On numerous occasions, I have witnessed people refusing to get into a taxi because the driver is black.
On numerous occasions, I have witnessed people refusing to get into a taxi because the driver is black. I have also heard remarks about non-Irish taxi drivers, such as “Don’t get in his car, he will overcharge you” or “All of them foreigners take the scenic route so you’ll have to pay more”. Comments and scenes like these make me feel angry – as does people’s use of the N-word when referring to black taxi drivers.
Even worse, the media has reported on various incidents where non-Irish taxi drivers have been physically attacked by passengers due to their race.
Not only are these incidents completely wrong morally, they are also promoting racism. One incident I witnessed in mid November last involved a woman getting into a taxi at a taxi rank. She skipped the first taxi because the driver was black, and she got into the nearest taxi with a white driver. This woman had a young child with her. What does this say to the child? That behaviour like this is okay? Surely the child seeing his mother behave like this plants the seed in his head that this is the right thing to do. When this child grows up, he will more than likely do the same as his mother.
The business of taxi driving is very competitive and stressful enough for all sorts of reasons without certain drivers living in fear of racist attacks, or just racism in general. I can’t imagine having to deal with all those mixed emotions everyday. Of course I realise that some taxi drivers, no matter what their nationality, can overcharge, take a longer route or be unfriendly to their customers, but it’s completely wrong to create a stereotype that only black taxi drivers do this.
For more than a decade, Ireland has been grappling with issues around racism. While there doesn’t appear to be an easy solution, there are a few suggestions I can make to resolve racism in the Irish taxi industry.
One suggestion is that when Irish taxi drivers see people refusing to get into a taxi with a non-Irish driver and then try to get into their taxi instead, they should either refuse them or, if they do take them, at least try to explain to the passenger what they did was wrong.
Another good way to ease the problem would be for taxi drivers to form an association against racism to discuss ideas and an action plan for ways forward.
I believe firmly that any taxi drivers who are caught out in acts of racism should face the consequences of their actions. Give them a warning for the first offence, and if this warning is ignored, further action should be taken such as suspending or revoking their taxi licence. This would give a strong message that racism is simply not acceptable.
The more I think about it, I feel that people not knowing about each other’s cultures is what leads to conflict. When people don’t know about each other’s traditions, it leads to assumptions and racial stereotyping. If people were to learn more about different cultures, it would surely lead to greater understanding and empathy between cultures, and this might resolve some of the conflict and racism that’s led to a big wall of mistrust, fear and anger between us. We all need to help break down this wall. Even if we are only chiselling at it bit by bit, when we’re united we will get there one day.
Gemma Doyle is a student journalist.
