Mayo has 100 less taxis than 10 years ago

THERE are 100 less taxis in Mayo than ten years ago, despite the population growing by over 2,000 people.

New data gathered from insurance experts at Insuremytaxi.ie from the National Transport Authority has shown that there are now 220 licensed taxis operating in Mayo.

This is compared to 330 ten years ago, since which the population of the county has grown by over 2,000 people.

This reflects a nationwide trend, with 19,500 licensed taxis, hackneys, and limousines on Irish roads today, compared to 21,900 ten years ago and 27,429 in 2008.

John Hehir, MD of Insuremytax.ie, said that soaring insurance premiums had made it unaffordable for many to pursue a career as a taxi driver.

However, insurance providers believe a new agreement they have reached with insurers should cut hundreds of euros off the average insurance premium, particularly for small public service vehicles outside of Dublin.

Commenting on the Mayo figures, Mr Hehir said that the lack of taxis has ‘a negative knock-on effect’ on the hospitality and tourism industry.

“Being left stranded late at night because of a shortage of taxi drivers, particularly at busy times like Christmas or after concerts or festivals, is not a good selling point. The shortage of taxis in rural areas is a perennial problem, particularly in isolated rural areas where the cost of providing taxis is often a major obstacle. A better-resourced rural taxi service could help combat social isolation in rural areas, particularly for the elderly,” Mr Hehir stated.

“The implications of an underserviced public are wide-ranging – of course, there’s the public safety element for people who cannot get home late at night. Unfortunately, drink-driving is also an issue. Not having a dependable means of transportation home may well entice people to break the rules around drink-driving.

“In addition, for the tourists arriving in this country, often their first experience is an hour-long wait for taxis at airports and train stations. This isn’t acceptable. There simply aren’t enough taxis on the roads. We believe our new low-cost insurance will encourage more people to apply for a taxi licence at a time when there is such a shortage of them and hopefully improve the taxi experience for locals and tourists alike. However, the Government also needs to take action to alleviate taxi shortages.”

Mr Hehir is calling on the Government to provide more incentives for young people to enter the taxi business and to address the high insurance costs they often face.

“We would like to see young and middle-aged drivers entering the industry at a much earlier stage if that’s what they would like to do.  With younger drivers struggling to secure insurance at affordable levels, it’s no surprise that recent figures show that a quarter (23pc) of all taxi drivers are now aged over 66 and 15pc are over 70,” he said.

“The Government needs more young blood in this sector if it wants this country to have a sustainable and well-resourced taxi service. Otherwise, the taxi shortages currently being experienced by so many will only get worse.”