At the time of going to press last evening (Wednesday ), traffic across Galway City had slowed to a crawl. The cause was not an accident nor a surge of seasonal congestion, but a coordinated protest by taxi drivers who say they are fighting for nothing less than their livelihoods. Their demonstration, while inconvenient for many, was a stark reminder of the fragile balance that keeps Galway moving—especially after dark.
Galway, perhaps more than most Irish cities, depends on a vibrant and reliable taxi industry. The city’s limited public transport options, car parking costs, its sprawling suburbs, and its famously lively nighttime economy all combine to make taxis an essential service rather than a luxury. Whether it is shift workers finishing late, residents without access to a car, or the thousands who fill the city’s pubs and venues each week, Galway relies on the availability of drivers who know the city, know the people, and keep the wheels turning long after the buses stop.
That is why today’s protest matters. Around 100 taxis took to key routes from 4:30pm as part of a slowdown demonstration against new fixed-fare rules introduced by Uber. Similar protests unfolded simultaneously in Dublin and Limerick. Drivers argue that Uber’s system—where passengers pay either a predetermined fare or the meter reading, whichever is lower—could slash their income, particularly when traffic is heavy or diversions unavoidable. In a city where congestion is already a daily battle, that is not a theoretical concern but a lived reality.
One organiser summed up the frustration bluntly on social media: over the past three weeks, Uber has “deliberately destabilised the Irish taxi industry by forcing fixed fares onto a system that was never built for it.” Whether deliberate or not, the impact is the same: a threat to the viability of an industry that Galway cannot afford to lose.
There is no doubt that consumers welcome lower fares when available. But cheaper in the short term can become costlier in the long run if the result is fewer drivers, longer wait times, and reduced availability at peak hours. Driving taxi operators out of the market does not create choice—it erodes it.
A solution must be found, and urgently. Galway needs its taxi industry. Undermining it would not only harm drivers but weaken the entire city. As the organisers put it: “Save the Irish taxi industry — before it’s too late.”
