Transport-sharing systems such as Uber and Lyft might be reconsidered by the Government as a consequence of taxi shortages in cities at key times during the day and night.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the Government might look again at alternative transport services which are not available in Ireland to address long delays people are experiencing.
He accepted it was very hard for people to get taxis at particular times in Irish cities at the moment. He said it was one of a number of services that has struggled to cope with a surge in demand in the wake of pandemic restrictions being lifted.
“[During the pandemic] demand was suppressed and now there’s a sudden snapback of demand. A lot of services are struggling to cope with that. Dublin Airport is one, the passports [service] is another, and taxis are a third example of that. Things will settle over time and will be sorted out.”
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He added that transport-sharing services might be considered again, as it was easy to get transport in other places in the world.
“What I find is when you go to other countries, you’ve got other options. Whether it’s public transport and also things like Uber and Lyft and things like that. They’re just not available in Ireland in the same way. Maybe we need to look at that again, and see if we can liberalise [the sector].
Uber and Lyft are apps that link customers to pay for travel in private cars with drivers for a commission, but the firms do not own any of the vehicles.
