{"id":306292,"date":"2026-02-19T14:48:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T14:48:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/306292\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T14:48:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T14:48:07","slug":"private-ride-sharing-services-will-not-be-introduced-in-ireland-minister-says-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/306292\/","title":{"rendered":"Private ride-sharing services will not be introduced in Ireland, Minister says \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ride-sharing services such as Uber<\/a>, through which private drivers offer taxi services using their own car, will not be introduced to the Irish market, despite calls for doing so this week. <\/p>\n

On Thursday, Minister for Transport Darragh O\u2019Brien<\/a> pushed back firmly on a recommendation from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission<\/a> (CCPC) to remove regulatory barriers to such services common in other countries. <\/p>\n

He said the Government had \u201cno intention\u201d of doing so despite the CCPC call that came on the back of research<\/a> it conducted that found a \u201csignificant share\u201d of taxi users want the choice of ride-sharing (49 per cent).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe model where anyone with a private car (not licensed as a small public service vehicle) and an app can provide taxi services does not exist in Ireland,\u201d O\u2019Brien said. \u201cIt is not Government policy and there is no intention to introduce it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the \u201cprotection of the consumer and personal safety are vital objectives and must continue to be central to how the taxi and hackney sector is regulated and operated\u201d.<\/p>\n

He admitted the structure of the taxi and hackney market had \u201cundoubtedly changed\u201d since liberalisation of the market took place and \u201cmore notably in recent years\u201d in relation to the role of dispatch operators. <\/p>\n

\u201cI have requested that the National Transport Authority<\/a> (NTA) conduct a regulatory assessment of dispatch operator licensing in Ireland in the context of ensuring that the regulatory framework for this element of the overall sector is sufficiently up to date and robust to respond to developments since the enactment of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013. <\/p>\n

\u201cA sustainable taxi sector is an important element of our transport system, and I encourage taxi drivers, passengers, the CCPC and all stakeholders to take the opportunity to feed into this important piece of work.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Ireland should embrace Uber and other ride-hailing apps to increase options, says watchdogOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Companies such as Uber do currently operate in Dublin, but regulations mean they can only act as a booking agent for licensed taxi drivers, rather than work as a ride-hailing service.<\/p>\n

Ride-hailing platforms, including Uber and Bolt, connect private drivers to passengers via apps.<\/p>\n

Uber welcomed the call from the CCPC and said it was \u201cclear\u201d O\u2019Brien and the NTA \u201cneed to begin a serious reform process that improves access and availability for consumers and drivers\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe support the Taxis for Ireland Coalition call for a national taxi strategy that strengthens the market while supporting a well regulated industry,\u201d the group added.<\/p>\n

CCPC chairman Brian McHugh said: \u201cRegulatory barriers in the taxi market have failed to facilitate innovations that have flourished in other countries, and consumers are suffering as a result.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur research shows a clear preference for more choice among consumers who are not getting the service they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Irish people should have the option of calling an Uber or a BoltOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

McHugh said it was not a case of abandoning oversight, and that new entrants should be regulated to maintain safety and standards, but that consumers and businesses deserved an \u201cinnovative, functioning taxi sector\u201d that provides choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsumers shouldn\u2019t be faced with long waits or the possibility of staying home due to a lack of taxi availability.\u201d<\/p>\n

McHugh said the CCPC was calling on the Government to remove \u201ckey regulatory barriers\u201d in the taxi market so that it can be more responsive to consumer needs and align better with \u201chow transport systems are evolving all over the world\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal is to achieve a balance that protects consumers and ensures access, while also allowing competition and innovation to improve the market,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe look forward to engaging with the NTA in their consultation process and to exploring all solutions that might increase capacity and choice.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ride-sharing services such as Uber, through which private drivers offer taxi services using their own car, will not…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":306293,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72,11756,15910,7941,61,60,7942,6114],"class_list":["post-306292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-competition-and-consumer-protection-commission-ccpc","tag-darragh-o-brien","tag-department-of-transport","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-national-transport-authority","tag-uber"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=306292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/306293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=306292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=306292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=306292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}