This article is from page 81 of the 2008-03-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 81 JPG
THE ‘closed shop’ that prohibits over 400 Clare taxi and hackney drivers from operating out of Shannon Air- port could be at an end.
This follows the Commissioner for Taxi Regulation, Kathleen Doyle, seeking a meeting with the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) over the op- eration of airport by-laws that ensure that there is no conventional taxi- rank at Shannon Airport and instead passengers seeking a taxi must hire a hackney cab based at Shannon.
In spite of the massive growth in passengers at Shannon in recent years, only 34 hackney cabs operate out of the airport.
Ms Doyle is to meet with SAA offi- cials next week to discuss the present arrangements at the airport and has flatly denied a claim by the SAA that the commission has outlined its sat- isfaction that the current operation adequately meets the needs of Shan- non’s passengers.
In a statement, Mr Doyle confirmed that the commission is seeking “‘clar- ification from airport management as to whether or not a policy exists which excludes taxis from operation at Shannon airport”.
Since the deregulation of the taxi-
business in November 2000, the number of licences has increased four-fold to 467 in Clare.
Deputy Timmy Dooley (FF) — who raised the issue with Ms Doyle and the Competition Authority last month — said yesterday, “I’m happy that the Commissioner for Taxi Regulation is taking an interest in the issue.”
Ennis based-taxi-driver, John Ka- vanagh has lobbied on behalf of Clare and mid-west-based taxi driv- ers for the current system at Shannon to be abolished.
He said, “We are very encouraged and hopeful by what the taxi com- missioner has had to say and that the jPACereL BU OTSMMAOE-T MB OTK oleio) IMDM EcRT elem
He added, “Taxi drivers in Clare are on the breadline and are being discriminated against because of this ENYA
“The taxi regulator states that the whole of Clare is a metred areas, yet the airport authority takes a different a (oa
Yesterday, the SAA declined to say how many new licences have been issued in recent years, stating only that the numbers have increased ‘slightly’.
A spokesman for the SAA declined to comment on the situation ahead of the meeting with the taxi regulator.