Taxi-drivers reject hardship panel recommendations as 'outrageous'

A recommended total payout for hardship cases resulting from deregulation of the taxi industry, estimated to cost the State a maximum of €15 million, has been rejected as "outrageous" by taxi-drivers.

The recommendations of the Taxi Hardship Panel, published yesterday, are to be implemented by a new national taxi regulator, according to the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan.

However taxi-drivers immediately pointed out that the State had benefited from a windfall of about €50 million from the sale of taxi licences post-deregulation and said they feel let down by "personal assurances" they say they received from the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern.

The recommendation are for a sliding scale of payments, the highest of which is €15,000 for surviving spouses of drivers. Those who claim only loss in the capital value of their licence are to get nothing.

The report considered once-off payments for nine categories of hardship from widow/ers of taxi-drivers to pensioners living off rental earnings, those with large loans in relation to the value of the licence to purchasers of taxi licences immediately before deregulation and those who bought wheelchair taxi licences.

The highest recommended payment was for €15,000 to widow/ers or separated people with dependants where there is no other income. Those with no dependants should get €10,000.

The lowest recommended payment was €3,000 to operators of wheelchair taxis who were still in business and who could demonstrate a reduction in income dating from November 2000.

Two categories, those who claimed loss of capital value on the licences or who might have other income and those who claimed they had to work extra hours to achieve the same income level, were not awarded any payment.

Mr Vinnie Kearns, spokesman for the National Taxi Drivers Union, described the payments as "extremely disappointing". He said the Taoiseach had "promised us we would be treated like haemophiliacs or Army deafness claims and I know a lot of people will feel personally let down at the outcome".

Mr Kearns said the overwhelming feeling among taxi-drivers and their families was one of disappointment. Since deregulation, the number of licences issued in Dublin, priced at €6,300 each, had risen by 6,480, which he said amounted to almost €41 million. The figure across the State would amount to about €50 million.

Mr Brennan said yesterday the recommendations would be implemented on a phased basis by a new office of national taxi regulator, which he said would be established on a non-statutory basis by next February.

"The regulator will be asked to determine the criteria and conditions for the making of payments, having regard to the categorisation and specific recommendations identified in the report of the panel."