WORLDWIDE from Ireland
TEEN THREATENED TO CUT DUBLIN DRIVER’S HEAD OFF
A 16-year-old boy has been convicted of production of a knife as a weapon and threatening to kill or cause serious harm. The court was told that in October 2018 the teenager held a knife against a taxi driver’s neck and threatened to “cut his head off” during a terrifying incident in Dublin. He was also found guilty of possessing a flick knife on a later date. Judge Treasa Kelly described the incident as “horrendous” as she adjourned sentencing at the Dublin Children’s Court for the accused to complete an anger-management course. Garda Barry Brennan told the court the taxi driver collected the youth and his girlfriend who was dropped off first, in Ballinteer, Dublin 16. There was then an argument over the fare and the boy “produced a large knife and held it against the neck of the taxi driver and threatened to cut him up”. They got out of the car and a scuffle ensued as the driver tried to alert gardai but his phone got cut off. The teenager “threatened to cut his head off if he didn’t bring him to Tallaght”, Judge Kelly was told. How- ever, gardai then arrived at the scene. The court was also provided with a victim impact statement in which the driver recalled thinking, “I was not going to come out alive” and he was “extremely terrified”. The teenager remains on bail. The case resumes in November.
TAXI DRIVERS PROTEST IN DUBLIN OVER LACK OF FINANCIAL SUPPORTS
Hundreds of taxi drivers protested in Dublin city centre on Tuesday 15 Sep- tember calling for a range of measures to support the in-dus- try in response to the Covid-19 pan- demic. According to the Irish Times, taxi drivers from across the country gathered out- side Phoenix Park before travelling in convoy along the quays to Government Buildings. The protest was organised by the Irish National Private Hire and Taxi Association, the Irish Taxi Drivers Federation, the Taxi Alliance of Ireland and Tiománaí Tacsaí na hÉireann. Drivers are seeking a financial package to help them return to work, the retention and continued access to bus lanes, a moratorium on the issuing of taxi licences and a two-year extension on age limit requirements for vehicles. They have also said the Taxi Advisory Committee is “not fit for purpose” and want it dis- banded and replaced with a national taxi forum. Joe Herron, president of the Irish Taxi Drivers Federation, said drivers were struggling and financial supports from the Govern- ment were urgently needed. Gerard Macken, chairman of the
106 from Singapore
TEENAGER EXPLOITS LOOPHOLE IN APP TO CHEAT COMFORTDELGRO OF S$2,600
An 18-year-old Singaporean exploited a loophole in Comfort- DelGro's mobile payment system, cheating the taxi company of close to S$2,600 (£1,500) worth of taxi rides on 117 occasions. According to CNA, the teen, who cannot be named, pleaded guilty to one charge of performing a computer function to com- mit an offence of cheating. On October 29, 2019, the teen downloaded the ComfortDelGro booking app, and created an account, linking one of his debit cards to the NETS Click payment method for his account. He then booked a taxi ride with this payment method. As he had sufficient funds in his bank account for the taxi ride, the taxi booking was approved by Comfort. He then used the debit card to purchase items from a convenience store while waiting for the taxi knowing he would insufficient funds to pay for the taxi ride and would leave him with a negative bank balance. After completing the journey, he checked his bank account, and was surprised to find out that the taxi fare was not deducted from his bank account. Subsequently, he tested his suspicion regarding the potential
OCTOBER 2020
Taxi Alliance of Ireland, said there had been a number of sui- cides within the industry in recent months. “The amount of depression within the industry is very bad at the moment. This Government certainly needs to step up. They’ve had five months to do something in relation to it,” he said. Jim Waldron, spokesman for the Irish NPHTA, said a submission was made to the Special Oireachtas Covid-19 Committee in July but that ‘we have had no positive response’. “We believe we have been forgotten by the current Government and we need to remind them that we are still here and we need to survive,” he said. Meanwhile, up to 400 taxi drivers took part in another protest on Monday 28 September, in Cork, against what they described as poor working conditions and a lack of clarity from Government over a financial package which would get drivers back to work. The cavalcade left Mahon and finished on the South Mall in the city centre. The protest caused significant traffic disruption, the AA said. The demonstration was organised by the Cork Taxi Council. Other demands being made by the protesting drivers include that the establishment of a moratorium on new licenses, financial help with personal protective equipment as well as the age limit on cars being extended from 10 to 12 years. Solidarity TD Mick Barry said frontline workers should not have to be forced to protest on the streets and demanded that the Govern- ment enter into a real dialogue with the country’s taxi drivers. Barry said: “Taxi drivers are frontline workers. They drive many of our doctors and nurses to the hospitals. They drive many other peo- ple to their Covid tests. The Government needs to stop ignoring their appeals for help and start listening to what they have to say.” Many taxi drivers were off the road for months during the pandemic and those who are back at work say business is only about 20% of what it would typically be. They believe the taxi industry has been largely ignored while other sectors have received support from the government.
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