Taxi Drivers’ Protest Dublin

Commuters get off the luas and walk
Commuters get off the luas and walk

I don’t care if you strike anymore – I’m not sure anyone cares!

On Thursday October 1st 2009, Taxi Drivers in Dublin city decided they would like to make our lives a living hell. Our little transportation system is far from perfect, the majority of bus routes going northside/southside all go through what is basically Dublin’s main street, O’Connell St.

What a great opportunity to cause havoc!

The Taxi drivers positioned their cabs sideways on the street so buses had to be rerouted and this caused traffic chaos.

Friday Morning: As you will know if you have been reading my blog, I have had to make some unfortunate visits to hospital this Summer. Seeing as I am back in college my hospital appointment on Friday was for 0750, my first lecture at 0900.

I get to the hospital, get my blood test done and off on my crutch adventures to get to college. I might add my poor auld leg has been sore for the past week or two so I’m relying more on the crutches. (dont want to go back into the hospital).

I get to the Luas stop, manage to find a nice spot where I wont be squished by 9-5 workers on their morning commute.

We pass Heuston station onto Museum, then to Smithfield. People get off, people get on, the doors close, then nothing. After a few minutes the driver tells us that we can’t move any further because the taxi drivers are parked on the tram lines and wont get off.

I’m not a stick in the mud, you can do whatever the hell you want and protest about anything you want, I don’t care but I dont see why you should be allowed to ruin other people’s daily lives and commutes. I just don’t understand why the Taxi Drivers would want to piss off their potential clientele.

As it turns out I had to get a cab to college. One guy who was brave enough to work, the previous day protestors gave one driver who worked a terrible time and it ended up on the front of Friday’s newspaper. My driver was keen to point out it wasn’t a strike but a protest.

So apart from the strike, sorry protest, why do I have no sympathy for them, trying to go a long way round to get an extra euro or two on a fare is something I’ve become accustomed to unfortunately.

Being on the auld crutches, I sometimes need to get a cab to and from places and have now become an expert Dublin city navigator.

..Drivers! Enough already I have absolutely no sympathy for you anymore…