Strike

[Rat Catcher]

Only if it has sufficient resources to subsidise fares to the tune of millions of euros every day.  Free Now may or may not have such resources but there are many licensed dispatch operators all over the country who don't have that sort of money and who must be protected to ensure a competitive market can be maintained. If one or two firms are allowed monopolise the market it's the drivers and the riders that will suffer in the long term.

[watty]

The NTA hires expensive consultants every 2 years to work out, amongst other things, how much we earn and how much our expenses are.  Competition is great 'n all but we shouldn't have to work at a loss to subsidize American shareholders

[John m]

The NTA hires expensive consultants every 2 years to work out, amongst other things, how much we earn and how much our expenses are.  Competition is great 'n all but we shouldn't have to work at a loss to subsidize American shareholders

Street ranks or TAP .We should have an NTA provided hailing app as part of the Taxi infrastructure .

[Rat Catcher]

Indeed... as recently proposed by People Before Profit T.D. Paul Murphy. If you remind me I'll remind you to vote for them at the next election.

[John m]

Read a lot of the reviews on Facebook a total PR Disaster .The most comments are about the Nationality of the Protesters .Its Voluntary if you cover App Jobs or Not .If they all decided to turn them off the Apps would soon drop the Non Metered Fares Probably increase the freight to 40%

[John m]

Just for those who fail to understand the NTA are not our employers they have nothing to do with us .The PASSENGERS are our employers .A Strike is aimed at your employer to get better conditions .So If you want better terms refuse to do the ones you do not like Turn off the Apps or Ignore discounted Fares .The Passengers will realize how it works if they cannot get discounted fares .Really is that simple but hungry Hurs will work for Truppence on the Shilling if they think there is a profit in it for them .Disrupting other people going about the Work is not how to influence them It will take time to reverse the Damage that the drivers now protesting about were the main cause of .Hungry cunts that would Grand Prix you on the N7 rushing back into town for the next fare and Star. Fuck you your reap what you Sew .

[Bob Shillin]

"they have nothing to do with us". That's an absurd statement about the body that regulates us John. Deciding not to use apps is not as easy for many as it is for you or I.

[John m]

"they have nothing to do with us". That's an absurd statement about the body that regulates us John. Deciding not to use apps is not as easy for many as it is for you or I.

Really .The Garda Issue the Licence the Taxi Regulator Sets the Fares .Please explain what Role the NTA play in the Taxi Industry ? Lets be Honest look at who was Protesting I doubt most of them have a vast local area knowledge .Were drip fed the Answers by App Providers and Renters .Thought it was a Lucrative Career but forgot about the Costs .Now the Reality of the Industry is they Fucked it for themselves and everybody else .To many drivers chasing too few jobs .So the Randsome gets increased .I hope UBER reduce the Fixed fares even more weed out oversupply then they will have to increase the fares to get the remaining drivers to cover them ..I would of bet the Majority of the people protesting bought Wheelchair second hand vehicles but now they need to be replaced and the supply of Part Worn From the UK has dried up or they are renting .These are the same fuckers while you rank outside the Likes of Heuston they sneak in around the Back or end up in punch ups in Area 18 .

[John m]

Just in case you are missing the Point Robbie ! The only rules or Regs or Protocols some people want to follow are the ones that suit them . If the issue was about Fares   then protest outside Uber or Free Nows offices .Look on line see the very limited response to this action .Read the Comments .Free Advertisement for fixed fares .Blogger THIS IS DUBLIN posted on his Podcast about it he is followed by a lot of young adults .Now they know about fixed fares FREE ADVERTISING for the thing they say they oppose. The Minister has set up the Taxi Regulator to regulate the Industry not the NTA typical taxi driver going to the Wrong Location .A more unorganised ,disorganised protest could not of been organised by a Group of Kindergarteners with a box of Creyola Crayons .

[Rat Catcher]

Fair play to the men. It was a good turnout, just a shame it wasn't a slow news day.

The racial mix was pretty much in line with previous protests as far as I could see from the social media videos that could be accessed without social media accounts and the men conducted themselves in a restrained, professional and peaceful manner in very difficult circumstances. Agitating far right extremists is a divide and conquer tactic driven primarily by the multinational dispatch firms.

NTA has a statutory responsibility to regulate the market and to promote competition. Allowing multinationals manipulate the market is not conducive with that and it's incumbent on NTA and DoT to step up and do their job.

I understand your concerns as far as inequities in the cost of participation goes, erm. I had to increase my own hours over the last couple of years to replace a car that was in showroom condition and I only had to come up with a small contribution to the heavily subsidised vehicle I and Govt purchased for me so I can only imagine how difficult it must be for men who are expected to pay for their own cars and you are right to draw attention to such concerns. Obviously, the market has changed quite significantly since Taxi Regulation Act 2003 was passed. Demand within the private hire sector has expanded significantly and has clear potential for further expansion while the current temporary moratorium on the issue of saloon hackney plates dictates that public hire vehicles are being diverted from taxi ranks, street hails, corporate transfers and transport terminals to fill the gap. The situation where men are required to pay extortionate fees to rent public hire vehicles to primarily serve the private hire market in a supposedly deregulated market is obviously something that needs to be looked at.

[John m]

So what do we want ? De Deregulation ,We want more Saloon Plates or Rideshare to reduce our costs to offset the Exaggerated costs of Replacing a WAT which I am Only licensed to operate and I agreed to enter the industry by providing this type of Vehicle .More Saloon Plates Cheaper Cars more Hacks/Rideshare cheaper cars would off set the reduced earnings through Fixed Fares . Do they think we are all Fucking Idiots ,thats the agenda .If it was Fixed fares drop the High tarriff low fare apps join another one like Gala or Tap a Taxi .

[mercenary for hire]

Smart move by the NTA going to Smithfield square. Now if people wanna march on the NTA office they'll cause minimal if even noticeable disruption. I think the NTA knew it wouldn't be long before lads started grumbling with American owned Uber and Lyft on our shores.

Doomed yis are.

[mercenary for hire]

By the way the sooner we get back to a tenner an hour the quicker lads will realise who they're dealing with. More pain is what its gonna take before lads realise it's up to us who we decide to work for.

Doomed..

[Rat Catcher]

So what do we want ? De Deregulation ,We want more Saloon Plates or Rideshare to reduce our costs to offset the Exaggerated costs of Replacing a WAT which I am Only licensed to operate and I agreed to enter the industry by providing this type of Vehicle .More Saloon Plates Cheaper Cars more Hacks/Rideshare cheaper cars would off set the reduced earnings through Fixed Fares . Do they think we are all Fucking Idiots ,thats the agenda .If it was Fixed fares drop the High tarriff low fare apps join another one like Gala or Tap a Taxi .

As you have quite astutely pointed out there have been many changes in the market since the last comprehensive review of regulations including the expansion of the private hire sector and supply problems with WA vehicles. I'm sure you remember NTA itself advised men to import second hand converted cargo vehicles from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Brexit and other regulatory changes have changed that market quite significantly.

It's difficult for local firms to compete with multinationals who are intent on manipulating the market to eliminate competition. That's obviously another area that needs to be addressed by the regulatory authorities.

I understand that men like us who own their own plates and operate heavily subsidised vehicles aren't necessarily going to support a level playing field among drivers but a level playing field for licensed dispatch operators is probably something all drivers can (or should) support. I note that you now justify covering Uber's heavily reduced fixed fares up above in Dublin as a way of pressing home the competitive edge you enjoy as a plate owner driving a heavily subsidised vehicle but the men protesting are looking beyond the next fiver. What they see is the next level of market manipulation that will see Uber take an ever increasing portion of the fares you cover.  IIRC you came on this very forum two Mondays in a row complaining about Uber cutting the fares it pays you on Sundays up above in Dublin. Looking at your apparent change of position clearly illustrates Uber's powers of manipulation.

[Rat Catcher]

Smart move by the NTA going to Smithfield square. Now if people wanna march on the NTA office they'll cause minimal if even noticeable disruption. I think the NTA knew it wouldn't be long before lads started grumbling with American owned Uber and Lyft on our shores.

Doomed yis are.

We've been doomed many times and those of us who are completely dysfunctional are still here! There was very good news in the budget for sufficiently skilled men capable of taking up alternative employment with a very significant increase to the statutory minimum wage.

D'ya remember when we stormed Fitzwillum Square and occupied CTRs then office... This generation of protesters don't know what a protest is!