Four out of five taxi drivers work more than 50 hours per week (83.4 per cent ) with over half working more than 60 hours a week. However, some drivers have admitted to working up to 80 hours a week, leading to a belief that passengers are unsafe in their cars.
That’s according to a survey conducted by RTÉ One’s daytime series The Daily Show, presented by Claire Byrne and Dáithí O Sé, which sampled 350 taxi drivers from all over Ireland. The survey’s findings were revealed on Wednesday evening’s show.
Conor Faughnan, Director of Policy, AA Ireland commented: “These are extremely worrying figures in terms of road safety. Fatigue while driving can be a huge factor in drivers falling asleep at the wheel and causing serious harm. Driving and working for lengthy periods is bad practice for health and safety reasons. It has a cumulative effect. ‘Micro-sleep’ can happen where you don't actually fall asleep but you have concentration lapses which can cause lane drifting and crashes.”
The main areas covered in the survey were abuse from the public, working hours and conditions, stress, suicide rates and illegal taxi drivers in operation.
The main findings of the survey were over half the drivers surveyed (56.2 per cent ) do not feel safe in their job. Four in five taxi drivers (88.2 per cent ) surveyed have experienced verbal or physical abuse from the public with over half (53.9 per cent ) experiencing both. Fifty per cent have experienced abuse on a weekly and monthly basis.
Three in four (75.4 per cent ) admitted to knowing that illegal taxi drivers are in operation, while 94.4 per cent said that stress is an issue for them due to their current working condition. With 96.2 per cent saying morale has decreased within the taxi industry in the last two years.
An overwhelming 98.8 per cent believe there has been a rise in taxi drivers dying by suicide due to the current working conditions in their industry.
97.5 per cent work longer hours as a result of the economic downturn. Two-thirds (65.1 per cent ) have considered getting another job to make ends meet with five per cent actually double-jobbing by working in hotels, chef, bar work, butchers, gardening, sales, security, motor, bus driving, childcare and bus driving.
90 per cent believe the regulator is not doing enough to ensure their security.
Almost all taxi drivers surveyed admitted that business has declined in the past two years.
On the subject of whether the regulator should put a cap on taxi plates 93.9 per cent said yes.
With the ongoing problem of limited spaces at taxi ranks, an overwhelming number of taxis (92.6 per cent ) feel that there should there be more ranks put on streets.
