Major changes are happening to taxis in Dublin and around the country next week as fares are set to increase.
From next Thursday, fares will rise by an average of 12%. It will also be mandatory for taxis to accept card payment for journeys, as well as cash.
The National Transport Authority Board approved the increase in June, saying it "reflects the increase in operating costs faced by taxi drivers". The increase is the first since 2018 when taxi fares rose by an average of 4.5%.
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Taxi fares are examined by the National Transport Authority every two years and drivers were due to get a 5% increase in 2020. However, NTA Director of Public Transport Regulation Wendy Thompson said drivers decided not to take that "given the situation the country was in".
Ms Thompson told RTE News At One that this year's fare review examined "all the running costs that a driver has to pay to give a taxi service in today's economic environment," including fuel prices, energy prices and cost of vehicles, as well as the cost of living for both drivers and passengers.
She added: "This time, because of what is going on the post-pandemic era and renewed socialising, we also strongly considered passenger demand and how that has changed from pre-Covid times, particularly for night time trips which are up around 45% in Dublin for example."
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