Extra charges for those over the age of 70 have been scrapped at Irish Car Rentals Ltd due to action taken by a Mr. Anthony White. Mr. White, a Christian brother visiting from Australia was aggrieved at having to pay extra charges due to his age. Age action and the Equality Tribunal have warmly welcomed the settlement.
Mr. White attempted to rent a car at Dublin Airport in May 2006 but was shocked to hear that he must pay a €25 per day charge because of his age. Upon investigating he then found out that he will be considered too old to rent a car at all on his next visit to Ireland.
Mr. White then contacted the Equality Authority to vent his frustrations at a ruling he deemed to be completely unfair and discriminative against people of his age. After talks with Irish Car Rentals Ltd they agreed to drop the extra charges for older drivers and outright ban on drivers over 75. Older drivers (over 75) will now have to undergo a safety assessment which will take into account their past driving history.
Niall Crowley (Equality Authority) welcomed the decision saying age limits must be looked at across the board and personal circumstance should be taken into account when making decisions. Mr. White was said to be delighted with the outcome of the case.
Eamon Timmins of Age action praised Mr. White for standing up for the rights of the older generation.