Owner of Carlow cab firm fears planned taxi fare increase could hurt business

A Carlow taxi company owner says while the plans for a fare increase are welcome, it could mean fewer people using their services.

Taxi fares are set to rise by around 12%  from September.

The move follows a review this year by the National Transport Authority.

It’s hoped it might help to entice drivers back to work busy weekend evenings.

But Patsy Whelan from Carlow Cabs says the fare rise could actually hurt business:

“We’d much prefer if they’d drop the VAT and duty on fuel and kept the fares as reasonable as possible. You’re going to price a lot of customers out of it aswell. Some families use us 5 and 6 times a day and 12% is a massive increase”