THERE has been an increase in violent confrontations between taxi drivers at ranks around the country due to the lack of space and growing number of cars.

In one incident last week, two drivers on Aston Quay in Dublin became embroiled in a heated argument leading to one throwing the other's plate into the Liffey.

According to the National Taxi Drivers Union (NTDU), the stand-off incidents are now commonplace as frustrations rise in line with a lack of work and a corresponding increase in the issuing of taxi plates.

"They are frequent enough; we hear about them during the day and at night, the ranks are jammed," said NTDU president Tommy Gorman.

"No one has been seriously hurt but there has been plenty of scuffling. There is certainly a terrible amount of anger among people on the ranks who would have shaken hands in the past."

While not all taxis use ranks, figures show that across five Irish cities there are around 44 cars to each space.

The NTDU point out that in Dublin there are 592 spaces for 14,000 taxis. In Cork there are 120 spaces for 2,300 taxis.

Many of the confrontations at ranks are between foreign and Irish drivers, relating most commonly to queuing systems and passengers refusing to get in cars with non-Irish drivers.

Gorman has also welcomed a proposal that the Taxi Regulator introduce a 'buy back' scheme for plates discarded by former drivers to prevent them going to a less regulated rental market.

He said there is growing frustration at the lack of regulation surrounding multiple purchasing of licences and the renting of fully equipped taxis to unqualified drivers.