Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
ON MONDAY, THEJOURNAL.IE published an exclusive investigation into the use of green lights by a small number of Dublin taxi drivers. A handful admitted that they were used to denote that the vehicle was being driven by an Irish national (others using the green light said it merely was to indicate that their taxi was available for hire).
The reaction to the article grew in the following days: the National Transport Authority said that it had not seen a prevalence of the lights but that, regardless of their purpose, they should be removed. Then Transport Minister Leo Varadkar said that any signs to indicate ‘Irishness’ of a driver were “inherently racist” and xenophobic.
Readers were split in the comments section of any article relating to the nationality of taxi drivers – some believed it was the consumer’s right to choose which taxi they used; others believed it unfair to make a distinction between drivers.
Luke*, an Irish taxi driver, wrote to TheJournal.ie with this thought piece on his own experiences at the ranks. (*We have held back Luke’s full name at his request).
I’M AN IRISH taxi driver and I have to admit that over the last few years I’ve noticed an increasing antipathy towards African drivers from some of my colleagues. I find it very troubling that anti-African driver sentiment seems to be on the increase. While always wrong and misplaced, this sentiment is born out of a growing sense of disenfranchisement and despair, compounded by consistent demonisation by the media.
I think that the root causes need to be addressed, rather than just pigeonholing Irish born drivers, as has been happening in Irish media for several years.
It seems to me to be obvious that the reason why anti-immigrant sentiment is increasing in the taxi industry, is that other industries have always firmly closed their doors to immigrants, and that incomes in the taxi industry have been decimated as a result. It is pretty galling then to hear the hypocrisy of people who do the least to help integrate immigrants, criticise those in the industry that does the most.
I regard some of the media commentary on the issue to be lazy at best, and cowardly at worst. It is easy to pick a few examples out of several thousands, of people who are racist. If any industry, including media, had the intake of migrant workers that the taxi industry has had, with the resulting loss of income to those already in the industry, there would be some backlash. The taxi industry has its fair share of idiots, but no more than most, and I would suggest that the self-righteous and pseudo-intellectual snobbish world of journalism has more than its fair share.
The issue of racism goes much deeper than the taxi industry. Bullies in the media know that by accusing others of racism, it deflects any such criticism from them, and also absolves them from making any meaningful contribution towards the integration of these new minorities in to wider society. By calling someone else a racist, the commentator is saying ‘ Well look at me. I’m such a beacon of decency and culture!’ Media treats racism as a real hot potato; better to stigmatise those suspected of being associated with it than to examine its root causes.
It also serves to create a class of Irish worker who are increasingly despised by many, and who can be manipulated and abused by the powers that be, because they have the racist tag. Nobody has any time for a racist, so they can be treated like dirt and nobody will care. The irony is that many people now are doing to Irish taxi drivers exactly what they accuse the drivers of doing, and engaging in simplistic stereotyping.
If the problem of racism is to be properly addressed, let’s not funnel immigrants into one industry, and then feign horror when some people in the industry react badly. If everyone in society, including the media, did their fair share of integrating immigrants in to wider society, there would not be any racist backlash, in the taxi industry or any other. There would be no need for your report of yesterday, or my mail of today, to have been written.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
here here. totally agree!
I agree with the first paragraph but it was downhill all the way from there…
The expression is ‘hear hear’.
Just bought my shopping at Dunnes and they told me how many Irish products I bought. Feckin racists!
Er Heywood – I’m pretty sure you are racist. Sorry to burst your bubble.
“I’m not racist but I refuse to have any dealings with coloured people”
Errrrmmm….
Heywood,
just curious, next time you get a flight will you check the pilots colour in advance? Or will you insist that you only be treated by white Irish medical staff when in hospital? It’s just that if you’re going to be a racist you might as well do it to the best of your ability.
4 posters on this thread have called me racist ,,you as author have removed my response to these people yet let them make libelious comments about me , in fact your selective editing shows bias and proves that racisim is alive and well in ireland by letting others refer to me as a racist and then edit out my reply when defending my right to choose as an Irish citizen who i prefer to deal with in my everyday life,
Heywood, a quick look at your twitter account will show you subscribe to three openly racist twitter feeds. Your kind don’t deserve a right to reply because all you do is look to incite hatered and misery in those you talk to.
(This is going to be a waste of time)
Making a decision on who you will deal with based on their skin color = racism.
Got it?
Heywood, I just looked at your twitter account too. Sorry lad, but you were well and truly owned by Sean there (nice one Sean…)
I am not racist by nature, I would have no problem getting in a foreign national’s taxi, I have before, I just want to get to where I’m going. However if someone wants to support an Irish taxi driver instead of a foreign driver, surely they should have a way of knowing? I know the IDs are on display but you can’t see this until you actually get in the taxi, at which stage it’s too late to give your money to who you want. I don’t have a problem with the green lights.
next time you’re trying not to come across as racist avoid the phrase “i’m not a racist but… ” …. it kind of gives the game away
“I’m not a racist but…” are you sure your not a taxi driver?
I’m not a racist but……
I’m not a racist but I would like a system, like a light where I can choose what nationality driver I want to go with. Perhaps we could have that in the supermarket also? ‘Next please’.
‘its ok you go ahead, I’m waiting for the next free white person’.
Sorry, Max. I don’t share your views.
Nobody is racist by nature. People are racist through ignorance.
“However if someone wants to support an Irish taxi driver instead of a foreign driver, surely they should have a way of knowing?”
Similarly, if someone wants to support a sagittarian taxi driver instead of an aquarian driver, surely they should have a way of knowing?
No Max you’re not racist by nature. Just by your thoughts and deeds.
Rommel, my “deeds” are in no way racist, if you read my comment then you would see that one of my points was that a taxi drivers race is totally irrelevant to me. As for my thoughts, I think that everyone alive has a right to pay whoever they want for what they want.
Within reason of course
ok. I take your point but do you not see that as enabling racist behaviour. How does it differ from letting people choose based on ethnicity, who cooks their food in a restaurant for example?
Why do you want to support an Irish driver? They all pay the same taxes and shop and live in the same place. Trying to make your racism akin to buying Irish is pathestic and fails under the slightest scrutiny.
Rommel, when I put some more thought into it I can see that a device like the green light can enable racism, I would certainly have to give the matter more thought. Normally I am of the opinion that everyone should be allowed to make their own decisions but I am not sure if this should extend to being a racist or not.
Sean, I do not want to support only Irish drivers, some other people might. Wheather this is right or wrong is not for me to say. I just want to not have to walk a long distance and so I will get into the first taxi in the rank so long as it is safe and reasonably clean.
A lot of people are confusing the Guaranteed Irish campaign with this.
ALL the taxi drivers are in Ireland. Regardless of their skin color or original national/ethnic origin, you are spending money on an Irish service. That’s exactly what the Guaranteed Irish logo is all about.
It’s not hard to grasp.
Why not just institute regulation and a similar exacting test to “The Knowledge”, rather than the apparently simple test they have now? Then if anyone, immigrant or national, wants to be a taxi driver they’ll be one who knows their way around.
Most sensible post on the thread. As a customer its not unreasonable ( or racist) to expect your taxi driver to know his/her way round, regardless of their background.
A comprehensive ‘knowledge’ test would make it much harder for casual or fly-by-night cabbies (who see it as a good way to make a quick buck) to compete unfairly with genuine hardworking drivers.
Exactly, establish a proper standard of service open to all.
no need for “the knowledge” when there are GPS navigators (sorry if this is going OT)
Very good point.
My dad drove a taxi and the thing that pissed him off more than anything else were the part timers.. He would be out 12 hours a night every night of the week. The last few years it got so bad he was lucky to come home with €10 some nights..
But it was the people who literally only came out Friday and Saturday night that pissed him off.. Too many licenses handed out with no consideration of the impact, not enough taxis around the rest of the week, too many around at the weekend.. No win situation..
The Knowledge is something that you would expect your taxi driver to have.. It should be a requirement to get your taxi license.. But hey, I guess that makes too much sense eh?
Pure nonsense complaining about part timers. If the demand is on a Friday / Saturday then the full timer needs to adjust their working hours. Tough luck.
Is it just me or has most of that column been a combination of “we’re only being racist because they’re taking our jobs” and “the media’s not helping the matter by calling us on our racism”?
Yup, no wonder it was written anonymously!
Other industries are not closed to immigrants. It’s just that most immigrants don’t have the skills for other industries.
Anyone can drive a car.
I can’t!
I can’t.
David that is a very racist comment! To say someone who is not Irish born has less skills is do wrong, what about our doctors or software engineers who we ask to come to Ireland as us Irish don’t have enough Irish born with the adequate skill level
Well he has a point to a certain degree, majority of Ireland’s foreign nationals come from developing countries in Africa or Eastern European countries who were part of the Soviet Union not too long ago, collegiate education is not/was not a priority.
‘other industries have always firmly closed their doors to immigrants’, what industries is he talking about? it seems to me, as an ex construction worker, that the industries firmly closed their doors to Irish
Have you look at our Universities or qualified medical professionals as of late David? A huge portion of them are immigrants. To suggest that most immigrants don’t have the skills for industries other than driving a car is absurd, and you should reflect on your comment and retract it.
There are a large proportion of highly qualified foreign taxi drivers who that come here from developing states. The reason they are driving a taxi? We won’t recognise their qualification or allow them to do some form of course to prove they are up to our standards, we make them do the whole degree again, which as non EU students makes it unfeasible in terms of cost.
Actually, most Irish people don’t have the skills for other industries (e.g. software) which is why we have to recruit all over the world – not a bad thing in itself anyway, as we can recruit the best – but just saying.
And which industries are these that are closed to immigrants? Medicine? Nursing? Academia? Cleaning, shopwork, waitressing, cheffing? Building? Jobs ranging from unskilled to highly trained, and very few accuse nurses, lecturers or builders of racism.
Plenty of immigrants working in IT in Ireland also. ‘Luke’ is talking through his arse when he says that other industries have closed their doors to immigrants.
I had a Nigerian taxi driver last week who did nothing but bitch about the Irish. He kept saying how lazy they were and that they are all abusing the system. This to me was as racist as if gets. He wasn’t too pleased when I refused to pay the fare as he took me on the scenic route and I found him racist. Works both ways.
You can’t refuse to pay.
If this story happened, what you should have done is pay, get a receipt and make a complaint to the regulator.
That’s the only way it will improve. That’s irregardless of where a driver is from.
Ah, but I can refuse because I did refuse. It was nothing to do with race, but on racist behaviour plus the fact that I ended up in rathmines on the way to donnybrook from Stephens green!
I rent a taxi…. It is my right as a consumer to choose which product I hire.
Yes, but its not your right to make that choice based on race.
I saw “customer choice” in action on Tuesday evening on Parnell St. Woman walked to the first cab on the rank, peered in the window and, spotting a black driver, got into the second cab on the rank. It was pretty disgusting. The racism is not just among taxi drivers. Also, last weekend, was in a cab where the Irish driver complained about racists before launching into a very long, very racist diatribe. It’s one of our big national flaws, no matter how much we pretend we are right on.
Eamonn, however un PC it might appear to you, a consumer can make his choices about spennding his money in any way he chooses.
Of course they CAN, however they don’t have a “right” to.
The driver is not the product. There is no product, it’s a service. Race is not relevant to the quality of the service. Driving skill and city knowledge is. It’d be nuts to insist on only being driven by a man wearing a top hat.
I walked past the 1st car on a rank because it was a 1996 nissan sunny and chose the 2nd one because it was a newer mercedes E class, the driver of the sunny (african Male) got out and accused me of racism because the Mercedes driver was white irish. I chose a large comfortable German car over an old small Japanese car, not for the driver but for the comfort, I was very publicly accused of racism. Unfortunately there are as many unfounded accusations of Racism in Ireland as there are real cases of racism, kind of coloured my opinion of our taxi drivers.
What have you got against the Japanese?
So they’re racists but its societies fault, well played my taxi driver. Your industry along with many industries are racist. If there isn’t enough work do something else.
this letter is just trying to excuse racism
Demonising of the taxi trade is nothing new. A young man killed on the SCR in Dublin c. 1998 by a driver suffering road rage/anger over alledged racial slur. The private motorist ,driving an SUV/Jeep type vehicle ran the young man over. The driver was from North Africa, which really has no bearing on the story. First on the scene was a taxi driver who alerted Gardai and Ambulance services. He got the young mans address from one of his friends and dispatched a taxi to bring the mans father to the hospital.
The Herald ran a front page headline a couple of days later ;
LACK OF TAXIS RESPONSIBLE FOR BOYS MURDER!
Our transport system is as it was in 1998 with the exception of the LUAS. One new bus garage at Harristown since the 1960`s should be evidence that the powers that were and are never gave a damn about providing extra space to station extra buses , in fact there are LESS buses in service now than in 1998. Do not be under any illusion, the public`s attention is directed towards scapegoats at every opportunity. It just happens that taxi bashing has become entrenched in the public psyche.
The driver to my knowledge was never tried. He left Ireland before the case made court.
Just noticed the like/dislike status on here. 2 readers have disliked my post which is factual and not offensive in any way. Pity they didnt reply with their reasoning behind the dislike.
Either me or you must have been living under a stone because I thought there were a lot more taxis on the road now than there were 14 years ago…
Where did I say there were less TAXIS? Less BUSES.
I was one of the dislikes, mainly because you used a reference from c. 14 years ago from a rag of a newspaper, in order to tell us that the media are constantly out to get taxi drivers. And you felt compelled to tell us the ethnicity of the driver even though, as you put it, it has no bearing on the story.
But since you picked the herald, here’s the first nine new stories that appear when you search taxis on it’s website. I see no bias or scapegoating of taxi drivers, in fact some invoke empathy for them, highlighting the dangerous job it is. http://www.herald.ie/search/index.jsp
@Jack
So you don’t think taxis are part of the “transport system”??
good column in my opinion. it’s always interesting to see it from a different perspective. It’s true what he says about the taxi industry being the one that has most been affected by the recent immigration. Its easy for other people on the outside to pass judgement when their own industry tries its best to limit the amount of immigrants entering it. That said, its no excuse for racism but you could kind of understand some being put out and disgruntled. It’s too easy to pass judgement when you’re looking from the outside in.
But that’s the fate of any industry where you don’t need qualifications. It’s like kitchen porters complaining that there is candidate oversupply and why won’t the new guys go and work as schoolteachers or software testers.
It’s just the latest diatribe from a formerly privileged group who want to restore the “good old days” when nobody could get a taxi, and taxi plates were selling for a King’s ransom.
The racism bit is a new low on their part.
I often wonder if thousands of journalists arrived from Africa, and competed for jobs with our own, how quick the media would be to label taxi drivers as racist.
Next time you see a picture of a journalist in RTÉ, or the Irish Times, or a local paper, check the skin tone.
And compare with the lads waiting in a rank.
I don’t care where a person comes from providing that they can do there job. I posted a couple of months ago that I underwent abdominal surgery late last year. 2 surgeons from Egypt, 2 follow up doctors from Nigeria and 1 from Cameroon ward nurses from India and Phillipines all 1st Class. I can’t afford taxi’s but if I needed one then I would take the first available regardless.
I am sick of taxi drivers whinging and complaining. Your earnings have dropped? Join the club! You have to work harder? Join the club! You are not bloody special, you dont have a right to abuse people racially, and you provide a PUBLIC service that should be geared towards customer needs rather than your bloody earnings. If it dont pay enough – choose a different career like the rest of us have to!
@ dave , next time you get into a cab especially some rainy Saturday night when you are pissed out of your head be sure to have your little rant , dooh I don’t think so .
I prefer taking my chances on the old fightlink. I dont patronise racist businesses.
Next time i’m in Dublin i want a blue light to indicate the taxi driver is from Cavan. I’ve had enough of them jackeens going the long way and overcharging.
you know what they say about cavan people they are so miserable that the eat their dinner out of a drawer ,oops am i being racist now ??
God almighty we have some enlightened folk here today!! I really do long for the day when we can stop using phrases like “black taxi driver”, “white taxi driver”, “Irish taxi driver” or “African taxi driver” and just call them all taxi drivers!! Race is an imaginary construct created by discredicted social Darwinists as a way of justifying empirical exploitation of their colonies, we are anatomically and physiologically identical, so get over the colour on the outside or the part of the world they are from and judge them on their personality and the quality of the service they provide as an individual.
I’m a taxi driver the bottom line is not all taxi drivers are racist,I don’t care what colour , race or sex the person driving the taxi next to me is I just want to make a living to look after my family.We would still be having this conversation if there was enough work to go around most racism is based on ignorance.
There are 10,000 taxis in dublin to serve a small population, 13,000 in New york for over 8 million people, this is why our drivers can’t make a decent living. The drivers who have been plying their trade for years at great expense initially are perfectly justified in trying to get and hold onto as much business as they can in any way they can, they need to be protected more.
I also wish to be protected from the harsh winds of reality and global competition.
Can the Politically Correct Police please travel to Galway IMMEDIATELY!! The local newspapers classified section has 2 racist adds…
Polish Painter available…….
African Cleaner………
So racist to the poor Irish Painter and the poor Irish Cleaner.
Anyone who chooses a cab based on the colour of its driver is racist. And that is not up for debate. I have travelled in many a taxi, and experienced an equal measure of incompetence between nationals and non-nationals.
I do agree that the media tend to sensationalise the issue and that it is a relatively small number of taxi drivers, that are unashamedly racist, are giving the rest a bad image.
A friend of mine is a taxi driver and the term “the dusty fellas” is the latest derogatory term to be batted around the ranks by nationals when describing non-national drivers.
Charming
A lot of the hostility to the cabbies is also related to the fact that most of them are working class. The same disregard will be given to them whatever their skin colour by many of the posters here.
Imagine that all Irish nationals in this country wore a green badge in the hope of getting preferential treatment. Clearly xenophobic. Scaling it down to just taxi drivers doesn’t make it less xenophobic. End of story. The one up-side I can see of the green lights is that I now know which taxis to avoid.
Dividing ppl into racial groups will lead to increased racism. Lets put it this way, there are bad cab drivers that are doing bad publicity for both irish and african. I have to say that the number of african drivers have least favourable reputation because even with sat nav they cant allocate ur destination initially. Dublin is not Los Angeles with 24000000 ppl where the map looks like a phone book thus I dont think I shud tell the driver how to get where I need to go. Irish cab drivers knows Dublin better but also have weak moments. I think Taxi Regulator shud organize courses or refresher courses about Dublin area, that wud work better. Also some drivers are choosing the longest route as it will impact their meter reading and the satisfaction of the passenger. So there are two problems – drivers dont know ur destination and drivers that are taking advantage. If both of those issues are solved we wont be having discussions about them green lights. Its important to be fair and treat everyone equally.
All I want from a taxi driver is to take to where I want to go without me having to tell them how to get there, or for them to take the piss with “long cuts”. if they do that I couldn’t care less where they are from.
What an awful attempt at deflection. The only Irish taxi drivers that are being persecuted are the ones stupid enough to highlight their own racism by putting a green light on top of their cab.
“Luke” bemoans the media’s lack of engagement with the root causes but fails to address the issue at hand himself. The de-regulation fiasco has more to do the drop in earnings for taxi drivers than immigration. This article is apologist nonsense. Racism isn’t ok just because your sense of entitlement, based entirely on your nationality and skin colour, is being challenged.
On flagging a taxi on dame street a few months ago, an African American driver picked me up , told him where I was going ,, insisted I payed him first… Called the police ,, I was told to go on my way by police an they had to explain to him that I didn’t have to pay until I arrived at destination
Then he’s a tool but it’s got nothing to do with his ethnicity!!
Did you report him to the taxi regulator?
Didn’t report it to the regulator , but in future wil b lookin out for taxi with a green light ..
Because you had one taxi driver who didn’t get the system? Stereotype much?
“african american”? he was from the u.s.?
its all very well saying people that want to support irish taxi drivers are racist, till you lose your livelihood to someone from overseas, as many of us have, then let us see how how unbiased you remain, as a rule most drivers of any nationality are fine people, personally i have had few bad experiences in a taxi, the only memorable one was from an irish driver trying to over charge me, but then i dont look the type you would want to rip off, i dont blame people who want to make a better life for their families but irish jobs should be better protected, we all end up paying the social welfare bill
Do you mean “Irish jobs” or “jobs for full blooded Irish people”?
A lot of people are confused about the Guaranteed Irish scheme. When you hire a taxi in Ireland you’re paying money for an Irish service. It doesn’t matter where the driver is from, what color they are or what their ethnic origin is, it’s all Guaranteed Irish.
Some of ye still won’t get it. You can probably purchase a genetic test kit from the guy who’s selling the green lights. It’s important to be sure you know .. but some of the drivers might object to the test procedure.
split all the hairs you want, the fact is this, the more unemployed people in this country that are entitled to welfare payments, the worse it is for everyone
Ah the good old Irish ” I’m not racist.. But…”
Here here!! Very well articulated and speaks the truth.
The object of the exercise is to get a lift home safely. I’m more interested in the state of the car than the nationality of the driver.
Just get in the taxi and less of the
‘I’m not a racist BUT……..
All the problems with the nationalities of taxi drivers were created by the state when they decided it would be a brilliant idea for the cost of taxi licence to drop from 40,000 euro to 6,000 euro. Queue streets being flooded with taxi’s. How anyone didn’t think there was going to be problems with that change is beyond me. Its a pity most white taxi drivers are directing their anger in the wrong direction.
Anytime, when there isn’t enough work, enough food or enough of anything else, people show their true faces – but it does not mean that all Irish peole became like these. however, give a few drinks to most and put them in difficult situations, we can see what happens. This topic can be relating to problems in any country, such like Germany for example.
Very well said Luke, I have on several occasions read Fintan O’Toole, that “beacon of decency and culture”, tarring all Dublin taxi drivers with the same brush in his columns before.
It’s just not good enough to make wild generalisations like that.
The one group in society that many on the left are sorest at is the working class. Why don’t they come on board, lock stock and barrel, with the whole platform rather than picking and choosing. The yoikes just aren’t listening.
I would be left economically but not a package policy deal leftie.
I dont care what colour the taxi driver is. Once the person knows where he is going thats all i care about
I would draw the line on green or purple drivers though…………..
Today the ranks are ‘black’ with taxis. (see what I did there!) prior to regulation youde be hard pressed find one. Cant fault govt for freeing up the industry making it more competitive
I have had equally good and bad experiences with Irish drivers and non Irish. I’ve seen a taxi driver take a p**s at lunch time beside his car in a car park beside a school. an Irish driver that is. I couldn’t give a fiddlers where you come from once I can understand you and you can understand me. if there is such a problem. the taxi regulator should be regulating more and better.
Gary, I was trying to speak from an unbiased point of view. Personally I think racism is wrong, I am not racist. I do believe though that other people should be able to support whoever they want with their hard earned money, and that there should be a way of seeing who they are supporting that is more obvious than an unassuming license hidden away in the front. Like I said, personally I do not care what nationality my taxi driver is as long as they know how to get me to my destination safely.
So you’d be OK with people bypassing certain checkouts in McDonald’s because they don’t want to be served by a black or Asian person?
So Max you are not a racist but you are happy to facilitate racism?
I drive quite a bit for work. I have to say the taxi drivers every where in Ireland are very good at their job with the massive exception of Dublin. I have found most of the taxi drivers in Dublin to be rude, inconsiderate of other drivers and dangerous in the way they drive. How most of them got or retain licenses is a mystery. So getting on here to cry foul when they have found yet another way to be rude and inconsiderate is a bit rich. Maybe if they closed the books newspapers etc and actually went looking for work they might have less time to whine about foreigners who actually do.
As the jingle goes “Get off the bus, ride with us.” Must be the radio edit. The 12″ version goes, “Get off the bus, ride with us shower of racists and we’ll rip you off”. Taxi men (in general) were all asked to leave St. James’ Hospital over reported racism, not towards other ethnic drivers but towards staff at the hospital. The Gresham rank dispute showed us what the taxi men are really like. RACISTS!
I live in the centre of Dublin and I think there is to many taxis .Now on the Gresham hotel rank the Taxi drivers are very friendly and courtious and in my opinion the best in the world.
The government has told us for years to support irish – buy irish. Where does this start and end? If we’re to buy irish service shouldn’t this translate over to the taxi drivers and other industries as well and not just supermarket products?
Mind you nothing stopping any non irish putting a green light on his/her taxi now!
Buy Irish means buy products produced in Ireland so that all the taxes go into the exchequer. Most of the big food producers will have alot of minimum wage workers but because their tax is paid into our exchequer it’s an Irish product. Similarly a foreign taxi driver operating in Ireland is offering a service in Ireland and paying his taxes to our exchequer so using him would also class as buying Irish
A product whether Irish or otherwise is an object not prone to racism. Whereas on the other hand a taxi driver…..
They tukker jobs !!
they certainly took mine anyway, but i dont blame our foreign friends, i blame poor regulation and government policy, along with employer greed, the nation of begrudgers prevails with their motto ‘look after number 1!’
@gastrophase. Irish waiters do not live
mainly off tips for one, they are not getting paid under minumum wage a in the USA. Also, if a patron does not want to tip a waiter for whatever reason, be it poor service, rudeness, poor hygiene etc then that is their right. The examples I outlined for not tipping a waiter are 100% applicable to both Irish and foreign waiters.
But if a patron wants to CHOOSE a waiter based on their nationality, it’s their right? Because this is exactly what you advocate with taxi drivers.
Well I would have to think about this, I am an advocate of people being able to make their own choices about the majority of things. Whether this extends to being racist or not, I would have to think about it.
It’s my choice who I give my money to.
Not every one who is white is perfect, Not everyone who is from overseas is perfect, so’ I pays my money an makes my choice’. (Popeye)
Sean has misunderstood my point. I do not actively want a green light on taxis, I do not care if they are there or not. I just believe that people have a right to know who they are supporting. As for Sean’s supermarket argument, this is a moot point as supermarket workers do not get extra money depending on how many people they serve as far as I’m aware. A person who is paying for their weekly shopping is not paying their money directly to the worker.
But if the shop will start operating at a loss if some employees are ignored. By your logic, they should be let go or the shop should continue paying them for nothing.
Well I must say, I did think of the fact that you never see an African man in for example a sales function or another white collar job. I am sure a good few of them have the right level of education.
It would be interesting to see how many African immigrants work according to their. Education levels. That would tell a lot, anyway.
I ‘m happy the green lights issue is being felt with, anyway!
Dealt with
Do you work in IT? There are plenty of Africans in IT sales, testng, development etc. The thing is that IT is not a discriminatory sector – all we want is skills. Either you have the skill or you don’t.
Well that’s good to hear! I did say I would like to know, which means I don’t know really. It is just something I was wondering about while I was thinking about this issue. Nothing wrong with that? Don’t understand the thumbs down, but that’s the nature of this forum I guess.
Just a quick note regarding this topic.I drive a taxi in Naas and I cannot make a living.My situation is far from helped when I queue legally on a rank only to see non nationals park outside food outlets and pubs directly across from the rank taking people ahead of me as I queue for hours to get a fare.The Guards are not interested so lets have a little objective debate on this.Its not all about “racism”……This goes on regularly I am sure,regardless of colour but in Naas it is common practice amongst n.n.It really is a sad state of affairs…………
Can’t we all just get along…?
Lets talk abt capabilities rather colour. Im not talking in favour but expressing an example which I experienced myself recently. Got on d taxi from Drumcondra to Ballsbridge, it was 9 am at d time, I was too late to reach. must be there by 9.30 am. I requested to a driver to take me as quickly as possible, he charged me €13.5 n took just right 13 minutes. I was very happy n left €2 extra for his ability. Next day same route same time, had to pay €18 n d time taken was over half an hour. First driver drove me via very very short route. He knew every single street n road on top of that he knew which road will be busier n how long will it take. He realised my necessity to reach in time but second driver. Fortunately, 1st driver was Irish. He should remember me n if he is reading this comment he will recognise me. I thank him again for his abilities n knowledges. This is wat a taxi driver should have. BTW 2nd driver was colour.
i asked in a rant why dont u get another job r go on the dole taxi driver told me he had bank and credit union loans and he wouldnt sting anybody.fair play to him changed my mind it is so easy to walk away .
What hasn’t mentioned at all is something which has been addressed on documentaries and on the radio and makes me wary. The black market of selling licence plates and renting licence plates to men (from all over the world not just Africa) who have no papers e.g. no Irish drivers licence, no insurance, not legally entitled to be in the country – they’re not paying taxes, they’re not insured if we’re in a crash. I don’t racially profile when I flag a taxi, however I try to flag a taxi with a recognisable taxi company name on the light if possible because I know there’s a better chance the driver has been in some way vetted. Once I know the taxi is kosher I don’t care if the driver’s from timbucktoo. I do think there should be form of regulation – like the measures they’re proposing about not having drivers with criminal convictions
I’m not racist. I hate everybody equally.
I think the green light is a great idea for tourists who want the Irish experience. After that its people choice and nobody can change that. To me it doesn’t matter. I’ve never had a bad experience and always enjoyed all the journeys I’ve had in Dublin taxis. I think some people need to
stop being so judgemental and take a bit of responsibility if we are to grown and blossom again!
@gastrophase. No, this would not be ok by me. My reasoning is the same as in my response to Sean’s comment about supermarket workers.
But your reasoning is wrong – no business can survive while keeping employees who are ignored and must be paid for nothing.
Also, change supermarket workers to waiters who live largely off tips. By your logic, it’s OK for a patron to dismiss a foreign waiter and ask for an Irish one.
I have been a taxi driver in Dublin for over thirty years. There has always been Taxi Driver bashing by some of the media, mainly rags like the Herald and the Sunday World and the likes. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story seems to be their motto.
Take for example the green light on taxi roof signs. I don’t have one. The reason being I work days . the drivers who use the lights are mainly night workers and are using the lights in order to increase their chances of the public spotting their taxi’s and thus Increasing their earning potential. There is no green light conspiracy going on. Any driver regardless of colour or creed can buy and use a green light.
The problem with the Irish taxi industry is the over saturation supply of taxis. In most other countries there is cap put on driver numbers when demand is deem to be met.
I am not asserting there is no racism amount taxi drivers, but it properly reflects the same proportions
Of the Irish Nation as a whole and is thankfully in the minority
Very astute and sensible argument. Well said.
have your say