Taxi drivers in the city are forking out over £20 a day in fuel costs alone, the Derry News has learned.

By Alan Healy

alan@derrynews.net

The shock figure was revealed after Friday’s meeting of local taxi proprietors in Creggan’s Rath Mór Centre, with fare increases now seeming inevitable across the city in order to meet the spiralling cost of diesel and petrol.

Speaking to the Derry News last night, one local driver Martin Gallagher said that drivers here are struggling to break even due to the volume of drivers now on the road, and that – coupled with the rising fuel costs – means that most drivers are working every given hour just to break even.

“The cost of running the car has gone through the roof,” he said.

“The amount of diesel you would have got with ten pound 3 months ago now costs £18, so we’re out of pocket a lot more.

“If you work on a daily basis, you’d lift say around fifty pound and at least twenty of that is going on diesel.”

Increase

Martin added that if fuel costs keep spiralling at the current rate, then taxi drivers will have no option but to opt out of the industry.

“If fuel costs get any higher, then it just won’t be worth the while going out any more,” he said.

“I’ve been taxiing nineteen years, I love it, but if I got something else I’d leave it tomorrow.”

Commenting after the meeting, Andrew McCartney, of Derry Taxis said that they would now need to look at increasing fares due to growing fuel costs – but stressed that public input would sought before any decision is made.