TDS AND SENATORS today heard from a campaign group calling on the government to do more to increase taxi supply. 

The Taxis for Ireland Coalition visited Leinster House today to urge politicians to take steps to improve the situation and address the shortage of drivers across the country. 

The Coalition is made up of Uber, Bolt, the Restaurants Association of Ireland, Irish Tourist Industry Confederation (ITIC), the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland and the Licensed Vintners Association.

Fine Gael Senator Tim Lombard, who organised the visit, said the shortage is particularly acute in rural Ireland. 

“Whether you’re out in Kinsale, Castletownbere or any town in Ireland, chances are you won’t be able to get a taxi home on a weekend night,” Lombard said. 

The group is calling on the Government to change existing regulations, some of which they say act as a barrier to young people entering the taxi industry. 

Aisling Dunne, head of public policy for Bolt in Ireland told The Journal that the average age of a taxi driver in Ireland is over 50.

“We really need to see how we can get younger people involved in the industry. People who might be able to work those later hours, which at the moment we just don’t have the supply to do,” Dunne said.  

Dunne said there is a huge amount of unmet demand for taxis in Ireland, with people logging into apps unable to get taxis.

“This is particularly acute at the weekend,” she said. 

Changes

In particular, the group highlighted the burdensome local knowledge test that taxi drivers currently need to sit.

Dunne made the point that the test was designed for a time before smart phones and cars had GPS and digital maps. 

The group recommends revising the test, which currently has a first time pass rate of just 34%. 

“That’s a fairly startling statistic and it acts as a barrier to entry with people deciding to try a different profession,” Dunne said.

The group also made the point that current regulations state that all Small Public Service Vehicles (SPSV) must be wheelchair accessible. They say this makes it extremely expensive for new entrants to become taxi drivers and means that drivers need to work long hours to justify the cost.

The group say there should be some flexibility on this so that supply can be improved at peak times and made the point that what is really needed are taxi drivers who are happy to work ad hoc hours, which this regulation does not encourage.

“Regulations need to reflect the times we live in,” Senator Lombard said.

“There are a number of people living in rural towns and villages in particular who would welcome the opportunity to operate a taxi service, if only just for weekend work or off peak times.”