[Article] Gardaí stop taxi carrying 19 children

Victor

http://irishexaminer.ie/irishexaminer/pages/story.aspx-qqqg=ireland-qqqm=ireland-qqqa=ireland-qqqid=65321-qqqx=1.asp

Gardaí stop taxi carrying 19 children
18 June 2008

By Stephen Rogers
A NORTH Cork taxi driver was stopped by gardaí carrying 19 children, 11 more than he was legally entitled to transport.


The taxi, a transporter vehicle, was only licensed to carry eight passengers.

It is understood the taxi was bringing the school-age children to an event in Cork city last Saturday when it was stopped by gardaí in Mallow.

After officers examined the taxi, another vehicle had to be brought to the scene to transport a number of children to their destination.



The Cork taxi branch of the Independent Workers’ Union said it intended to raise the matter with the taxi regulator.

The union’s secretary Edward Lynch said the incident highlighted the need for much more stringent enforcement by the regulator’s office.

There are only two inspectors who cover the whole of Cork on a periodic basis, he said, and there was an urgent need for that number to be increased, and for the appointment of a deputy regulator for the south of the country.

“This case is not an isolated incident,” he said.

“We had a meeting with the two enforcement officers and informed him that sort of activity was going on in north Cork. It was lucky gardaí came across this guy,” said Mr Lynch.

The taxi regulator’s office said any complaint made in writing would be investigated by its enforcement team who would then decide whether any further action was necessary.

Action by the regulator could result in a formal warning or prosecution in court.

The regulator has the power to impose fines of up to €5,000 or seek a three month prison sentence for offences.

But it said in cases where a law was broken, it would defer to action by gardaí.

Run_to_da_hills

Someone is going to loose his PSV license.

Spook_ie

Wonder if he was charging 2 children at a €1 extra or each ...chancer deserves to lose his license