Sir, - I am a typical business traveller who often finds himself in cities in Europe. Recently I was again stirred to note the sad state of our taxis when I was collected at my Dublin hotel for a early morning trip to Glasgow. The cab was eight years old; it was dirty and draughty inside; the seats were worn out and the ride to the airport was very rough indeed.
At Glasgow I made my way to the front of the queue for a cab to the city. All the cabs were white and spotless. I was told by the driver that Glasgow airport had recently introduced a code by which any cab wishing to pick up passengers must be a white saloon car less than four years old and in a clean condition. What a uniform and pleasant introduction this policy gives to the visitor to Glasgow. The underlying safety benefits are less obvious but just as important.
Two days later I returned to Dublin airport and the lottery of the taxi rank thinking: Will I get a good car or a banger today? Why can't we have better and safer cabs? Why can't we introduce a standard colour, shape or model of car? Why doesn't some manufacturer bite the bullet and offer some incentive to cab drivers to standardise with a car from its range as long as it's a safe, white diesel saloon? - Yours, etc.,
Noel O'Regan
Castlecourt, Mallow, Co Cork.