Cork taxi drivers earn the most, but work longer hours

Taxi drivers in Cork have higher weekly earnings than their counterparts in Dublin and Athlone, but also work slightly longer hours.

A study by the National Transport Authority analysed 50,000 fares in 85 vehicles in the three locations.

Cork taxi drivers earned, on average, €650 per week. The average in Dublin was €635 and in Athlone it was €382.

The analysis showed that taxi drivers in Cork worked, on average, 5.4 days per week, with 68% of drivers working at least five days per week.

Taxi drivers in Dublin and Athlone worked, on average, 5.3 days per week.

A Cork-based taxi is in service for 5.4 hours, on average, each day that a driver works.

According to the study, a taxi is occupied 32% of the time that it is in service.

Taxis in Cork travel an average of 13.7km in each hiring cycle, with 5.9km of this accounted for by a fare.

The survey was conducted by the NTA, on foot of the Taxi Regulation Review Report, in 2012, which recommended the publishing of industry information to allow potential entrants to assess possible earnings in the sector.

In Cork, data was taken from 19 taxis in the city, which recorded 14,600 trips worth €183,000 in fares. Half of all trips were less than 5.5km.

The report found that drivers showed a bias towards unsocial hours, such as from 8pm-8am and on Sundays and public holidays, when premium fares can be charged.

A total of 65% of all trips were taken during these unsocial hours. The average fare for Cork taxi drivers was €12.96.

Total weekly revenue for the drivers ranged from €80 to €1,153, with an average of €650. The amount was largely dictated by the amount of hours worked.

On average, the drivers earned €22.20 per hour.

“Driver work habits vary widely. Some work long hours, but on only a few days per week. Others work every day, but usually for only a few hours,” the report stated.