“Dumbing down” the entry-level exam for taxi drivers won’t help the taxi shortage, according to the National Private Hire and Taxi Association (NPHTA).
Fine Gael TD Emer Higgins has set out to tackle the taxi shortage in Dublin, by suggesting a “quicker turnaround times when it comes to issuing taxi licences.”
Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Deputy Higgins said it was taking “eight months” for drivers to receive their licenses after passing their skills test.
“I think we need to better accommodate former drivers interested in getting back onto the road,” she said.
“I only heard yesterday from a man who was a taxi driver here in Dublin for 14 years, he moved abroad, and he's back now in Ireland.
“For him to get back on the road. It means you have to do a six-month training course and his car needs to meet all of the new specs and criteria.
“We should be able to offer shorter refresher courses for people who have widespread experience of taxiing and Dublin.”
Serving the public
NPHTA Spokesperson Jim Waldron did not agree with Deputy Higgins’s suggestion, telling the show he “was not sure where Emer was coming from with the six months training course, to be honest.”
“There is an entry-level knowledge course which needs to be passed,” he said.
“I don't think we should dumb down the entry-level to suit anybody.
“The standard should be kept high and that's important – we serve the public.
“Once they pass the knowledge test, and presumably they go through Garda vetting again, then they're on the road again.”
Lower numbers
Mr Waldron rejected the suggestion that taxi drivers preferred lower numbers on the roads.
“The most important thing in the small public service industry is the safety of both the driver and the passenger,” he said.
“If the driver and the passenger aren’t feeling safe in the taxi service, well then we'll have no taxi service.
“The most important bit is that drivers are vetted on the way in, and they do the knowledge test that helps the passenger feel reassured.”
The system
Mr Waldron said taxi drivers need to be encouraged to work more at night, in order to help facilitate the taxi shortage.
This would be carried out by having a “liaison officer working between the taxi industry and the Garda.”
Mr Waldron also suggested that there would be more “taxi ranks at night-time for people to feel safe to stand on.”
“When you're talking about public events, like concerts, there should be a priority, or an infrastructure set in place so that taxis can get in and get out fairly quickly,” he added.
“When we say there's a lack of taxes or a shortage of taxes, there isn't as a shortage of taxis.
“At the concert venue, maybe, because we can't get to the concert venue or are prevented from going in anywhere near some of the major events.”
