Richard Boyd Barrett warns Uber fixed fares threaten taxi livelihoods

Minister, there is a great alarm, anger and concern among taxi drivers across the country because of the moves by Uber to introduce a fixed fare system. As the question outlined by Deputy Pat Daly earlier on alluded to, there is a very serious question whether this fixed fares being brought in by Uber actually circumvents or undermines or subverts the taxi regulation legislation in this country, which is designed to protect the regulation of the taxi industry and the livelihoods of taxi drivers and the existing fare structure based on the taxi meter, which is negotiated every couple of years and which takes into account the need for taxi drivers to have a fair income and take into account their costs and so on, rather than have price competition, which can undermine their livelihoods and their incomes. And this fixed fare structure that Uber are trying to bring in is undermining that. It is undermining the taxi meter and means that taxi drivers are not getting the fare that they should get according to the meter. And just in case customers or consumers out there might think this is somehow a good thing for them, they should bear in mind that what happens when Uber get their way, even if people might think in this case there might be some short-term benefit to this, In reality what Uber do everywhere is undermine the proper regulation of the taxi industry. Here we have proper regulation so you know who your taxi driver is, there is safety and accountability in terms of who your taxi driver is, it is somebody who is a proper taxi driver, regulated taxi driver with a licence. What Uber do is try and get rid of all of that and introduce a situation where basically anybody at all can moonlight as a taxi driver and you have the industry, if you like, and the livelihoods of taxi drivers undermined. And once they have succeeded in doing that, deregulating the industry, then they can jack up the fixed fares. And they can add in all sorts of charges. And the accountability that currently the customer and the taxi driver, the relationship they have, where you can see the meter, you can see what you are going to be charged because it is legally regulated what the charges are going to be, all that potentially goes out the window once Uber get in and prize open the market. So the question really is, the taxi drivers are protesting this Saturday about it, they have called for a boycott of Uber and I think they are absolutely right. Taxi drivers should delete the Uber app and you know themselves take action to get Uber out. But the government should also intervene to stop what I think the taxi drivers rightly believe to be an action by Uber which is undermining the regulation of the taxi industry as set out in the Taxi Regulation Acts and in the maximum fair order. First of all, thank you very much Deputy White Barrier for asking this question. Neither the Minister for Transport nor his department are involved in the day-to-day operation of the small public service vehicle sector. The National Transport Authority, the independent transport regulator, has the responsibility for setting taxi fares under the provisions of the Consolidated Taxi Regulation Act 2013 and 2016. I am informed that on the 3rd of November 2025, Uber Ireland introduced a new option on their platform, providing their customers with a single maximum price for a trip before requesting. This option is referred to on their platform as Taxi Fixed Price. Usually when booking a taxi with Uber or other dispatch operators, a price range of the approximate cost of the journey is shown. With the Uber taxi fixed price option, I understand that the customer is now provided with the maximum guaranteed price up front. If the final price on the taxi meter is less than the initial maximum price, the user pays the lower price on the meter. If the final price on the taxi meter is greater than the maximum price, then the users pay the maximum price only. From a legislative perspective, Section 24 of the Consolidated Taxi Regulation Act 2013 and 2016 empowers the NTA Board to make a maximum fares order, fixing the maximum fare that may be charged by the driver of a taxi for any one journey. The current maximum fare orders took effect in December 2024 and a maximum fare review is carried out approximately every two years. The NTA has conducted these reviews since 2011. It is important to note that Hackneys and Limousines agree their fares in advance and do not use a meter. The NTA's most recent fare review was undertaken between November 2023 and March 2024. During this review, the NTA took account of the most significant economic issues that were relevant to the SPSV sector, which included inflation and cost of living, fuel prices and energy supply, geopolitical uncertainty and increased public transport availability. Following this review and the public consultation on the matter, the NTA introduced the Taxi Regulation Maximum Fares Order 2024, which increased taxi fares by an average of 9 per cent. This came into operation on 1 December 2024 and ensured that taxi fares continued to reflect the rising costs associated with operating a taxi in Ireland. This increase includes a special rate for the weekend peak, midnight to 4 a.m. on Friday night into Saturday morning and Saturday night into Sunday morning year round, to incentivise more drivers to service the night-time economy. This followed on from the October 2022 order, of which a 12 per cent increase in fares was introduced. As set out in the legislation, charging more than the maximum fare can lead to a prosecution. However, charging below the maximum fare is permitted. The Minister understands that the Uber fixed price offer does not breach the maximum fare regulatory provision for taxis or constitutional offence associated with the misuse of the taximetres. SPSV operators are self-implied and may decide whether or not to sign up with a licensed dispatch operator such as Uber. They are not obliged to be affiliated with any dispatch operator. Where they choose to do so, taxi drivers are free to contract with a dispatch operator of their choice. Neither the Minister nor the NTA are parties to this commercial or contractual arrangement between the SPSV drivers and their dispatch operators. Accordingly, the Department and the NTA have no role in the approval of such matters. There is a fixed payment offences associated with the misuse of taximetres set out in the NTA and small public service vehicle, fixed payment offences and driver's licence period regulation 2022. Thank you, Minister Deputy. Minister Deputy. Minister Deputy. The point is that taxi drivers can and now are what many of them would never have signed up with Uber and recognised the threat that Uber represented to the industry and their desire, ultimately, to try and deregulate the entire industry and do away with it as an industry and undermine the law of the industry. that Uber represented to the industry and their desire ultimately to try and deregulate the entire industry and do away with it as an industry and undermine the livelihoods of this country about 20,000 taxi drivers. But many would have signed up not probably knowing what the implications of signing up with Uber are. That is why they are now calling for a boycott and for the deletion of the Uber app. But the point from the point of view of the government is we have a regulated industry. Ireland I think supported Catalonia in a legal case about this, about establishing the right of countries to regulate their own taxi industry and that was the government responding to pressures from taxi drivers to protect the taxi industry as a key part of our public transport system and to protect the livelihoods of taxi drivers. And these companies like Uber and others, but Uber really leading the charge, want to undermine, they want to create downward price competition which will undermine the livelihoods of taxi drivers and they shouldn't be allowed to do it. As I said, any misconception that somehow the customer is going to benefit from this, they'll be sorry in the medium to long term because once Uber get in and destroy the livelihoods of ordinary taxi drivers and deregulate the industry then they can jack up the fixed prices to whatever they want. And what you actually get is dynamic pricing going upwards in many cases. So what I think the taxi drivers would like to see the government do is come in and enforce their own legislation to protect the regulation of the industry which Uber are trying to undermine. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Deputy. I suppose, as I mentioned in my opening statement, the regulation of the SPSV industry including the setting of fares is a matter for the independent transport regulator. I think it's also important to say that the taxi fixed price is a new trip option recently introduced by Uber in Ireland where passengers see a single maximum price for the trip before requesting it. I understand that the Uber tax fixed price is also available in other jurisdictions across Europe. I understand that how it works is that a price is displayed in advance showing the maximum fare for the ride and the user pays the lower or the metered fare or the maximum price fare. It is set out in the legislation that charges in excess of the maximum fare can lead to prosecution, although charging below the maximum fare is permitted. And this is probably the Colonel Lafayette problem is that if they're under pricing, that it means that they are pricing other people out of the market. I think it's something that we can go back and look at from the point of view of within the department and talk to the NTA about it. It is, but also we have to make sure that whatever is being done at the moment, I don't think it's breaching regulations. It may be closing, but it's actually using the pricing structures to bring down the price a bit, which customers will feel isn't a great, but long term we need to have a sustainable tax industry. And I think that's why we set increases through the regulator so that people can make a living on it. And it's not the easiest job in the world for taxi drivers. The big thing is dispatch operators and who you sign up with and what the conditions are, and are they in breach of the regulations as well. So I bring this back and just say to you as well that Minister O'Brien is away in COP in Brazil. That's why I'm taking this particular question, but it's not that I'm abdicating responsibility. I will bring back and we'll have a chat with the officials about it on your behalf. Thank you, Minister. Thank you.