WORLDWIDE from Ireland
DUBLIN TAXI DRIVERS’ PROTEST BRINGS TRAFFIC TO A STANDSTILL
Dozens of taxi drivers brought Mount Street in Dublin’s city centre to a standstill follow- ing a protest last month. The
Independent.ie reports that the unof- ficial protest by in- dividual drivers saw taxis parked outside the offices of the taxi hailing app Free Now. A number of drivers stood outside the office with placards stating their opposition to what they say is a three per cent hike in the 12 per cent commission the company charges drivers. However, gardai said the protest was short-lived. AA Roadwatch said the protest did cause some traffic delays but was back to nor- mal by the evening rush hour. The company started off in Dublin in 2012 as Hailo and changed its name to Mytaxi two years later before it was rebranded to Free Now. It is now the largest taxi company in Ireland with 12,000 drivers. But it raised eyebrows last year when it introduced a con- troversial €5 cancellation fee levied on passengers.
Taxi drivers protest at Free Now offices
INNOCENT IRISH TAXI DRIVER SHOT IN BACK DURING GANGLAND FEUD
An innocent taxi driver was lucky to escape with his life after being caught up in a deadly feud in Drogheda. According to the Irish Times, John Myles was shot twice in the back while sitting in his car on the Bridge of Peace in the town shortly after 6pm on 14 January. He was not the intended target and instead gardaí believe he had the “grave misfortune” of taking a fare from an under-threat hitman moments earlier. The criminal who was the intended target is a leading member of the so-called anti-Maguire faction and has been linked to a number of gun attacks. The 24-year-old, on bail for a number of offences, has been a prime target for the mob led by Owen Maguire and was on his way to the town’s Garda station to sign on as part of his bail conditions when the gunman struck. The shooting took place during rush hour when a dark-coloured car pulled up alongside the taxi and shots were fired though the win- dow, hitting the innocent driver. The intended target and his girlfriend, who was with him in the taxi, both made their way to the Garda station for safety following the shooting. A senior source told the Irish Independent: “This taxi driver is com- pletely innocent, he simply took a fare off an under-threat individual and unfortunately he has now suffered serious gunshot wounds.”
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A taxi driver scammed pas- sengers 270 times over a six-month period by secretly using a remote control to add €9 to fares, a court has heard. According to the Irish Times, it was the second case to come before Dublin District Court since the National Transport Authority (NTA) launched an investigation into widespread use of a remote device to rip off unsuspecting taxi passengers. Raymond Pidgeon, 63, from Dublin, pleaded guilty last month to overcharging customers 270 times contrary to the Taxi Regulation Act. He was accused of using a concealed remote control device to increase fares on his meter, which he did 15 times a week from February 1st until June 12th last year. As a result of mitigating factors, he was handed a nominal fine of €200 and ordered to pay €400 costs. “This fine does not reflect the gravity of the offences,” Judge Anthony Halpin told the driver. NTA inspector Liam Kavanagh told the court he investigated claims some taxis were systematically overcharging passengers by covert- ly using a remote device with certain meters. Following a customer complaint, Pidgeon had been interviewed by the NTA in mid-June about a €20 overcharge on a fare. The inspector became suspicious by Pidgeon’s explanation and €9 could not be accounted for, the court heard. He learned the taxi driver used an Aguila meter, the type that was being used with the remote control. He cautioned Pidgeon again and told him he was also investigating the use of remote devices to overcharge taxi passengers. “At that point he broke down and admitted he was one of the drivers,” the NTA inspector said. He had done it for eight months but could only be charged for the offences committed over the lat- est six-month period. As a result of the NTA investigation, 206 taximeters were recalled and had to be recalibrated. Mr Pidgeon, who had no prior convictions, was co-operative. He represented himself at the hearing and apologised in court. Judge Halpin asked the accused what had motivated him. Pidgeon replied that he had money worries and his wife had been in hospital. Asked how he obtained the remote device, he said, “I bought it off a person”.
FEBRUARY 2020
A burnt-out car was found near the town a short time later. It is thought that this car was used in the gun attack. The injured taxi driver has described the experience as “terrifying”. Mr Myles told the Michael Reade show on Lm Fm that if he had not turned his back towards the shooter, he might have been killed or paralysed. “The bullet went in and out, luckily enough it didn’t lodge in the back, if it had gone further I would have been paralysed for the rest of my life,” he said.
John Myles (right) being interviewed on the Michael Reade show on LMFM
TAXI DRIVER WHO SCAMMED PASSENGERS 270 TIMES FACES NOMINAL €200 FINE
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