Hail, rain or shine: Why customers can no longer get a cab in Cork

Taxi shortages are affecting the whole country but are acute in Cork, where a new report shows 56% of peak-time requests go unfulfilled, while revellers' inability to get home is hitting pub and restaurant trade

Costs, unsociable hours, and attacks mean drivers are leaving the trade. Picture: Denis Minihane

Rising costs, unsociable hours, and the risk of being attacked. Cork taxi drivers say these are the reasons why so many of them are leaving the business, why the age profile of those still driving is getting older, and why there are fewer taxis available, day or night. 

How acute is the problem? The base manager of one Cork cab company told the Irish Examiner how they have reduced their fleet from 20 to five vehicles in just a year.

Sheila Ryan from Carrig Cabs in Carrigaline says the lack of young drivers entering the industry has a significant part to play in the sector’s demise.

“It’s very hard to get cars at the moment,” she said. “People are retiring. The age range of our drivers is between mid-50s and mid-70s. We are losing the cars to retirements. 

A lot of them are leaving now because of the restrictions of getting a new car. It’s also very expensive for anybody to take a test, get the licence, and then get the car. The cost is astronomical.

She said customer habits have also changed since pre-covid times, with a particular pinch-point now on Saturday nights.

“Thursday nights used to be a busy night for us. It’s not as hectic as Friday or Saturday now, whereas they used to be on par. One hundred cars wouldn’t be able to cover the amount of work coming in on Saturday nights.” 

Her sentiments are echoed by organisations across the country, including the Taxis for Ireland Coalition which has amplified calls for the Government to address taxi shortages. The group was established last year by organisations from the tourism, hospitality, and enterprise sectors in response to decreasing taxi numbers.

Donall O’Keeffe, CEO of the Licensed Vintners Association, addressed the worries facing members in the business community.

Donall O'Keeffe said the taxi shortage is affecting patrons' safety. Picture: Johnny Bambury/Fennells

"The current taxi shortage poses a direct threat to our late-night economy — bars, late bars, and nightclubs — with customers leaving venues early due to the difficulties they will face in getting taxis home,” he said. 

“The safety of our patrons is of paramount importance, yet the taxi shortage is affecting this. We are calling for measures to rectify the shortfall and protect the late-night economy of our capital city."

Adrian Cummins, CEO of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, also says a shortage of taxis is bad for business

The scarcity of taxis is disrupting the dining experience for our customers, with many facing challenges just getting to and from rural and urban restaurants.

“This shortfall urgently needs to be rectified to ensure the viability of our restaurants," he said.

 Adrian Cummins said the 'shortfall urgently needs to be rectified to ensure the viability of our restaurants'. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

A report by mobility consultancy Street, commissioned by Taxis for Ireland Coalition member Bolt, revealed that in Dublin, 43% of requested trips by customers go unfulfilled at peak times between noon on Friday and Sunday morning.

The report indicates that the issue is even more acute in Cork, where 56% of peak-time requests are unfulfilled, compared to 40% of off peak requests.

Further research carried out by YouGov on behalf of members of the coalition last month showed that 39% of people in Ireland are concerned about getting home safely due to the shortage of taxis. Some 64% of those surveyed said that action should be taken to help increase the number of taxis in Ireland.

The report suggests that the limited taxi supply may be resulting from outdated regulation which makes it difficult for new drivers entering the sector and prevents ride-hailing services from operating in the country. It referenced information to support its findings showing that taxi supply fell by 24% between 2007 and 2023, from 25,695 vehicles to 19,570. Meanwhile the Irish population increased by 16% in that same period.

There are currently 976 taxis operating across Cork city and county with a further 270 wheelchair taxis serving the community, according to the National Transport Authority.

However, some say particular parts of the city and county have very little coverage.

Steve Kelly from Crestfield Cabs is currently the only cab driver serving the entire Glanmire community. He had 46 drivers working in 2008 but that has dwindled over time to reflect the challenges posed by the current working environment.

“I have just one taxi so I’m using other cabs not associated with the base. Because of FreeNow I can’t get cabs to join the base,” he told the Irish Examiner.

 “I previously had 46 cars working out of Glanmire when there was a smaller population and plenty of work for everyone.” 

Mr Kelly says he hates having to reject bookings during busy periods.

I’m closing early most nights now and others are the same. I have a guilty conscience over it at times.

"I feel like this especially when I think of the elderly gentleman who likes to go out for a pint from Monday to Thursday at 5pm or 6pm but has no way back at 9pm so has to stop doing that," he said.

"The issues are mainly down to FreeNow and the fact that the bases cannot get drivers. For me to survive I would need 15 or 20 cars. If I had them, I could employ five or six base operators.” 

Recruiting drivers

He also blames the aging profile of drivers and the challenges of recruiting younger drivers into the sector.

“I wouldn’t say there is anyone under 30 in the industry. Any of the drivers I am dealing with are between 45 and 50 or upwards. One driver is 76.” 

While Cobh has approximately 20 taxis available at different times of the day, most of these are confined to daytime hours with Cobh residents citing serious difficulties securing taxis at night.

Labour councillor Cathal Rasmussen summed up the situation.

“Nobody really works through the night as the demand is not there. The day of the base is gone, with only one left — a call centre in Dublin which directs the calls. Demand is not there any more for a variety of reasons. There is the cost factor and less pubs and night trade. Drinking habits have changed. People are also using the bus service to get around. 

"The cost of setting up a car now is estimated to be between €50,000 and €60,000 to get a car properly kitted out and follow all regulations. This is a huge figure for someone starting out. People want taxis but they are not willing to pay too much for one. It is an important issue and one that will only get worse as cars and drivers sit for hours without a fare.” 

Bantry has just three taxis operating on weekdays and nights as well as weekends. This figure is half the number that was recorded in the West Cork town two years ago. Taxi drivers retiring from the industry and a shift in socialising trends are believed to be contributing to the shortage.

Derry Coughlan, the Cork representative for the Irish Taxi Federation, said he believes bogus taxi drivers are also having a negative impact on demand.

“There are a lot of bogus drivers now who are doing this on the side,” Mr Coughlan told the Irish Examiner. “It’s quite dangerous, particularly when people are getting involved in accidents. 

"Recently, there was a young fella in Cork city who told a woman that his taxi was being serviced and that was why he had the vehicle he was in. These bogus drivers are taking away from the work of real taxi drivers trying to make a living.”

Stiletto to the eye and broken bottle to neck

A Cork cabbie who has been assaulted by passengers on multiple occasions — including a stiletto to the eye and a broken bottle held to his neck — says the rise in vicious assaults is to blame for a shortage of drivers at night.

John Constant, a taxi driver in Cork city, says his family has been pleading with him for years to quit the industry following a string of attacks. Mr Constant says, however, it is not financially viable to abandon night shifts.

John Constant was assaulted after dropping a fare in Glounthaune, Co Cork. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

The father of two wants the National Transport Authority to provide better support for taxi drivers who are assaulted while working, and he wants greater penalties for those who commit such assaults.

Mr Constant has spent four decades in the job and has suffered a number of terrifying encounters with passengers that continue to haunt him.

One particularly terrifying memory is of the night he had a broken bottle held to his neck by a passenger demanding cash.

He asked me for the time so I looked down for a second. The moment I looked up there was a broken bottle up to my neck.

The culprit received a six-month prison sentence for his crime. However, John says that he is the one serving time.

“They [his attackers] have forgotten about it. The only time they’ll remember it is if it is highlighted on the news. There is no message I could give them to get across the damage they have done.

"If there were more severe penalties then it might deter people. However, it’s not his fault he got away with it. It’s the system's. There are other people out there who have gotten hurt. Many are afraid to speak up, so I speak for them too.” 

Countless phone calls from his concerned wife now form part of a typical night for Mr Constant.

Serious impact

“This has had a serious impact, not just on me, but also on my wife and kids. I can’t go out to work now without my wife ringing me. She’ll ask me casual questions like 'how are you doing now?' and 'are you busy?' In reality, I know she’s not phoning for a chat. She’s ringing to make sure I’m not in a ditch or hurt somewhere. I have a son who lives in France and every week he rings me. He wants me to retire so I can move abroad and live with him.” 

In 2015 Mr Constant was assaulted by a group after one of them got sick in his minivan.

He discovered the vomit while dropping six men home after a night out from the Grand Parade. When he pointed to the vomit, he was assaulted. He sustained a black eye and a broken nose in the attack

A bloodshot eye serves as a reminder of another occasion where the girlfriend of a passenger used her stiletto as a weapon. He recalls how the fare took a violent turn after the man refused to pay what was owed.

Mr Constant admits he has not reported every attack to gardaí. He described how one reveller punched him in the face in Cork city before fleeing the scene.

“I knew who he [the attacker] was and that there would be consequences if I reported him so I decided to let it go. A garda who was around at the time said they were shocked that I wasn’t reporting him but I felt it was the right thing to do.” 

'I have to stay working nights because I have bills to pay and a household to run,' says John Constant. Picture: Larry Cummins

Despite the risks and the assaults, Mr Constant insists there’s not enough work by day to make a decent living.

“There are people sitting in the rank all day. It’s when the buses stop that we earn the few bob. I have to stay working nights because I have bills to pay and a household to run. When I have jobs during the day, I operate on a phone system and collect people from their houses. This means they are traceable. However, when you’re picking people up from the streets there is no way of knowing who you have.” 

He praised his family for their continued support.

“The assaults took away some of my self-confidence. That’s definitely the case. What kept me through the night shift was my family and absolute necessity. I don’t know how the lads who work by day make any money. I did days for a long time and the money just isn’t there. There could be two or three trains coming in and still no customers.”

Little support

Mr Constant said taxi drivers who fall victim to assaults have little support.

“If a bus driver is injured on the job and out of work they get compensated. The taxi driver gets nothing. Even if taxi drivers were given something until their vehicles were sorted out it would go some way to helping them.” 

He says he now has to be extra cautious every time he picks up a fare.

“Every time you pick up a group or even a single individual you are scanning them first. I do this as soon as they pull up. I try and suss them out in those few seconds because those few seconds are all I have. “ 

The 66-year-old says he never anticipated the way things would develop when he started out as a young driver.

“It didn’t happen back then. I can still remember my first fare. The lady gave me a £5 tip because it was my first job. “ 

Fellow Cork taxi-driver Bobby Lynch said he no longer works nights due to the dangers it presents.

“There are nights when you can’t pull up because there are people kicking your car and jumping on top of it,” Mr Lynch said. “I’ve also had my taxi stolen.” 

Cork taxi driver Billy Murphy says 'it’s hard to tell if they are going to take out a knife or a tip'.   Picture: Jim Coughlan

Billy Murphy, who operates a taxi in Cork city, avoids night-time shifts due to the risks.

“I haven’t driven a taxi at night-time in 30 years because I have too much sense and I value my safety,” Mr Murphy said. 

“People ask why we aren’t in Patrick St at night. It’s because of these scumbags that taxi drivers are being forced out of the city. 95% of people are perfect. The issue is that you don’t know if the 5% are sitting in the back of your taxi. In these situations, it’s hard to tell if they are going to take out a knife or a tip. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t want the publicity if the assault is a minor one, which means that many crimes go unreported.” 

He urged the public to demonstrate more understanding.

“People are only looking at it from the point of view of the drunk guy on the street who wants to get home. If town is a perfect place you have to ask yourself why there are two or three bouncers at almost every pub door. They have a bouncer to throw you out of the bar and we are meant to pick you up.” 

Billy thinks the level of violence in Cork city has definitely escalated over the years.

“When I was in my 20s if you fell down on Patrick St someone would come over and pick you up. Now, they would take your money. This is not alone a taxi problem, it’s a social problem.” 

No-card policy

Fellow Cork taxi driver Willie Wyse also refuses night work due to its unpredictable nature.

“If a passenger decides they are going to kick up then you are in trouble. The latest I work is 8pm or 8.30pm, maybe even 9pm but that’s about it. All it takes is 10 minutes of madness to turn your whole life around.”

He said he is willing to risk facing a judge in court following a controversial decision to refuse card payments in his cab.

Cork taxi driver Willie Wyse says he has received two fixed-penalty notices in relation to his strict ‘no-card’ policy. Picture: Jim Coughlan

Mr Wyse said he has already received two fixed-penalty notices in relation to his strict ‘no-card’ policy. Nonetheless, the ‘cash only’ signs emblazoned across his vehicle remain.

 The bold statement runs contrary to measures introduced in September 2022 requiring taxi drivers to provide cashless transaction options. This means that a physical device or terminal to accept cashless payments is now mandatory in every taxi. Drivers are also prohibited from implementing surcharges on cashless transactions.

Mr Wyse says there are several reasons why he continues to take cash only. “I don’t have a bank account, I don’t have a post office account, and I don’t have a credit union account,” he told the Irish Examiner. 

“I closed my bank account in 2010 after we bailed out the banks and I swore I’d never open one again. When I was told that this was going to be law in September of 2022 I put the signs up to save conflict.

I was willing to go before the court and let the judge make the decision. If I have to, I will, but taxi drivers are losing somewhere in the region of 5% to the card supplier and their bank. 

"If you are taking fares by day and by night and they are all by card then that adds up. If you are looking at that on a monthly and daily basis you could be losing anything between €5,000 and €10,000 per year. If you are taking a cash job then you are taking the full fare.” 

The Cork man said it is not the technology that worries him.

“This is not a technology issue. It’s about an authority trying to impose their will against people’s wishes. If what I’m doing is wrong then why aren’t more people prosecuted for not accepting cards? I am the only taxi driver in town with signs up on my taxi saying ‘no card payments’ and ‘cash only.’ 

"It’s on the windows. It’s on the dashboard. People pass me by and take another taxi and I don’t mind that, but I shouldn’t have to take cards.” 

Mr Wyse received a response to a Freedom of Information Act request he submitted in August 2023 which shows that some 45 fixed-penalty notices were issued to taxi drivers between September 1, 2022, and August 21, 2023, after they refused to offer cashless transactions. There were 53 fixed- penalty notices issued for failure to carry a functioning payment device in that same period. Two cases in total resulted in convictions.

Fellow Cork taxi driver Billy Murphy said digital payment options come with their own challenges.

“In relation to cards, the machine is subject to a radio signal,” Mr Murphy said. “There are certain areas where you can’t make a card transaction because there is no signal. You might say that’s nothing but there are times when you have to drive a mile or two down the road just to get a radio signal.

"It’s like owning a television and having the signal going. How can you enforce something when you are not providing the facilities to make it work? This creates a lot of friction and it’s difficult for people to understand the real difficulty we are facing.” 

In a statement, the National Transport Authority told the Irish Examiner:

“The law was introduced on September 1, 2022, within the Small Public Service Vehicle [Cashless Payment Facility] Regulations 2022 [SI 294 of 2022]. As a result, it became a legal requirement for each taxi to have a functioning cashless payment device and for drivers to accept cashless payments."

The NTA asks customers to submit complaints through the Transport for Ireland website at www.transportforireland.ie/support/taxi-compliments-complaints/

A €200 fixed payment notice may be issued on foot of a complaint received for either of the following related offences: Failure to carry a functioning cashless payment device or failure to accept cashless payment.

Wheelchair user almost missed wife's funeral

An elderly wheelchair user nearly missed his own wife’s funeral after unsuccessful attempts by his family to book an accessible taxi.

Humphrey Dinan travelled home from France with his family to attend his mother’s funeral, which took place last Monday. However, booking an accessible taxi to take his 92-year-old father from Sunday’s Well to the Church of the Most Precious Blood, Clogheen, proved impossible, even with advanced notice. 

Humphrey Dinan could not get an accessible taxi for his father, a wheelchair user.

The Cork native had to pull out all the stops to source alternative transport, which was organised through the Mums of Glanmire Facebook page. Humphrey said he was extremely grateful to the people who helped his family, but he is also determined to highlight the experience as a means to help others.

The father of three told the Irish Examiner how hard it was to get a taxi.

“A lot of the websites only had options to a send an email or Facebook message. There was no traditional number with an operator you could just ring up and ask for a cab. A couple of them came back and said sorry that they couldn’t facilitate it," he said.

He said it was an unnecessary stress for a grieving family.

“I try not to get angry but it definitely was frustrating. The point is I had to take an hour out of my day just before my 90-year-old mother’s funeral to find a way of making sure my Dad made it to the church with us. This was time I should have been spending with my mother, who was waked at home. It was time that I should have spent chatting to her and also supporting my children, who found it all very difficult. 

"Instead, I had to spend it trying to get a taxi. I don’t want this to be picked up and turned into a political battle piece because it doesn’t need to be. What it needs to be is a quick fix.” 

He said having to use alternative transport was difficult for everyone involved.

“We had to try and squeeze my dad into this Skoda Octavia. Trying to help him in was horrible. It just wasn’t a nice experience. 

This was an emotive time anyway. We are all upset that Mum is gone but all somebody had to say was 'I have a taxi and I’ll come and pick you up'.

"It’s 2024 and with Cork being a major city I thought we would had better access to facilities like this.” 

He described how their efforts using apps such as Uber were also in vain.

“I'm a great believer in keeping things very simple. People have a tendency these days to overcomplicate things and overemphasise the importance of technology. There are multiple apps and various forms of technology available but on this occasion they didn’t help. The function was to provide this type of service to a person in a wheelchair, but nobody was able to do that.” 

Mr Dinan said he fears for younger generations with disabilities trying to avail of transport.

“The question is, how is it that someone tried to get a wheelchair taxi but couldn’t? It’s unfair and also cruel. It makes you think about how difficult it must be for young people with disabilities who would like to just go out and broaden their horizons on a Sunday afternoon.”

Card payments refused by drivers

Georgina Hallows is from Ballincollig and a regular taxi user. However, she says there have been nights out when she fears she will be stranded in the city centre as drivers refuse to allow her to pay by card.

The National Transport Authority made it a requirement in September 2022 for drivers to accept cards, stating that all licensed taxi drivers are required to be equipped with a physical device or terminal to accept cashless payments.

Georgina Hallows said she experienced difficulties with taxi drivers adopting cash-only policies.

However, Georgina says some drivers are still refusing card payments and recalls how her payment was recently refused three times on one night.

There were people behind us who were waiting for a taxi and they were able to get a lift because they had cash.

"The bar had shut at that stage so we couldn’t even go back in and get cashback," she said.

"There was one guy who just shook his head when I asked him if he accepted cards before driving, literally a foot, away from me. All the taxi drivers were refusing to take cards as legal tender.” 

The 32-year-old said that taxi apps also pose difficulties.

“I remember being on the app and calling a taxi. We would be accepted and the taxi would appear. You see it’s them because you can view the registration number through the app. However, when they got there, they cancelled us. My friend and I were looking at the transactions the next day and realised that there were six taxis arrived for us in the one night. She had three on her phone and I had three on mine.” 

Georgina said she has also been refused because of the length of the journey.

“My husband and I were at a party and were waiting over half an hour for the app to refresh," she said.

"When the taxi arrived, I asked the driver if he could take us to Ballincollig, but he told us that the length of the journey was not worth his while and drove off. This was after accepting the request on the app.”