Coalition warns of severe taxi shortage over weekend events

The CEO of the Licensed Vintners Association, Donall O’Keeffe, said they don't want people to feel stranded at night for taxis in areas they may be unfamiliar with

The coalition is proposing a 30% increase in taxi vehicles by 2027. Picture: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

Dublin has been warned of a severe taxi shortage this weekend, with more than 600,000 people gathering for events including the Taylor Swift concert and GAA senior football games.

The Taxis for Ireland Coalition is urging the National Transport Authority and the Government to take immediate action to address the shortage of taxis.

They propose a 30% increase in taxi vehicles by 2027, saying it would be a step towards alleviating the impact of driver and vehicle number decrease over the past decade, coupled with Ireland's population growth.

They said the last weekend in June is a particularly busy period, as thousands of people will descend upon the capital to attend Taylor Swift, Longitude, and Shania Twain concerts, with thousands more attending the Dublin Pride Parade on Saturday and matches in Croke Park on Sunday.

The CEO of the Licensed Vintners Association, Donall O’Keeffe, said the coalition doesn't want people in Dublin to feel stranded and waiting late at night for taxis in areas they may be unfamiliar with.

"Taxis provide that extra layer of safety, particularly for visitors attending the city," he said.

The Taxis for Ireland Coalition said the last weekend in June is particularly busy, with thousands attending the Dublin Pride Parade and other events. Picture: Eamonn Farrell /RollingNews.ie

"We want Dublin and Ireland to remain competitive when it comes to hosting large events, however, we need to ensure additional taxi availability for the night-time economy — in particular to enhance the experience of visitors to our capital city," he said.

The CEO of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, said tourists will also suffer from the taxi shortage. 

"Taxis provide an essential service, particularly for tourists who often need to go door-to-door and can struggle with navigating the public transport system," he said.

The coalition is also calling for the removal of the wheelchair accessible vehicle requirement for newly registered small public service vehicles (SPSV) and a re-assessment of the SPSV Driver Entry Test’s geography-based knowledge requirements. 

They said the removal of the wheelchair accessible vehicle requirement, but the continuation of the vehicle grant, would mean a larger pool of taxis to choose from — meaning that people who do not need a wheelchair accessible vehicle will not be booking one unnecessarily.

The coalition said these measures would alleviate the current burdens facing prospective new drivers and would increase overall supply into the market.