Taxi drivers have refuted claims from a coalition that includes Bolt and Uber that there will be a “major shortage” of cabs this festive season
Taxi stock image(Image: FHMFHM/Getty Images)
Taxi drivers have hit back at claims from a coalition including Bolt and Uber that there will be a “major shortage” of cabs this festive season.
The Taxis for Ireland Coalition, which was formed in 2023, and counts the Restaurants Association of Ireland, Vintners’ Federation of Ireland, Licensed Vintners’ Association, Bolt and Uber among its members, said yesterday that the availability of taxis is expected to fall far short of demand this Christmas. They claimed this will “not only inconveniences travellers but also raise serious safety concerns”.
Derek O’Keeffe, founder of Taxi Drivers Ireland, said the claims were “unnecessary fear-mongering and are already damaging public confidence in Ireland’s towns and city centres.”
“This same narrative was pushed last year and its effect was clear — customers stayed away, footfall dropped and businesses suffered during what should be the busiest trading period of the year,” Mr O’Keeffe said. “That is not public safety messaging. That is economic damage.
“Over Christmas we personally documented taxi ranks full of vehicles and long lines of taxis with ‘for hire’ lights on across multiple locations. A genuine shortage does not look like rows of idle cars waiting for business.
“A real shortage looks like no availability, long queues, cancelled bookings and customers unable to get home. That is not what was observed.”
Mr O’Keeffe added that the past year “has seen real progress in the industry”. He said: “New drivers have entered the market and the NTA has delivered measurable improvements to licensing and supply. That progress is being sidelined in favour of repeating last year’s negative narrative.
“Let us be absolutely clear: Taxi drivers across Ireland are ready and available to serve the public — regardless of what lobbyist groups and private platforms are saying for their own long-term interests.”
This evening, over 1500 Dublin taxi drivers are set to bring the capital to a standstill at rush hour in a protest over Uber’s new Fixed Taxi Prices service. The model will guarantee passengers a maximum fare upfront instead of the usual estimated range that can rise with traffic or route changes.
The company said the move will reduce “meter anxiety”, and passengers will still pay the lower amount if the meter comes in under the fixed price. However, taxi drivers have said the new model “threatens the regulated structure of the Irish taxi industry and the earnings of professional drivers”.
The protesting drivers will engage in a slow drive demonstration at Dublin Airport, Clontarf, and Phoenix Park from 4.30pm today.
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