![\"Taxi](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/d6b02cb5-f227-4719-bc51-b1db77bc68bb.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThey have also informed An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na that all protest activity will be paused while engagement with Government takes place.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson said: \u201cWe are acting in good faith. Pending the outcome of next week\u2019s meeting, we have suspended further protest action and hope meaningful progress will be made on the issues facing taxi drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The suspension is temporary and subject to the outcome of the meeting.<\/p>\n
The \u201cnational shutdown protest\u201d over Uber\u2019s new fixed rates was due to take place between Monday, December 8, and the following Saturday, December 13.<\/p>\n
Organised by Taxi Drivers Ireland, the proposed six-day nationwide protest would see taxi drivers across Ireland escalating their action.<\/p>\n
It came after four weeks of \u201cwarnings, protests, and direct appeals\u201d, they said, adding that the Government has \u201cfailed to take any meaningful action to address the crisis engulfing the regulated taxi industry\u201d.<\/p>\n
Taxi Drivers Ireland added that any Dublin protests would be with the \u201cfull support\u201d of their branches in Cork and Galway.<\/p>\n
In a statement issued last night, a spokesperson said taxi drivers have been \u201cignored, dismissed, and pushed to breaking point\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Government has chosen silence instead of responsibility,\u201d said Derek O\u2019Keeffe, a national spokesperson for Taxi Drivers Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have played by the rules and we have protested peacefully. We have asked to be heard, but nothing has changed. So now the Irish taxi industry is going up a gear.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not a gesture. This is the full strength of the Irish taxi industry being brought to bear. We warned this would happen. Now it is happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
If the protest went ahead aa planned, taxi cars would have proceeded in convoy from Mountjoy Square to Merrion Square at 7am on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and would remain parked there until 5pm.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Taxi drivers make their way past Government Buildings near Merrion Square during a protest on Wednesday this week. Photo: Frank McGrath<\/p>\n
Today’s News in 90 – Friday December 5 <\/p>\n
The protest at Dublin Airport would have taken place at all holding areas and access locations from 4.30pm until 7.30pm on Tuesday and Thursday along with another protest at Dublin Airport on Saturday, taking place from 4pm until 6pm.<\/p>\n
It would then be followed by a \u201crolling convoy\u201d from the north and south going to the city centre, and entering Dame Street for a \u201cslow rolling protest\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis schedule is not symbolic,\u201d Mr O\u2019Keefe previously said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an economic reality. It\u2019s working people saying \u2018enough\u2019. It\u2019s drivers standing up not just for themselves, but for the future of public transport in Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are watching a regulated profession being dismantled in real time. There is no justification for continuing to ignore us. If the Government continues to look the other way, then disruption will continue and intensify.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what happens when working people are left with no voice. We are not doing this lightly. We are doing it because we are being forced to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several other protests have been staged by taxi drivers across the country in recent weeks.<\/p>\n
They took place after Uber introduced a fixed-price model, guaranteeing a maximum fare upfront instead of an estimated price range that can rise with traffic or route changes.<\/p>\n
The company has said the measure reduces \u201cmeter anxiety\u201d and allows passengers to pay a lower amount if the fare comes in under the fixed price.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Uber told the Irish Independent: \u201cThe simple truth is that drivers who take fixed price fares are earning more.\u201d<\/p>\n
“Passengers love knowing how much a fare will be, and it\u2019s giving them the confidence to book more, which is creating more opportunities for drivers.<\/p>\n
“This is a good outcome for both passengers and drivers, and we remain committed to offering the best possible service to everyone,\u201d a spokesperson added.<\/p>\n
Representatives of taxi drivers say the new model leads to drivers earning less during heavy traffic.<\/p>\n
Taxi Drivers Ireland apologised to the members of the public for the disruption the protests in Dublin will likely cause.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, the responsibility lies squarely with those who have allowed the crisis to grow without intervention,\u201d Mr O\u2019Keefe added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do not want protests, we want to work. But we will not quietly accept the destruction of our livelihoods.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the Government thinks this will blow over, they are badly mistaken. This is the beginning of a national reckoning for an industry that refuses to disappear quietly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group added it is demanding \u201cimmediate engagement\u201d from the Government, and \u201cnot statements, not excuses and not silence\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"They have also informed An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na that all protest activity will be paused while engagement with Government…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":217907,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[7699,9,10,26,18,13,14,6,19,17,11,12,15,16,5,7,8],"class_list":{"0":"post-217906","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ireland","8":"tag-adrianna-wrona","9":"tag-breaking-news","10":"tag-breakingnews","11":"tag-dublin-airport","12":"tag-eire","13":"tag-featured-news","14":"tag-featurednews","15":"tag-headlines","16":"tag-ie","17":"tag-ireland","18":"tag-latest-news","19":"tag-latestnews","20":"tag-main-news","21":"tag-mainnews","22":"tag-news","23":"tag-top-stories","24":"tag-topstories"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115670542639498979","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217906\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}