Posted on the 24th November 2025 in PHTM News

IRISH TAXI DRIVERS PROTEST UBERS FIXED FARES AS INDUSTRY REGULATION DEBATE RAGES

Over 1,500 taxi drivers from across Ireland staged a slow protest outside Irish Parliament on Saturday, November 22, calling for an update to industry regulations which they claim are failing to keep pace with app-based dispatchers like Uber.

The demonstration was organised in response to Uber’s recently introduced fixed price model, which offers passengers an upfront fare calculated by the app's algorithm. This is an alternative to the National Transport Authority’s (NTA) regulated meter fare.

Around a third of Ireland’s 17,400 licensed taxi drivers use the dispatch service, with many "switching off their Uber app" in protest.

Drivers and industry representatives argue the move undermines the NTA’s regulated fare system, which they view as ensuring transparency.

Irish National Private Hire and Taxi Association spokesman, Jim Waldron, expressed concern over Uber's actions: "Uber is basically trying to interfere with that fare process and in our opinion and in drivers' opinion, create a culture of fixed fares... The National Transport Authority set the fares at a level that they believe is both affordable for the passenger and sustainable for the drivers, it’s set by the Government."

Mr. Waldron warned that the potential dismantling of the fares system - which is reviewed every two years - could lead to "chaos."

He added: "It's the goal of Uber to get control of the pricing system and this is the first step. It's their playbook... The customer looks at it and say 'I'm saving money, what's wrong with that’? They don't realise that down the line, the taxi industry will falter, supply will fall, we won't be able to survive..."

Protest co-ordinator David Mitchell called for ministerial intervention, stating: "If Uber gets away with this and undermine the fare system, then it becomes the wild west, because there's no regulation on how little they can charge... we're also asking that Minister O'Brien and the NTA come out and do something to fix this - and update legislation to reflect the industry as it is today."

Uber defended its fixed price offer, stating in a statement to RTÉ that it does not breach fare regulations. The company noted that riders are "much more likely to book a trip" if they know the fare, which creates "more earning opportunities" for drivers.

The NTA confirmed that while charging above the maximum fare is prosecutable, "charging below the maximum fare is permitted." The NTA also stressed it is not "party to commercial or contractual arrangements between SPSV drivers and their dispatch operators."

Dr. Ciarán Mac Domhnaill, a Transport Economist at University College Dublin, noted that Uber is acting "within the letter of the law" by utilising a rule that permits drivers to negotiate a lower fare. However, he stressed that the 2013 Taxi Regulation Act is now out of date.

"It is very much in line with the letter of the law, but when these regulations were set out, Uber and other ride hailing services were less dominant, were only emerging," he said.

Dr. Mac Domhnaill warned that while the policy is pro-consumer in the short term, the long-term risk is a decline in supply. "If there is going to be a lower price than that going forward, then it's not going to be worthwhile for some taxi drivers to continue and ultimately the supply of taxis will decrease, especially in low profit areas and off-peak times."


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