Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to go back to the issue of taxis. Approximately two weeks ago I had to book a taxi through one of the taxi companies. The taxi was an hour late the following morning. I was late for my appointment. It was at a peak time between 8 a.m. and 8.30 a.m. I have made inquiries and anecdotally it appears that taxi drivers are not using the apps at particular times. My short journey was probably a relatively low fare. They go for long journey fares and that is fine. We have a system that does not function. Even from the point of view of safety, if someone using an app to book a taxi is left waiting because the taxi does not turn up, there is a problem.

If taxi drivers do not use the app, does this not tell us there is an insufficient supply of taxis? If they are not using the app, it means there is plenty of other work at a particular point in time. Many of the people waiting on the sidewalk for taxis booked them on the apps. The companies are not telling them that the taxi drivers have switched off the apps. They are being told a taxi will be there but it does not arrive. Then people phone the company. The simple deduction is that the profile of how taxi drivers work means many of them no longer work long hours. We all take taxis. They are not working night shifts in the way they used to. Many of them have left the sector. This is anecdotal and I cannot prove it. I do not want to be unfair in any way to taxi drivers because they provide a great service and I find them fantastic to use. If taxi drivers are not using the app does it not de facto state there are not sufficient taxis or taxi drivers out at particular times of the day or night? Does this not prove there are insufficient taxis and taxi drivers in the system at present in Dublin?