Taxi drivers campaign to have rank at Dublin hospital reopened

TAXI DRIVERS are campaigning to have a rank at a Dublin hospital reopened after the hospital’s management shut them out amid complaints about unruly behaviour and traffic congestion.

The rank at St James’s Hospital was closed down and the hospital is now served solely by taxi company Global Taxis, under an agreement between them.

Global Taxis won a tender to provide taxi services at St James’s Hospital in 2009 and the hospital agreed it could also supply a free-call service, put in place to replace the rank when it was closed last month.

Patients and visitors can phone for a taxi free of charge from the hospital main entrance or from the emergency department. The phone calls go directly to Global.

While the hospital has said the service has been welcomed by patients, visitors and staff, drivers who had regularly plied for hire at the St James’s rank are unhappy at the loss of business.

Alan Brennan, of taxi representative group Tacsaí Tiomanaí na hÉireann, said the rank was closed without consultation with drivers.

“There were guys there who had been operating the rank for 13 years. They just arrived on a Saturday morning and were told they couldn’t come in any more,” he said.

The move was anti-competitive and passengers had to wait much longer for taxis than they did in the past, he claimed.

He has urged drivers to lobby their local councillors and TDs and to contact the taxi regulator.

A spokesman for the hospital said the changes were introduced to improve access to taxis and had been well received.

There had been a significant number of “serious incidents” over the last nine to 12 months at the waiting area, including double parking, illegal parking and consistent blocking of the road and main entrance to the hospital.

“This resulted in major congestion and difficulties for patients, ambulances and general public gaining access to the hospital,” the spokesman said.

He also said there had been many instances of verbal intimidation, racial abuse and antisocial behaviour demonstrated towards hospital staff, particularly to those staff responsible for ensuring safe access to the hospital.

“This unacceptable behaviour was played out in front of both attending patients and public,” he said.

He also said the rank had never been formally designated.

A spokesman for the taxi regulator’s office said a compliance team had visited the hospital to advise on regulations.

He added that a hospital, hotel or shopping centre could contract a company to provide taxi services to bring clients home from their premises. However, those vehicles could not stand for hire at an unappointed stand.

“Also they cannot stop any other taxi booked directly by a person to come and collect them nor can they stop taxi drivers from dropping off people,” said the spokesman.