'There’s no way my children would want to do this job': Taxi drivers in fear of pick ups

A Cork taxi driver was hospitalised following an assault in his car on Grand Parade in the early hours of Saturday.

A representative for taxi drivers in Cork said cases like this are becoming more common, and that it is scaring drivers out of the industry. Bobby Lynch called for more gardaí patrolling the streets and for the National Transport Authority and Cork politicians to do more to address the issue of driver safety.

A Garda spokesperson told The Echo: “Gardaí received report of an assault that occurred on the Grand Parade in Cork city at approximately 3.30am Saturday, August 10.

“One man aged in his 40s was conveyed to Cork University Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained as a result of this incident.

“Investigations are ongoing at this time.”

Cork taxi driver representative Mr Lynch told The Echo that safety concerns were driving people out of the industry, saying: “People do not want to be driving taxis anymore because of it.

“There’s no way my children would want to do this job. There’s fellas scared to go to work, and then we get the blame when people say there’s no taxis. There’s plenty of taxis, but there’s just no safety for taxi drivers.”

Mr Lynch also sympathised with bus drivers who do late-night services.

“It can be an awful job picking up drunk people, and we haven’t got enough gardaí to police the streets,” he said.

“They do the best they can, and they help if you’re in trouble. When you go on holidays you see policemen on every corner, that would make people feel a lot safer here.”

Mr Lynch said the issue has become worse in recent years: “There’s a lot going on that people don’t even report, too. They just want to get on with it and forget about it.”

He said fear of being hurt or having their car damaged means that many taxi drivers try to avoid peak times altogether, preferring to work during the day rather than bringing people home from nightclubs late at night.

“It’s a shame that it’s going this way,” he said.

“Lots of fellas tell me that on a Saturday night, when the clubs get out, they go away home — and it’s hard to blame them. But a lot of others have no choice. They have to stay out because they have bills to pay and mortgages.”

Those in the industry need to be respected more and protected, he said.

“We’re the first person tourists meet in Cork and often the last person they see when they’re leaving. Often when we drop them to the airport they say they won’t be coming back here. The Government needs to employ more gardaí.”

He called on the NTA to make safety for taxi drivers a priority, and for politicians to advocate on their behalf.