An 8% pay rise……. wooo hooo?
Roy September 23rd, 2008
You’d think we’d be happy with the Taxi fare increase of 8% announced today (starts November 1), most workers would be delighted with that sort of pay rise.
But the problem is we Taxi drivers know that the increase will soon be swallowed up by more and more drivers wanting a slice of a limited pie.
I think most taxi drivers would prefer they added no increase to the fares and instead stopped the incessant increase in the number of Taxi licences being issued combined with proper enforcement.
Still it’s better than nothing I suppose
- Taxi News
- Comments(38)
I totally agree Roy!
Well we got this increase because our running costs have risen 8%.
Now that is not a wage increase, seeing how we could not get the money we have lost by absorbing the fuel and other rising costs.
Block the streets!!!
Agreed Roy, while the increase will help somewhat,
its the licence issue that really needs to be addressed.
The increase in taxi fares might reduce the amount
of people using taxis or make them decide to use a
bus instead. I actually think the current fare structure
is ok but its trying to get a fare thats the problem.
How many more Licences will it take before
something is done to protect drivers livelyhoods.
Hard to predict.
We all know the over-supply situation. In the the next few months there will be another batch of new drivers coming on-stream having passed their PSV test, and will be ready for the Christmas season.Let’s face it, with all the cars out there now, the party season has become a bit of an anti-climax. I don’t even hear of any innovative or original soundings coming from the regulator OR the unions. Capping or a temporary moratorium on the issuing of licences would be one possible solution ??? Or maybe a return to “cosies”–The problem with the cosy method is that the people who rent their cars end up being anybody but taxi drivers i.e. solicitors, garage owners, meter-installers etc. .In my opinion a trial “testing” of a cosy plan for maybe 18 months could be a runner. That way the main driver would take responsibility for his relief driver and hence that driver would have a certain amount of responsibility for his street knowledge and his behaviour;BEFORE he receives a full SPSV licence . But with an entry price of 6,300euro who wants to be a cosy on someone else’s car????
Of course the fare increase is welcome, but in reality it is at best a 4% increase, compared to my 2005 earnings, just think about it, our earnings have at least halved in three years:e.g. 8% of 300euro is very different to 8% of 150euro. By January most of us will have copped on, yet again, when we realise that we were softened up for another while–and we have still more colleagues to work alongside!!!!
Del – they are competitors – no colleagues anymore.
Well, you are entitled to your opinion,but if that’s they you feel, jomac, remember what you said in four or five year’s time when we are all left with very little choice but to work our shifts for radio companies–and then we will be colleagues (fellow-employees).Already there is a waiting list to get a radio into National Radio Cabs!!! Please think about the winners and losers in this competition;I (taxi driver) bear the majority of the running expenses in this business, while the radio companies AND the unions are thriving. There are no fewer radio companies now than 5 years ago.My subscription fees to a union, or insurance company, are as good as the next persons…keep on rolling. Please jomac, think about this divide and conquer policy. Four years ago , before the regulator’s powers were rolled out, we had less problems than what we have now; to me, this seems like “constructed chaos”–the regulator needs new and more punters coming also to fund her office, and to in some way justify her existence. If she is allowed to get away with, she will always allow for an “acceptable” level of illegality in this business. Michael O’Leary would love you, jomac; see how he gloats when his competitors fall!!!! a real macho Irish man!!
So, not an abundance of joy with our early Christmas present then, punters aren’t too happy either (from listening to them last night)
Thank god I’ve only got one year left on the mortgage
Del – no offence but when I am on the rank on the Green I am in a queue of competitors all seeking the best available job. When I am coming back into town on the N11 am I being overtaken, cut up etc by colleagues or competitors? On Grafton street there is a Vodafone shop and an 02 shop – both in the same business but in competition with each other. Thats life. I have many friends in the business but I be lucky to recognise anybody on a rank now.
As for the fare increase I am Quiet pleased and surprised by the 8%. This is higher than the rises given in the recent National Wage Agreement and I expected TR to keep the fares down to help the fight against inflation.
how can you get the best job available on the rank? you get whatever come next?????
Please say you don’t hang at the londis doing the guy behind you out of “his” fare?
Del – just read your thread again and I think you`ve lost me. Every body pays inurance , some pay unions, some pay the kesh and some rent radios. Whats your point? I am not advocating any divide and conquer and again I dont know where you are coming from. You are the one calling for restrictions on new drivers before they even get into the business. I do a nights work to hopefully get a nights pay and recognise that I am in competition with all the other taxis out there. Maybe you and your “colleagues” stand in SPAR with your coffee and moan about the world.
Roy – maybe I should have said hoping for the best job!!!
Glad to see that you are so happy with things as they stand, jomac. I am sorry if I offended you in any way. I don’t stand around Spar shops by the way, never have in eight years. I have worked hard for what I have got in this business.I don’t see why I should give it away on a whim. Of course I realise that we are competing at one level with each other, but I think that we should all be keeping to the same rules. When I started in the business there was a basic, decent etiquette which most of us adhered to, and we looked out for each other. If we use your argument, which I have already said that you are entitled to, then let’s all make our working lives miserable; I’m alright Jack, F— you!! Did you ever hear of cameraderie or unity!! Some may scoff at those old-fashioned words, but I have been a trade unionist all my adult life, and I have seen plenty of naysayers in my time–They never, ever refused the rights and benefits that others fought to get for them. You are entitled to follow the competition argument to it’s conclusion, the TR WILL JUMP WITH JOY!! When one of the “fixed- fare” or “discount” radio companies starts up in Dublin, as they have operated in other Irish cities, I expect to see you there along with all the other competitors, jomac.
The law of the jungle is alive and kicking…..greed is good!!! At this stage, I have very little to lose. But I would love to know how you seem to doing so well, because I keep a clean, two year old car, I keep myself clean, I am customer-oriented,having been in the retail business, and well-trained in it, so I must be doing something wrong if my earnings have been so drastically cut over the last two years??? I genuinely would like to know what I do wrong.
Are you lads for real? Everyone in private employment is getting laid off left right and centre. My own brother AND sister got laid off last Friday, the whole country (well, except for the civil service, they’re on as good a deal as anyone!) is afraid to go into work because they might be sacked…
And then here’s the taxi drivers moaning because they’re getting an EIGHT PERCENT wage increase heading into the busiest time of the year.
Cry me a river. You’re lucky you’re able to support you and your families.
The 8 per cent is not a wage increase. Do you think that taxi drivers don’t realise the serious situation that this economy is in?? Most if us have been in other jobs before we entered this business. I am just advocating protecting our own jobs. The point is that if this market, just like any other market is over-populated with drivers, then we are in trouble also. Are we not entitled to protect our livelihoods, punter??
Taxi drivers are not to blame for the ills of the world. I am sorry for your sibling’s misfortunes, but really, at this point giving an 8% rise (to help offset my inflated costs) wont help me, if at the same time the market is over-supplied. My “wages” come out of my net profit just like any other self-employed person. If you or anybody thinks that this business is still lucrative, then tell your un-employed friends to get into it- at the busiest time of the year!!! I have just arrived home from a really busy Dublin city, ( I jest!!).
@punter, thing is your siblings and everyone else that gets laid off can, if they want, take a share of my wages, can they share yours?
PS. thanks for your comment, I really appreciate reaction from outside the business, it’s vital we sense it from your side
The survivors will be retired pensioners and maybe part time weekenders.
Nobody trying to pay a mortgage and rear a family will be relying on the taxi industry to provide him with the means to do so,by this time next year.
Full timers lucky enought to have a radio link will survive a little longer than others on the streets.
Sadly there is no fall back on welfare for taxi drivers except means tested assistance.
If they hand in their plates and are actively seeking work there is also a job seekers allowance scheme.
Not sure if this is means tested but knowing the welfare system you will get nothing unless you crawl up to the nearest unemployment office on your hands and knees and starving.!
the whole thing could backfire big time on the de-regulators during the coming recession as more and more drivers opt for public assistance.
Punter
“Cry me a river. You’re lucky you’re able to support you and your families.”
Never a truer word said, we will be lucky to support our families the way things are going…
Punter, Hope your stilling reading this. I would like to make few comments on you points.
1. The 8% is not a wage increase, it is a price increase. I hope you understand the difference. If as a result of this increase in price I loose one fare a night of say €15 I will be taking a cut in pay.
2. The cost to me of having the meter recalibrated to account for the price increase will be in the region of €300. How long will in take me to earn that from the increase in price and the resulting fall in the number of fares. Never I think.
3. The fact is that many drivers are leaving the industry because they cannot make enough money to support a family.
I hope your brother and sister find new jobs soon, I know how devatating it can be to loose a job. At the end of the day we are all only trying to make a living, the ones dishing out all the hurt are happily passing the time away in Kildare St.
Hey thanks Swords driver – I was just about to ask that about re-calibration.
We haven’t received any notification yet about getting the fare meter diddled to suit the fare increase… what’s the story? Isn’t this going to be expensive?! That hardly seems fair! Worst possible timing too… earnings are a third of what they were in May/June, paying Mr. Claus is going to be tough this Christmas I fear…
@K8, last time out it was €120 for re-calibration plus €90 for sealing…..more than likely it’ll be more this time around
Holy Jemanaysus!! What?!?!
welcome to the world of the taxi driver k8
jemanayus? ………it’s fiacre! get with the program, we all need to be on the same hymn sheet
Its great Roy to see the recaliberation has come down from E120 to E75 this time!!!
I thought you were mistaken or else they saw you coming. Scam ATM are charging E60 this time from E50 the last time – a 20% increase to apply an 8% fare increase. Maybe they should be regulated.
I was possibly looking at the wrong receipt, or maybe bought a few receipt rolls at the same time???,
i’d gladly give up the right to the fare increase in order to get a cap on plates and thus more fares in my car , one solution could be to increase the price of plates to perhaps E,20,000 stopping every tom,dickhead and harry from entering the business and also giving the current drivers some sort of compensation for the time and effort they have put in so far , what would others think of this idea ???
I would think that is a runner, ben. Now how could we get someone to sit up and take notice???? By the way, I didn’t see anything in the papers today about this new Dublin transport authority and it’s possible consequences for taxi drivers. Did anybody else hear anything???
del gettin someone to listen is the hard part . if the powers that be had listened to those of us who actually work in the industry we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place , if they had staggered the licencing hours , increased public transport i.e.busses, trains , luas so that they went 24 hours and increased the amount of taxis to 9000 that would have just about solved the problem instead of flooding the market so as hardly anybody is making a decent living and the streets at night is like bloody mondello park with drivers trying to get ahead of the next guy.as for the new D.T.A. didn’t hear anything i think its time we start thinking of our future lads taxi driving is for part time work and those who are getting back to work payments , thanks very much mrs doyle she’s just like her namesake in fr. ted. . . “your only arrived in the country are ye ? would ye like to drive a taxi would ye ? ah ye would go on go on go on “
ben, they say that a week is a long time in politics and judging by way things are going for the soldiers of destiny (Fianna Fail)we may be looking forward to a general election- not just local elections, very soon!!! If this is the case it must be seen as a golden opportunity for every full-time taxi driver in this country to voice their opinion about the state of our business… but if there is a general election looming, let us also closely observe how our “representatives” handle the situation. If the TR’s office is to be amalgamated into some other state agency it wiill probably take at least another 18 months-2 years (civil service time) to be up and running…. of course our “reps” will be given some other “advisory council” to sit on…they do such a great job advising the authorities….I would gladly contribute to a sticker/ label campaign… e.g. “Over-supply of taxis means unemployment and poor public safety”. But watch Ms. Doyle’s space; no doubt the girl in the office will still be well looked after…a new title, a new desk, and a position which is further removed from the real taxi business… but with the same salary!
Will she be takin a 10 % drop in salary like some department oficials.
No comment yet!
@ben, I think the current calendar on the meters only runs until Jan 1, if we don’t get them updated it won’t recognise bank holidays…..at best, some won’t work at all
@del, it won’t be anytime soon that powers are devolved until then lame duck commissioner………..even less done!
@bren, she might lose a lot more….her job!
del sticker campaign’s are silent end thus ignored perhaps we should take a leaf out of our old age pensioners and cause a noisy protest and make ourselves heard because our so called rep’s must whisper in their rolls on the advisory council because their not being heard . and unfortunately Del full time taxi drivers seem to be the minority at the moment we need to all stand together if someone skips a taxi Que we must all get out and sort them out rather than just looking at the 1 driver having an arguement with the skipper , i for 1 am sick of being skipped and getting no back up from anyone,perhaps those super stickers the clampers use put across the windscreen will stop drivers from blatantly pulling up to the front of ranks and laughing at all us saps who bothered to Que. the camaraderie is gone lads its every man for him self i saw a driver in rathmines last week in a spot of bother and at least 6 taxis passed i stopped to help and he was on his way within 10 minutes it seems we’ve no workmates any more just 14,000 competitores and its sad . as bryan ferry famously said in his hit song ……..come on come on lets stick together .
[...] 8% wage increase eh? [...]
i cant understand why all the taxi men are crying everyone should be able to do the test and no way should they stop people from doing the psv test.its called greed thats all and if they think its there livly hood well go and get an orther job then and stop crying about it i am sick and tired hearing about taxi men saying the work is not out there thats crap get of your ass and look for it
Hmm,judging by the spelling on this submission, it is either from an agent provacateur(if so its quite good): a seven year old;-or a recently arrived non english speaking “non national” waiting for his PSV drivers licence from Cathleen. God help us.
dont bite john dignified protest give them nothing to beat us with. well done
Hey Tim, I dont know what your ‘game’ is but let me tell you that your out of touch with todays Ireland, it is fecked. I cannt believe anyone telling a taxi driver to go out and look for work. You gottta be on drugs or a total f****ked up person. Or both. Sorry Roy. I make no apology for stating the obvious, now go back to school and learn how to spell and dont insult the taxi drivers, they work harder than a normal person does and I know as I am a very regular user of them myself and I have often got a taxi at 4 am and I am in rural Ireland so I can tell you my taxi m8 works 16 and 18 hr days for under 60 euro some days!
Rant over!
I wouldn’t worry about him John / Richie, just trying to aggravate…..let him be