Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Let me get back to the question from Deputy O'Keeffe. He referred to competition in the market. I am unsure about the competition argument because he was referring to taxi drivers competing with these people. I am unsure about the competition argument because they do such a different job. I gather that the maximum time taken is approximately 30 minutes. We can see this in the survey data as well. On the whole the rickshaws undertake short journeys that taxis would not do. Taxis are not driving up footpaths the wrong way either. I think the competition argument does not really apply. I had a meeting with stakeholders the other day that was attended by a large number of taxi drivers. They were vociferous about the rickshaws. They maintain the rickshaws are dangerous, they get in the way, they are not licensed or insured and so on but they are not competing directly with taxi drivers.