A year after entry to the taxi industry was liberalised, with 4,224 new licences granted in Dublin, various organisations agree it remains difficult to get a cab at peak times.
Despite the approximate 7,000 taxi licences in Dublin, the Consumers' Association of Ireland, the Automobile Association and Dublin Corporation agree that "problems of availability" remain late at night and early in the morning.
Meanwhile, the taxi industry says its workers have experienced severe financial hardship as a result of changes in regulation.
Full-time taxi-drivers have now to compete with part-time drivers, many of whom work at peak hours, said Mr Larry Kelly of SIPTU's Dublin taxi-driver branch. He said today's action is in protest against the effects of deregulation. But the other two taxi representative bodies said they wanted to mark the one-year anniversary with "a degree of dignity".
Mr Vincent Kearns, president of the Irish Taxi Drivers' Union, said: "The public is only beginning to become aware of the financial hardship deregulation has placed on drivers."
Other initiatives were planned today to gain some positive public relations for the industry, he said. This action by SIPTU drivers to withdraw their service was "putting us back". He asked if the SIPTU members had been balloted on the decision.
Mr Kelly said there was no need to ballot the members. "It is only a protest. It's basically down to solidarity." He said no drivers would be picketing.
Mr Conor Faughnan, public affairs manager of the AA, said the situation, although imperfect, was still better than the "wholly unsatisfactory" situation last year, which had to be changed. Last year, he said, "the service in Dublin, in particular, was far below anything which is acceptable", and the "argument for preserving the status quo" did not stand up.
In any case taxis are still hampered by Dublin traffic, he said.
Mr Dermott Jewell, chief executive of the Consumers' Association of Ireland, said deregulation had led to "some improvement in availability" of taxis, but "arguably has not resolved the problem". He said traffic was usually so heavy in the morning that some drivers viewed it as "a pointless exercise" to work at this time. He said bus lanes should be opened to hackney drivers.
The Consumers' Association of Ireland has criticised the 10 per cent increase in taxi fares announced last April.
When deregulation of the taxi service took place, there were 2,722 licences in the Dublin Corporation area. A survey commissioned by the National Taxi Drivers' Union five months after deregulation, said Dublin's taxi service remained "remarkably poor" at weekend peak-time periods.