Most repeated topic on Newstalk?

[taxi1990]

Has to be this so called lack of taxis. its like Deja vu, I honestly think they mention it at least once a week. How do they get away with it, are people not bored of listening to the same story the last few years?

Uber uber uber, fcuk off.

the NTA dont want ride sharing so why keep giving Uber air time? the Aussie Uber guy on again today, could only listen to about 10 seconds of him spouting his usual rubbish.

I hate Newstalk now, most of their presenters are everything I stand against

[watty]

Yeah, it baffles me how public transport (buses) never get mentioned in this debate.

[taxi1990]

Yeah, it baffles me how public transport (buses) never get mentioned in this debate.

Someone from the NTA need to go on that show and explain why they don't want rideshare and yes maybe talk about busses as a solution.

I think the lack of taxis at night comes down to how wild the Irish public are when they go drinking. That is what puts me off doing more nights.

[John m]

Nobody from the NTA needs to do anything .What you are listening to is paid advertising by UBER or Free Now .The NTA know the score they fucked up BIGGLY .Why do you think we have so many Indians and Pakastanis driving taxis since Brexit ?Its simple they come here to learn English which they already speak pay college fees then drive a taxi on a student visa .Take their first year exams and fail then retake them then three years later they do their second year and fail retake them now they are in the country four years then do the final year and apply for citizenship Get an Irish Passport and under the Good Friday Agreement they can live in Britain as Irish Citizens and so can their families .The NTA wont be issuing to many more licences .When the Grants are cut and you need to fully fund a WAT and school fees the taxi game will not be the preferred rout to Britain .The second most used entry point is to do Business degree and work in the Square K garages or Eurospar late night shifts .

[taxi1990]

Nobody from the NTA needs to do anything .What you are listening to is paid advertising by UBER or Free Now .The NTA know the score they fucked up BIGGLY .Why do you think we have so many Indians and Pakastanis driving taxis since Brexit ?Its simple they come here to learn English which they already speak pay college fees then drive a taxi on a student visa .Take their first year exams and fail then retake them then three years later they do their second year and fail retake them now they are in the country four years then do the final year and apply for citizenship Get an Irish Passport and under the Good Friday Agreement they can live in Britain as Irish Citizens and so can their families .The NTA wont be issuing to many more licences .When the Grants are cut and you need to fully fund a WAT and school fees the taxi game will not be the preferred rout to Britain .The second most used entry point is to do Business degree and work in the Square K garages or Eurospar late night shifts .

I hope the repeat talks about taxi shortages backfires on Newstalk and people stop tuning in.

[John m]

Why would people not tune in .They want taxis you dont want any more taxis .ITS PAID ADVERTISING bloke turns up and says there is a shortage of taxis we have the answer download our App .What difference will that make if there are no taxis .

[taxi1990]

Why would people not tune in .They want taxis you dont want any more taxis .ITS PAID ADVERTISING bloke turns up and says there is a shortage of taxis we have the answer download our App .What difference will that make if there are no taxis .

Yes but do they not get bored of listening to the exact same story every week?

[watty]

The perceived lack of taxis adds into the narrative that our towns and cities are lawless. The story is probably also a time filler when news is slow...

[mercenary for hire]

I stopped listening to Newstalk years ago.There's a lot of repitition across all topics because they have fuk all worth talking about most of the time.Makes the shift feel longer than it needs to be.

Just leave it off if it annoys ya.I don't think they really expect people to listen to it for ten hours a day like taxi drivers do.

[taxi1990]

Irish radio is so poor from what I have seen. I turn Newstalk off when they talk about taxis and turn 2fm off when Lottie Ryan comes on.

podcasts are good when you have a long drive with no customers on board.

[Jack Meoff]

On Drivetime RTE yesterday
Lack of taxies

[John m]

On Drivetime RTE yesterday
Lack of taxies

Listen carefully to all radio its a system

early morning they cover the days newspapers and last nights football results
About 9 oc when people are just starting work and the radio is on in the office or the Kitchen .Light entertainment .Lotty Ryan talking about her Clit .Tuberdy or Pat the Plank reviewing films or books back ground talking noise .
About 12 go to some music then its news from 1 till 2 .
"2till 5 its bolloxology radio wise men like Joe the Good or Raymond from Naas or Moncrief telling you their opinion on everything then the listeners head from home but Mr Listen for Longer needs to do two things .One get listeners two keep listeners .now bodies in taxis will listen to whatever station the driver is tuned into and the Listening Phychologists employed by radio stations know that listeners will listen to things that concerne them so Taxi drivers will tune in to listen to them waffle about Lack of taxis and the passenger in the back gets introduced to possibly a different station to the one they tune into in the office and they also hear the adds on the car radio.The reason they keep talking about taxis is they know we will tune in .George Hook was the best at it he use to always sound like we were his best mates so we tuned in keep his listenership figures high .

[taxi1990]

I wonder do most taxis tune in or turn off when lack of taxis comes on? I turn off now.

why would I want to listen to people bad mouth taxi drivers and talk about how perfect the country would be if rideshare was allowed operate here?

[silverbullet]

Could someone tell Emer that a simpleton putting an X in a box gets her elected?

Is she tackling mass pub closures at 11.30, is she Gogarty!

TD calls for taxi licence process to be 'streamlined'
Updated / Thursday, 24 Aug 2023 23:15
More people want to drive taxis, and we need to get them on the road quickly, deputy Emer Higgins says
More people want to drive taxis, and we need to get them on the road quickly, deputy Emer Higgins says
A Dublin TD has called for the taxi license application process to be streamlined if supply shortages in the sector are to be addressed.

Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, Emer Higgins said the shortage is affecting the nighttime economy by deterring people from going out.

It also leaves people in a vulnerable position when they want to go home late at night, particularly as safety in the capital continues to be a concern.

"On the positive side, more people do want to become taxi drivers," the Fine Gael TD for Dublin Mid-West said, "but I believe we really need to get them on the road as quick as possible.".

"There is still 30% less taxis on the road now versus 10 years ago, and we all see that. So, my idea really, and it's not rocket science, is that if we could allow prospective taxi drivers to actually apply for garda vetting in parallel ... as they apply for their test, it would speed things up."

Currently, prospective taxi drivers must first get their taxi license, and then pass a garda clearance certificate process, after which gardaí issue licences to the successful applicants.

Ms Higgins said that while drivers need to be cleared and vetted by the gardaí, if they could apply for that while applying for their test it could make a big-time difference.

"It's a very small, and it's a very simple, change to the process."

She added that the test has two elements, one of which deals with regulation and legislation, which is critical.

However, a second component dealing with where things are, like landmarks and routes around the city, and which is more difficult, should also be adjusted to more reflect today's world, she said.

"The reality is nowadays; we're all using apps, and we're all using our phone to get around city centres. And I do think we need to update and modernise the test to reflect that".

"People are using Eircodes to tell their taxi drivers how to get them home, and that has to be reflected in the test," she added.