1,700 taxi drivers gave up licences in 2014

More than 1,700 taxi drivers quit their jobs last year as the number of taxi driver licences in Ireland fell below 30,000 for the first time in a decade.

Data from the National Transport Authority (NTA) shows there were 1,729 fewer taxi licence holders at the end of 2014 compared to 12 months earlier.

It means the number of people working in the sector has declined by 38% since 2009, when the figure peaked at more than 47,200 drivers following deregulation of the industry in 2000.