https://www.limerickleader.ie/news/home/552412/limerick-taxi-drivers-anger-with-transport-body.htmlTAXI drivers in Limerick who suspended their licenses during the Covid-19 pandemic say they can’t get back to work because the National Transport Authority won’t answer the phone.
A number of taxi drivers phoned the Limerick Leader complaining that the Authority who are responsible for taxi regulation in Ireland can’t be contacted. One of the drivers said that 90 per cent of the taxi drivers in Limerick suspended their licenses in March, and availed of the government payment, but most now want to get back to work.
TAXI drivers in Limerick who suspended their licenses during the Covid-19 pandemic say they can’t get back to work because the National Transport Authority won’t answer the phone.
A number of taxi drivers phoned the Limerick Leader complaining that the Authority who are responsible for taxi regulation in Ireland can’t be contacted. One of the drivers said that 90 per cent of the taxi drivers in Limerick suspended their licenses in March, and availed of the government payment, but most now want to get back to work.
“We had to suspend our license to get the government payment. The only taxi drivers that wouldn’t have suspended their licenses are the old age pensioners who would not qualify for the €350 payment,” he added.
“My insurance for the taxi is over €1,500 a month and I have started to pay this again but can’t get my taxis back on the road with business getting back to normal,” he added.
“If you want to get back your tamper proof license you can’t get through….I was ringing for two hours this morning and in the afternoon I was back on again and no answer,” complained another.
A spokesman for the NTA said: “Our SPSV call centre is busier than at any time previously and we have already handled over 10,000 calls this month alone. This is a multiple of anything ever previously experienced. While there is no doubt that waiting times for some callers are longer than we would like, we don’t accept that some have been kept waiting for as long as two hours.
“Some 40% of the calls relate to bookings for NCT tests, despite the fact that NTA has no responsibility whatsoever in that area. We would urge those particular callers not to try and contact NTA at all, so that we can concentrate on dealing with matters that do come under our areas of responsibility.
“For most people who need to contact NTA, we are strongly advising them not to do so by phone, and queries that come into us via email are being handled much more quickly and efficiently.
“We are directing licence holders to our FAQs and to information on our website that is updated regularly. We are also sending individual correspondence to all licence holders providing information pertinent to the current Covid crisis.
“An email advising some licence holders to contact the NTA by phone was issued to 29 recipients. This should not have happened and came about as a result of human error,” the statement read.
fuckin brutal stuff.
