Results 3,521-3,540 of 6,508 for speaker:Ruairí Ó Murchú

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: That does not make any sense to anybody listening.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: People are catching themselves on every rule.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I think it is fair to say that the scheme is not fit for purpose. The witnesses have detailed it so we can put that to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: It needs to be changed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: It would make sense to talk to the people who would actually be using it and who they actually want to sell it to.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: We might go straight into the safety and security issue, particularly on the basis of the number of taxi drivers about whom the witnesses told me anecdotally will not work at night. I am not always sure what the solutions are here but the witnesses might lay out the particular issues. Coming as I do from Dundalk, an issue that has been brought to my attention is where guys with northern...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I thank the witnesses. This meeting has been comprehensive, and they have laid the issues out cleanly. Their point on taxi drivers being good salespeople for vehicles is a definite. I do not have an EV. I bought a Skoda Octavia on the basis of a recommendation by a taxi driver friend of mine who always drives one. I bought it after he told me he saw it for sale. My NCT expiry date was...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: One can address problems when they arise and I have seen it myself.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: That is a straight ask. Again, some of this may also be the fact that some of these problems may well have been dealt with if the Taxi Advisory Committee was fit for purpose.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: The representatives have stated clearly how difficult it is for a new entrant coming in with everything from insurance to the rentals and whatever. A serious concern at the minute would be safety. A lot of physical taxi ranks have closed on the basis that people are afraid of the interactions after 12 midnight.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: And worse these days.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I get that. It was brought up earlier, and it has been brought up with me. Sometimes, because everyone is operating their own business, some people may say that we do not have enough taxi drivers that can carry people with disabilities or with mobility issues. I get that this can be a huge outlay of money for an individual taxi driver.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: There is the previous point also that we want to make sure that it actually gets dealt with.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Yes, it is serious assault.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Some people say that it is incredibly difficult in small towns, or even not so small towns, to get a taxi that can take a person if he or she is a wheelchair user. I accept that for an individual taxi driver it can be a big outlay of money to get the proper vehicle. Could I get the witnesses' views straight on that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Right. That point would need to be checked.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Is that a requirement to get into the DAA?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: With unintended consequences.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Impacting the Taxi Industry: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: We have a whole pile of unintended consequences. It seems there has been a lack of planning. We will all set up systems that can be imperfect but there does not seem to be any means of actually chasing and checking in this regard. I have a last point to make. Based on the witnesses' accents this might not be an issue that has ever come up but it is an issue I have had in Dundalk where...