Taxi Regulator blitz on Connolly Station

Ben D Bus

Was out at lunchtime and numerous people in Taxi Regulator hi-vis backed up by an even greater number of Gardai were doing a blitz on all the taxis down Sheriff St. Checking all the documentation (quite carefully by the looks of it). At least 4 groups of Regulator/Gardai at various points along the street and around the corner onto Amiens St.

Is this a common occurrance? Never saw it before.

serfboard

Ben D Bus wrote: »

Was out at lunchtime and numerous people in Taxi Regulator hi-vis backed up by an even greater number of Gardai were doing a blitz on all the taxis down Sheriff St. Checking all the documentation (quite carefully by the looks of it). At least 4 groups of Regulator/Gardai at various points along the street and around the corner onto Amiens St.

Is this a common occurrance? Never saw it before.

Regulation without enforcement is a waste of time and money.

Good to see. Hope they start doing it more often around the country now, too. (Anecdotal evidence in Galway suggests they come once a year and when they do, the illegals find out about and scram, only to come back after they've gone).

Outkast_IRE

serfboard wrote: »

(Anecdotal evidence in Galway suggests they come once a year and when they do, the illegals find out about and scram, only to come back after they've gone).

This does actually happen all over. In cork you will never see less taxis on the ranks than when the regulator is doing a checkpoint.

I was there myself to witness one person be arrested for impersonating the actual driver/ licencee of the car. Meaning he wasnt licenced, insured, didint have a drivers licence with him etc.

AlekSmart

Sounds like the Multi Agency Task Force,although it's unusual to find them operating in daylight :eek:

Might be a cost-cutting measure to avoid paying the non-shift members a hefty premium.

Usually consists of Gardai,NTA,Revenue,DSP,RSA,and usually all connected to their various databases by phone/laptop.

By it's very nature it has to be a hit-n-run operation as once the various radio's start broadcasting it's location the "passing trade" evaporates.

I have seen it operate several times on Stephens Green East,causing all sorts of mayhem with Stoppies and hUgeU-Turns in the most unlikely of spots ....:D

I love watchin it operate,infacta I'd suggest recruiting out-of-work actors to dress up and simply flash-mob around the town,just to gauge public (and Trade) reaction....;)

Jamie2k9

I have seen a few checks from time to time on Sundays in Heuston.

Ben D Bus

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

This does actually happen all over. In cork you will never see less taxis on the ranks than when the regulator is doing a checkpoint.

Yeah, when I passed again on my way back 20 minutes later, Sheriff St was entirely free of taxis! Apart from the 2 that were surrounded by yellow jackets

BenShermin

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

I have seen a few checks from time to time on Sundays in Heuston.

Pity they wern't there on bank holiday Monday. The entire bus lane along the John's Road all the way to the SCR junction was full of illegally parked taxis, this in turn delayed my bus into town:mad:.

Ironically, minutes later on Eden Quay a taxi driver started beeping his horn at the driver of my bus to hurry up unloading luggage because the bus was parked on a taxi rank, literally the only ounce of space left on the busy quay. He got a two finger salute from me and a lesson in fluent Irish from the bus driver:D. Block up their rank for two minutes and they start beeping even though they're allowed to block a busy bus lane all day every bloody day at Heuston, they're a law onto themselves.

everyday taxi

Ben D Bus wrote: »

Yeah, when I passed again on my way back 20 minutes later, Sheriff St was entirely free of taxis! Apart from the 2 that were surrounded by yellow jackets

As a driver....the entire industry is a complete shambles. There are many hundreds of completely illegal taxies operating with total impunity because of the lack of enforcement. Even the "driver check" taxi app is an utter joke. I've ran checks of scores of taxies, it seems to have an approx accuracy rate of about 50%, meaning almost half the taxies checked had incorrect or NO details on the system. Its the equivalent of telling thieves, dublins bank doors will remain open over-night, and we'll have one cop covering the whole area............on a bicycle.............with flat tyres! Its a free for all.

schemingbohemia

everyday taxi wrote: »

As a driver....the entire industry is a complete shambles. There are many hundreds of completely illegal taxies operating with total impunity because of the lack of enforcement. Even the "driver check" taxi app is an utter joke. I've ran checks of scores of taxies, it seems to have an approx accuracy rate of about 50%, meaning almost half the taxies checked had incorrect or NO details on the system. Its the equivalent of telling thieves, dublins bank doors will remain open over-night, and we'll have one cop covering the whole area............on a bicycle.............with flat tyres! Its a free for all.

Have you reported anyone?

Hilly Bill

Ben D Bus wrote: »

Yeah, when I passed again on my way back 20 minutes later, Sheriff St was entirely free of taxis! Apart from the 2 that were surrounded by yellow jackets

It was packed at 3 o clock and some idiot was even driving and trying to park in the lane coming out of connolly car park. Looked like they got the word that the checks were finished.

everyday taxi

schemingbohemia wrote: »

Have you reported anyone?

reported them all. nothing has been done. the authorities actually admitted been overwhelmed by reports of non compliance. go figure.

Spook_ie

This should be the FIRST step in standardisation not the BS of using one type of taxi like the NV200 spouted in another thread

Lets standardise to the fact that you are allowed to actually work where you are working and be insured etc.

Anyone using taxis should by now be using the Driver Check App and if they don't show on it or that it doesn't match the details on it, walk past and use another taxi that does

busflyer

I have seen this check done in Dublin Airport. Due to the one way road system, once the check is in place, all taxis are trapped unable to avoid been checked once they are driving.

Losty Dublin

In my 5 years of driving a taxi I only every heard of 3 or checks in Dublin and physically seen one myself. In a city of 16,000 taxi's and with such a poor perception of taxi's this is a joke.

Somebody recently asked why gardai can do very little in relation to taxi's these days. The problem here is that since the Carriage Office handed over the regulation of licencing the database of registered drivers and cars is no longer assessible to Gardai outside of office hours. Gardai also can't issue on the spot fines for non compliance of the various laws as the taxi laws only gives specified taxi regulator staff the power to do so. It is farcial and makes the laws here effectively applicable on a 9-5 basis and even then on appointment.