The hundreds of taxi drivers who blocked Dublin’s O'Connell Street for several hours today, causing chaos to traffic, made their way home tonight satisfied that their point had been made.
The disruption began when they escalated a seven-hour work stoppage due to finish at 1pm, after their union leaders reported little progress from a meeting with the Taxi Regulator, Ger Deering, this morning.
At that meeting, the unions had hoped to secure changes to a planned new fare structure, due to be implemented in two week’s time.
Following the meeting and the rally in Phoenix Park, the taxi drivers set down a blockade of parked taxis all along O'Connell Street, north bound and south bound, and through North Frederick Street at rush hour this evening.
There was very heavy traffic in Pearse Street, Westmoreland Street, Dame Street, as well as on the Phibsborough Road and from Dorset Street all the way to Swords.
Tonight the O'Connell Street protest ended when officials from the Department of Transport agreed to meet union leaders tomorrow.
However, the meeting has been thrown into doubt after the department indicated it would not meet the unions while a fresh threat of a 24-hour taxi strike on Thursday remained.
Union leaders are to consult on the matter in the morning to decide how to proceed.
