THE NATIONAL TRANSPORT Authority (NTA) has told politicians that it will take “a number of years” for the taxi industry to get back to pre-pandemic driver and vehicle numbers.

At the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport this afternoon, NTA Chairperson Anne Graham told TDs and Senators that while there has been a significant increase in demand for taxi services, the amount of drivers within the industry are not yet back at pre-pandemic levels.

“It will take a number of years to recover to pre-pandemic numbers of vehicles and drivers, let alone to grow the industry further,” Graham said.

“What we have seen in recent times is a very significant increase in demand for small public service vehicle (SPSV) services however, the numbers operating in the industry are not yet back to 2019 levels at peak times.”

Graham also said that while the NTA is working on providing alternative public transport services on a 24/7 basis, it would take “a number of years due to other constraints”.

According to Graham, 85% of licenced taxis have been checked by NTA compliance teams so far this year, saying that this is an indication that taxi drivers have returned following the pandemic.

However, a previous NTA survey found that while 93% of licenced taxi drivers are working currently, just 29% are working at peak times on Friday and Saturday nights.

The NTA’s appearance at the Committee comes just weeks after taxi fares were increased by 12% by the body.

Taxi company FreeNow is also to appear before the Transport Committee later this afternoon.

The company is set to tell TDs and Senators that taxi services are “struggling to meet demand” in some cities around Ireland.

Safety concerns

Previously, taxi drivers have raised concerns about their safety while working late at night, particularly in city centres.

“A lot of drivers won’t work nights now, across the country the cities in particular have become very violent places,” Jim Waldron of the National Private Hire and Taxi Association (NPHTA) told The Journal.

“Even in terms of the public feeling safe, there seems to be very little visibility of guards on the streets. For years now we’ve been calling for a liaison officer so the guards can work with taxi drivers on safety issues but it’s fallen on deaf ears.

“If you ask drivers, most of them will have had some kind of incident and if they’ve been attacked sometimes they just go home, they don’t even report it.”