The National Transport Authority has said taxi fares will increase from next Thursday by an average of 12%, while every taxi in Ireland must also accept credit and debit card payments as well as cash from that date.
NTA Director of Public Transport Regulation Wendy Thompson said the NTA reviews the maximum fare every two years, taking both drivers and passengers into account.
"The full fare review examined all the running costs that a driver has to pay to give a taxi service in today's economic environment, so that includes the fuel prices, the energy prices, cost of vehicles and so on," she said, adding that they also account for the macro environment and cost of living changes for passengers and drivers.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News At One, Ms Thompson added: "This time, because of what is going on the post-pandemic era and renewed socialing, we also strongly considered passenger demand and how that has changed from pre-Covid times, particularly for nighttime trips which are up 45%".
Ms Thompson noted that taxi drivers were also due to get a 5% fare increase in 2020, which they decided not to take given the situation the country was in.
"This increase will include all the cost changes and everything up to now," she said.
Ms Thompson said the NTA weighted the increase "heavily" towards the nighttime economy "where demand has started outstripping supply", in order to incentivise more drivers to work nighttime periods.
She added that for some of the longer journeys in the wider Dublin area, even the highest increase was "less than half or a quarter of a late night drink … but it is a choice".
