Limerick - Eibhir Mulqueen
Limerick taxi-drivers divided their efforts between their city and the capital yesterday, vowing to continue the fight rather than accept the Government's measures on deregulating the industry.
About 50 drivers staged a protest for more than two hours at the pharmacy owned by Cllr Tim O'Malley, a Progressive Democrat member of Limerick County Council, who will contest the Dail seat held by his cousin, Mr Des O'Malley, in the next general election.
Cllr O'Malley said the proposal to provide tax reliefs equivalent to the amounts drivers paid for the plates was unsatisfactory. "I would exhort the Government and my own party to negotiate with them and come up with a reasonable response," he said.
A further 80 drivers took their taxis to Dublin to participate in the protests, joined by 20 drivers from Ennis.
Galway - Lorna Siggins
Taxi-drivers in the constituency of Minister of State Mr Robert Molloy registered their views on deregulation yesterday by staging a 24-hour withdrawal of services in Galway city.
The three main taxi companies decided to withdraw services shortly before 1 p.m., affecting about 75 per cent of all taxi services in the city.
Mr Bernard Boyle, manager of Galway Taxis, said the action had been taken in response to the Government's "totally unreasonable" action, but emergency calls would be responded to. Services by Galway Taxis, Big O and Corrib/Apollo will resume at 1 p.m. today.
Mr Molloy's Government colleague in Galway West, the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Fahey, found himself embroiled in the dispute when the Galway branch of the National Taxi-Drivers' Union claimed he had assured them on Monday there would be no deregulation in Galway and that the taxi issue was a Dublin problem. Mr Noel Burke, spokesman for the Galway branch, said he was among a four-man delegation which met Mr Fahey.
The branch was very upset, he said and his members were "in shock".
Mr Fahey told The Irish Times he supported the Government's decision, although he was opposed to deregulation in Galway. Mr Fahey confirmed he met members of the Galway branch of the NTDU on Monday but said the situation had changed within 24 hours.
Midlands - Sean MacConnell
About 35 taxi-drivers took part in an hour-long protest in Mullingar yesterday. They drove slowly around Mullingar and for a time delayed traffic on the main bypass to Sligo before going to the county council offices to protest.
Kerry - Anne Lucey
The Government's deregulation of the taxi sector should have been confined to Dublin, with the rest of the State "ring fenced" from the measures, according to Kerry South TD Mr Jackie Healy-Rae.
He said there was no shortage of taxis in Killarney in his own constituency. "Dublin's problem should not be sorted out at the cost or expense of the people of the country or the people of Killarney and of Tralee," he said.
Angry taxi-drivers in Killarney did not work yesterday.
"I will be calling on members not only to vote against the Government, but to canvass against them in the next general election," Mr Barry Loughnane said.
Representatives of the Killarney Taxi Association said that what would solve Dublin's problems would create problems in Kerry. Killarney has 25 taxi plates, Tralee has 18, the rest of the county, Kenmare, Dingle and Listowel have none and are serviced by hackneys. That will now change.
Immediately Killarney will have up to 150 taxis on the streets, with hackney cabs able to pick up full taxi licences for £100, without having invested the kinds of money taxi-drivers did, Mr Michael Lucey, the chairman of the Killarney Taxi Association, said.
Apart from a few hours on a Saturday night, there is no shortage of taxis in Killarney.
Cork - Dick Hogan
In Cork, the city's 216 taxi-owners withdrew their services yesterday as the Cork Taximen's Association warned that deregulation of the industry would be catastrophic for existing licence holders. However, the 620 hackney cabs in the city continued to operate.
Mr Derry Coughlan, spokesman for the association, said his members would continue with their protest until Mr Molloy "came to his senses" and added that as well as protecting the livelihoods of members, the association was fighting on behalf of "the constitutional right" of the public to have a taxi service that was not run "by every Tom, Dick and Harry who wished to become a taxi-driver". No more than 15 new taxi plates were required in Cork, he added.
On a day when the rail strike left at least 10,000 commuters without trains to Dublin and Kerry, the taxi action caused a huge build-up of private cars on the roads into and out of Cork city, although gardai managed to keep traffic moving throughout most of the day.
Bus Eireann reported a significant increase in business due to the taxi protest. At Cork Airport, travellers on scheduled flights arrived to find they were without a taxi service and had to turn instead to Bus Eireann and whatever hackneys were available to get them to their destinations.
Airport management said one private coach driver reported harassment when he drew up at the airport arrivals lounge. Taxis drove in procession around the roundabout outside the airport for most of the day, causing delays to passengers entering and leaving the complex. Other taxi-drivers stood beside their cars at the taxi rank in Patrick's Street.
Waterford - Chris Dooley
Taxi-drivers in Waterford who caused traffic congestion in the city yesterday said they would intensify their campaign.
Major traffic delays were experienced when 24 taxi-drivers blockaded two lanes of Rice Bridge, the main access route from the north and east to the city, for almost an hour before lunchtime and again between 3.45 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Mr Barry Manto of the Waterford Taxi Association, which represents 33 taxi-owners in the city, said the action would be stepped up today and would involve more drivers. The protest would be brought into the city centre if necessary.