Demand for taxis in Dublin city centre has tripled this month but many people are stuck late at night due to a shortage of taxi drivers.
“There is a major taxi shortage in Dublin in particular, post-Covid. This is essentially the first Christmas in three years that people have been able to properly enjoy the festivities. People have no problem getting into town, mainly taking public transport,” a source in one of the capital’s busiest garda districts said, reports Independent.
A source reported there has been a sharp increase in public order incidents over the past fortnight in the capital, and added: “As the saying goes, ‘When drink is in, sense is out’. People are standing at taxi ranks for hours on end and frustrations are boiling over. not enough taxis is the main issue”, more taxi ranks are needed to reduce large numbers queuing at busy ranks such as College Green. The South Quays has a 24-hour bus lane, as does the North Quays. Why can’t they be converted to taxi ranks late at night when the buses are finished?,” reports Independent.
The Irish Taxi Drivers Association was contacted but no one was available for comment.
However, a driver who has worked in Dublin for more than 20 years said Covid and lockdowns have “changed the game” and forced drivers to leave “in droves”.
“Covid essentially made a significant amount of drivers temporarily unemployed. The country just shut down, there was no work,” he said. “Taxi drivers are self-employed, so we had to look elsewhere to earn a living. Many drivers took delivery jobs, and many of those drivers realised that delivery driving is far preferable to working as a taxi driver. So a significant proportion of people never came back to the job. I personally wouldn’t go near Dublin city at night. There are too many people with drink taken, which can make it difficult to get paid or lead to them soiling your car. I’m hearing from colleagues who do work nights that a lot of customers are angry too because it’s taken them so long to get a cab. It’s just not worth it. My advice is if you’re going out, plan your journey home and don’t leave it until after midnight,” reports Independent.
The Garda source said the cold snap that started last week is already causing more headaches for people trying to get home and affecting frontline police.
“We are trying to move people along, but where can we move them to if they can’t get home? It’s like ushering flocks of sheep around in a circle. The freezing weather is making it worse. The cells in every station is Dublin city will be full this weekend,” reports Independent.
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