Westport taxis and hackneys must 'step up to the mark'

Taxi and hackney drivers in Westport have been told 'to step up to the mark' and not refuse fares from people who live outside the town.

The monthly meeting of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District heard that it is a nightmare for people living outside Westport to get a taxi home at the weekend and that some taxi and hackney operators were refusing to take these fares.

This practice of refusing to take fares was heavily criticised by local councillors who claimed that people will stop socialising in town if it continues to happen.

The issue was raised by Fianna Fáil councillor Brendan Mulroy who said that young people are being put in vulnerable situations because a taxi or hackney will not bring them home.

“I have had situations where my own daughter has been out in town and friends of her had to go home with her because they could not get a taxi out of town. If someone goes to your taxi or hackney and says they want a lift to Newport or Kilmeena and you say no you are leaving a person in a very vulnerable situation and I do not think that is on.

“There is an onus on that driver to leave that person to their destination and not be taking the cheap fare. This has happened numerous times for people in the rural areas around Westport and is an ongoing issue,” he said.

Cllr Mulroy pointed out that the vast majority of taxi and hackney operators provide a reliable service but felt that there are some who will only operate around the town as it is more profitable for them to do so. He said this practice has to stop.

“For someone to be left late at night, particularly a young girl, on an ongoing basis is morally wrong. I ask the hackney and taxis to step up to the mark and ensure that if someone approaches them late at night they will be brought outside the town because what is happening is shocking,” he said.

Independent councillor John O'Malley who lives in Carrowholly agreed with Cllr Mulroy saying that it is a nightmare for people who live outside the town to get home. He said he has experienced the difficulty in getting home and feels it will affect the pubs and restaurants in the town.

“I know people who have stood on the street for an hour who have waited for a taxi and could not get one because they were going out to the country. It is awful hard for young people to get home from town and I know people who have stopped going into town because they are left waiting for a taxi. The pubs and restaurants will lose out because if you have a drink you can't drive home and it will be a real problem. It is becoming more of a problem,” he said.

Cllr O'Malley added that he did have sympathy with people operating taxis and hackneys as the 'rules and regulations' imposed by the Government do not make it easy for them to operate.

“The rules and regulations they have for a taxi are brutal and totally wrong. If they do not do something to make it easier for people to be taxi drivers we won't have anybody to bring anyone home,” he said.

Fellow Independent councillor Christy Hyland agreed with his colleagues saying that parents have to get out of their beds to collect their children and fears that a fatality may arise if people walk home.

“It is a fear for parents worrying about their kids when they go into town and they cannot get home. I know youngsters who walked five or six miles in the dark to get home. Something needs to be done in the taxi and hackney business in Westport and there is no doubt about it.”