The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has thrown its weight behind opening Ireland’s tightly controlled taxi market to private-vehicle ride-hailing, publishing research on 19 February that shows four in ten people struggled to get a cab in December. Forty-nine per cent of survey respondents—and 57 per cent outside Dublin—want the option to book services such as Uber or Bolt that use non-taxi cars.
At present, Uber is restricted to acting as a dispatch agent for licensed taxis, a model the CCPC says stifles innovation and fails travellers, including the seven million business visitors who transit through Dublin Airport annually. The Commission is urging the National Transport Authority to lift regulatory barriers in its forthcoming licensing review.
![Consumer watchdog urges deregulation to let Uber-style ride-hailing expand across Ireland]()
For overseas staff planning trips to Ireland, ensuring travel documentation is in order will remain just as important as securing ground transport. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) streamlines the Irish visa application process for corporate travellers and tourists alike, letting companies coordinate multiple applications and track status in real time—handy if ride-hailing reforms encourage more last-minute trips.
For corporates managing ground-transport policies, broader ride-hailing could cut door-to-door costs and improve late-night safety for travelling employees. It may also ease pressure on car-rental fleets that have faced shortages since the pandemic. However, existing taxi-drivers’ unions vow to fight the changes, raising the prospect of industrial action around St Patrick’s Day, Ireland’s busiest international-travel weekend.
Multinationals should monitor the NTA consultation scheduled for Q3 2026; policy submissions from large employers could carry weight, especially on service-quality metrics like fixed fares and data-driven safety checks. If adopted, new regulations could take effect as early as summer 2027, reshaping urban mobility for expatriates and visiting executives alike.
At present, Uber is restricted to acting as a dispatch agent for licensed taxis, a model the CCPC says stifles innovation and fails travellers, including the seven million business visitors who transit through Dublin Airport annually. The Commission is urging the National Transport Authority to lift regulatory barriers in its forthcoming licensing review.
For overseas staff planning trips to Ireland, ensuring travel documentation is in order will remain just as important as securing ground transport. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) streamlines the Irish visa application process for corporate travellers and tourists alike, letting companies coordinate multiple applications and track status in real time—handy if ride-hailing reforms encourage more last-minute trips.
For corporates managing ground-transport policies, broader ride-hailing could cut door-to-door costs and improve late-night safety for travelling employees. It may also ease pressure on car-rental fleets that have faced shortages since the pandemic. However, existing taxi-drivers’ unions vow to fight the changes, raising the prospect of industrial action around St Patrick’s Day, Ireland’s busiest international-travel weekend.
Multinationals should monitor the NTA consultation scheduled for Q3 2026; policy submissions from large employers could carry weight, especially on service-quality metrics like fixed fares and data-driven safety checks. If adopted, new regulations could take effect as early as summer 2027, reshaping urban mobility for expatriates and visiting executives alike.
