The National Transport Authority has announced plans to require card payment facilities in all taxis along with a new maximum fare rate.
Under the Taxi Regulations Act 2012, the NTA will hold public consultation on the requirement for drivers to accept cashless payments for any journey.
A new maximum fare order, which will detail the maximum fare that may be charged by a taxi driver, will also be under public consultation.
The proposal is among those contained in the National Maximum Taxi Fare Review Report 2022 published today.
Under the proposals, taxis will be brought into line with other services, with cashless payment now the norm in shops, supermarkets and restaurants across the country.
A recommendation to introduce such a provision was first made in an NTA fare review in 2019, but the planned implementation in early 2020 was deferred because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 2019 report also examined the cost of running a taxi service compared to 2017, when the previous fare review was undertaken and recommended in line with that, an increase in the National Maximum Taxi Fare of 4.5pc. That fare increase was also postponed in 2020.
The report published today found that overall, the costs associated with operating a taxi increased between 2017 and 2022 by approximately 11pc. An increase in maximum taxi fare levels, to reflect this, is recommended in the report.
The 2019 Fare Review recommended a further adjustment of 1pc for the extra costs associated with the introduction of cashless payment facilities, such as transaction fees and hardware provision. This is also factored into today’s recommended increase in maximum fares of 12pc.
These proposals are now open for public consultation until Friday, May 27 at 12pm, with the matter to be brought to the NTA board for consideration shortly thereafter.
The Taxi Fare Review is generally carried out by the NTA every two years or so to assess operating costs and fares in the SPSV sector.
