9 Year Rule Of Taxis Brought Foreward

Volvoboy

http://www.taxiregulator.ie/files/press_releases/Commission%20for%20Taxi%20Regulation%20Announces%20Further%20Reforms_15_10_09_Latest.pdf


In 2011 all taxis on thier renewal will have to be 9 years or younger

Basically i'm ****ed, my car will be taken out of action in april of 2011, so realistically i'll have about 14 months driving on my beloved Carina before she will be taken off the road.

I so not happy its beyond words.:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Tipsy Mac

She should be retired with a full military service.

Owen

Fantastic. About time too. Any car, no matter how well maintained, if it's beyond a certain age wouldn't have the safety equipment to protect passengers in the event of an accident.

A Taxi drivers priority should be the safety of their passengers, driving around in old Toyotas/Fords/Nissans without more than one airbag, and without NCAP ratings is absurd, and down right disgraceful IMO.

robtri

no offence to any taxi driver....
but I think thats a great move, get rid of those old heaps of crap used for taxing...

dudara

You can still drive her, just not as a PSV.

To be honest - I do think that something needs to be done to ensure a certain minimum vehicle standard in taxis. It's tough on people like you who have a well-maintained older vehicle, but they have to start somewhere.

EPM

Sorry to say it Volvoboy but this is a good thing for the customer at least and as it is a service industry that is what it's all about

leeroybrown

About time. I'm sick of having to climb into some of the pieces of junk at the head of taxi ranks when many other drivers willing to provide a more modern vehicle.

Volvoboy

http://www.taxiregulator.ie/files/publications/Progressing_Quality_Improvement_15_10_09.pdf

Bit more detail here, BTW hate all of you who dont agree with me.

voxpop

Exactly - last night at a rank just off grafton street - the first taxi was a beat up 89 corolla. Thats a bit of a joke tbh. I went for the 09 skoda 2 cars down - nice inside it had too

unkel

Sorry for your troubles, volvoboy. But this was a long overdue measure. Look at the bright side: it was never cheaper to buy a 6-7 year old family size car. Start saving

Gary ITR

Volvoboy, no offence but I wouldn't flag you down if you were driving past me, if I'm paying 20quid to be driven home from town it's not going some old Toyota bringing me home

I was getting a taxi home last night and I let some awful cars go by. At the rank on Aston Quay there was a 5 year old Corolla that was in bits at the top of the queue and a battered Primera behind it. A Passat came along and in I got

Tipsy Mac

Hopefully they bring in minimum vehicle sizes too, I've seen a Peugeot 206 taxi, all legal now.

daveharnett

Don't really see the point tbh. As others have pointed out, tf you don't want to take an old taxi, then you can always vote with your feet.
A: Walk down the rank until you find one you fancy.
B: Don't flag old taxis.
C: Specify what you want when calling for a taxi.



VB, I presume limos are excluded from this rule?

Volvoboy

Onkle wrote: »

Volvoboy, no offence but I wouldn't flag you down if you were driving past me, if I'm paying 20quid to be driven home from town it's not going some old Toyota bringing me home

I was getting a taxi home last night and I let some awful cars go by. At the rank on Aston Quay there was a 5 year old Corolla that was in bits at the top of the queue and a battered Primera behind it. A Passat came along and in I got

Just aswell, i wouldnt pick ya up, ''no offence'' :rolleyes:

enda1

daveharnett wrote: »

Don't really see the point tbh. As others have pointed out, tf you don't want to take an old taxi, then you can always vote with your feet.
A: Walk down the rank until you find one you fancy.
B: Don't flag old taxis.
C: Specify what you want when calling for a taxi.



VB, I presume limos are excluded from this rule?

Lots of people believe you have to take the taxi at the top of the queue or else don't want to cause any hassle by choosing another one.

So it will make a difference to them

Gary ITR

Volvoboy wrote: »

Just aswell, i wouldnt pick ya up, ''no offence'' :rolleyes:

And Taxi Drivers are wondering why they have no public support.

Point I was making was given the choice what would you rather go home in? An old Toyota or a new Passat? I'm paying over good money to go home, somebody on minimum wage would have to work 2 and a half hours for what I paid last night

enda1

Volvoboy wrote: »

Just aswell, i wouldnt pick ya up, ''no offence'' :rolleyes:

Then you should lose your license.

No offence.

Volvoboy

enda1 wrote: »

Then you should lose your license.

No offence.

It was a smart alec remark i made, not fact.

Onkle wrote: »

And Taxi Drivers are wondering why they have no public support.

Point I was making was given the choice what would you rather go home in? An old Toyota or a new Passat? I'm paying over good money to go home, somebody on minimum wage would have to work 2 and a half hours for what I paid last night

Ya do have the choice to choose what car ya want to travel in, the TR says as much.

Darsad

This is bullsh1t I am all for standardising the taxi fleet but it should be based on vehicle size spec, and saftey features ,age is irrelevant and if it has to be introduced then a more sensible time frame of 15 yrs should apply.

galwaytt

...wow tell us how ye really feel: this level of emotion is right up there with.....foglights/Renault's/Alfa's/ROR's........:rolleyes:

Whilst newer is always nicer, it doesn't follow that older is always worse....

Afaik, and I stand to be corrected, most taxi passengers sit in the rear, so airbag's etc unless on a very new vehicle with curtain sidebags, won't do anything for you - that's what your seat belt is for...........

Cuddlesworth

In fairness, with the enforcement of wheelchair accessible only vehicles for new plates and the inability to transfer current plates more then once you are going to see a fairly large drop in taxis over the next few years.

Gary ITR

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

In fairness, with the enforcement of wheelchair accessible only vehicles for new plates and the inability to transfer current plates more then once you are going to see a fairly large drop in taxis over the next few years.

Now that I think is a load of tosh. Soon there will be more Wheelchair accessible Taxis in Dublin than Wheelchair Users

Guy:Incognito

galwaytt wrote: »

Afaik, and I stand to be corrected, most taxi passengers sit in the rear, so airbag's etc unless on a very new vehicle with curtain sidebags, won't do anything for you - that's what your seat belt is for...........

The whole car being a crumple zone as opposed to have manufacturer designed ones might have an impact (pardon the pun) on your post crash condition.

Whatever way you want to look at it I cant see anyone wanting to be in Volvoboys Carina in a crash over a brand new Avensis.

Savman

Considering the driving involved I often wonder how much mileage is on a Taxi that's 9+ years old :eek:

Meanwhile back at the ranch, this is a sensible move tbh.

seamus

Darsad wrote: »

This is bullsh1t I am all for standardising the taxi fleet but it should be based on vehicle size spec, and saftey features ,age is irrelevant and if it has to be introduced then a more sensible time frame of 15 yrs should apply.

Taxi drivers are operating a premium service. A 1994 saloon is not a premium vehicle, regardless of how well looked after it is.

galwaytt wrote: »

Whilst newer is always nicer, it doesn't follow that older is always worse....

No, but it generally is. It's far more cost effective to simply remove the 9-year-old cars than to have inspectors looking at every 9-year-old car before deciding if an exemption is appropriate.
You wouldn't run an office on 9-year-old computer equipment. The taxi fleet should be reliable and comfortable for the public to take them seriously. Old cars have old seats which do gradually become less comfortable, and parts wear down and fail, making the older vehicles less reliable. If I was in a taxi which broke down en route, I'd be gone and he'd be getting nothing out of me.

Afaik, and I stand to be corrected, most taxi passengers sit in the rear, so airbag's etc unless on a very new vehicle with curtain sidebags, won't do anything for you - that's what your seat belt is for...........

Better braking technology, more responsive steering, crumple zones, all go towards making the impact less severe for a rear passenger as well as a front passenger.

And how many 1989 Corollas have rear seat belts?

Volvoboy

Stekelly wrote: »

Whatever way you want to look at it I cant see anyone wanting to be in Volvoboys Carina in a crash over a brand new Avensis.

What if the Avensis was manky dirty, the driver was unwashed and the driver smoking and a smell of B.O.?

On the other hand i arrive on the scene car is (as always) immaculate washed polished hooverd, windows sparklin' and a little airfreshner hanging from the rear-view, the driver washed and clean shaven??

Drummerboy08

Volvoboy wrote: »

What if the Avensis was manky dirty, the driver was unwashed and the driver smoking and a smell of B.O.?

On the other hand i arrive on the scene car is (as always) immaculate washed polished hooverd, windows sparklin' and a little airfreshner hanging from the rear-view, the driver washed and clean shaven??

All well and good.

But a nice smelling car wont save you if you pull out under a Luas or a bus, will it?

Gary ITR

Volvoboy wrote: »

What if the Avensis was manky dirty, the driver was unwashed and the driver smoking and a smell of B.O.?

On the other hand i arrive on the scene car is (as always) immaculate washed polished hooverd, windows sparklin' and a little airfreshner hanging from the rear-view, the driver washed and clean shaven??

That's something that needs to be looked at too. Random inspections should be much more frequent.

I sent a car away from my house a few years ago, car was rotten and covered in dust/ash. I wasn't going to a nightclub stinking

Eoin

I'd like to think that my 9 year old car would be more than adequate as a taxi, and I certainly prefer to be in the back of something similar, rather than a newer but less comfortable car.

Are there any provisions for the size / features / safety rating of the taxi, or is purely by year?

Volvoboy

eoin wrote: »

I'd like to think that my 9 year old car would be more than adequate as a taxi, and I certainly prefer to be in the back of something similar, rather than a newer but less comfortable car.

Are there any provisions for the size / features / safety rating of the taxi, or is purely by year?

http://www.taxiregulator.ie/files/Model_Report_Database_02-09-09_PDF.pdf

This is a list of what is acceptable for use as a taxi.

thegen

Great move. It is something that should have been done years ago.

I used to hate paying the same money to a taxi driver in a battered old whatever when I could have been in a 2 yr old motor that did not smell of must etc. It is harsh on lads who have looked after their cars but the junkers far outweigh the good un's.

Eoin

Volvoboy wrote: »

http://www.taxiregulator.ie/files/Model_Report_Database_02-09-09_PDF.pdf

This is a list of what is acceptable for use as a taxi.

I have to say, I'm quite impressed with that - it's pretty comprehensive. That list doesn't mention safety standards or features. Does a vehicle have to have a certain set of safety features to make it on to that list in the first place?

blahblah06

Volvoboy wrote: »

http://www.taxiregulator.ie/files/Model_Report_Database_02-09-09_PDF.pdf

This is a list of what is acceptable for use as a taxi.

wtf my 07 peugeot 407 is not acceptable as a taxi ? volvo does this kick in when?

JHMEG

This kind of rule should have been introduced before deregulation when taxi drivers actually had a bit of money.

Now that Dublin has more taxis than New York -- and it wasn't more taxis we needed, it was buses and trains, esp late night ones -- I feel a large degree of sympathy for drivers who depend on the industry to make a living and pay the bills.

Max Power1

leeroybrown wrote: »

About time. I'm sick of having to climb into some of the pieces of junk at the head of taxi ranks when many other drivers willing to provide a more modern vehicle.

+1

junkyard

It's about time too but I do think that there should be taxi spec car of one colour, like the rest of Europe and they should be VRT free. The life span of a taxi is short and the value as a trade in is zero so at least it would make it worth while. Sorry for your troubles Volvoboy, it seems this pesky government have to push every profession to extinction to fund their royal lifestyles.:(

Owen

galwaytt wrote: »

Afaik, and I stand to be corrected, most taxi passengers sit in the rear, so airbag's etc unless on a very new vehicle with curtain sidebags, won't do anything for you - that's what your seat belt is for...........

I think even having an NCAP rating would be an improvement over the current ball of sh*theaps that are currently serving as Taxis. And to be honest, if I was the taxi regulator, I'd be making sure that cars which will be predominantly carrying passengers in the rear had rear side and curtain airbags as a mandatory part of the regs.

But in the real world, I'd settle for something that actually has been crash tested. Not something like an Accord, or a Carina from the dawn of time that'll fold like an accordian in an accident, no matter how clean and shiny the car is, and no matter how clean and shiny the driver is.

Volvoboy

PaintDoctor wrote: »

But in the real world, I'd settle for something that actually has been crash tested. Not something like an Accord, or a Carina from the dawn of time that'll fold like an accordian in an accident, no matter how clean and shiny the car is, and no matter how clean and shiny the driver is.

:eek::eek:

Owen

lol, oh c'mon VB, no matter how much clearasil you use, if you have a head on accident in your car above 40mph, you're going to lose your legs as the engine comes forward, and the last thing to go through your mind will be your passenger's head

Terrontress

junkyard wrote: »

It's about time too but I do think that there should be taxi spec car of one colour, like the rest of Europe and they should be VRT free. The life span of a taxi is short and the value as a trade in is zero so at least it would make it worth while. Sorry for your troubles Volvoboy, it seems this pesky government have to push every profession to extinction to fund their royal lifestyles.:(

Road tax is already less than €100, regardless of engine size.

Take off VRT and it will be worth everyone's while to buy a car, register it as a taxi, never taxi in it but drive up the bus lanes.

VRT cannot come off taxis.

rebel.ranter

Glad Suzukis are no longer allowed, who ever thought they would make a good taxi?

EPM

Terrontress wrote: »

Road tax is already less than 100, regardless of engine size.

Take off VRT and it will be worth everyone's while to buy a car, register it as a taxi, never taxi in it but drive up the bus lanes.

VRT cannot come off taxis.

This could also maybe help getting rid of the part time drivers too. Make it compulsory that its only for full time drivers and all that craic...

The single colour idea is a good one

galwaytt

I'm for the single colour.

I'm against dictating any model - of ANY size - as acceptable, for the following reasons:

• New, small, good NCAP cars are perfectly acceptable, given that the majority of taxi-fares are one-passenger only. Switzerland, for example has 121's etc on the fleet - and quite right. If there's a market for one-passenger PSV's, it should be encouraged. Why hawk around a 4-6 seater for a 2 seater occupation ?
• Secondly, I'd have serious reservations about the legality of that document, from an EU anti-competitive point of view. To state a 156 can't take (say) 2 rear passengers is complete bull****.

[edit] just had a further read...........a GS450h FAILS to pass for suitability ??....and, you have to laugh when a car called a 'Roomster' also fails on space....???......what planet are these guys on ?? [/edit]

junkyard

Terrontress wrote: »

Road tax is already less than €100, regardless of engine size.

Take off VRT and it will be worth everyone's while to buy a car, register it as a taxi, never taxi in it but drive up the bus lanes.

VRT cannot come off taxis.

Not if you have to produce your tax clearance cert and licence etc. As far as I know, Mercedes build a taxi spec E class with leatherette seats and very little extras at a knock down price, if the VRT was left off you'd see a fleet of new taxis everywhere, in a distinctive colour and an end to the current mess that's there at the moment.

kermitpwee

From my point of view i dont care how old the vehicle is once it gets me to my destination. I have yet to be in a taxi that has broken down or that has crashed. When we think of taxis from the last 10 years i suppose we think of the carina e. It has a very big boot, lots of space and can be very reliable which is good for a taxi. It is an old car now and if you would like to travel in something new then that is fine. The reality of the situation is that the old car and the new car will get you to your destination. I would like to be served in a restaurant by a hottie in her twenties but if an aul bird serves me the food will be the same:D

Volvoboy

kermitpwee wrote: »

From my point of view i dont care how old the vehicle is once it gets me to my destination. I have yet to be in a taxi that has broken down or that has crashed. When we think of taxis from the last 10 years i suppose we think of the carina e. It has a very big boot, lots of space and can be very reliable which is good for a taxi. It is an old car now and if you would like to travel in something new then that is fine. The reality of the situation is that the old car and the new car will get you to your destination. I would like to be served in a restaurant by a hottie in her twenties but if an aul bird serves me the food will be the same:D

I like you.

PaintDoctor wrote: »

lol, oh c'mon VB, no matter how much clearasil you use, if you have a head on accident in your car above 40mph, you're going to lose your legs as the engine comes forward, and the last thing to go through your mind will be your passenger's head

I always accepted that on the renewal of my licence that i would have to change the car, i've known since 2007 that it is the case, but she's just come out of left field with this saying that all cars will be subject to the 9 year rule a year early without any clear clarification on the reasons why.

Rationale
This reform is being introduced to ensure a consistently high standard
of vehicle is available to consumers at all times and ensure drivers operating with higher quality and newer vehicles are not competing
with older vehicles.
In line with the recommendation in the Economic Review of the
SPSV industry, and to stop the ageing of the fleet, this rule is being
fast-tracked.

Surely one more year of this isnt going to have a negative effects, i mean if the car passes its NCT then there really isnt any problem.

One plausable reason is she's not selling licences out at €6300 x 300 Per month that was the case for a few years, however she will get €340 for every car that gets changed over,

€125 change over fee
€125 licence renewal
€90 NCT test

I'm really starting to hate this country.

Mr Benevolent

Volvoboy wrote: »

€125 change over fee
€125 licence renewal
€90 NCT test

I'm really starting to hate this country.

Irish people have very little sense of perspective :rolleyes:

SoupyNorman

Confab wrote: »

'Taxi Drivers' have very little sense of perspective :rolleyes:

FYP.


I welcome any kind of reform in the Taxi industry that actually benefits the the general public.

Taxis in Lanzarote were amazing, every car was a new/ish Octavia, Passat, Merc. They were all either white or red and I never got into a Taxi that lacked AirCon or leather upholstery. Then I come home, get off the plane, queue up and through the lucky dip taxi selection process at Dublin Airport up trundles a rusty squeaky Primera with a meter that seems to connected to a perpetual motion device.



Very glad I have a car

OutlawPete

Volvoboy wrote: »

my beloved Carina before she will be taken off the road. I so not happy its beyond words.:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Look on the brightside .. when 2011 comes around you can get yourself a good reliable, if boxy, safe car - that'll match your Boardsie name

Exon

I don't know where you lads see all these crap taxies because I live out in Bray and haven't seen anything but decent cars and I tought Bray was supposed to be a kip?

OutlawPete

Exon wrote: »

I don't know where you lads see all these crap taxies because I live out in Bray and haven't seen anything but decent cars and I tought Bray was supposed to be a kip?

In Dublin I'd say for the most part. I have even seen battered up Ford Focus taxis half falling apart. You even see the odd Jeep / 4x4 being used as taxis.