An assessment of taxi booking service licensing in Ireland has been requested by the Minister for Transport in the wake of driver protests over Uber’s new fixed price fare plan.
Darragh O’Brien’s spokeswoman said he has been engaging with the National Transport Authority (NTA) on the issue and has asked it to conduct a “regulatory assessment of dispatch operator licensing in Ireland” to ensure it is up to date.
Dispatch operators are the providers of taxi booking services. They must have a dispatch operator licence provided by the NTA.
Last month, Uber announced it was launching a fixed-price taxi service in Ireland. Users can choose to agree a maximum fare before their trip, rendering the taxi meter irrelevant if it ticks over that number.
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Uber says it is offering passengers clarity on what they will pay and gives drivers more “earning opportunities”.
[ Uber in Dublin: Are taxi fares about to become a lot cheaper?Opens in new window ]
A six-day taxi driver protest over Uber’s fixed fares had been scheduled to take place in Dublin this week and was set to be the third such “go-slow” demonstration against the new pricing plan for the city. On Sunday, Taxi Drivers Ireland confirmed it was suspending further escalation in anticipation of Government engagement.
On Thursday, the Minister’s spokeswoman said the NTA has informed him that the charging of a fixed fare accords with the relevant regulations.
“He has also been advised that the NTA continues to keep the regulatory model under review,” she said.
Mr O’Brien asked the Advisory Committee on Small Public Service Vehicles (SPSVs), which is an independent body established under the Taxi Regulation Act, to urgently consider the regulatory position.
The spokeswoman said the committee supported the regulatory model and acknowledged the important work of taxi drivers. It also concluded that the legislation should be assessed to check it is up to date, given changes to the taxi driver sector, including the growing role of technology and booking apps, since the Taxi Regulation Act was introduced in 2013.
She said the committee recomended that dispatch operator data should be available to the NTA and there should be an examination of technology charges in the sector.
The spokeswoman said the Minister has asked for all stakeholders to be afforded an opportunity to “feed into this work as soon as possible”.
“The structure of the SPSV market has undoubtedly changed over the last number of years, particularly in relation to the role of dispatch operators,” she said.
She said Mr O’Brien is not involved in the day-to-day operation of the taxi sector.
Commenting previously on its fare changes, an Uber spokesperson said passengers are “much more likely to book a trip if they know what the fare is going to be”. This creates “more earning opportunities for drivers across Ireland”.
“Before accepting a trip, drivers can see their estimated earnings and the route used to calculate this amount, which also includes factors like traffic and time of day,” the spokesperson said previously.
