Taxi drivers in the capital withdrew their services this morning in protest at a decision to raise the cost of the licence fee.
The four main taxi drivers unions advised their members not to work between the hours of 7am and 11am. During the stoppage a petition was delivered to the office of the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, calling for the resignation of the Taxi Regulator, Kathleen Doyle.
The Joint Taxi Council (JTC) was set up in May at a joint meeting of Siptu, the Irish Taxi Drivers' Federation, the National Private Hire and Taxi Association, and the National Taxi Drivers' Union.
The organisation said it has been left with “no other option” than to publicly protest their position and withdraw their labour.
The cost of a Public Service Vehicle licence rose from €3 to €250 last month while the length of the licence was reduced to three years from five years.
Last week the JTC said the decision to increase the fee was “the latest example of the draconian decisions being imposed upon the industry without consultation”.
