EDITORIAL: Mayo’s taxi shortage must be tackled

THE lack of taxis and hackneys in towns and villages across the county has become a major problem of late. The hassle of not being able to get a taxi was often something we most associated at busy times in Dublin, particularly when attending a big sporting or social occasion in the capital city.
But throughout the busy summer season just gone, the same problem has manifested itself in the west, particularly in busy tourists towns, like here in Westport.
New data released this week from insurance experts at Insuremytaxi.ie from the National Transport Authority has shown that there are now just 220 licensed taxis operating in Mayo. There were 330 ten years ago – and since then the population of the county has grown by over 2,000 people.

Agreement hopes
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, has said that soaring insurance premiums had made it unaffordable for many to pursue a career as a taxi driver.
However, the insurance providers believe a new agreement they have reached should cut hundreds of euros off the average insurance premium, particularly for small public service vehicles outside of Dublin.
This may perhaps will encourage more people to get involved in the taxi or hackey business, because, as Mr Hehir rightly points out, a lack of taxis can have 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, and it was easy to see this frustration from tourists this summer in Westport. Most tourists want to come and socialise in the town centre, but if you are not staying in a hotel in the town centre, you will most likely be looking for a taxi to take you to the Quay or one of the many Airbnbs that are now based in the rural hinterland surrounding Westport.

Young blood needed
Mr Hehir has also called 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.
He said: “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 almost a quarter (23 percent) of all taxi drivers are now aged over 66 and 15 percent are over 70.
“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.”
If the situation does indeed get worse, we could also see many tourists choosing to do more of their eating and drinking in their Airbnbs, and this will have a detrimental effect for all the pubs and restaurants who are already faced with a whole host of problems due to the cost of living crisis.
Let’s hope the Government does take some action to try and reinvigorate the taxi business with supportive measures in the Budget next month.