Taximen Protest Wed 28th Oct 2026

[watty]

Uber's playbook is to eliminate the competition and then ramp up the prices.  Comrades might not have a choice (other than ranking) if Uber is the only app in town...

Watty I already said that in another post and was castigated for it  .Im aware of the Playbook so get on with it remove the low hanging fruit then let the chips fall where they fall .My logic if as a result of really low fares we cut the fleet .Then Supply and Demand dictates more people will be putting out their hand and paying full metered fares again .Like any other business the strong will survive .At present Some drivers are subsidizing other drivers by being forced to cover lower fares to survive .You force 10% of the fleet into redundancy .Most likely Renters paying over the odds will be first out followed by Antique WAVs to expensive to replace .Now if demand fot taxis remains less cars means the Apps must offer better rates to get men to cover the work .Simple Business Logic not some Left wing Liberal nonsence .We are business men not a Charatable Collective.

I think you'll find our new cousins are a lot tougher then we are.  They'll work for much much longer hours then us & work for pennies.  That's what Uber and the other apps are counting on.

aH Watty Watty Watty .There is a treshold that weeds out the Chaff from the wheat .I do not care which drivers Creed or Colour survive or perish .There is a tipping point for all .

You (plural) can ring your Ma and borrow €20 off her pension.  Our new cousins are 5,000 miles from home and it's do or die.  No contest.

[John m]

About half the fleet will be parked up by Christmas when the Orange Pedo hits Iran and Diesel will be rationed Electricity Rationed .Big tech cutting corporate Tax job losses .We wont need as many taxies .Im watching the history of WW2 on Yesterday and everything is Identically the Same except for the Protagonist's .Fascism with a Burger and Fries and instead of Japan you will have Cossacks moving south .Taxi fares might be the least of our problems in a fortnight .

[mercenary for hire]

It will be like a Dads army episode with Irish taxi drivers..

[John m]

Silly seasom .Mick from Cork or the Early School leaver wont do it they dont want to look like scrooge .I will now predict like the Hose Pipe ban when we were going to try save water .The Minister for energy will ask people not to decorate their houses or Councils to limit the time they turn on Christmas Lights .Scooter nomics Lads that use to be zooming all over the streets now hanging around corners waiting on orders .When a bag of white or a bit of brown is not getting purchased you know there is a huge slowdown on the horizon .I get a tenner a week in the new year that will be swallowed up by Electricity price increase .

[watty]

About half the fleet will be parked up by Christmas when the Orange Pedo hits Iran and Diesel will be rationed Electricity Rationed .Big tech cutting corporate Tax job losses .We wont need as many taxies .Im watching the history of WW2 on Yesterday and everything is Identically the Same except for the Protagonist's .Fascism with a Burger and Fries and instead of Japan you will have Cossacks moving south .Taxi fares might be the least of our problems in a fortnight .

Did someone mention appeasement?  Pentagon tells Europeans to cool their rhetoric on Russia, sources say

Oct 30 (Reuters) - Pentagon officials have in recent weeks asked several NATO countries to tone down their rhetoric regarding the threat posed by Russia, ​arguing that some statements by European leaders and officials have undermined continental security, four people familiar with the matter said.

[Rat Catcher]

That's an interesting one. Drivers setting their own rates individually might be better suited to country runs in our jurisdiction? There are quite a few drivers doing something similar (e.g. Roy's Ireland By Taxi) in less sophisticated ways.

You keep mentioning a different rate for Rural work .Are Cars cheaper in Down the Country ? Is Petrol or Diesel cheaper in Down the Country .Is suitability or NCT cheaper in down the country .Typical liberal thinking Fuck the little man im ok on my Manor .

Here Rodent .Ive given this a good coat of looking over .The Review and its outcome and Why .
All Dispatch licence holders must be registered for business in Ireland .Why UBER are not so Revenue do not get their VAT collected for them .


No limits on Commission As the BOOKING APPS are stand alone apps not TAXI APPS .This allows them to charge as much or as little commission as they like bigger commission bigger VAT take for State .

Wont have any impact on Fixed Fares UBER will continue the Fixed Fares others will join them .Questionable if Tap can join them as that is not what the shareholders bought into .

Outcome Fixed fares will become the norm until others are wiped out then the Freight will increase to minimum of 30% with fixed fare rates going up as the Apps rely on % of actual fares .Also increase in Booking or Tech fees on Passengers .UBER /Free Now will want their Pound of flesh on both ends .DRIVERS WILL GET WHAT THEY DESERVE .Who asked for this review ?
 
Lads be delighted they save on accountancy fees when paying their VAT so I suppose they will claim the victory .

The jobs don't take as long outside of the big cities. I recently covered a fare from Stamullen to DAP that worked out at c.€73 for 32 mins work inc. run in and another from King St. North to DAP that paid me c.€29 for 38 mins inc. run in, both before commission.

We used to have the country card from the unions to ascertain the most appropriate rate and before the Dublin taximeter area was extended nationwide different cities, towns and villages set their own metered fares through the relevant local authorities where metered fares were considered to be appropriate. Outside of those areas the local drivers and depots established the rates.

Local firms/drivers are best placed to work out where there's scope for discounts i.e. where such discounts will increase both demand and aggregate driver income, particularly during recessions.

I've addressed the rest in the other thread on the same topic.

[John m]

Only mention of Maximum fare addresses the 3 notes booking no mention of having to charge it .So like you say local firms can cut their cloth to suit their width !DRIVERS WILL GET WHAT THEY DESERVE .who asked for this review .

[John m]

Decarbon .Should the Taxithingey have to provide Taxi only Rapid Chargers to encourage Apartment Dwellers to go EV ?

[silverbullet]

I didn't encounter anyone looking for reinstatement of entry liberalisation, erm. The men on the ground were very much focussed on opposition to fixed fares (Uber) and taxi saver fares (Free Now). The official statement clarifies that the men aren't protesting against any particular firm but are calling on NTA to regulate dispatch operators to facilitate fair fares, fair competition and fair commission. We have seen Tap A Taxi evolve from previous protest action and, while that has proved to be a success up above in Dublin in particular, imagine what it could achieve if the anti-competitive practices employed by the multinational rideshare platforms were outlawed. The sky would be the limit!

I did notice a good few 2026 cars on the protest, including my own, which makes you (or the public) think, well they can't be doing that bad if they're driving cars that cost up to €100k - there was at least one new London black cab and, directly in front of me at one point, a 262 Ford Torneo all the way from Mayo - the diesel to get to the protest probably cost him more than your monthly car loan repayment! I can't see the men who bought those cars being too keen on restoring entry liberalisation. As Watty (our resident statistician) reported on this very forum there's no apparent problem with men struggling to replace WATs.

I appreciate that you now advocate for lower fixed fares from Uber in the belief that will enable you to exploit the competitive edge you enjoy as a plate owner driving a heavily subsidised car but I think it's important to remember that you only adopted that stance after the last protest - a protest you and a WhatsAPP group of drivers to which you subscribe supported through withdrawal of yisser labour, albeit on the wrong day! Before that you were on this very forum whinging about Uber cutting the rates it pays you up above in Dublin on Sundays for two or three weeks in a row. With that in mind we must appreciate that what Uber does very well is manipulation, manipulation of markets through investment and manipulation of minds - or targeted marketing, if you prefer - through social media.

In any event, yesterdays we saw a very well organised, very well attended peaceful protest. Well done to all concerned.

Hey, RC, I got AI to strip away the unnecessary verbosity:

Main Takeaway: The recent taxi protest was peaceful, well-attended, and featured many brand-new 2026 model vehicles, suggesting drivers are not financially struggling to replace their cars. Instead of seeking entry liberalisation, protesters focused on demanding stricter NTA regulation of dispatch apps (like Uber and Free Now) to ensure fair fares, competition, and commissions.

Thank you for your attention in this matter!!

[silverbullet]

It will be like a Dads army episode with Irish taxi drivers..

[John m]

Silver they got what they Deserved .They wanted regulation of Apps got that they need an Irish Agent and possibly address . They got Fair fairs looked at they might give our 3 euro to the Dispatchers .Nothing about Entitlement to Maximum allowable metered fare .You got to promote competition  If there is a Maximun then competition can only be downward .The Protesters know that Looks like they GOT WHAT THEY DESERVED .

[Rat Catcher]

With respect erm, I think you've missed the point entirely. There is a huge win in there for drivers provided they can see it and unite to capitalise upon it. I've only had a very brief look at each of the "consultation" documents and my focus is somewhat impaired at this juncture so I won't go into great detail until I have the time, sobriety and inclination to give it a good coat of thinking about. Briefly, you might recall me suggesting to Watty that no regulation is going to be written that starts with "Uber may... " or "Uber may not...". Study the first couple of paragraphs of the dispatch operator consultation document and come back when you realize how wrong I was.

I also got a little sidetracked on reading their plans to abolish the area stickers from roof signs. I recently invested in a brand new set of those stickers which I never got round to fitting so I'm sure you can appreciate the levels of anxiety and stress that has caused me on a personal level and I thank you, in advance, for your patience and understanding at this difficult time.