go slow protests<\/a> in Dublin city centre.<\/p>\nThey accused Uber of undermining the regulated taxi fare structure set by the NTA, while Uber said the pricing model ensures passengers aren\u2019t surprised by a higher price due to traffic or route changes.<\/p>\n
Taxi drivers claimed it amounts to \u201cpredatory pricing\u201d and leaves drivers earning less, particularly during traffic delays.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the NTA headquarters in Dublin today, Kevin O\u2019Brien, director of transport regulation, said that it is reviewing rules for ride-hailing apps. However, there likely won\u2019t be a clampdown on fixed fares.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur framework is that if you get into a taxi, you should know that there\u2019s a maximum that can be charged. But through Uber or through Free Now or through engagement with the taxi driver, it\u2019s fine to be charged less,\u201d said O\u2019Brien.<\/p>\n
\u201cFixed fares have always been an element of the marketplace down the years.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo while it\u2019s one of the things we\u2019ll consider in our review, fundamentally we think discounts for passengers are a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that if taxi drivers have an issue, they should work it out with the companies involved.<\/p>\n
Despite tension in the industry, it\u2019s attracting the highest number of new drivers on record in 10 years.<\/p>\n
A total of 1,893 licences were issued last year, bringing the total to 27,891.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, there has been a decrease in the amount of drivers using apps. Since February 2024, it\u2019s gone from 66% to 57%.<\/p>\n
Free Now continues to be the most popular app for drivers, with 82% using it. Two in five use Uber, 13% use Bolt and 4% use Lyft. Many taxi drivers use multiple apps.<\/p>\n
When surveyed by the NTA, half of drivers who choose not to use apps said they preferred street work, while 22% said the fees on apps were too high.\n<\/p>\n
Who\u2019s allowed to be a taxi driver?<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, the Consumer and Competition Protection Commission (CCPC) called for increased access to ride-hailing apps on the Irish market due to a taxi supply shortage.<\/p>\n
Four in 10 people who tried to get a taxi in December 2025 reported difficulties doing so, while almost half of taxi users want the choice of ride-hailing.<\/p>\n
In Ireland, to provide taxi services you must get a Small Public Service Vehicle (SPSV) driver licence from the NTA. This requires having a valid driving licence for 12 months, passing a two-part exam, completing disability awareness training, passing garda vetting and paying a \u20ac250 application fee.<\/p>\n
To become an Uber driver in the UK, applicants must be 21, have a valid UK driver licence, get a private-hire licence from a council that Uber is licensed by and complete a pre-boarding course. There are also vehicle requirements that differ by location.<\/p>\n
Uber does operate in Ireland, but doesn\u2019t provide the same ride-sharing service as it does in the UK. In Ireland, it acts solely as a broker allowing customers to book trips with regulated taxi drivers who have an SPSV licence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe model where anyone with a private car (not licensed as a Small Public Service Vehicle) and an app can provide taxi services does not exist in Ireland,\u201d Transport Minister Darragh O\u2019Brien said.<\/p>\n
He said the government has \u201cno intention\u201d of changing this<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"THE NATIONAL TRANSPORT Authority (NTA) has said fixed fares are \u201ca good thing\u201d for passengers, and told taxi…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":659658,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[73],"tags":[79,52,18,278745,19,17,13456,94952,116318,63216,29639],"class_list":["post-659657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-dublin","tag-eire","tag-free-now","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-national-transport-authority","tag-taxi","tag-taxi-drivers","tag-taxis","tag-uber"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/117168817246530177","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659657","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=659657"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659657\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/659658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=659657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=659657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=659657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}