Taxi regulation and Uber
Deputy Boyd Barrett pressed the Minister on Uber’s threat to the regulated taxi sector and asked that existing rules be enforced or changed to protect drivers from surge pricing and livelihood loss. After several interruptions, the Minister said he had written to the NTA, would pursue the issue, and was engaging with taxi representatives and the taxi forum.
Minister-----
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I asked a question and the Minister has not answered it.
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I was in the middle of answering it.
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Minister-----
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Deputy Farrelly you are in other Members' time now. I call Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett.
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I am glad the Minister for Transport is here. He was not here when I raised, on behalf of the taxi drivers of this country, the issue of Uber and its attempt to undermine the regulated taxi industry and the livelihoods of nearly 20,000 taxi drivers. On Saturday, along with thousands of taxi drivers, I participated in a protest at Merrion Square. They are asking that the Government enforce its own regulations or, if necessary, amend the legislation to protect their livelihoods given the efforts of Uber to undermine the regulated fare structure. What they are asking for, which is a win-win for everybody, is that there would be a not-for-profit, publicly-run, National Transport Authority-run app, which all of them would sign up for. This would mean money for Revenue and money for the Exchequer. It would mean the protection of the regulated taxi industry and the protection of the livelihoods of taxi drivers-----
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-----and it would prevent surge pricing, which is what Uber-----
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-----and companies will bring in if they get the chance.
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I am very pleased Deputy Boyd Barrett-----
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They will be protesting on Thursday as well.
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I know that too. I have a lot of friends who are taxi drivers who work in the industry and I am a big supporter of our taxi drivers and the sector-----
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Did you tell them you will meet the NTA on Thursday?
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In fairness, Richard is just back, and it is good-----
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-----to see him back. I have written to the NTA on this very specific issue - I mention friends, constituents of mine and, indeed, people across the country - in my role as Minister for Transport so I want to get to the bottom of this. I have asked the NTA to look at it. I attend the taxi forum. I attended just four or five months ago and I will be attending again this week. I do not have an answer back from the NTA yet. I wrote to it on 19 November. I was at COP30 last week but I will be chasing it up this week. I will be engaged with the taxi representative bodies on this matter. I want to see what the regulatory framework is for this. It is a concern to many taxi drivers, unquestionably, and I will be working on it-----