BYCATRIONA GALLEN
TAXI drivers in Letterkenny have opened a campaign for more taxi ranks by staging a protest at the Public Services Centre.
Frustrated by the lack of taxi ranks available in Letterkenny up to 170 taxi drivers are planning a series of protests over the coming weeks. They want ranks in place at the bus station, main street, outside the post office, at the hospital and one at the Letterkenny retail park or close to the cinema and on High road.
At present there are 33 spaces available at taxi ranks in Letterkenny. These are at main street, outside Dunnes Stores, the Station roundabout and a few places on Port Road. Gardai are enforcing the use of ranks in the town and have issued a number of ¤80 on the spot fines in recent weeks.
Owner of A cabs, Mr Liam Meehan, said drivers have been talking to Gardai and the town council about the problems they have been encountering but are simply being told there is no space.
"In any town there is a taxi rank next to a bus station but not in Letterkenny. Last week I picked up an 82-year-old lady who had just arrived off the bus from Glasgow and had to carry all her luggage across the road to the rank at 'Mr Chippy'. It's ludicrous. There are plenty of spaces for taxi ranks with a little foresight. There is a large green area next to the bus station," he pointed out.
Mr Meehan said that the ranks on Port road were not being used because of the traffic hold up on the one way system which also adds another ¤4 on to the fare for the customer. He said drivers were also having problems with the rank at Dunnes Stores which is located between trading bays and is being used by private cars.
"Drivers simply want spaces where people are. The retail park next to Argos is crazy with traffic and cabs and there is no rank next to the cinema to pick up all the young people using it at the weekend. It makes sense to have ranks where there are people but there are simply not enough ranks in Letterkenny at present," said Mr Meehan.
Mr Liam Meehan warned that taxi drivers have had enough. Many drivers had been fined and simply were not coming out on the streets during the day time.
He said it was the first time that all taxi owners were coming together on the issue and a number of protest options were being considered.
He said that drivers were prepared to have a drive slow throughout Letterkenny town which could lead to traffic mayhem and were contemplating withdrawing taxi services on a Saturday night in protest if the Council continued to ignore the problem.
