A three year moratorium on the issuing of taxiplates is being sought by Libertas candidate Declan Ganley. The European election candidate for the North West constituency has written to the Minister for Transport to immediately seek a moratorium.
Following a meeting with representatives of the taxi industry in Galway, Mr Ganley stated that “any society should seek a balance between open markets and the welfare of consumers and service providers.
Taxi drivers work hard to provide a service, and are entitled to earn a decent living. Adding more taxis to the roads in the current economic environment does nothing to improve the service to the public, while seriously imperilling the livelihoods of hard-working people”.
One taxi driver commented: “As a father, I would work as long as I had to in order to earn a living for my four children. As the market becomes more crowded, people are working 15 hour days to earn €50. This damages families, risks accidents, and puts people’s safety in jeopardy.”
Libertas say that they welcome competition, and though deregulation of the industry was welcomed by consumers in 2000, the time has now come for a moratorium
