who is paying his €100 gets more work than he can cope with ( great for him ), but the customer is let down, but whichever way you look at it the cab company still gets paid

Exactly! Good business sense.

Taxipete29

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

ok this is what I meant by free market. Apart from the price cap which is 100% nececary as they just take the piss otherwise. its a realitivly easy market to enter: pass minor tests, have a car, no skills required other than driving licence, no major capital investment, no major restrictions.

Nobody is arguing the ease of entry. It doesnt make it a free market though

muppet01

How do taxi men expect sympathy?. Taxis are NOT properly regulated.(its a lotto whether you get a smartly dressed pro driver with a clean car or some bloke ****ing on bout "forrenners takin aurr jobs " in a 98 corrolla smellin of stale smoke.
There is no benchmark or consistency in the industry and while taxi men spend there time pissin off jo public they will win no friends.a small minority of idiots are turning the public against the large numbers of hard working decent drivers. wake up lads ,we all have problems but cant double park on oconnell street in protest.
GROW UP

Spook_ie

koolkid wrote: »

Exactly! Good business sense.

Not for a taxi driver it's not, was it the taxi companies or the drivers protesting? Which is among the reasons that a lot of drivers feel that every tom, dick and harry is trying to take money fromthem ranging from NCTs/Annual Suitability Tests ( Not the NCT )/ License Renewal Fees/Fire Extinguishers&1st Aid Kits ( both of which are date coded and have to be replaced/Base/Insurance( on the up to cover for all the new yampy drivers that have come on stream in the last 2/3 years)/Renewal Fees etc. etc. Not to mention the €250 fines for hanging on the back of ranks, trying to squeeze an extra car in/ Not issuing receipts (as against not having a printer)/

But surprisingly the exact same fine for plying for hire in an area for which you have no license or a multitude of offences that I would deem worthy of a much stiffer penalty

dunsandin

Del2005 wrote: »

How many people have lost their jobs because they where delayed by by the protest?

er, probably none, if I was an employee and my boss fired me for being late due to circumstances beyond my or anybodys control, I would be the happiest bunny in the labour court, facing a decent payday for unfair dismissal.
To the plasterer with no work who posted, my brother in laws(2 of em)are plasterers, and they are still busy doing small jobs for homeowners and landlords - yes the developments are finished(almost), but people are still doing work. The "foreign devils" you speak of-and I think they are fantastic workers, without the sense of huge entitlement that the Irish lads have "grown" are all rubbish at plastering anyway.You should be well able to compete. Anyway, the taxi men seem to be back in their boxes today, so we can all rest easily, civilisation will continue. And "where" means a location, "were" is a form of was, and "we're" is we are. You're looking for "were", there, or at least you were.

Tail Wagger

markpb wrote: »

(c) Irish Times

There only a shower of wasters, they make the ordinary people suffer all the time. Blocking roads, stopping people from traveling in and out of the Airport.
My pet hate with them is the way they drive in the bus lanes, we drive along the road doing 60 and they pass you by in the bus lane doing 80 and there only supposed to be travelling at 50... Smelly Cabs, where are they now?

reducepain

All those took up their SPSV test and worked hard to pass their tests with single attempt or many attempts...are they idiots to take up such test..to prove their knowledge over the industryknowledge and area knowledge..


Why is that, there is no senior taxi drivers take a test to prove their skills..out of 100 only 2 -10 will pass, as all questions are so abrupt.. there is no such map or book, which marks exact area names/ district. I went to ordinance survey for one way street details.. they turned down with info updated in 1974 (what happend to the info after that..). and there after only dublin council knows about one way traffic... It is easy to takeup the PART A exam - the manual or the industry knowledge... PART B is easy for all ex-taximan's as it's only about their daily area/route questions..

Take up this challenge and update ur skills.... give a quality service..


Smoking in Taxi is prohibted since the law came in 2002 and amended in 2004... But till day i have seen more than 29 taxi's with smoking smell or smoking taxi men's... When a taxi is taxed as SPSV-- it is ur workplace and you are never allowed to smoke even when u are working or not.... it is possible only if u have a private car tax....displaced for that vechile... Do public know about that? ............ Will you be happy to see a gardai..smoking in his patrol car..and will u be happy to see a fire engine personeel or ambulance personel to smoke in their working vechile....

How many taxi back seats are dusted regularly.. or dust free.. Keep ur vechile clean....

These kinds of some tips to keep the standards or quality of ur service is tipped in the manuals... that is wat tested in the exam too... So please don't be adamant and learn to live among the changing world.

Thank you

Del2005

dunsandin wrote: »

er, probably none, if I was an employee and my boss fired me for being late due to circumstances beyond my or anybodys control, I would be the happiest bunny in the labour court, facing a decent payday for unfair dismissal.

Someone could have been on the last step of a companies displinary process and getting into work late is a fireable offence. The fact that the roads where blocked by an illegal protest isn't a defense in any company, you are expected to be at work place at your start time not 10 min later. When we had the snow everyone I worked with left for work some up to 1 hour earlier. If there had been advance warning of this blockade, people could have left early or made alternate arrangements.

To the plasterer with no work who posted, my brother in laws(2 of em)are plasterers, and they are still busy doing small jobs for homeowners and landlords - yes the developments are finished(almost), but people are still doing work.

The big difference between the plaster and the taxi drivers is I've not seen any plasters blocking the main routes throught town on an illegal blockade.

The plasterers or everyone other job where the thousands of EU workers started working at lower rates then people where getting also didn't block roads or call for the government to bar others from doing the job. They did a few things. They lowered their own rates, changed jobs and a lot of them lost their jobs to lower paid workers.

The "new drivers" you speak of-and I think they are fantastic workers, without the sense of huge entitlement that the Taxi lads have "grown" .

FYP:D

bk

Howyadoing wrote: »

Wrong, it's not a free market. If it was a free market there would be no need for meters and taxis would charge what they like when they like.

If there were no meters, I can guarantee you that people using Taxis would drop by another 50% as people would be afraid of getting fleeced and most Irish people hate haggling. Otherwise why don't people already go along the rank and try to haggle a lower fare (which is completely allowed by the regulator).

The meter is there as a protection to the customer, it is supposed to be a maximum cap, but there is nothing to stop a driver from giving 20% off.

In the real world, there is no such thing as a 100% free market, in reality every business has to deal with laws and regulators (competition authority, planning authorities, Gardai, etc.)

Taxi driving is probably the closest thing to an almost 100% free market that you can get, with the resulting race to the bottom due to the low cost of entry.

Interestingly I think it is other Taxi drivers that are the biggest block to real competition in the taxi industry. After all they were the ones who wanted the most recent fare increases and could you imagine what would happen if a taxi pulled up to a rank with a big 20% of the fare sign on it! At the least it would probably get it's windows smashed in.

Taxipete29

bk wrote: »

Interestingly I think it is other Taxi drivers that are the biggest block to real competition in the taxi industry. After all they were the ones who wanted the most recent fare increases and could you imagine what would happen if a taxi pulled up to a rank with a big 20% of the fare sign on it! At the least it would probably get it's windows smashed in.

Drivers did not look for the most recent increase. They opposed it quite vigorously but could do little.

paulm17781

Taxipete29 wrote: »

Drivers did not look for the most recent increase. They opposed it quite vigorously but could do little.

Any driver I spoke to about it before it came in wanted it. It is only since it came in it has become and issue. I spoke to one driver who said "The regulator is asking the public what they think, as though they're going to want to give us a raise.". In fact, it is only since the striking started to happen that I have heard drivers say they were forced to take an increase they didn't want.

ElBarco

Taxipete29 wrote: »

Drivers did not look for the most recent increase. They opposed it quite vigorously but could do little.

Aren't they free to discount as they see fit? My understanding is that the rates are the maximum possible fare without an agreement from the customer.

Cookie_Monster

Taxipete29 wrote: »

Drivers did not look for the most recent increase. They opposed it quite vigorously but could do little.

Its not like their forced to charge this new rate, they are free to charge a lower rate than this but in reality none I have ever experienced have.

Taxipete29

paulm17781 wrote: »

Any driver I spoke to about it before it came in wanted it. It is only since it came in it has become and issue. I spoke to one driver who said "The regulator is asking the public what they think, as though they're going to want to give us a raise.". In fact, it is only since the striking started to happen that I have heard drivers say they were forced to take an increase they didn't want.

You obviously were not paying attention when it did come in. Every radio show had a long line of drivers objecting to it. I myself was involved in objecting to it along with many of my colleagues.

I am not getting into a "but you can discount argument" because I couldnt care less about any of it as I am not in the business anymore. I am merely pointing out the facts as I see them. The majority of drivers opposed the increase

Cookie_Monster

Taxipete29 wrote: »

I am not getting into a "but you can discount argument" because I couldnt care less about any of it as I am not in the business anymore. I am merely pointing out the facts as I see them. The majority of drivers opposed the increase

all they did was moan though, no action taken. Unlike now, when there is something that actually doesn't suit them.