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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.”
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I drive a cab wouldn’t see me near working after midnight.You could double the fare and I still wouldn’t..
Dublin is now a jungle late at night at that’s the reason why their is a small shortage only for a fri sat for a couple of hrs..
Nothing to do with not enough car’s
@Mick Z Humphries: you appear to be dyslexic !!!
Well for starters, how much is the salary for those young people? Because you now need a wage of €127,000 to afford the basic necessity that is a home, thanks to successive govts.
The math just ain’t mathin’. Lower wages, higher prices.
@9QRixo8H: not to mention the actual cost of running a taxi, fuel, insurance, tax, license fees before you’ve ever picked someone up. The insurance alone for a young person wouldn’t be worth the hassle
They should allow anyone with PSV licence (Bus or coach) to drive a taxi. I have a D licence and can drive coach carrying 50+ passengers. But yet I can’t drive a taxi. This would do a lot to bring in more drivers.
@Pat Corr: There’s plenty of drivers they just choose to switch off the taxi apps with their 15% commission when it’s it’s busy out and you can’t blame them. Apps are vultures.
@Mick Z Humphries: Evidence?!!!
@Mick Z Humphries: It looks like you’re complaining, about how much Taxi Drivers want.
The reason people don’t get taxis at busy times from apps is that drivers don’t need to use apps for work then , saving themselves 15% taken from their fares by the apps
Young people don’t want to work antisocial hours as it is. Dublin Bus / Bus Eireann/ Go Ahead crying out for drivers can’t fill the positions because people want more work life balance. Working shifts and nights doesn’t work for all with young families especially when both parents work.
@Fiona Wyse:
At last someone with a realistic look that isn’t pushing an agenda
@Fiona Wyse: Honestly what’s the point of doing anything here? People are so overly legislated, taxed, and governed, there is no angle to play and for anyone under 30, and there is no reason to try. Get a cr€p job do it badly live with your mam and fade away… no time for ‘dreams’ in Ireland.
@Thesaltyurchin: well you won’t get anywhere with that attitude. People work the jobs that suit them. Some people like and suit shift work, it can work out with childcare. But do younger people want to be self employed? Possibly not, the might want benefits, pension entitlements etc so taxi driving won’t appeal to them.
@Thesaltyurchin: You have pretty much described the general p#ss poor attitude in here.plenty of people in there 20’s and 30’s doing very well in this country.Huge potential out there that a lot of people(who don’t spend half their day whinging in here)are lapping up.
@John Terry: Such as what John?
Genuinely, I’m not trying to be funny, but what are the jobs that 20 + 30 year olds are lapping up, and doing very well out of where they can afford a mortgage, can pay their bills and have some spending money at the end of the week.
@KTH: Any financial services administration job pays quite well. I work with plenty of people in their 30s who are getting paid approximately 40,000 euro and have purchased houses and are getting married and having kids.
@KTH:
IT mostly these days.
I come across a fair few people’s salary details as a part of my job and yes, there are a lot of people earning €500/€600 per day, sure they are a minority but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of them.
@P.J. Nolan:
From the CSO
350,000 people earn more than €100k, 14% of the workforce.
Median wage in Ireland is €45,000
@P.J. Nolan: @Fiona Wyse:
Thanks for the reply, but I’ve just googled some stuff too and according to stats there was a workforce of 2702125 in 2022…
And financial services in Ireland employs 105,000 people.
It’s not really an answer to the “Huge potential out there” statement from John,
And to say that 14% or 350,000 of the workforce earn €100k and the median is €45,000 is a bit of a red herring as I was talking about 20 and 30 year olds only.
@Fiona Wyse: dont see how that makes sense. i work a shift and it affords me more time to do the things i want to do and with the people i care about. also saves on any childcare costs etc. can survive on 5 hours a night as long as you eat healthy nutritious food.
@Niall English: I did say in a previous post that it does suit some people when it comes to childcare, but mainly for older people who are more settled and know how to make it work. Younger people are not there in life yet, they sadly do base their employment more around their social lives. And I know in the case of bus drivers, they are just struggling to get younger people who are happy to do the crappy shifts that are assigned to Juniors which are a lot of late duties over the weekends.
@Fiona Wyse: Nobody on 40k is buying a house. Even a 3x salary, max mortgage is 120k, add say 30k savings and you’re still at only 150k. Show me a house for 150k.
Good idea lets start with aisling dunne changing her career, then some politicians sons and daughters taking up the profession.
Meh, my house is 25 metres from my local and 150 metres from the centre of the town so it doesn’t bother me in the slightest.
Occasionally I have to go out in Dublin for a night for work purposes but I’m more than happy to drink something non-alcoholic and drive home.
Other than that, I wouldn’t go out in Dublin in a fit – it’s an overrated kip.
@Wombleman: Typical,it’s about taxi’s and the usual ‘Dublin is a kip ‘ brigade are in.I’m in town all the time and it’s buzzing with very happy Irish/ foreigners all enjoying themselves…..People like you just have a massive chip on your shoulder about the city.
@John Terry: With respect John, the very mention of Dublin creates a massive chip on your own shoulder. Pots n kettles
@SYaxJ2Ts: Because it’s endless,and comes into nearly ever article no matter what the subject is.just saying.
As a holder of a psv license you cannot enter the market unless you purchase a wheelchair accessible vehicle.
@macdara powell: that’s not true you can rent a saloon license or invest in the business like all drivers had to some paying over 80k only 20 odd years ago.
@Liam Dunne: No Liam it is true I don’t want to rent a saloon I want to buy my own invest in my own car but I can’t unless I buy a wheelchair accessible vehicle.
@macdara powell: so buy a wheelchair car invest in your business like many others who bought new electric cars or Mercedes BMWs etc etc
@Liam Dunne: he says on an article about there not being enough new taxi drivers coming through. Surely that award winning advice will bump the numbers up
Taxi drivers won’t accept card payment in Cork. Mostly cash. I wonder why?
Judge Martin nolan. Again.
@Michael o connor: yep. Again and again and again. How are those ladies supposed to feel safe knowing it can happen again and there is not much deterrent
Wouldn’t want it for all the tea in China. Taxi driver held at knife point in Cork by 3 thugs and had his car stolen.
The solution exists and is called Uber.
Not the fake Uber here, which is just our selfish cartel of greedy drivers with an app.
@Paul: You mean Uber with it’s Surge charge of 5 times the fare when it’s busy and in demand? What happens to those who can’t afford that? They get left behind not a very fair system compared to what we have now.
@Paul: no, Uber is just exploitation. And then there’s insurance: insurance companies here aren’t going to cover use for hire.
The cost involved in putting a new taxi on the road is mental. It’s way to expensive!
Desperate Immigrants will do it, until the hit the top tax bracket then they’ll give up like the rest of us.
@Thesaltyurchin: you need tax advice
Aisling Dunne former adviser to Minister for Transport now lobbying for Bolt taxi app i bet she’s not working nights for minimum wage. She also wants to dumb down the entry test ye sure drivers dont need to speak English and communicate in a proper manner. What a clown.
How can the younger age come into this industry when the quoted for the first insurance is between 10 to 12 grand sort the insurance out first and more people will come into our industry!!!!!
Let Uber fully into the market it’s nearly halved fairs in Sydney New York etc.
Walk home ye lazy woke geetis
Good
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