Incalculable damage is being done to Irish business by the taxi-drivers' stoppage, business and employer organisations claimed yesterday.
The Irish Hotels' Federation, the Irish Business and Employers' Federation (IBEC), members of the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises (ISME), the Dublin City Centre Business Association and Dublin Chamber of Commerce have all condemned the taxi stoppage.
In Dublin, visiting business people and tourists have expressed annoyance at having to get buses to the airport, and meetings have been cancelled. Mr Dan Hickey of ISME said he was to show a factory in west Dublin to foreign businessmen coming in Dublin for under four hours last week. Because of the taxi dispute he went to collect them but was delayed and as they "could not be guaranteed they would get back in time for their return flight, they never left the airport, but went home again".
In a statement, IBEC said it supported taxi deregulation. A survey by IBEC claimed 88 per cent of respondents reported complaints from international clients about the taxi service, with 68 per cent saying the service was a barrier to doing business in Dublin.
Mr Ed O'Neill, of Dublin Chamber of Commerce, said his members had to arrange private transport for visiting business people, often driving them themselves. He blamed a lack of investment in public transport for decades for dependence on taxis. The chamber was in favour of competition and deregulation.
Mr Brian Gough, of the Dublin City Centre Business Association, was critical of the disruption but said Nitelink buses and late-night DART trains would be operating in the run-up to Christmas.
Mr John Browne, of Bord Failte, said it was often difficult to find taxis and "it is only common sense that this is making things worse".
A spokesman for Eircoach said the company was "doing very strong business" between the airport and the city.
Mr Pat Delaney, of the Small Firms' Association, said: "For all the millions of pounds that have gone to purchase taxi plates, not one penny went to buy a pencil, a school bench or a hospital bed. We have seen firsthand the true colours of the taxi industry. Bully boys dressed as bully boys."
