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A COUPLE “EXPLODED” and spat at a taxi driver and kicked his car in Dublin city centre after he requested that they wear a mask in his cab.
That is according to chief executive of taxi firm, Lynk Ireland, Noel Ebbs who said that the request by the company’s taxi driver to the two standing at the window of the car “hit the big red button for them and the couple just exploded”.
He stated: “The driver said to them ‘listen, I live with my elderly mother and without a mask, I can’t take the risk’. They started kicking his car and spitting at him and calling him all sorts of names.”
Ebbs stated that the incident occurred at College Green in Dublin city centre.
He recounted the incident when asked to comment on complaints made by passengers to the National Transport Authority (NTA) concerning taxi drivers who refuse to wear masks.
Ebbs stated: “There is no doubt that it has been a two-way street.”
The wearing of masks is now mandatory for drivers and passengers and Ebbs stated that this has given drivers comfort.
He stated: “It is much less stressful going to work for drivers knowing that passengers and drivers have to wear masks. It is the right move and it is a shame that it wasn’t made earlier.”
Prior to the masks being made mandatory, Ebbs said that “certainly in early evenings and night time, drivers did have a lot of problems with the public when making a simple request to wear a mask”.
Ebbs stated that the College Green incident occurred in the summer of last year when Covid 19 restrictions had been loosened up.
He stated: “At the time, there was still a strong cohort of people who believed that Covid-19 was some sort of conspiracy and that it didn’t exist. I don’t think there are too many of those around now.”
Ebbs stated: “Even under normal circumstances, it is an awful thing to spit at a person but during Covid it is even worse.”
Ebbs stated that none of the spittle landed on the driver and instead landed on his car but the driver drove off and left his position in the rank in order to get away from the young couple.
Ebbs stated: “It was an assault – and that kind of explosive reaction is not common, but it does happen and very rarely do taxi drivers report it. The stoic attitude is ‘head down, right, I need to get on with this”. It is seen as part of the job, part of the risk and move on. That is more often that not the way the driver would react. They don’t tend to pursue things”.
Ebbs said that he had experience himself of booking a taxi with a small taxi company on the outskirts of Dublin last year where the driver “just refused to wear a mask. He told me ‘I don’t believe in them. This is a conspiracy’.”
Complaints lodged with the NTA last year show that one taxi passenger who opened a window for ventilation was told to close the window by a ‘cold’ taxi driver after he told the customer that the Covid 19 pandemic does not exist.
Covid-19 “deniers”
The complaints to the NTA made available following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request reveal a very small cohort of taxi-drivers who were Covid 19 ‘deniers’ at the time.
In one complaint, one passenger told the NTA that a driver “refused to wear a face mask. He spent the entire trip claiming the Coronavirus does not exist”.
Another passenger complained: “The taxi driver had a dry cough and was continuously coughing for the duration of the journey. I opened the window in the back and I was wearing my mask.”
Concerning the complaint where the taxi driver stated that the pandemic does not exist, the passenger complained: “The car did not have a screen and driver was not wearing a mask, so I opened the window to have some ventilation.
“Driver insistently tried to get me to close the window and said that he was cold and that the pandemic did not exist.”
Another passenger on another unspecified date stated that “the driver was very opinionated about Covid 19. He seems to believe that it was blown out of proportion”.
“The passenger added: “I was wearing a mask as per government guidelines. He did not seem to think there was any evidence of their use even though there is.”
In another complaint, a passenger told the NTA that “the driver was not wearing a mask but there was a screen. There was no sanitiser available. We requested to be dropped at a Garda station after the driver became hostile about questioning of his driver ID.”
In another complaint, a passenger stated that “the taxi had no Perspex and the driver had no mask on. I felt extremely uncomfortable with his attitude”.
Another passenger contacted the NTA to state that “the driver wasn’t wearing a mask and there was no Perspex screen. The driver mentioned he had returned from a non-green list country and wasn’t isolating”.
Another customer wrote to state “there was no plastic guard between him and me. Driver was not wearing a mask and when asked to wear one, he only put it over his mouth as it hurt his ears”.
In another instance, a passenger stated that the “driver was wearing a dirty mask and the vehicle was dirty and untidy. The driver was video calling throughout the journey”.
Another customer wrote to state: “the driver did not wear a mask and there was no screen between the front and the back seat”.
On the impact of Covid 19 on the taxi business, Ebbs stated: “We are back at 40% now on our pre-Covid business and at its worst it was at 30% during the first lockdown. I expect over the next two weeks to be back at 30% because the numbers are dropping daily and the ‘stay at home’ message has finally arrived home and people get it. You can see it every single day now. The numbers are falling, falling, falling.”
Ebbs stated: “Thank god for the Covid payments because companies and self employed people would be destroyed without it.”
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This guy is clearly going for Darwin award
In NK they call it the Kim award, as he invented evolution
€50 on North Korea @ 6/1
I went for North Korea at Half Time & South Korea Full Time.
Don’t waste your money Loremolis!
“The moment of explosion is approaching fast” according to the NK army – well if they attempt to launch a strike first his prediction will no doubt come true, but not in the way he means….
China vs Russia in the other semi final.
Can we blame Terry Henri because we are not in it?
Spoke to a family friend living in South Korea who said its all a load of hype NK do this stuff all the time prob to get sanctions lifted and its western media making a mountain out of a mole hill, he said he got a little worried as he listened to news talk on the web bit the South Koreans don’t care and its business as usual!!
trouble is mohamad,
the little snot who is now in charge seems to believe he is a god, and he is reading western media too. He sees the coverage he is getting and ups the ante. At some point he has to do something or he will lose face…
This can only end badly
Just hear the only people worried are South Koreans who lived near the boarder, worried they will be hit by American bombs by mistake!! Russia and china call for both sides to calm.
Beckham to sign for NK, six month contract
You are properly right Dave let’s just hope if he does anything stupid they just shoot it down and not risk the innocent people of NK by dropping a nuc in retaliation!
The Russians said the same thing when Hitler stuck a million soldiers on the border
He invented the iPad and he can cure cancer.it’s true,I read it on his personal blog! Sheesh, people are sooooo judgemental.
While a serious situation there full of it. Why attack kmowing your going to be destroyed.
I notice when North Korea do something it “increases tensions”.
When America moves destroyers into the region or flies bombers over their country, diddly sqwat. A little impartiality please, at the end of the day, this a country (albeit incredibly aggressively) defending their borders.
Because they are not goin to attack.
All NK wants is a peace treaty wit America. Rt news will give ye both sides story…
North Korea are the instigators though. Their actions will decide how the U.S, South Korea, Japan etc. respond. Their threats will most likely amount to nothing, and their ‘long range missiles’ will most likely fall incredibly short, but what they’re threatening can’t be overlooked. They’re essentially the baddies!
@James
Funny to hear you talk about ‘defending their borders’ – NK is the aggressor here, as it was when the Korean war broke out.
Over the past few years it has launched several attacks on SK, which has shown incredible restraint under the circumstances.
Louise – how are they “essentially the baddies”? They don’t want US bombers flying over their land and are standing up to them with bizarre, un-actionable threats.
Are you for real?
Leonard – I just read the latest RT article on this issue. A few things are worth noting about that article: the article explicitly says that the US has repeatedly turned down offers of a treaty. That’s simply not true. North Korea stepped away from its international obligations over and over again and walked out of negotiations more times than I can count. US/South Korean militarism on the peninsula has led to a handful of accidents in the last six decades. North Korean attacks have led to a large number of deaths following unprovoked attacks. But the main thrust of the article, that the US simply wants to encircle China and North Korea is the next natural foothold, is also bogus. Why go through an extremely costly conflict to get not much further than you already are? There are US bases all over the Pacific including S Korea, Japan and the Philippines. They already have encircled China and gaining control of a piece of land that is about the same size as Ireland isn’t going to further that strategic advantage.
Yes rt news is little more informative ..
This guy is young and clueless pay no attention to him.His track record of stupidity on the Journal has nearly reached Legendary status.
RT news is the Russian equivalent of the US Fox or Iranian pressTV. Yes they report some stuff that Western media will sweep under the carpet but their reports need to come with a major bias warning.
I think you may have misinterpreted some of the information surrounding NK. They are a one-party totalitarian government whose people essentially rely on international food aid to survive. They pump huge amounts of resources into their military/missile development.
A lot of their aid has been cut because they continue to develop nuclear weapons and illegally test them. So now they’re having a major hissy fit and trying to show the world they mean serious business. They’re undoubtedly the aggressors.
Is there anything to be said for another mass??
James, you really don’t get it – do you? I think they card people like you appeasers in the 30s. You’re not related to Chmaberlajn by any chance?
@Richard… All Media should come with a bias warning, all are owned by people, boards, or governments with their own agenda’s.
We should question the origin of all our conclusions and beliefs.
But can you see where there coming from? If some one blanket bombed Ireland for 5 years leaving no buildings or infrastructure left id be pretty angry too. I think NK are afraid of same happening again. Yes they seem a bit crazy but i honestly don’t think their suicidal. I really hope this does not escalate from either side. Make love not war.
Leonard, that was 60 years ago! The US bombed Germany and Japan into submission in WW2. Now they are all allies. NK has no excuse for its actions! Learn some history will you.
no stephen, I think we all know what we need to do here…….. we put the brick on the accelerator!
That’s just crazy enough to work…
”but their reports need to come with a major bias warning.”
Unlike RTE and BBC etc . Fox is bad – it is nearly a benifiet to those it attacks .
Yes its history now. But how would you feel if your parents were killed in them carpet bombings?
Who?
Leonard, how did the Japanese and Germans feel?! But everyone has moved on! They are all allies!
WW2 is over! The Korean War is over 60 years now. Stop making excuses for NK!
RT news is as biased on one side as Fox is on the other. So I wouldn’t be inclined to use them as independent portrayers of the news.
Lay off whatever you are smokin…
Im not making excuses for them declan. Im tryin to comprehend why this is going on. Obviously NK are not suicidal because if they do launch an attack its signing their own death warrant.
Leonard, well your not doing a good job at comprehending at what’s going on if you are looking back so far. It’s in the history books. NK should have no beef with SK or the US. It’s needs to take its proper place among the countries of this world.
The bombers didn’t fly over their land, they flew over South Koreas land
When did the US fly bombers over North Koreas borders?
Well, if NK doesn’t want to get bombed to oblivion then maybe they should … calm down?
Lol The baddies really ? I think you v been watching to much American pr
Any chance they might hit PSY, so we don’t have to hear Gangnam Style again.
HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYY SEXY LADY
Do you prefer the cranky car version on 2fm?
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2013/s3727471.htm
Nothing will happen. I live close to the border. Nobody is cowering in fear. This is par for the course just a little louder than usual.
My son lives in Seoul and this is how he sees it, too.
Very interesting article, thanks.
If they are not technologically advanced enough to launch how come I seen a picture of Kim dum sung with an iMac and iPad mini at the same time! Answer me that!
Kim mini
iKim mini
Hoo flung dung
@michael – while banning everyone else from using them. Typical tinpot despot. No different to those Taliban clowns.
Not too many mad dictators left in the world thankfully. Once Kim is gone only other dictator is Kenny and his FG death squad.
They have been exchanged for corporate dictators instead.
Not since Bush
The little body is trying to fit in daddy’s shoes
just get on with it
Nothing little about his waist line.
It would make for great tv if he started firing rockets. The yanks would annihilate him!!!
If they could just drop the bombs on Kim’s head that’d be great.
All those people will die just because he is an egotistical twit
I’m sure they could just attack Kim, this is America we are talking about, couldn’t they just assassinate him if they really wanted to?
This guy is more than lonely- he’s got separation anxiety! Like a puppy ripping up a couch when no ones Home
Just do it….. Nk should be sponsored by Nike…
Kim got 6 hole in ones today at the nuclear missile golf course
Somehow I think that Kim dum one will be deposed by his military before they will allow the total destruction of their country
The stumpy lad is at it again
I must admit these Koreans got balls. I thought they would have stood down by now but they look to be going the distance. I see a knew conflict here the US have not started. They will however end. NK as a state is coming to a close.
Is he just pissed off that the follow up single to ‘Gangnam Style’ failed to hit the charts? Bit of a slight over reaction Psy.
Gel Mini Kim’s hair back and there maybe a PSY. Tin foil hat conspiracy – beware!
Id say China are going to take this one on and show the region all there new shiny toys.They have sent there troops to the boarder and will probably use NK as an example in the region as they have numerous boarder land and sea disputes on going.This would be a good chance to claen house and at the same time a show of force.
I say go for it, starting a war with the states would look great on his C V.
AMERICANS MUST STOP ALL PROVOCATIONS AND GET OUT OF THE REGION IMMEDIATELY! YANKEES GO HOME! OR RUSSIA WILL INTERVENE OR CHINA
I think so too
So the US isn’t allowed to park a few pieces of military equipment in ally countries JUST because Kim dum fuk doesn’t like it? I think the United States is great in doing so. Protect the investments.
Someone just needs to pop his head like a grape… In front of 15,000 NK’s. Maybe then the North Koreans can start accepting that he isn’t a god.
Duh boy!
Nice pic man.
He’s a bluffer , he knows he wil b wiped out . 50% of their income comes from abroad . He’s taken on the world now . What a joker of a man and country
Anonymous invade North Korea’s Twitter and Flickr accounts. Hilarity ensued! http://www.newstiller.com/technology/619-anonymous-strike-again-operation-north-korea
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