Taxi Drivers....lack of knowledge!!
- Thread starter sam h
- Start date
Stats are [broken link removed]
dereko1969
Registered User
- Messages
- 3,046
That's just racist and the taxi company shouldn't tolerate it.
Have your daughter and her friends complained to the Garda and the Taxi Regulator about these inappropriate offers and conversations?
EvilDoctorK
Registered User
- Messages
- 1,014
In Shanghai the Taxi drivers have Star ratings .. prominently displayed inside (and outside? - can't recall) based on their competence
[broken link removed]
Wonder if that would work in Dublin?
[broken link removed]
Wonder if that would work in Dublin?
Nothing racist about it. Totally realistic. Why is the racist card always dealt for any complaint about non-Irish residents? The majority of immigrants in recent years have enriched this country, economically and culturally, and made Ireland a better place for us to rear our children, but, like the Irish there are chancers amongst them.
We took 17 taxis between November 1st and January 6th. 6 drivers did not know where to go - all 6 were non-Irish. Destinations included: Leopardstown Industrial Estate, Clonshaugh Industrial Estate, Churchtown, Damastown in Clonee and SUTTON! I rest my case! In London and other capital cities we have never encountered problems. Training, knowledge tests and administrative controls here are too weak and the use of "cosy" drivers by the taxi owners is too common - perhaps they are to blame for employing foreign nationals desperate for work at any price.
Regarding my daughter's experience, regular taxi customers and Gardai will tell you this is now par for the course and, besides being difficult to prove, resources are not sufficient to investigate all instances.
Complainer
Registered User
- Messages
- 4,949
Indeed, it is racist. What you need is a taxi driver who knows their way around Dublin, regardless of where they were born.
I can see your frustration at getting a driver not knowing how to get your destination - especially when you have given the details to the taxi company (standard q is where are you & where are you going). Asking for an Irish only driver is IMO racist. Btw, I've had plenty of "Irish" drivers not knowing where I want to get to too!
Perhaps, the next time you should confirm with the taxi company that the driver being sent knows how to get to your destination.
Perhaps, the next time you should confirm with the taxi company that the driver being sent knows how to get to your destination.
papervalue
Registered User
- Messages
- 716
just a basic point, i would get a taxi a good few times a year from harolds cross area to airport around 4am
the most direct route i find is up to christchurch down the hill cross the bridge and straight on(few streets) to dorset street costs under 25 euro, i think around 24.20
a lot of taxis go christchurch down the hill, cross the bridge, take a right down the quays with all the traffic lights up gardiner street to dorset street and them normal route- cost more than 25.80 even 26 plus.
the above is just a basic example- why pay more than 25 when you are going to airport and the exact cost from experience is under 25
i know i am only saving 1-2 euro by asking driver to go cheaper way but it saves breaking another 5 or 10 euro to get the extra euro they are owed.
also on receipt their is a difference in kms on same desitation.
my point is i would expect driver on this most direct route(all main road) to know most direct way. sometimes it is embarrasing telling them what way to go as i learned not you cant assume they will go the most direct way.
to me it makes no difference what nationality driver is as long as they are aware of where they are going and no detours on way
the most direct route i find is up to christchurch down the hill cross the bridge and straight on(few streets) to dorset street costs under 25 euro, i think around 24.20
a lot of taxis go christchurch down the hill, cross the bridge, take a right down the quays with all the traffic lights up gardiner street to dorset street and them normal route- cost more than 25.80 even 26 plus.
the above is just a basic example- why pay more than 25 when you are going to airport and the exact cost from experience is under 25
i know i am only saving 1-2 euro by asking driver to go cheaper way but it saves breaking another 5 or 10 euro to get the extra euro they are owed.
also on receipt their is a difference in kms on same desitation.
my point is i would expect driver on this most direct route(all main road) to know most direct way. sometimes it is embarrasing telling them what way to go as i learned not you cant assume they will go the most direct way.
to me it makes no difference what nationality driver is as long as they are aware of where they are going and no detours on way
On simple reading to the oversensitive pinko I'd agree, but why then isn't it sexist that female passengers can insist on a female driver?
However, before we start defaming innocent posters, let’s give it some perspective: at worst it's xenophobia, a far cry from racist. So let’s not chastise or label someone as a racist because they feel more comfortable with an Irish driver. Again, what's the difference between that and a female passenger/driver?
There are actual racist incidents with drivers from other nationalities, where there is abuse up to theft and violence; I don't see this being anywhere near the same league.
I'll be honest and say when I'm in a shop or service environment I tend to look for an Irish national mainly from the experience of trying to explain or resolve my query with someone where their conversational English isn't strong. It's nothing to do with a prejudice against that person, their country or skin colour or creed, it's just from experience it's more expedient to have the query dealt with by someone fluent in English (which would tend to imply again from experience an Irish national).
If we're all perfect and have never ever felt uneasy or frustrated with service or in the company of a "foreigner" or groups of them, then great you're the perfect Liberal and I commend you. If you've never rolled your eyes or passed comment at the lack of "Irish" people working in the service sector or even the "Polish" Isle at the Spar or the Lithuanian supermarkets, then again I commend your perfect liberal ideology.
If you have, it doesn't mean you're racist, it doesn't mean we can start tracing your family tree back to the Third Reich, it just means you're human.
Having a preference for Irish taxi drivers or service staff doesn't mean that in my spare time I'm knocking up crosses to start burning on lawns. It doesn't have any reflection on any aspect of character other than most human of all human traits: irrational. It’s not dangerous, it’s not a curse on society, it’s not jingoistic, it’s not going to affect or harm another single living person on this planet.
Yours.
Enoch Powell
I would assume a female driver would be requested from a female passenger from a safety perspective.
I take your other points - speaking for myself, I view the OPs comment as racially discriminating rather than racist in the stronger, xenophobic sense.
Xenophobia is not racisim. But I would make the point that I don't even think this case is xenophobic as the term implies a "fear" whereas in the case described it was more a matter of efficiency.
Not every choice can be so easily pigeon-holed as either being racist or not. I detest the way comment about any non-irish individual and efficiency of service has become taboo on the basis of race. I'm more than able to identify and discuss the great benefits to a society from immigration, but no system or cultural shift is perfect. I don't see why to offer any criticism of such means someone is racist nor that it makes someone "racist" for having a preference for dealing with an Irish national.
I still don't see a difference with the female driver. Isn't that sexism? Just how many incidents are there of violence, agression, or inappropriate behaviour from male taxi drivers to female passengers? Are there enough to rationally justify selecting a specific gender of the driver?
By that same token, I've had conversations with taxi drivers where they have admitted that they won't actually stop for a single female fare at night because they fear being accused of sexual assault.
I'd wager we'd say that the former is ok but the latter is not ok.
The taxi driver has chosen to go into a particular service and is then refusing to supply that service to a huge part of his customer base.
Your point about females isn't really fair. There are lots of situations where females have been attacked by males. Therefore, some females don't feel comfortable in any situation where they are alone with an unknown man. That's not discrimination.
Complainer
Registered User
- Messages
- 4,949
You're missing the point Enoch. You may well have a requirement for your taxi driver to have a certain level of English and a certain level of Dublin knowledge. However, if you have a requirement based around where your driver was born, this is indeed racist.
Does a taxi driver or any service provider not have the right to chose who they provide a service to?
Why is it fair and not discriminatory to view every male as a potential attacker and isolate them or not do business with them?
I don't see why one form of discrimination is reasonable and another gets someone labelled a racist.
Well, what I'm saying is that if you choose to become a taxi driver it's a bit rich to then say you won't pick up female passangers because you're nervous of them. That's a bit like someone choosing to become a nurse but then saying they won't deal with anyone who's bleeding because they can't stand the sight of blood.
I completely disagree. If based upon personal experience the non-national drivers either don't have good enough english or don't know their way around the city centre/my location and in opposition to that Irish drivers tend to have a greater familiarity, that's nothing to do with any opinions on superiority of the Irish race to others or fear or hatred.
If we really want to tackle racism them we shouldn't be making every petty small decision a matter of over the top liberal sentimentalities. It does far more harm to a worthwhile and essential cause by claiming every choice of domestic over foriegn in every circumstance is racist. It just isn't.
Ok, just be clear on how the what's accepted and what isn't is:
It is ok to be fearful of a statistically very low event such as assault and discriminate on gender if you're the passenger or more to the point female.
It isn't ok to he fearful of a statistically very low event of being wrongly accused of an assault and discriminate on gender if you're the driver and more to the point male.
It is ok to have female only taxi services that will only cater for females.
It is ok for non-national taxi and driver and other services to only cater for various non-national clients.
It isn't ok for male or Irish taxi firms or service providers to do the same.
Complainer
Registered User
- Messages
- 4,949
How many customers have experience of ALL the non-Irish national drivers in Dublin? Zero.
To make assumptions about the abilities of ALL drivers of given nationalities based on the experiences with SOME drivers is racist.
I've sometimes had difficulty understanding Irish drivers with strong Dub or strong country accents. Does that mean that ALL Irish drivers are bad communicators?
It's irrational, not racist. At worst it is xenophobic, but even that's a huge leap.
My objection is to the throwing around of racism at each and every turn. My objection is that there is no perfect liberal out there who doesn't at some point in time display the good old human trait of being irrational and making a choice against the non-national. Not one.
Just because there are times where a person has a preference and comfort with a more known set of circumstances doesn't mean they're a racist. The poster isn't saying send all foreigners home or white Irish only taxi drivers, it was just that in their experience (what else can they go on?) they've had a better and more efficient service when they'd used Irish drivers and so they have a preference for that.
Heck even the socially conscious unions haven't exactly been too forthcoming in protecting the foreign national worker rights of late in favour of their Irish colleagues. So much so many foreign national workers have had to set up their own unions.
How many female customers have experience of all male drivers in Dublin? Zero.
To make assumptions the assault potential of every driver based upon their gender on the experience of a very small number of events is sexist.