Industry leaders in Ireland’s taxi sector have issued a letter to election candidates, calling for urgent political action to address safety concerns, rising operational costs, and threats to driver livelihoods.
Key recommendations include establishing a dedicated Garda Helpline for drivers, ensuring adherence to safety protocols, and increasing support for electric and wheelchair-accessible vehicles to enhance the taxi service’s sustainability.
The letter critiques the Taxis for Ireland Coalition, spearheaded by Uber and Bolt, for advocating deregulation while failing to represent the needs of drivers and passengers adequately.
Advocates emphasize the importance of maintaining regulations that ensure the availability of wheelchair-accessible taxis, highlighting that any move to lower standards would negatively impact both drivers’ livelihoods and passenger safety.
Founder of representative group Taxi Drivers Ireland, Derek O’Keeffe shared: “Ireland’s taxi drivers are facing the biggest challenge to their livelihoods for decades, and our voices are not being heard in discussions about the future of the industry. We have more than 27,000 SPSV licence holders across the country and one of the strongest taxi supplies around Europe. Despite this, there are groups campaigning to lower driver-entry standards and safety while unknown VAT liabilities threaten to block drivers from renewing their licences.
“We are calling on election candidates to support our recommendations to protect and strengthen Ireland’s taxi trade, so we can continue to offer a best-in-class passenger experience.”
Danny O’Gorman, General Manager at FREENOW Ireland, shared: “We believe the negative impact of industry deregulation is not something to be taken lightly and it would trigger a detrimental outcome for drivers as well as passengers. We work closely with our driver partners to understand their challenges, and FREENOW surveys have shown significant concerns about the impact a change in regulations would have on their livelihoods. More than half of drivers stated they would consider leaving the sector if it was opened to unlicensed drivers.
“As Ireland’s No. 1 taxi app, our priority continues to be supporting our driver partners and ensuring the best service for our passengers. We urge election candidates to support policies that protect Ireland’s taxi drivers and aid the industry’s transition to a more accessible and sustainable fleet.”
Advocacy Manager for the Irish Wheelchair Association, Joan Carthy shared: “Ensuring accessible taxis are available for people with disabilities is not just a convenience; it’s critical to their inclusion, mobility and independence and is a right enshrined under the UNCRPD (United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities). The wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) requirements for new taxis and the existing WAV Grant Scheme are crucial to ensuring the accessibility of Ireland’s taxi fleet. We believe calls on the government to scrap measures designed to make taxis more accessible will result in increased isolation of people with disabilities from their communities. Therefore, the Irish Wheelchair Association supports FREENOW in their call on all political candidates to support the maintenance of WAV taxi requirements and extension of the WAV Grant Scheme to ensure Ireland’s taxi fleet is truly accessible.”
