Fianna Fáil Local Election candidate in Donaghmede, Daryl Barron has said there is an urgent need for increased legislative protection for taxi drivers operating in the capital under the Taxi Regulation Act.
Shocking footage emerged last week which showed a Dublin taxi driver being subject to horrific racial abuse by a passenger while driving along the Malahide Road, Dublin 7.
Barron, who is a first-time election candidate commented, “Taxi’s are an essential element of our transport system in the capital. We all rely on them to get home safely after a late night or to get somewhere quickly at last minute.
“This latest appalling incident is sadly by no means the first to have occurred as of late. Taxi drivers have been warning for the past 18 months or more about the rise in anti-social incidents and the number of crimes they are subjected to while working, be it refusal to pay a fare, unprovoked assault, verbal abuse and as we know, disgusting racism.
“Taxi drivers have encountered shocking public behaviour and continue to be put in very vulnerable situations. It’s not possible to legislate for manners or basic common decency but something needs to change to better equip drivers to feel safe on the road.
“New measures such as panic buttons or introducing partition in cabs to divide the front and back seats could help protect taxi drivers across the city avoid any unprovoked incident.
“Dash cam footage helps identify the culprits or can hopefully act as a deterrence, but it can’t totally prevent harm or fully protect the physical safety of drivers in their cabs.
“Bottom line is that the Minister needs to better support the welfare of taxi drivers so that these kinds of dreadful incidents become a thing of the past.”
