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Taximen suicides

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Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,442 ✭✭✭Bandit12


    MaceFace wrote: »
    Is this before or after expenses?
    After


  • Registered Users Posts: 84 ✭✭james116


    blahblah06 wrote: »
    Id rather pay the 100 euro to my cab company who will keep me going with plenty of work cash and account and it puts the food on the table and I dont come back with a gripe about the business. Im happy I have a job and im happy to offer 20% off to customers.

    I choose to stay with said cab company because I like the work and no stress of blocking traffic around city roads. Gets jobs of th radio and get the hell out of the **** hole that is town with all the cabs around.

    I wonder did the guys that commited suicide work with a company or not.. the mind ponders
    1 of them did


  • Registered Users Posts: 84 ✭✭james116


    at the end of the day this thread was about 4 men takeing there own lives it don't matter if they are taxi man or not and this thread turned into a rant about taxi drivers and yes i am a taxi driver in case u where wondering u should all hang ur heads cos 4 men are dead and they have familys.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,306 ✭✭✭blahblah06


    Sorry not as selfish to hang any part of myself in this world as other ppl are. There is always someone worse off. Shame on them


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,306 ✭✭✭blahblah06


    Bandit12 wrote: »
    After

    Lol well that's a lie if ever I heard it. After fuel, insurance, health life insurance, car maintenace and the rest you think he is clearing that? Ha


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17,733 ✭✭✭✭corktina


    can we get back on topic?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 179 ✭✭gdael


    Suicides happen in every walk of life. Pointing out some tax drivers who committed suicide is no different to pointing out anyone else who does it.

    Perhaps they should have sought medical help. Or got different jobs. Or maybe they had problems we dont know about.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 10,012 ✭✭✭✭thebman


    james116 wrote: »
    at the end of the day this thread was about 4 men takeing there own lives it don't matter if they are taxi man or not and this thread turned into a rant about taxi drivers and yes i am a taxi driver in case u where wondering u should all hang ur heads cos 4 men are dead and they have familys.

    Well it was naturally going to turn into a debate on why they did it.

    As they are known to be taxi drivers, it was clearly going to go that way.

    In reality we can't ask them why they did it as they've gone and killed themselves so if your thinking about it and reading this, bloody speak up about whats going on and don't do something irreversible.

    Always another option and bankruptcy is no reason to kill ones self. Plenty of help available for those brave enough to admit they need it. Hell its anonymous online, what's the problem?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,677 ✭✭✭Pineapple stu


    mockler007 wrote: »
    ones pastey, and ones dark, sorted on how you tell the difference

    :D


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,677 ✭✭✭Pineapple stu


    Im sure there was more to these deaths rather than them being taxi drivers and fed up with the industry. Im sure there are others in diffrent professions who have killed themselves in this country but we dont see articles in papers questioning their industry.
    It was just a coincidence that all 4 were taxi drivers .


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,677 ✭✭✭Pineapple stu


    On the issue of taxi drivers and their qualitys that has been mentioned in this thread, i picked up a taxi at the airport to go to Blanch and she hadnt a clue how to get there and what was worse was that she didnt shut up and concentrate on the road and i had to talk her through the directions and which lane she should be in etc. It was like i was giving her a driving lesson :D
    She was Irish.
    I got a decent chap last week though, proper fare and proper route. I was ment to round up the fare as a tip but i told him to just give me a tenner back and realised i had just given him a €40 fare from the airport :D. he was short of hugging me :D sound bloke though.
    My point being, although i hate taxis in general and their constant complaining about too many taxis etc when some only got their taxi licences in the last 2 years or so, there is a large amount of genuine decent taxi drivers out there whether they be irish or otherwise. Im sick of people giving out about foreign taxi drivers when some of the irish ones will fleece you as much as they can. Whats sad is the racist attitude by some in the form of that they would choose a dodgey irish driver over a genuine foreign driver.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,531 ✭✭✭Taxipete29


    cymro wrote: »
    Im sure there was more to these deaths rather than them being taxi drivers and fed up with the industry. Im sure there are others in diffrent professions who have killed themselves in this country but we dont see articles in papers questioning their industry.
    It was just a coincidence that all 4 were taxi drivers .

    A coincidence?? Are you serious?? The reason this was highlighted was the fact that they all occured in such a short space of time.

    The % of taxi drivers commiting suicide is disproportionate to the number of taxi drivers as a % of the population. These guys( to the best of my knowledge) do not fall into the high risk bracket fot suicide which is males aged 20-24. I know of 2 others cases this year which makes at least 6. We had 424 suicides here last year which is a declining figure and has been since the mid- 90s. Taxi drivers represent about 0.6% of the population. Using last years figures and the approx fig for this year they represent about 1.4% of the suicides. Yeah its all a big coincidence :rolleyes:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 179 ✭✭gdael


    Taxipete29 wrote: »
    A coincidence?? Are you serious?? The reason this was highlighted was the fact that they all occured in such a short space of time.

    The % of taxi drivers commiting suicide is disproportionate to the number of taxi drivers as a % of the population. These guys( to the best of my knowledge) do not fall into the high risk bracket fot suicide which is males aged 20-24. I know of 2 others cases this year which makes at least 6. We had 424 suicides here last year which is a declining figure and has been since the mid- 90s. Taxi drivers represent about 0.6% of the population. Using last years figures and the approx fig for this year they represent about 1.4% of the suicides. Yeah its all a big coincidence :rolleyes:


    Perhaps there should be some mental tests for taxi drivers as well as checking for criminal records.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 19,986 ✭✭✭✭mikemac


    In a way it's a solitary job. Not like a driver has an employer providing conselling service. Though maybe the unions have something for this.

    So if you have worries and stress, you may find yourself in rank for an hour repeating and multiplying it over and over again in your head.
    Sure take a break, turn on the radio and you'll just hear more bad news.

    A taxi-driver is self-employed. And this isn't America where failing is seen as one step closer to success. If a taxi driver has a go and fails to make a living at it they may view themselves as a failure.

    Suicide among elderly famers is also disproportionally high for many of the same reasons. Money problems, lack of contact, feelings of failure and many other reasons. They don't fit into the 20-25 age group.

    I'm just addressing the thread title and my own views on it.
    With multiple threads on taxis how and why did this one go offtopic again with posters moaning about drivers getting lost and overcharged?? Of course it happens but this isn't the thread for it


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,249 ✭✭✭Rowley Birkin QC


    What I'd like to know is when are taxi drivers going to realised that they do not provide an essential service, the "industry" is not deserving of protection from the govt. and nearly everywhere* else it is accepted as a low-skilled, low wage means of employment? Deregulation is designed to let the market correct itself, the good taxi-drivers will still make their money, the rest won't. Survival of the fittest and all that.

    As to the suicides, tragic as they are for the families, it is never ever a solution. The out of whack income expectations of taxi drivers when compared with the reality could also exacerbate any underlying problems.

    Also, the latent racism in this thread is disgusting. If Paul McGrath/Seán Óg Ó hAilpín/Phil Babb were to take up driving a cab would people get into their cars?

    *London is the only exception I can think of with their "The Knowledge" exam.


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  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 93,126 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    How many of these sucicdes were of foreign drivers ?

    ( OK it's the Herald so not exactly a reliable source of factual information )


  • Registered Users Posts: 218 ✭✭Dai John


    mike kelly wrote: »
    I notice a lot of the new taxi drivers pass the time by studying the Koran, it certainly beats brooding on depressing issues
    I think Karl Marx had a valid point about religion being the opium of the masses. As everyone in Ireland knows. Looking at the track record of Muslim suicide bombers I would be reluctant to ask one to take me to the airport terminal.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,677 ✭✭✭Pineapple stu


    Taxipete29 wrote: »
    A coincidence?? Are you serious?? The reason this was highlighted was the fact that they all occured in such a short space of time.

    The % of taxi drivers commiting suicide is disproportionate to the number of taxi drivers as a % of the population. These guys( to the best of my knowledge) do not fall into the high risk bracket fot suicide which is males aged 20-24. I know of 2 others cases this year which makes at least 6. We had 424 suicides here last year which is a declining figure and has been since the mid- 90s. Taxi drivers represent about 0.6% of the population. Using last years figures and the approx fig for this year they represent about 1.4% of the suicides. Yeah its all a big coincidence :rolleyes:

    Of course its a coincidence otherwise you are suggesting all of them planned it together.
    Yes im serious. I take it you are a taxi man?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,677 ✭✭✭Pineapple stu


    gdael wrote: »
    Perhaps there should be some mental tests for taxi drivers as well as checking for criminal records.

    They should pass that test with flying colours as most of them are mental allready judging by their need to disregard the rules of the road as if they had the sole right to be on the road.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,913 ✭✭✭Terrontress


    Going back to Lost Marbles' posts, I wonder why taxi drivers who refuse to discount always use the fact that those that do have a call out charge against them.

    He offered an example of two fares on a different post, one costing €15, the other €20.

    A €15 journey between 2 passengers and a call out fee will come to €18. Hailed on the road €16. 20%? Knock off €3.60, down to €14.40. €1.60 cheaper than hailing and it comes to your house. The €20 fare on the same premise would save €2.60 off going out to the road and you don't have to go searching.

    This is not the first time I have seen the call out charges used against 202020 and to be honest it doesn't stack up.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,531 ✭✭✭Taxipete29


    cymro wrote: »
    Of course its a coincidence otherwise you are suggesting all of them planned it together.
    Yes im serious. I take it you are a taxi man?

    Coincidence suggests that they all killed themselves for reasons other than their financial situation or other reasons due to their business. In that case it would be coincidence that they were all taxi drivers.

    If all four killed themselves because of their economic plight as a result of a downturn in the taxi business( this is the suggestion in the op and in the article it cites) then how is it coincidence they were all taxi drivers??


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 216 ✭✭Colpriz


    If all four killed themselves because of their economic plight as a result of a downturn in the taxi business( this is the suggestion in the op and in the article it cites) then how is it coincidence they were all taxi drivers??[/quote]


    I made no 'suggestions', just quoted the article, asked some questions and left it open for discussion. But perhaps you ask a deeper question.. do we as a society or individuals think that being a success is the only way forward, that a seeming failure is a reflection of our worth. Compare ourselves to other trains of thought whereby a seeming failure is deemed as a success for at least trying? or define 'success'


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,677 ✭✭✭Pineapple stu


    Taxipete29 wrote: »
    Coincidence suggests that they all killed themselves for reasons other than their financial situation or other reasons due to their business. In that case it would be coincidence that they were all taxi drivers.

    If all four killed themselves because of their economic plight as a result of a downturn in the taxi business( this is the suggestion in the op and in the article it cites) then how is it coincidence they were all taxi drivers??

    But we dont really know why they killed themselves. Its just the media and fellow taxi drivers assuming it was because of the downturn in the taxi industry and one even blamed the taxi regulator on the deaths just to use it to further their course.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,531 ✭✭✭Taxipete29


    cymro wrote: »
    But we dont really know why they killed themselves. Its just the media and fellow taxi drivers assuming it was because of the downturn in the taxi industry and one even blamed the taxi regulator on the deaths just to use it to further their course.

    No we dont know. I dont agree with blaming anyone.

    You however stated it was just a coincidence they were all taxi drivers. I was correcting you. You have know way of knowing this. That was my only point


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,677 ✭✭✭Pineapple stu


    I didnt need correcting,but then again you are a taxi man so you are always right and everyone else is wrong :D


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