Taxi prices increase by 9pc, with passengers facing further ‘extra’ charges

The National Transport Authority’s (NTA) has increased taxi fares by 9pc. Meanwhile, an extra €1 charge fee for pre-booking a taxi through taxi apps, increasing it from €2 to €3, brings the increase to over 10pc. Taxi app, Uber, has criticised the NTA’s decision, saying it believes this move will negatively impact the night-time economy in Ireland and fails to address the ongoing taxi shortage.

Uber said the NTA’s decision to increase pre-booking fees and extend peak-time rates will significantly increase the cost of taxi journeys. The "special rate," which currently applies to taxi fares during Christmas and New Year's, has also been extended to weekend peak times. This means that taxis taken at this time will cost users €2 per kilometre, on top of the pre-booking charge and the initial charge.



"This will disproportionately affect workers in the hospitality, entertainment, and nightlife sectors,” the company said in response to the measures, which came into effect yesterday. They also point to the NTA’s Taxi Driver Survey published in August 2024 which found that only 14pc of current drivers would be encouraged to start driving nights with increased prices. The survey also outlined that 19pc of drivers stopped working nights as it was “not financially worth it”.

Head of Uber Ireland, Kieran Harte said being the only door-to-door public transport service, taxis are a vital part of Ireland’s transport network, “especially at night”. “This decision will not only discourage people from enjoying the night-time economy but will also harm businesses that rely on late-night trade. Ireland is already more expensive compared to the UK, France, USA and Australia while this decision will penalise users further,” he said.

Uber are calling for practical measures to attract and retain more drivers, such as improving driver and customer safety, reducing the cost of entry for new drivers and updating the SPSV Driver Entry Test’s specific geography-based knowledge requirements. “Uber believes that expanding the taxi fleet is crucial to improving reliability and accessibility, particularly in rural Ireland and at night. We, and the Taxis for Ireland Coalition, urge the NTA to implement proactive policies that will lead to a 30pc increase in the number of taxis nationwide by 2027,” added Kieran Harte.

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