Galway taxi drivers have united under the banner of the Galway Taxi Association and will be holding a ‘Day of Action and Petition’ on Saturday.
Taxi drivers from Big O Taxis, Galway Taxis, Abbey Taxis, City Taxis, Local Taxis, Failte Taxis, and independent taxi operators will gather at the Eyre Square rank at 11am and then walk to the Galway Cathedral Car Park for a public rally at 12.30pm.
The drivers are protesting against how things have developed in the taxi industry since it was deregulated in the early part of this decade, and also to show their frustration with the Office of the Taxi Regulator.
Since the industry was deregulated the number of taxis in Galway has mushroomed. However this has led to problems of overcrowding on taxi ranks and taxis having to park way beyond the rank’s actual limit.
The taxi drivers are calling for a ‘moratorium of entry’ for any more taxi drivers for the next one to three years. They are also calling for the Office of the Taxi Regulator to be brought back into the Department of Transport.
The route of the march will be through Williamsgate Street, Eglinton Street, St Francis Street, and across the Salmon Weir Bridge. The marchers will be led by a lone piper, followed by a cross made of taxi signs, a symbol of the industry.
