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How Safe Do You Feel Getting In A Taxi Now

Spook_ie

So just how safe do you feel in all these new "deregulated" taxis?

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/man-lay-on-floor-of-taxi-in-kidnap-bid-1479938.html

Man lay on floor of taxi in kidnap bid
PROBE: Terrified woman fled to city pub screaming after incident
By Geraldine Gittens

Monday September 22 2008

Gardai are investigating an alleged assault by a taxi driver on a woman in Dublin.

The incident was brought to the attention of the gardai after a woman ran into a pub in Terenure screaming for help last Tuesday morning.

Alarmed drinkers in the pub rang the gardai as soon as they saw the woman's distress.

According to sources, the woman had been out on the road hailing a taxi when one pulled up, and the driver asked her to get into the passenger seat.

However, when the women refused, the driver proceeded to open the passenger door and tell the woman to sit in the front, it has been alleged.

When the woman opened the back door to get in the back she found a man lying on the floor waiting for her to get into the front, sources say.

"We're investigating an alleged assault in Harold's Cross and Terenure at 1.30am in the morning of Tuesday September 16," a Garda spokesperson said.

Investigation

Meanwhile, the Taxi Regulator said it is unaware of the incident.

"Anything deemed a criminal offence would be dealt with by the gardai," says Justin Bowers, a spokesman for the organisation.

"The Commission doesn't break down the complaints we receive, we only break them down in relation to fares," he added.

While the Commission says that they deal with drivers conduct, they do not deal with cases such as the alleged attack on Monday night.

"We are constantly advising people on their own personal safety, particularly women," says the Garda spokesperson.

"Any crime would be taken seriously as far as we're concerned."

Taxi drivers are vetted by the gardai before they are awarded their taxi licence and allowed to operate.

In order for an applicant to obtain a taxi license, the Taxi Regulator says that the person must "satisfy An Garda Síochána that he/she is a fit and proper person to hold such a licence".

- Geraldine Gittens

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Comments

amacachi

I'm a fat, ugly man, so I feel perfectly safe.

Ciaran500

Nothing like this ever happened before the deregulation?

Dudess

On the strength of one bad incident? Pretty safe really.

Wish to Christ there were more taxis - sick sh1t of hanging around for hours on a Saturday night...

MagicMarker

Well, i carry a machete with me at all times, so... yeah, pretty safe.

MagicMarker

Haha, ya have to laugh at the guy lying in the back seat! What a douche!

Spook_ie

Ciaran500 wrote: »

Nothing like this ever happened before the deregulation?

Don't recall people being found in the back of taxis lying in wait, but as in all trades you will get weirdo's, but do you feek safer in taxis post deregulation?

monkeyfudge

Isn't this pretty much word for word an old urban legend...?

krpc

What do you mean safe? Do I feel safe in the knowledge I won't be ripped off? Don't be silly. Clearly it's a no.

Nehaxak

Taxi drivers are vetted by the gardai before they are awarded their taxi licence and allowed to operate.

Yeah right !

Quazzie

oh for the chance of a grope when I'm drunk on my way home. More wimmens taxi drivers is what's needed. But they have to be as percy as the male ones

stovelid

Spook_ie wrote: »

So just how safe do you feel in all these new "deregulated" taxis?

/waves hand, Jedi-style

Taxi de-regulation is the cause of attempted taxi assaults.

Taxi de-regulation is the cause of attempted taxi assaults.

Support the next taxi driver strike.

Support the next taxi driver strike.

Nice , Irish tax-drivers aren't the rapists you're looking for.

Nice , Irish tax-drivers aren't the rapists you're looking for.

Move along now.

Move along, move along.

Spook_ie

i-bloodhound wrote: »

What do you mean safe? Do I feel safe in the knowledge I won't be ripped off? Don't be silly. Clearly it's a no.

I don't think yer women was concerned about being ripped off, unless your refering in some debauched way to her underwear!!

Nehaxak

Or the fact that all this sudden backlash against taxi drivers is due to our government trying to test/sway public opinion again the taxi drivers in case said taxi drivers ever thought about forming a political party to contest the next elections.

I win.

Karoma

monkeyfudge wrote: »

Isn't this pretty much word for word an old urban legend...?

Sounds verrrry familiar.

So... here we are again with another 'rabble rabble de-regulamated taxis are chariots to and from hell rabble' from another taxi driver I presume? There were incidents before de-regulation. There are more incidents in unmarked , unlicensed taxis which were far more common before de-regulation. Take the soapbox elsewhere.

ed: also, your poll doesn't specify anything about de-regulation...

Spook_ie

monkeyfudge wrote: »

Isn't this pretty much word for word an old urban legend...?

You callin her a liar and the Herald as misrepresenting a story? Shame on you..

Dudess

LOL - I love moral high horse mounting in order to support an agenda...

And the Herald is a nasty, sensationalist rag.

AlmightyCushion

I've got aids, any taxi driver who tries to rape me will get his comeuppance.

Volvoboy

Dudess wrote: »

And that nasty rag the Herald would happily misrepresent a story...

Really? I'm no media student or any experence in the field.

There has to be a sourse and a reliable one at that, and not a e-mail ''send to all'' ones

But i do know the evening herald wouldnt go around making false articles for the purpose of creating a climate of fear among taxi users.

I'm a taxi driver and there isnt a nights work that goes by where i dont hear a horror story, be that from Irish/English/Cuban/Polish/Latvian/South African/Nigerian drivers.

Dudess

I've nothing against individual taxi drivers - I think they get terribly unfairly tarred with the one brush just because of a few bad apples... and not all of them are rip-off merchants. But my main bone of contention is the lack of cabs. Taxi drivers, of course, are going to object to this view because any change would increase competition and affect their incomes, but while taxi drivers might be of the view that there are plenty of taxis on the road, the queues on Dame Street and Patrick Street at 3am on a Sunday morning would tell a different story. Very easy for a cab driver him/herself to get a taxi at that hour considering they have contacts, but it's a different story for the (wo)man on the street.

And thus, I will always be at odds with the taxi driving community.

amacachi

Dudess wrote: »

I've nothing against individual taxi drivers - I think they get terribly unfairly tarred with the one brush just because of a few bad apples... and not all of them are rip-off merchants. But my main bone of contention is the lack of cabs. Taxi drivers, of course, are going to object to this view because any change would increase competition and affect their incomes, but while taxi drivers might be of the view that there are plenty of taxis on the road, the queues on Dame Street and Patrick Street at 3am on a Sunday morning would tell a different story. Very easy for a cab driver him/herself to get a taxi at that hour considering they have contacts, but it's a different story for the (wo)man on the street.

And thus, I will always be at odds with the taxi driving community.

Alas there may be about 2-3 hours a week when there aren't enough taxis, the rest of the week there are far too many.

Wreck

Did I not read this on boards like a week ago? WTF? I'm a losing it already? I really thought I had another few years to go before the dementia finally settled in.

Also a taxi driver attempted to molest me about 13 years ago, well before deregulation. And I've never understood the point of limiting the number of taxi plates. While it has improved over the last few years, there are nowhere near enough cabs in Dublin on a Friday or Saturday night. But then again, every form of transport in this city sucks compared to the majority of first world capitals.

Volvoboy

Dudess wrote: »

I've nothing against individual taxi drivers - I think they get terribly unfairly tarred with the one brush just because of a few bad apples... and not all of them are rip-off merchants. But my main bone of contention is the lack of cabs. Taxi drivers, of course, are going to object to this view because any change would increase competition and affect their incomes, but while taxi drivers might be of the view that there are plenty of taxis on the road, the queues on Dame Street and Patrick Street at 3am on a Sunday morning would tell a different story. Very easy for a cab driver him/herself to get a taxi at that hour considering they have contacts, but it's a different story for the (wo)man on the street.

And thus, I will always be at odds with the taxi driving community.

Taxi drives are the same as everyone in the service industry, everyone has the choice to use them, if your ''at odds'' with them then dont use them.:)

Because its the greatest contradiction going ''Oh yea the big bad taxi man'',
But happy as larry to hop into one at 4am,
so the next time your in town, bring a push bike with ya or get the night link.

I was in town myself on saturday night took me 45 mins to hail one, didnt mind. As a taxi driver myself i know this is the busy periods of the night, i wouldnt expect one of my ''contacts'' to be free for me, when he has floods of other fares waiting and more luctrative than my fare.

Spook_ie

Karoma wrote: »

Sounds verrrry familiar.

So... here we are again with another 'rabble rabble de-regulamated taxis are chariots to and from hell rabble' from another taxi driver I presume? There were incidents before de-regulation. There are more incidents in unmarked , unlicensed taxis which were far more common before de-regulation. Take the soapbox elsewhere.

ed: also, your poll doesn't specify anything about de-regulation...

Feel free to edit the title, actualy maybe you can delete that poll and add this one instead

Do You Feel More or Less Safe Since Deregulation
Option 1 More Safe
Option 2 Less Safe
Option 3 No Change

But btw The anecdotal evidence is that ( in Dublin anyway ) you are far more likely to find yourself in a taxi that is bogus in 1 way or another since deregulation..

stovelid

Nothing against them. Never really had a bad experience outside a few rude encounters (which is probably fair enough given how tough the job can be) and one or two over-charging attempts.

But they must be the only part of the service industry that think their service exists purely for their own job security. It's like saying the Gardai exist purely to provide pensionable, secure employment for people from the country.

Basically, a lot of taxi-drivers (or at least the likes of Gorman) think that their need to mint it (as they did before de-regulation) is more important than Dublin having enough taxis.

Trojan911

The Taxi Regulator has just approved an 8+% fare increase effective from 1st Nov. :eek:

But a quick question to you OP, How safe do You feel driving a taxi around our Nations Capitol? You must have some spooky (no pun intended) stories to tell.

I drive a Hackney, in a "West Cork" town, for a friend, maybe, two days a week to give him some time off & I have a ball, never had any trouble.

The amount of parties I've been invited to attend after I finish is ridiculous. My social diary would be fuller than Berties. It's great, eye candy & offers everywhere on a Sat night.....

Dudess

Volvoboy wrote: »

Taxi drives are the same as everyone in the service industry, everyone has the choice to use them, if your ''at odds'' with them then dont use them.:)

Because its the greatest contradiction going ''Oh yea the big bad taxi man'',
But happy as larry to hop into one at 4am,
so the next time your in town, bring a push bike with ya or get the night link.

I didn't say anything like that about taxi drivers - read my post fully.

Volvoboy

Trojan911 wrote: »

The Taxi Regulator has just approved an 8+% fare increase effective from 1st Nov. :eek:

But a quick question to you OP, How safe do You feel driving a taxi around our Nations Capitol? You must have some spooky (no pun intended) stories to tell.

I drive a Hackney, in a "West Cork" town, for a friend, maybe, two days a week to give him some time off & I have a ball, never had any trouble.

The amount of parties I've been invited to attend after I finish is ridiculous. My social diary would be fuller than Berties. It's great, eye candy & offers everywhere on a Sat night.....

I know! Getting invites for toasted ham sandwiches after the pub,mmm:)

Volvoboy wrote: »

Taxi drives are the same as everyone in the service industry, everyone has the choice to use them, if your ''at odds'' with them then dont use them.:)

Because its the greatest contradiction going ''Oh yea the big bad taxi man'',
But happy as larry to hop into one at 4am,
so the next time your in town, bring a push bike with ya or get the night link.

I was in town myself on saturday night took me 45 mins to hail one, didnt mind. As a taxi driver myself i know this is the busy periods of the night, i wouldnt expect one of my ''contacts'' to be free for me, when he has floods of other fares waiting and more luctrative than my fare.

Dudess wrote: »

I didn't say anything like that about taxi drivers - read my post fully.

This was not directed at you, sorry if you thought it was rest of the post was tho.

Trojan911

Dudess wrote: »

I didn't say anything like that about taxi drivers - read my post fully.

I did & if I ever decide to drive in Cork City I'll PM you my number, You'll never be stuck again.....

Wreck

Trojan911 wrote: »

I did & if I ever decide to drive in Cork City I'll PM you my number, You'll never be stuck again.....

Does that read like a threat to anyone else? The wink seems particularly sinister.

Gyalist

This story was posted in the Ladies Lounge last week. Does it mean that journalists lift their stories from Boards?