A Dublin taxi driver has urged the Government to "sit down with taxi drivers" to hammer out their concerns over the increase in commissions amid a taxi shortage.
The taxi situation in the capital was described as a "shambles" after many people were forced to walk long distances home in the capital last weekend. It comes as the Covid pandemic saw a decrease in the number of taxis and by the end of 2020, there were just 19,350 taxis on the road in Ireland.
One taxi driver, who did not wish to be named, told Dublin Live that drivers working with FREE NOW are upset about the commission with the company rising to 15%.
Read more: Dublin man claims Free Now charges are forcing taxi drivers to switch off app
He said: "At night in Dublin people can't get taxis with FREE NOW because drivers won't pay the commission which has risen to 15%. I see drivers on ranks parked up and around the corner there is 10 people looking for a taxi.
"We should be directing people to the ranks to get taxis and if people stay outside a pub they won't get a taxi, there's no chance of getting a taxi. Taxi drivers would be happy to work a taxi app if the price was right. I reckon the NTA should set up a taxi booking app with say 5% commission with taxi drivers obliged to do a certain amount of jobs from the app, it would take over from FREE NOW and could be rolled out nationwide."
Meanwhile, the driver said that only 32 new taxis were added to the Dublin fleet in 2022, and there are also issues to make taxis more wheelchair friendly.
He said: "I just feel the government needs to sit down with the taxi drivers to hammer this out. It's 30 jobs a week on the platform, at peak hours it is five to 10 of the app on a Saturday night. If it goes the way of Lyft and Uber, I'd pull out of the taxi business altogether."
In a statement to Dublin Live, FREE NOW Ireland General Manager, Niall Carson, said: "The commission rate charged to FREE NOW’s driver partners is 15% - this is a flat rate applied to all FREE NOW journeys and doesn’t fluctuate. FREE NOW offers incentives to drivers on a rolling basis in line with completing peak time jobs.
"Our commission charge is essential to the continued provision and improvement of our app which many drivers and passengers use and rely upon for flexible transport. Our active drivers are now completing more trips than pre-pandemic - servicing around 35% more taxi journeys since the beginning of 2022 versus the same period in 2019.
"And at peak late-night times we currently have comparable, if not higher, volumes of active drivers logged onto the app versus 2019."
Mr Carson said that possible solutions to the taxi shortage issue is a collaborative effort from public transport providers and the NTA, and for the sector to support existing drivers.
He said: "Firstly, a collaborative effort is needed from public transport providers and the NTA to support the development of a more robust night-time transport infrastructure, like what we see in other European countries which would reduce an over-reliance on one form of transport i.e. taxis. In this vein, we welcome proposed changes to legislation by government on the night-time sector and recommendations for the introduction of more late-night transport options like 24hr buses in cities like Dublin for example, and the staggering of closing times for hospitality.
"Secondly, the sector needs to support our existing taxi drivers to ensure that they can continue to provide essential and on-demand public transport while maintaining a reasonable standard of living and a job that they enjoy."
A spokesman for the National Transport Authority told Dublin Live that its statutory regulatory remit does not extend to the arrangement between drivers and the companies that own the app.
He said: "We acknowledge that there is an increase in demand for transport late at night, particularly at weekends and improving the availability of taxis late at night is certainly part of the solution. Thanks to Covid some drivers left the industry, with overall driver numbers in Dublin falling by about 5%.
"This decline has slowed down and 229 new SPSV driver licences have been issued so far this year for drivers in Dublin."
Meanwhile, the NTA also confirmed that taxi drivers can expect an increase in fares in September. The National Transport Authority Board approved the increase last Friday, saying it "reflects the increase in operating costs faced by taxi drivers".
The increase is the first since 2018 when taxi fares rose by 4.5% on average. The NTA is also set to launch a recruitment campaign to attract more taxi drivers, and the last time they did this in 2018 an additional 3,000 drivers entered into the industry.
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