Time to allow Uber to operate in Ireland?

I use Uber and its equivalents in other countries and it's great. I know in advance what I will be paying. I am much less likely to be ripped off. And it's cheaper.

I was thinking of it from my own perspective and don't use taxis much in Ireland as I live close to the city centre and cycle or walk most of the time.

But I see that the rural publicans are now calling for it as well. Their customers can't get taxis to get home.

Uber anlready operates in Ireland, but it is simply a taxi booking and fare collection facility. The price is the metered price at the end of the journey.

I guess what you would like is for some kind of legal framework for a licensed service where rider and driver can set the fare in advance?

Can somebody, very briefly, explain why or how the Uber that operates abroad does not happen here?

I presume it's due to laws/regulations?

Protocol said:

I presume it's due to laws/regulations?

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Yeah, the provision of transport is regulated here, Uber lobbied hard but ultimately the NTA rejected their approach saying allowing private car sharing would undermine the regulated taxi industry.

The argument to allow it in areas not well served by taxis is strong, but I guess the risk is that private Uber drivers would by and large chase the same customers in busy areas rather than hang around rural areas waiting for the occasional punter to head for a few drinks.

Dr Strangelove said:

I guess what you would like is for some kind of legal framework for a licensed service where rider and driver can set the fare in advance?

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What seems to be needed is an increase in the supply of taxis/private hire.

More competition.

More availability.

Lower prices.

Brendan

There is an element with the Uber ban by the NTA of the NTA justifying their existence in my view. I do get the need for standards and regulation but there is nothing to stop the NTA putting similar regulations in place for the Ubers of this world. It would require resources and some creative thinking by the NTA and will happen eventually but like everything the NTA touches, it will take years

Section 24 of the Taxi Regulation Act allows the NTA to set maximum fares based on time and distance.

For a proper app-based ride-sharing system to work you would need a legislative basis to remove the maximum fare.

The Act also sets out minimum standards for condition of vehicle, driver qualifications, etc. I wouldn’t be in favour of reducing these to the point where anyone can simply pick up passengers in their own car.

It could really benefit smaller towns and country areas where a lot of older people in particular depend on taxis/hackneys. Where I grew up there was 1 hackney and if she was on holidays you were stuck. People would have to get a taxi to drive from the next town over to collect them which would add at least £10 to their trip - that was a lot of money. Now there is no hackney and they are depending on lifts from friends/family. There is OK public transport but it could never fill the gap completely.

If there was an Uber option I think you would have people doing part-time driving which would help people into the workforce who might otherwise struggle and this would boost the local economy. There could be environmental and traffic benefits too with fewer cars on the roads.

FreeNow is an abomination of an app but it has helped weed out the really bad drivers.

arbitron said:

FreeNow is an abomination of an app but it has helped weed out the really bad drivers.

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Do you trust the apps that much though? They would be responsible for ensuring that drivers have roadworthy vehicles, have insurance, be of good repute, et cetera.

After deregulation in the early 2000s and prior to the arrival of the ride-hailing apps, I think Ireland did a pretty good job of balancing the conflicting regulatory demands of ensuring minimum standards, keeping prices low, and ensuring that there were enough taxis to meet demand.

I'm referring to FreeNow allowing people to rate drivers.

arbitron said:

If there was an Uber option I think you would have people doing part-time driving which would help people into the workforce who might otherwise struggle and this would boost the local economy. There could be environmental and traffic benefits too with fewer cars on the roads.

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That's the argument that Uber and others are putting forward, but I suspect Uber know that the number of people willing to sign-up as drivers in rural areas who are happy to sit around waiting for 1 or 2 calls over the course of a night are very low. Most drivers would just go to where the taxis are already and look to maximise the return on their time.

To really serve communities starved of taxis you'd have to look at regulation keeping them out of built-up areas, but that would be very difficult to enforce and Uber won't go for it as they're just after volume & revenue.

Brendan Burgess said:

What seems to be needed is an increase in the supply of taxis/private hire.

More competition.

More availability.

Lower prices.

Brendan

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Not sure about lower prices. Uber has surge pricing so when there is more demand the price goes up to encourage more drivers to come to the area to increase supply and reduce price.

I used Uber extensively for 5 years in the states, and often it was incredibly expensive. Recently on a trip I spent $30 on an uber to a concert, on the return it was $100 due to the demand at the end of the concert.

I imagine it would end up similar in Dublin on a Saturday night.