Representatives of the three main taxi unions have asked the Department of Transport to consider introducing an appeals process for regulations applied to the taxi sector.
The issue came up at a meeting this afternoon. In a statement afterwards, a spokeswoman for the Department said the unions' attention had been drawn to a consultation paper published by the Department of the Taoiseach.
Today's meeting took place after representatives from Irish Taxi Drivers Federation agreed to cancel Thursday's planned stoppage.
Leaders of the three unions have been appealing against fare structures that are due to come into force within weeks, and Thursday's 24-hour stoppage would have been the fifth by taxi drivers since July.
The unions wanted to meet with the Department of Transport to voice their concerns about the new fare charges, but officials from the department had refused to attend a meeting with union representatives unless the stoppage was cancelled.
Hundreds of taxi drivers caused disruption in Dublin yesterday, blocking two lanes of O'Connell Street with vehicles and marching through the main thoroughfare. Traffic in the surrounding areas was also severely disrupted.
Unions claim the new fares system, which is due to come into effect in Ryder Cup week, will have a devastating impact on drivers' incomes.
The Irish Taxi Drivers' Federation, National Taxi Drivers' Union and Siptu represent 14,000 of the state's 17,000 taxi drivers.
Around 10,000 of those have vowed to strike during the Ryder Cup golf tournament. The new scheme will introduce a minimum charge set at €3.80, or €4.10 at premium times, replacing the system where fares were set by individual local authorities.
It also sees the abolition of luggage charges and a €1.50 hiring charge for pick-ups from Dublin airport.
Ger Deering, of the Commission for Taxi Regulation, has said the fare changes will take effect from September 25th, but he vowed that a full review of all changes will take place no later than 2008.
Tommy Gorman of the National Taxi Drivers Union apologised to the public for the disruption yesterday, but he condemned comments by Fine Gael transport spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell, who said gardaí should have removed protesters from O'Connell Street or arrested them.
"They [gardaí] used a lot of discretion, had great patience with the situation, and if they had have done what Ms Mitchell described, God knows what would have happened," he told RTÉ Radio.
