THERE HAS BEEN a sharp decrease in the number of taxi drivers working in evenings and at night-time over the past year, according to the results of a new survey.

Research on the taxi industry commissioned by the National Transport Authority (NTA) shows just 50% of all taxi licence holders reported working 6-8pm at the end of 2022, compared to 59% at the start of the year.

While almost 60% of taxi drivers operated between 8pm and midnight in early 2002, less than half were working during the same period by September/October.

The fall-off was even more pronounced after midnight with only 38% of taxi drivers stating they worked between 12 midnight and 4am at the end of 2022 – down from 51% in February last year.

The situation was even more acute in Dublin where just 35% of taxi drivers in the city said they worked in the hours after midnight.

The results mirror complaints from the public over the past year about difficulties in getting taxis in major cities and towns at night-time.

The findings are part of new research published by the NTA on the taxi industry which conducted surveys among almost 670 drivers plus over 1,000 consumers last September/October.

More than 80% of taxi drivers who currently do not work in the hours after midnight said they had given up working nights including 21% who had ceased night-time shifts in the past three years.

Almost half (48%) cited concerns about their personal safety as the reason for stopping working nights, while 23% said it was for their personal health and 13% said it was not financially worthwhile.

Asked what might encourage them to work nights, 31% of taxi drivers said nothing would persuade them to work night shifts.

Almost one in five drivers said working such hours was too dangerous and risky but they might consider it if there was better safety and a greater garda presence on the streets, while 8% said they would work nights for the opportunity to earn more money.

However, a leader of one of the country’s main representative groups for taxi drivers, expressed surprise at the results of the NTA survey.

The National Private Hire and Taxi Association (NPHTA) spokesperson, Jim Waldron, said he believed the number of drivers operating at night-time had been relatively static over the past year.

“If anything, I would have thought the situation was improving as late hours are more lucrative for taxi drivers,” said Waldron.

The NPHTA said an advertising campaign run by the NTA last year to attract new entrants into the profession seemed to have been successful, although he expressed concern that very few young people were becoming taxi drivers.

“Many don’t seem to recognise there are a lot of positives about becoming a taxi driver such as being your own boss and working the hours that suit you,” said Waldron.

However, he acknowledged that the Covid-19 pandemic had resulted in some older drivers stopping work amid concerns for their health and not returning to the profession once restrictions were lifted.

The latest NTA survey shows a predominantly older profile among taxi drivers with almost three-quarters of all licence holders in Ireland aged over 50 years with just 6% under the age of 30.

Waldron agreed that younger drivers were more likely to be available to work night shifts.

 The NTA said a total of 1,219 new licences had been issued in the 12 months to the end of January – more than double the number granted over the previous 12-month period – of which almost two-thirds were for Dublin.

A NTA spokesperson said an increase in the level of new applications seemed to coincide with the launch of its recruitment campaign last summer.

In addition, the NTA said 1,372 applications had been received for the driver entry test between November 2022 and January 2023 which was indicative of continuing interest by people in becoming licensed taxi drivers.

Demand for taxis

The NTA pointed out that average increases of 12% in taxi fares authorised last September have higher rates for journeys undertaken between 8pm and 8am.

It claimed the weighting of rates towards premium times was designed to encourage more operators to work at peak time to meet demand.

A NTA spokesperson said there appeared to be an “easing off” of the issue of shortages of taxis late at night based on the number of complaints it received from the public.

The NPHTA pointed out that taxi driver representative groups had made repeated calls for An Garda Síochána to appoint a liaison officer on a formal basis to deal with any issues from the sector.

“If we had someone like that then maybe we could reassure drivers that working at night isn’t as violent as it is perceived. We have to try and get a system that will allow us to reassure drivers that they can get assistance when it is needed,” he added.

The latest survey shows mixed feelings among taxi drivers about whether there has been a return to normal demand for their services.

It revealed 24% of drivers claimed they were now busier than pre-Covid times – up from 19% at the start of 2022.

At the same time, 32% said they are less busy than before the start of the pandemic, although the figure is down from 55% in February.

The survey of consumers showed a reduction in numbers who used taxis over the course of 2022 with just 4% claiming to use taxis on a weekly basis at the end of the year compared to 8% in February.

The proportion of people who said they never used a taxi also rose from 19% to 27% during the year.

However, a large majority of consumers said they had no difficulty in obtaining a taxi with just 27% recording having problems in getting one.

The survey also revealed that the proportion of taxis that are electric vehicles has more than doubled in the space of a year to 9%, while another 11% are hybrids.

However, diesel models still account for the vast majority of the national taxi fleet at 74%.

Almost half of all taxi drivers not currently driving an electric vehicle said they were unsure when they might switch to an EV.

Vehicle range and charging infrastructure were the key concerns raised by licence holders over their reluctance to make the transition to an EV.

Among taxi drivers who currently own an EV, the overwhelming majority cited government grants as their main reason for switching.

By driving an EV, they estimated they saved an average of just over €99 per week on running costs.

The survey showed taxi drivers across all vehicle types spend an average of just over €158 on fuel each week.

The Skoda Superb is the car make of choice among taxi drivers and owned by 11% of respondents, followed closely by the Toyota Avensis and Toyota Prius (10% each) and the Peugeot Partner (9%).

Approximately three-quarters of all taxis were bought second-hand with just 24% vehicles taxis bought as brand new models.

On average, licence holders drive 43,866km per year and work a weekly average of 40 hours.