DAA must allow second driver of taxis to pick up passengers – Brophy

The DAA must change its policy to allow second drivers of taxis to pick up passengers at the airport campus, according to Fine Gael TD Colm Brophy.

Deputy Brophy said steps must be taken to ensure passengers are not left queuing for long periods to get a taxi home as was the case on Friday morning.

Deputy Brophy said: “Passengers took to social media to vent their frustration with images showing long queues of people waiting up to an hour to get a taxi home from Dublin Airport on Friday.

“As things stand, only one taxi driver who works shifts on a vehicle can avail of the €300 permit to allow pick ups at ranks at Dublin Airport.

“If a vehicle is used by more than one taxi driver who might be in a rental arrangement to use the same car, the other driver cannot use the same permit to pick up at the airport. I believe it makes more sense for the permit to be attached to the car, as opposed to the SPSV licence holder.

“For example, if a husband and wife couple who are both insured and licenced to work as taxi drivers  in Dublin on the same vehicle share shifts, even though the car has been picking up from the airport all day, that same car cannot pick up that night as the driver has changed.

“I have been contacted by constituents who are taxi drivers and said it makes total sense for two drivers of the same car to share a permit and alleviate the apparent shortage of taxis that was evident the other night.

“This is hampering the number of available taxis available and leading to the long delays. DAA must change its rules to have the pick up permit moved so that it is assigned to the vehicle and not the driver.

“We already have a situation where Dublin Airport is selling out of car park spaces at various times of the summer due to high demand.

“A long-stay car park near the airport, which has a reported 6,000 spaces, remains closed, while the DAA have advised passengers to consider alternative transport options when their existing car park spaces are at capacity.

“The DAA need to explore all avenues to ensure that transiting to and from the airport runs as smoothly as possible and people aren’t facing inordinate delays to travel home after their journeys,” Deputy Brophy said.