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Sometimes not. Ireland used to have a very limited number of taxi licences (as they were called), that could be worth €80,000. Then they deregulated it and now

by rmc 12y ago

Sometimes not. Ireland used to have a very limited number of taxi licences (as they were called), that could be worth €80,000. Then they deregulated it and now anyone can get a licence for ~€250. There are now thousands of taxis during busy periods.

CalRobert 12y ago
I was really surprised by the easy availability and affordability of cabs here in Dublin. I used the €25 free credit from Uber and promptly uninstalled the app, but mostly because the CEO seems like an asshole (this is going to get downvoted, but whatever. I hate knowing my money is going to a major douchebag.)
- Ygg2 12y ago
  You said app. Do you own an iPhone? Or an Apple product?
  - CalRobert 12y ago
    No, Android. App being short for "application" (or in some cases "appetizer"), I do not recognize Apple's claim to the word. If this isn't what you were referring to, please elaborate.
- markc 12y ago
  They're everywhere all right, way too many it seems, but most of the Dublin cabs I rode in were 15 y.o. econobox beaters on their last legs, ratty, loud, no A.C., gruff drivers. 10 Euro for 10 minute ride - meh. My last Uber ride (Boston) showed up under 3 minutes from when I requested it, driver loaded all our luggage, drove a brand new full-size sedan with leather, great stereo, A.C., great ride, spankin clean, twice the distance - to the airport! - for about $5 more. No comparison. Didn't know Uber ethics were questionable, but I was very happy to pay my driver for a great ride and great service.
  - rmc 12y ago
    Air conditioning is not common in a country that calls 20 degrees a heatwave. Fares are set by the government, and includes a ~€5 starting price (so short journeys have a higher price). "Gruff" is accurate. Though usually the white irish drivers are horrifically racist.
  - CalRobert 12y ago
    Maybe I'm weird, but is €10 for 10 minutes so bad? How much would a ten minute cab ride be in NYC? London? Operating a vehicle is pretty expensive, and you probably need at least €20 per hour for the driver (remember, the cost of paying someone wages of X is often 1-5 or 2 times X). Then there's insurance, fuel, tax, registration, and fees. Also, cabs aren't always carrying passengers, so it's not like they're actually going to get €60 for 60 minutes of driving. On top of all that, even, the fares are not adjusted much for periods of low or high demand, so a cab will cost very roughly the same at 8:30 AM Saturday morning as 5:30 PM Friday evening. Really, I'd say €10 for 10 minutes is a pretty fair deal. They get to use the bus lane as well, which adds to the value of the service. Also I'm weird but I like that cabs use small cars. The city has too many cars on the road as it is, and large vehicles are much harder to walk/cycle/drive/see around (and tend to be worse for the planet), so smaller vehicles are more considerate of others. I've never been in a late 90's (implied by your 15 y.o comment) car, at least yet.
    - rmc 12y ago
      On top of all that, even, the fares are not adjusted much for periods of low or high demand, so a cab will cost very roughly the same at 8:30 AM Saturday morning as 5:30 PM Friday evening. In Ireland there is a premium rate between 8pm and 8am, all day Sundays and Public Holidays. But it's only a ~20% increase. http://www.transportforireland.ie/fares/taxi/ http://www.transportforireland.ie/fares/taxi/
tim333 12y ago
Ireland was an interesting case of the cabbies shooting themselves in the foot. Dublin used to have a major shortage of cabs to the extent that many people including my ex girlfriend were forced to walk down dark streets in the early hours because there were no cabs. So the government tried for years to increase the number of licenses but the cabbies refused to negotiate that. So in the end the government got fed up and cancelled the old permit laws entirely so now there is a vast excess of cabs sitting about the taxi ranks - well that's partly due the economy also.

by rmc 12y ago

CalRobert 12y ago

I was really surprised by the easy availability and affordability of cabs here in Dublin. I used the €25 free credit from Uber and promptly uninstalled the app, but mostly because the CEO seems like an asshole (this is going to get downvoted, but whatever. I hate knowing my money is going to a major douchebag.)

Ygg2 12y ago
You said app. Do you own an iPhone? Or an Apple product?
- CalRobert 12y ago
  No, Android. App being short for "application" (or in some cases "appetizer"), I do not recognize Apple's claim to the word. If this isn't what you were referring to, please elaborate.
markc 12y ago
They're everywhere all right, way too many it seems, but most of the Dublin cabs I rode in were 15 y.o. econobox beaters on their last legs, ratty, loud, no A.C., gruff drivers. 10 Euro for 10 minute ride - meh. My last Uber ride (Boston) showed up under 3 minutes from when I requested it, driver loaded all our luggage, drove a brand new full-size sedan with leather, great stereo, A.C., great ride, spankin clean, twice the distance - to the airport! - for about $5 more. No comparison. Didn't know Uber ethics were questionable, but I was very happy to pay my driver for a great ride and great service.
- rmc 12y ago
  Air conditioning is not common in a country that calls 20 degrees a heatwave. Fares are set by the government, and includes a ~€5 starting price (so short journeys have a higher price). "Gruff" is accurate. Though usually the white irish drivers are horrifically racist.
- CalRobert 12y ago
  Maybe I'm weird, but is €10 for 10 minutes so bad? How much would a ten minute cab ride be in NYC? London? Operating a vehicle is pretty expensive, and you probably need at least €20 per hour for the driver (remember, the cost of paying someone wages of X is often 1-5 or 2 times X). Then there's insurance, fuel, tax, registration, and fees. Also, cabs aren't always carrying passengers, so it's not like they're actually going to get €60 for 60 minutes of driving. On top of all that, even, the fares are not adjusted much for periods of low or high demand, so a cab will cost very roughly the same at 8:30 AM Saturday morning as 5:30 PM Friday evening. Really, I'd say €10 for 10 minutes is a pretty fair deal. They get to use the bus lane as well, which adds to the value of the service. Also I'm weird but I like that cabs use small cars. The city has too many cars on the road as it is, and large vehicles are much harder to walk/cycle/drive/see around (and tend to be worse for the planet), so smaller vehicles are more considerate of others. I've never been in a late 90's (implied by your 15 y.o comment) car, at least yet.
  - rmc 12y ago
    On top of all that, even, the fares are not adjusted much for periods of low or high demand, so a cab will cost very roughly the same at 8:30 AM Saturday morning as 5:30 PM Friday evening. In Ireland there is a premium rate between 8pm and 8am, all day Sundays and Public Holidays. But it's only a ~20% increase. http://www.transportforireland.ie/fares/taxi/ http://www.transportforireland.ie/fares/taxi/

tim333 12y ago

Ireland was an interesting case of the cabbies shooting themselves in the foot. Dublin used to have a major shortage of cabs to the extent that many people including my ex girlfriend were forced to walk down dark streets in the early hours because there were no cabs. So the government tried for years to increase the number of licenses but the cabbies refused to negotiate that. So in the end the government got fed up and cancelled the old permit laws entirely so now there is a vast excess of cabs sitting about the taxi ranks - well that's partly due the economy also.